William Rea

Abt 1710 -

• Name	William Rea
  Born	Abt 1710	County Down, Northern Ireland
  Gender	Male
  Person ID	P44563499	My Genealogy
  Last Modified	10 Feb 2010

  
  

  Children	1. Matthew Sutherland Rea,   b. Abt 1730, County Down, Northern Ireland ,   d. Bef 28 May 1812, Amberson Valley, Franklin, Pennsylvania, United States  (Age < 82 years)
  Last Modified	3 Apr 2012
  Family ID	F4685	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  The fact that James Azel Rea obviously thought his grandfather was William Rea of Drumskee (which is incorrect, according to Rea Surname DNA Project DNA results from known descendants of William Rea of Drumskee) indicates that his grandfather was probably named William. James would have never known his grandfather, most likely, Matthew Sutherland Rea might have been too young when his father died to have much knowledge of him, so he had very little to pass down to James. This would explain why James mistook William Rea of Drumskee for his own grandfather. Using the 25-year rule of thumb to estimate the earliest date of William's birth (1725 - 25 years = 1700) and assuming he'd have been no younger than 20 at the time of Matthew's birth (1740 - 20 years = 1720), I've arrived at a range from 1700 to 1720 for the birth year of William. At this date (January 2009, as I write this), I'm looking into the possibility that William Rea, Esq, whose will was probated in Newry in 1749, might be Matthew's father. If so, I would expect his will to show a son named Matthew. Given that William died in either 1748 or 1749, this mean Matthew couldn't have been born any later than about 1748. However, given that Matthew's first child, James was born no later than 1760 (according to the 1790 census), Matthew couldn't have been born any later than 1740 (1760 - 20 years = 1740). Therefore, in order for William to have fathered Matthew, this means Matthew couldn't have been younger than 9 years old when William died in 1749. So, if the will of William Rea, Esq shows a son named Matthew who is at least 9 years old, then the chances are good that William Rea, Esq is my 5th great-grandfather. Another theory I have is that William Rea, Esq may have been the same William Rea who was christened at Ballynahinch Presbyterian Church in 1715. Assuming William was no younger than 20 when Matthew was born, Matthew would have been born no earllier than 1735 (1715 + 20 = 1735) and if Matthew, in turn, was no younger than 20 when James was born, then James was born in 1755, which fits within the 1750-1760 range set by the 1790 census. At the other end of the range, if James was born iin 1760 and Matthew and was no younger than 20, then Matthew was born in 1740 and, if William was also no younger than 20 when Matthew was born, then William was born in 1720. However, we know that this William of Ballynahinch was born, probably, in 1715, so he would have been 25 when Matthew was born, assuming Matthew's birth year was 1740. Again, it all fits perfectly and, if Matthew was born in 1740, he'd have been 9 years old when his father died and would have known very little about his father. UPDATE (Feb. 28, 2009): It is now looking like the Reas of Ballynahinch may not be related to me, after all. According to "Reconstructing an Eighteen-Century Ulster Family: The Reas of Magheraknock and Killeen, County Down," by William Roulston, the Reas of Magheraknock and Killeen are related to Matthew Rea of Drumbo, whom my Rea Surname DNA Project has confirmed was a descendant of William Rea of Drumskee, who is not my ancestor. This would mean the Reas of Magheraknock and Killeen - and possibly the rest of Ballynahinch Parish - are not related to me. Corroborating this is DNA from another member of the project who is from a different Rea lineage that goes back to Ballynahinch and which doesn't match my line. This would seem to indicate there are two separate lineages in Ballynahinch Parish, neither of which is related to mine. So, the William Rea christened at Ballynahinch Presbyterian Church in 1715 is probably no relation to me and, thus probably no relation to the William Rea, Esq. whose will was probated in Newry in 1749. I would, then, still be looking at the William Rea of Newry as a possible ancestor, however. At present (January 24, 2009), I'm waiting for a reply from the National Archives of Ireland in Dublin, to see if I can get a copy of the will of William Rea, Esq. If I can, then I will know whether my theory is correct, as it should show me (1) when William Rea, Esq was born and (2) whether he had a son named Matthew. If he did have a son named Matthew and it shows William was born in 1715, I will be confident my theory is correct. Another item that may add corroboration to my theory is that, there was a William Ray who, on March 4, 1786 purchased land, in partnership with James Macklin, in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. If this is the same William, then William may very wwell have come to America with his son Matthew and his grandchildren James, Jonathan, Fanny, Magery and Robert in 1774, at which time he would have been about 54 to 64 years old. He would have been about 66 to 76 at the time he purchased the land with Macklin in 1786.