My Family Tree

Eleanor Penrose Dyment was born on 6 August 1855 in Tyne Valley, the eldest daughter of Charles Dyment and Elizabeth MacDougall Her father died when she was young, and her brother was the head of the Dyment household in 1881.

She married Joseph T. Reeves (Big Joe) in 1882. Her brother Levi and Parmenas Ellis were witnesses, and Rev. John Allen performed the ceremony. Joseph was born 1 March 1859 in Freetown, PEI, the son of Thomas Reeves and Sarah Jane Strang.

At the time of their marriage, Joseph Reeves was a farmer from Fifteen Point, and Penrose Diamond was a spinster from Tyne Valley. Her name was recorded as Penrose in the 1891 census, as well on her marriage license, so it was probably the name she used.

Penrose and Big Joe first lived in Muddy Creek, then they moved to Lower Freetown where Joseph's father Thomas lived. Joe was a farmer, a well- digger and a brickmaker. He made the bricks that were used to build Holmans store in Summerside and the Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Carmel.

Eleanor Penrose and Joseph had seven children born in Muddy Creek. There was only one entry in the PEI Baptismal Index for this family, a later entry for their daughter Elizabeth. Although Joseph was raised in the Church of Scotland, in the 1891 census he said he was a "free thinker", which might have made it difficult to find a minister willing to baptize their children.

In 1891, Joseph and Penrose were in Lot 17 with Sarah (7), Frank (5), Lottie (3), Henry (1) and Joseph (3/12). Joseph was farming. On this census record, Penrose said that both of her parents were born on the Island.

Eleanor P. Reeves was living with husband Joseph T. Reeves in the 1901 census in Lot 25. Children at home were Jane (17), Frank (16), Lottie (14), Henry (12), Walter (10), Elizabeth (5), Frederick (3), and Eddie (3). Dates of birth for the children in this family have been taken from this census. Joseph was a Presbyterian, and Eleanor Penrose a Methodist.

In 1911, they were living with Elizabeth, Walter, Fred and Eddie.

In the 1921 census, they were living in North Bedeque with their son Frederick and Thomas Phillips.

Eleanor Penrose died 17 October 1928 in Freetown, PEI.

"There passed away at her residence in Freetown on Wednesday after a lingering illness, Mrs. Joseph Reeves, at the age of seventy-one years. Before her marriage she was Miss Eleanor Diamond of Tyne Valley but came to Freetown with her husband and family about twenty years ago. Besides her husband there are left to mourn five sons and three daughters."

Daimond, Eleanor wife of Joseph Reeves at 71, Wilmot Valley.

Other obituaries give surviving sisters as Mrs. (Dr.) George Rodman and Mrs. Austin Farvell of Boston; Mrs. A. Phillips, Mrs. Lemuel Cudmore and brothers Levi and Charles on the Island. Sister Mary Ashton was Mrs. Phillips, Sarah Louise was Mrs. Cudmore. Elizabeth Jane's second husband was Austin Farwell. That leaves Susan as Mrs. George Rodman. And, since two of these sisters lived in the States, we know that they were in contact with the family back on PEI. However, Eleanor Penrose's obituary does not match that of her mother, in 1900.

From the History of Freetown
see also The Island Register, http://www.islandregister.com/reeves1.html, for The Descendants of Simon Reeves and Sarah Taylor

Summerside Journal October 22 1928 (on PEI Ancestry)