Abram REGER

Abram Reger,5 the sixth child of Jacob Reger, Sr.,4 was born on 23 Jul 1774 Hampshire Co., VA (now Hardy Co. WVA) (d. 13 Jun 1852 Volga, Barbour Co. WVA). He also like his brother John "Hercules of the Border" was a man of large stature and great physical strength. Although quite young, he was said to have participated in the Indian battle at Buckhannon, now West Virginia. On 30 Mar 1797, he was married to Miss Mary Reeder (b. 4 Jul 1778; d. 20 Jan 1861 Burnersville, WVA), dau. of Joseph Reeder and Elizabeth Henderson, and they reared a large family of children, who were [1][3]:

1. Col. John Reger6 (b. 4 Jan 1798; d. 18 Apr 1872) m. 18 Mar 1824 Margaret McCoy (b. 21 Oct 1805; d. 21 Dec 1901). He was a Colonel of Militia in Virginia and was a skilled hunter.

2. Isaac Reger6 (b. 6 Feb 1800) m. 30 Oct 1825 Elizabeth McCoy (b. 11 Jan 1808).

3. Elizabeth Reger6 (b. 31 Oct 1801, Harrison Co. VA (now Barbour Co. WVA); d. Sep 1887) m. 25 Feb 1819 Jonathan Strange Hall6 (b. 8 Nov 1797; d. Oct 1875 Collins Settlement, Lewis Co., WVA).

4. Jacob Reger6 (b. 15 Aug 1804; d. 12 Aug 1879?) m. 13 Apr 1826 Nancy Martin (b. 17 Apr 1808; d. 12 Jan 1891).

5. Abram Reger6 (b. 1806; d. 16 Apr 1869) m. (1) 27 Dec 1832 Jemima McCoy (b. c1804; d. 28 May 1865); m. (2) Julia (Stephenson) Arnold.

6. Rev. Hanson Reger6 (b. 10 Mar 1811) m. Nancy J. White.

7. Anthony Reger6 (b. 1812; d. 6 Aug 1904 Buckhannon, now West Virginia) m. 3 Dec 1836 Rachel Picken (b. c1820; d. 20 Aug 1865).

8. Martha Ann Reger6 (b. 10 Feb 1815; d. 19 Jul 1858) m. 1 Jan 1833 Johnson Ward.

9. Mary Ann Reger6 m. 4 Apr 1831 Anthony McDevitt.

10. Nancy Reger6 (b. 20 Feb 1817; d. 27 Sep 1909) m. 1 Sep 1836 David Hall, Jr. (b. 6 Sep 1812; d. 8 May 1887).

 Abram Reger was tempted by easy money. One way for a frontier man to obtain money from the government was to lie about his involvement in the Revolutionary War and receive a pension. In 1831, an Act was passed to grant pensions to War veterans, though veterans wounded in the War received pensions before. As fifty years had passed since the War, the Federal Government had a hard time validating the claims. Many veterans were in their seventies and eighties and the most of the individuals who could vouch for them were dead. "Evidently there were then, as now scores of patriots(?) who felt no compunction in defrauding their country. ... A Mr. J. Wamsley was actively engaged in writing fraudulent declarations on contract, and usually received as compensation all the first money drawn. [$30 to $90 a year was a typical pension.] He offered to write a declaration for Abram Reger, a son of Jacob Reger, Sr., who was too young for service in the Revolutionary War; but the offer was spurned." [2]

Compiled by Dan Hyde

Notes

1. Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia 1768 to 1785, by Lucullus Virgil McWhorter, 1915, reprinted by Jim Comstock, Richwood, West Virginia, 1974, as part of The West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, page 304.

2. McWhorter, page 505.

3. Notes from Ada Lea Fitz.

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Page maintained by Dan Hyde, hyde at bucknell.edu Last update January 5,1999
Copyright © 1999
By Daniel C. Hyde