A Man, with a Name: Reavis to Reparations

“Reavis”, historically coined as an Anglo-Saxon name, derives from England. The name Reavis appears in North Carolina by way of Samuel Reavis who is known to be one of the first settlers in Henderson, NC circa 1785. Samuel Jones, a son of Edward Reavis (1680-1751) of England, grew up in Henrico Co, VA. The name Reavis travels from Henrico Co, VA to  Henderson, NC, to Tennessee. The “Old Reavis Farm”, located on Indian Creek, on Satterwhite Point Rd, Henderson, NC, is roughly 34 mins north of the Stagville Plantation (Fish Dam Rd).

Fish Dam Road, according to the Stagville Plantation historian, is the land in which the Reavis family worked from 1816-1865. Thomas Reavis (1768-1829), son of Samuel Reavis, moved from Granville to Orange County in 1810, and had several business dealings with the Stagville Plantation including the buying and selling of slaves, according to David C. Reavis, author of “Upon These Steps”, who is the 4x great grandson of Thomas Reavis. Below, are pictures of the Reavis home and what Fish Dam looks like now.

This house, and Reavis family cemetery still stands and rests at 1393 Satterwhite Point Road, Henderson, NC (I-85 Exit 217)

Photos Courtesy of Genealogy.com “The Reavis Family of Vance (Old Granville) County, NC + Rene Shingles