My Reeves Family's Migration from North Carolina to Tennessee

My Reeves family had lived in the Gaston and Lincoln county area of North Carolina along the Catawba River since the late 1700’s. But when my 3rd Great Grandfather Willis Reeves died on August 12, 1846 in Gaston County, his wife Elizabeth Rooker Reeves and their grown children and their families decided to move farther west. Land was plentiful in west Tennessee after the Chickasaw Nation ceded their lands to the United States in 1818 and it was here the Reeves family decided to build a new life. A distant cousin and fellow researcher told me once that some of the older sons of Willis and Elizabeth Reeves had already migrated to west Tennessee by 1840. I have an original court document from Gibson County, Tennessee dated November 9, 1842 that lists William E. Reeves, W. S. (L) Reeves and John Rooker as witnesses, so I know they were in west Tennessee at that time.

According to family tradition, the Reeves family traveled for six weeks by covered wagon from Lincoln County, North Carolina to Gibson County, Tennessee. They arrived near the town of Gadsden on April 27, 1847. I have copies of deeds from 1848 and 1849 where each of the Reeves brothers purchased land here. At least one of these original properties is still owned by a Reeves descendant today.

I believe there were several migration routes into west Tennessee being used during this time period, but I haven’t been able to nail down the one which my family used. If anyone has any thoughts about this, I would appreciate hearing from you.