The Reeves Family and the Ewing Family Genealogies

John (Johnnie) J. Basham

(April 12, 1875 — October 10, 1897)

Ada C. Miller

(August 1877 — September 12, 1908)

Johnnie J. Basham and Ada C. Miller died young; Johnnie at twenty-two and Ada a decade later at thirty-one.  Luckily for all of us, they had a child first.  Unluckily for us, because of their young deaths, there are few records showing their existence.  Little family lore exists about them because their sole child, Johnnie Ethel Basham, also died young, at twenty-five.

Johnnie first shows up in the public records in the 1880 census.  It shows him as a five-year old son in the household of James H. Basham and Mary A. Basham in Renfrow in Butler County, Kentucky.  James was a farmer and Mary was “keeping house.”  Also in the household were his sisters, Mary J. Basham (age ten) and Jenette Basham (age seven) and his brother, George W. Basham (age one).  Johnnie, his parents and his siblings all were born in Kentucky.[1]

The 1890 census does not mention them.  And by the time of the 1900 census, Johnnie was already dead.  The 1900 census for Warren County, Kentucky, however, shows Mary again.  She was twenty-two years old, had been remarried for two months to George Basham.  Presumptively, this is George Washington Basham, Johnnie's younger brother.  The record shows that Ada and George had a 2 year old daughter, Johnnie E. Basham, who was shown as the stepdaughter of George Washington Basham.  She had no other children, living or deceased.  (This census record seems to show her first name as "Adar.")[2]

She apparently had another child with George.  The only evidence of this is a small newspaper clipping in the papers of Doile Dennis Reeves said: 

A handwritten scrap of paper in the possession of Norah (Mrs. Doile Dennis) Reeves at the time of her death contained the following information: 

The above was written on a scrap of paper torn out of a book, perhaps a small bible.  On the reverse side, it says:  "Presented to Ada Basham by her husband J.J. Basham.  Sept. 7th 1897."

There was in the papers of Doile Dennis Reeves a leaf from a small book, probably a bible.  It is inscribed on one side:  "Presented to Ada Basham by her husband J.J. Basham, Sept. 7th 1897," just one month before his death.  On the other side is inscribed: 

A marriage bond in the Warren County, Kentucky Courthouse dated December 1, 1899 shows the marriage of “Mrs. Ada M. Basham” and “Geo. W. Basham.”  The surety on it was J.H. Basham.  Her name was listed as "Mrs. Ada M. Basham," meaning she apparently was married previously to a man also named Basham.[6]  We know this to be Johnnie.

George Washington Basham died on 1950 and was buried in the Green River Meeting House Cemetery.[7]

Contact Brian@BrianReeves.com with any suggestions corrections, etc.

Copyright Brian Reeves, 2005 — 2007.