The Parentage of John Ream (1800-1873)
By his 5th great-grandson Ethan Ream
February 5, 2020
The case for who the father of John Ream is, is a convoluted one to say the least. In either case, we know for sure that he was the great-grandson of Johann Eberhard Riehm. Unfortunately, historical records on this specific part of the Ream family have as of yet been unsuccessful in definitively showing who his parents and grandparents are. To complicate the matter, both proposed lineages of his descent from Johann Ream include an Andrew Ream who fought in the Revolutionary War. Either A) Capt. Andrew Ream (as his grandfather) or B) Drummer Boy Andrew Ream (as his father). Further still, both men had a son named John Ream. Thankfully, there are several documents that copies of still exist which can help shine light on the parentage of John Ream (1800-1873).
The first document of which is the will of Drummer Boy Andrew Ream. This document lists him as having children named "Samuel, Rebeca, Nancy (now the wife of Abram Kendig), Sarah, Sophia, Andrew Jr., Peter, John, Charles, and Julia". It also lists the husbands of the other daughters, but I've omitted them as only Nancy is important later on in regards to this issue.
This first document is helpful because it tells us that Drummer Andrew Ream did indeed have a son named John. Nancy Ream Kendig becomes of special interest in the next surviving, and perhaps most important, document. The second document is a typed, four page letter from Charles Finley Ream (grandson of John Ream) to his female cousin Ollie Foster Laughlin in 1948. This letter was later given by Ollie's brother Edwin Foster to Fred Hal Ream (great-grandson of John Ream). At some point it was given to James David Ream Jr. and inherited by Ethan Ream upon his death in January 2020. Now Charles Finley Ream's source was supposedly Samuel Ream who was the son of John Ream. This Samuel Ream would have been seven years old when Drummer Andrew (his supposed grandfather) died in 1845. Samuel in turn lived until 1933. Samuel must have known who his grandfather was, and likely knew him well as he would have been living in the same town/area.
In the 1948 letter, Charles Finley Ream writes that Anna Ream Foster (granddaughter of John Ream) gave him much information about the parents of her grandfather John Ream. He says that according to her, her great-grandfather was a drummer boy named Andrew Ream in the Revolutionary War (Charles accidently typed Civil War as he had just been talking earlier in the letter about the Civil War). He says further that apparently Andrew was wounded in the Battle of Monmouth and that his drum is on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburg and part of it was shot away. He does say that John Ream's mother was Anna Maria as opposed to Barbara Christina, but I believe he again simply misspoke as that is actually the name of Drummer Andrew's mother. He says finally that he was presented with a book that told of Andrew being a drummer in his uncle Captain Andrew Ream's company in Reamstown. This specific fact is undisputed.
There have been numerous publishings in the early 1900s that following a copy of the will of Drummer Andrew Ream will list some of his descendants. For John Ream, they list his sons as John, Samuel, Levi, Aaron, Michael. They do not list Benjamin Ream, or many other male/female children known to have existed. One of these many publications is A Genealogical History of the Ream Family in Fairfield County, Ohio by Reverend Solomon Ream published in 1908. It's unclear who was the person who compiled this list of names. I have always assumed it was the famed Norman Bruce Ream (1844-1915), who did a massive amount of research on the Ream family in the late 1800s to early 1900s. However, at the end of this work by Solomon Ream are a list of addenda, the very last of which says
----
John Ream, son of Andrew Ream, b. 1800, Lancaster County; m. Lydia Kling; 1821: - immigrated to Iowa, following his sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Abraham Kendig. By Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn
----
This addendum actually mirrors what was written by James David Ream Jr. (1941-2020). He was told by his great-uncle Fred Hal Ream (1884-1973 -- son of James Donahue Ream) whose sources were Anna Ream Foster (1848-1942 -- daughter of Benjamin Ream) and Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968 -- son of Andrew Jackson Ream) whose source was his uncle, Samuel Ream (1838-1933)
----
"Nancy Ream Kendig and her husband, Abraham Kendig, moved to Iowa in 1854 and then persuaded her brother John Ream (1800-1873) to bring his family to Iowa in 1855."
----
So far I have been unable to figure out who Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn was, but clearly her story matches that passed down by Uncle Fred Ream. Furthermore, Nancy Ream Kendig (1795-1889) and John Ream (1800-1873) and his son Benjamin Ream are all buried in Mahaska, Iowa.
Why it is that the more general consensus online has been that John Ream (1800-1873) is the grandson of Captain Andrew Ream is unknown to me. I have been unable to find any evidence linking John Ream (1800-1873) to him. I think the confusion comes from the fact that Captain Andrew Ream had a son named Michael John Ream (1770-1858) buried in Ohio. I have heard that our John Ream's middle name was Michael (a fact I need to corroborate). However, the online community has said that John Ream's mother was Catherine Glessner Ream who died on November 17, 1799, whereas John wasn't supposedly born until June 3, 1800. His tombstone however, does only list his death date and how old he was when he died (73 y, 3 m, 11 d).
This begs the question could his tombstone be off? I am inclined to think no. In a biography about him and his family in 1887 (written ten years after his death) lists her birth date as July 1st 1800 and mentions that she is still living. Her tombstone is written in the same format as John's. And by calculating her death date on December 8th 1888 with her age at death (88 y, 5m, 7d) you arrive at July 1st 1800 as the biography said. So clearly the people who had the tombstone inscribed were able to calculate their ages to the very day even accounting for leap days.
If Catherine Glessner Ream was not John's mother, could it have been Michael's second wife Catherine Wyant? Unlikely, as Catherine Glessner's death and John's birth are quite literally set in stone. This would have meant that Michael had been actively cheating on his first wife shortly before her death and married her afterwards which especially for the late 1700s is highly improbable.
My final conclusion can only be that John Ream (1800-1873) was the brother of Nancy Kendig and they were the children of Drummer Andrew Ream and Barbara Christina Schwartzwaller. I further conclude that the two siblings did indeed move from Reamstown to the Mahaska area in 1854-1855 and settled there for the rest of their lives. I can only assume that due to the confusing nature of there being two Revolutionary War Andrews who had sons named John (maybe with Michael as part of their name as well) a twisted lineage was created in the early 1900s by people who may not have even been directly descended from either Andrew. Given the time period and limited information, this would not be unsurprising or even uncommon and I believe this in turn has influenced other publishers of Ream genealogy.
Addendum
John Ream's Bible was last known to be in the possession of his great-grandson Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968) who died without heirs as far as I know.
His daughter Susanna, died in PA before the family came to Iowa in 1855. Her husband John Fletcher Sharp is ID: 21706428 - I've been unable to locate her grave. - Ethan Ream
By his 5th great-grandson Ethan Ream
February 5, 2020
The case for who the father of John Ream is, is a convoluted one to say the least. In either case, we know for sure that he was the great-grandson of Johann Eberhard Riehm. Unfortunately, historical records on this specific part of the Ream family have as of yet been unsuccessful in definitively showing who his parents and grandparents are. To complicate the matter, both proposed lineages of his descent from Johann Ream include an Andrew Ream who fought in the Revolutionary War. Either A) Capt. Andrew Ream (as his grandfather) or B) Drummer Boy Andrew Ream (as his father). Further still, both men had a son named John Ream. Thankfully, there are several documents that copies of still exist which can help shine light on the parentage of John Ream (1800-1873).
The first document of which is the will of Drummer Boy Andrew Ream. This document lists him as having children named "Samuel, Rebeca, Nancy (now the wife of Abram Kendig), Sarah, Sophia, Andrew Jr., Peter, John, Charles, and Julia". It also lists the husbands of the other daughters, but I've omitted them as only Nancy is important later on in regards to this issue.
This first document is helpful because it tells us that Drummer Andrew Ream did indeed have a son named John. Nancy Ream Kendig becomes of special interest in the next surviving, and perhaps most important, document. The second document is a typed, four page letter from Charles Finley Ream (grandson of John Ream) to his female cousin Ollie Foster Laughlin in 1948. This letter was later given by Ollie's brother Edwin Foster to Fred Hal Ream (great-grandson of John Ream). At some point it was given to James David Ream Jr. and inherited by Ethan Ream upon his death in January 2020. Now Charles Finley Ream's source was supposedly Samuel Ream who was the son of John Ream. This Samuel Ream would have been seven years old when Drummer Andrew (his supposed grandfather) died in 1845. Samuel in turn lived until 1933. Samuel must have known who his grandfather was, and likely knew him well as he would have been living in the same town/area.
In the 1948 letter, Charles Finley Ream writes that Anna Ream Foster (granddaughter of John Ream) gave him much information about the parents of her grandfather John Ream. He says that according to her, her great-grandfather was a drummer boy named Andrew Ream in the Revolutionary War (Charles accidently typed Civil War as he had just been talking earlier in the letter about the Civil War). He says further that apparently Andrew was wounded in the Battle of Monmouth and that his drum is on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburg and part of it was shot away. He does say that John Ream's mother was Anna Maria as opposed to Barbara Christina, but I believe he again simply misspoke as that is actually the name of Drummer Andrew's mother. He says finally that he was presented with a book that told of Andrew being a drummer in his uncle Captain Andrew Ream's company in Reamstown. This specific fact is undisputed.
There have been numerous publishings in the early 1900s that following a copy of the will of Drummer Andrew Ream will list some of his descendants. For John Ream, they list his sons as John, Samuel, Levi, Aaron, Michael. They do not list Benjamin Ream, or many other male/female children known to have existed. One of these many publications is A Genealogical History of the Ream Family in Fairfield County, Ohio by Reverend Solomon Ream published in 1908. It's unclear who was the person who compiled this list of names. I have always assumed it was the famed Norman Bruce Ream (1844-1915), who did a massive amount of research on the Ream family in the late 1800s to early 1900s. However, at the end of this work by Solomon Ream are a list of addenda, the very last of which says
----
John Ream, son of Andrew Ream, b. 1800, Lancaster County; m. Lydia Kling; 1821: - immigrated to Iowa, following his sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Abraham Kendig. By Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn
----
This addendum actually mirrors what was written by James David Ream Jr. (1941-2020). He was told by his great-uncle Fred Hal Ream (1884-1973 -- son of James Donahue Ream) whose sources were Anna Ream Foster (1848-1942 -- daughter of Benjamin Ream) and Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968 -- son of Andrew Jackson Ream) whose source was his uncle, Samuel Ream (1838-1933)
----
"Nancy Ream Kendig and her husband, Abraham Kendig, moved to Iowa in 1854 and then persuaded her brother John Ream (1800-1873) to bring his family to Iowa in 1855."
----
So far I have been unable to figure out who Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn was, but clearly her story matches that passed down by Uncle Fred Ream. Furthermore, Nancy Ream Kendig (1795-1889) and John Ream (1800-1873) and his son Benjamin Ream are all buried in Mahaska, Iowa.
Why it is that the more general consensus online has been that John Ream (1800-1873) is the grandson of Captain Andrew Ream is unknown to me. I have been unable to find any evidence linking John Ream (1800-1873) to him. I think the confusion comes from the fact that Captain Andrew Ream had a son named Michael John Ream (1770-1858) buried in Ohio. I have heard that our John Ream's middle name was Michael (a fact I need to corroborate). However, the online community has said that John Ream's mother was Catherine Glessner Ream who died on November 17, 1799, whereas John wasn't supposedly born until June 3, 1800. His tombstone however, does only list his death date and how old he was when he died (73 y, 3 m, 11 d).
This begs the question could his tombstone be off? I am inclined to think no. In a biography about him and his family in 1887 (written ten years after his death) lists her birth date as July 1st 1800 and mentions that she is still living. Her tombstone is written in the same format as John's. And by calculating her death date on December 8th 1888 with her age at death (88 y, 5m, 7d) you arrive at July 1st 1800 as the biography said. So clearly the people who had the tombstone inscribed were able to calculate their ages to the very day even accounting for leap days.
If Catherine Glessner Ream was not John's mother, could it have been Michael's second wife Catherine Wyant? Unlikely, as Catherine Glessner's death and John's birth are quite literally set in stone. This would have meant that Michael had been actively cheating on his first wife shortly before her death and married her afterwards which especially for the late 1700s is highly improbable.
My final conclusion can only be that John Ream (1800-1873) was the brother of Nancy Kendig and they were the children of Drummer Andrew Ream and Barbara Christina Schwartzwaller. I further conclude that the two siblings did indeed move from Reamstown to the Mahaska area in 1854-1855 and settled there for the rest of their lives. I can only assume that due to the confusing nature of there being two Revolutionary War Andrews who had sons named John (maybe with Michael as part of their name as well) a twisted lineage was created in the early 1900s by people who may not have even been directly descended from either Andrew. Given the time period and limited information, this would not be unsurprising or even uncommon and I believe this in turn has influenced other publishers of Ream genealogy.
Addendum
John Ream's Bible was last known to be in the possession of his great-grandson Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968) who died without heirs as far as I know.
His daughter Susanna, died in PA before the family came to Iowa in 1855. Her husband John Fletcher Sharp is ID: 21706428 - I've been unable to locate her grave. - Ethan Ream
The Parentage of John Ream (1800-1873)
By his 5th great-grandson Ethan Ream
February 5, 2020
The case for who the father of John Ream is, is a convoluted one to say the least. In either case, we know for sure that he was the great-grandson of Johann Eberhard Riehm. Unfortunately, historical records on this specific part of the Ream family have as of yet been unsuccessful in definitively showing who his parents and grandparents are. To complicate the matter, both proposed lineages of his descent from Johann Ream include an Andrew Ream who fought in the Revolutionary War. Either A) Capt. Andrew Ream (as his grandfather) or B) Drummer Boy Andrew Ream (as his father). Further still, both men had a son named John Ream. Thankfully, there are several documents that copies of still exist which can help shine light on the parentage of John Ream (1800-1873).
The first document of which is the will of Drummer Boy Andrew Ream. This document lists him as having children named "Samuel, Rebeca, Nancy (now the wife of Abram Kendig), Sarah, Sophia, Andrew Jr., Peter, John, Charles, and Julia". It also lists the husbands of the other daughters, but I've omitted them as only Nancy is important later on in regards to this issue.
This first document is helpful because it tells us that Drummer Andrew Ream did indeed have a son named John. Nancy Ream Kendig becomes of special interest in the next surviving, and perhaps most important, document. The second document is a typed, four page letter from Charles Finley Ream (grandson of John Ream) to his female cousin Ollie Foster Laughlin in 1948. This letter was later given by Ollie's brother Edwin Foster to Fred Hal Ream (great-grandson of John Ream). At some point it was given to James David Ream Jr. and inherited by Ethan Ream upon his death in January 2020. Now Charles Finley Ream's source was supposedly Samuel Ream who was the son of John Ream. This Samuel Ream would have been seven years old when Drummer Andrew (his supposed grandfather) died in 1845. Samuel in turn lived until 1933. Samuel must have known who his grandfather was, and likely knew him well as he would have been living in the same town/area.
In the 1948 letter, Charles Finley Ream writes that Anna Ream Foster (granddaughter of John Ream) gave him much information about the parents of her grandfather John Ream. He says that according to her, her great-grandfather was a drummer boy named Andrew Ream in the Revolutionary War (Charles accidently typed Civil War as he had just been talking earlier in the letter about the Civil War). He says further that apparently Andrew was wounded in the Battle of Monmouth and that his drum is on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburg and part of it was shot away. He does say that John Ream's mother was Anna Maria as opposed to Barbara Christina, but I believe he again simply misspoke as that is actually the name of Drummer Andrew's mother. He says finally that he was presented with a book that told of Andrew being a drummer in his uncle Captain Andrew Ream's company in Reamstown. This specific fact is undisputed.
There have been numerous publishings in the early 1900s that following a copy of the will of Drummer Andrew Ream will list some of his descendants. For John Ream, they list his sons as John, Samuel, Levi, Aaron, Michael. They do not list Benjamin Ream, or many other male/female children known to have existed. One of these many publications is A Genealogical History of the Ream Family in Fairfield County, Ohio by Reverend Solomon Ream published in 1908. It's unclear who was the person who compiled this list of names. I have always assumed it was the famed Norman Bruce Ream (1844-1915), who did a massive amount of research on the Ream family in the late 1800s to early 1900s. However, at the end of this work by Solomon Ream are a list of addenda, the very last of which says
----
John Ream, son of Andrew Ream, b. 1800, Lancaster County; m. Lydia Kling; 1821: - immigrated to Iowa, following his sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Abraham Kendig. By Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn
----
This addendum actually mirrors what was written by James David Ream Jr. (1941-2020). He was told by his great-uncle Fred Hal Ream (1884-1973 -- son of James Donahue Ream) whose sources were Anna Ream Foster (1848-1942 -- daughter of Benjamin Ream) and Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968 -- son of Andrew Jackson Ream) whose source was his uncle, Samuel Ream (1838-1933)
----
"Nancy Ream Kendig and her husband, Abraham Kendig, moved to Iowa in 1854 and then persuaded her brother John Ream (1800-1873) to bring his family to Iowa in 1855."
----
So far I have been unable to figure out who Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn was, but clearly her story matches that passed down by Uncle Fred Ream. Furthermore, Nancy Ream Kendig (1795-1889) and John Ream (1800-1873) and his son Benjamin Ream are all buried in Mahaska, Iowa.
Why it is that the more general consensus online has been that John Ream (1800-1873) is the grandson of Captain Andrew Ream is unknown to me. I have been unable to find any evidence linking John Ream (1800-1873) to him. I think the confusion comes from the fact that Captain Andrew Ream had a son named Michael John Ream (1770-1858) buried in Ohio. I have heard that our John Ream's middle name was Michael (a fact I need to corroborate). However, the online community has said that John Ream's mother was Catherine Glessner Ream who died on November 17, 1799, whereas John wasn't supposedly born until June 3, 1800. His tombstone however, does only list his death date and how old he was when he died (73 y, 3 m, 11 d).
This begs the question could his tombstone be off? I am inclined to think no. In a biography about him and his family in 1887 (written ten years after his death) lists her birth date as July 1st 1800 and mentions that she is still living. Her tombstone is written in the same format as John's. And by calculating her death date on December 8th 1888 with her age at death (88 y, 5m, 7d) you arrive at July 1st 1800 as the biography said. So clearly the people who had the tombstone inscribed were able to calculate their ages to the very day even accounting for leap days.
If Catherine Glessner Ream was not John's mother, could it have been Michael's second wife Catherine Wyant? Unlikely, as Catherine Glessner's death and John's birth are quite literally set in stone. This would have meant that Michael had been actively cheating on his first wife shortly before her death and married her afterwards which especially for the late 1700s is highly improbable.
My final conclusion can only be that John Ream (1800-1873) was the brother of Nancy Kendig and they were the children of Drummer Andrew Ream and Barbara Christina Schwartzwaller. I further conclude that the two siblings did indeed move from Reamstown to the Mahaska area in 1854-1855 and settled there for the rest of their lives. I can only assume that due to the confusing nature of there being two Revolutionary War Andrews who had sons named John (maybe with Michael as part of their name as well) a twisted lineage was created in the early 1900s by people who may not have even been directly descended from either Andrew. Given the time period and limited information, this would not be unsurprising or even uncommon and I believe this in turn has influenced other publishers of Ream genealogy.
Addendum
John Ream's Bible was last known to be in the possession of his great-grandson Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968) who died without heirs as far as I know.
His daughter Susanna, died in PA before the family came to Iowa in 1855. Her husband John Fletcher Sharp is ID: 21706428 - I've been unable to locate her grave. - Ethan Ream
By his 5th great-grandson Ethan Ream
February 5, 2020
The case for who the father of John Ream is, is a convoluted one to say the least. In either case, we know for sure that he was the great-grandson of Johann Eberhard Riehm. Unfortunately, historical records on this specific part of the Ream family have as of yet been unsuccessful in definitively showing who his parents and grandparents are. To complicate the matter, both proposed lineages of his descent from Johann Ream include an Andrew Ream who fought in the Revolutionary War. Either A) Capt. Andrew Ream (as his grandfather) or B) Drummer Boy Andrew Ream (as his father). Further still, both men had a son named John Ream. Thankfully, there are several documents that copies of still exist which can help shine light on the parentage of John Ream (1800-1873).
The first document of which is the will of Drummer Boy Andrew Ream. This document lists him as having children named "Samuel, Rebeca, Nancy (now the wife of Abram Kendig), Sarah, Sophia, Andrew Jr., Peter, John, Charles, and Julia". It also lists the husbands of the other daughters, but I've omitted them as only Nancy is important later on in regards to this issue.
This first document is helpful because it tells us that Drummer Andrew Ream did indeed have a son named John. Nancy Ream Kendig becomes of special interest in the next surviving, and perhaps most important, document. The second document is a typed, four page letter from Charles Finley Ream (grandson of John Ream) to his female cousin Ollie Foster Laughlin in 1948. This letter was later given by Ollie's brother Edwin Foster to Fred Hal Ream (great-grandson of John Ream). At some point it was given to James David Ream Jr. and inherited by Ethan Ream upon his death in January 2020. Now Charles Finley Ream's source was supposedly Samuel Ream who was the son of John Ream. This Samuel Ream would have been seven years old when Drummer Andrew (his supposed grandfather) died in 1845. Samuel in turn lived until 1933. Samuel must have known who his grandfather was, and likely knew him well as he would have been living in the same town/area.
In the 1948 letter, Charles Finley Ream writes that Anna Ream Foster (granddaughter of John Ream) gave him much information about the parents of her grandfather John Ream. He says that according to her, her great-grandfather was a drummer boy named Andrew Ream in the Revolutionary War (Charles accidently typed Civil War as he had just been talking earlier in the letter about the Civil War). He says further that apparently Andrew was wounded in the Battle of Monmouth and that his drum is on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburg and part of it was shot away. He does say that John Ream's mother was Anna Maria as opposed to Barbara Christina, but I believe he again simply misspoke as that is actually the name of Drummer Andrew's mother. He says finally that he was presented with a book that told of Andrew being a drummer in his uncle Captain Andrew Ream's company in Reamstown. This specific fact is undisputed.
There have been numerous publishings in the early 1900s that following a copy of the will of Drummer Andrew Ream will list some of his descendants. For John Ream, they list his sons as John, Samuel, Levi, Aaron, Michael. They do not list Benjamin Ream, or many other male/female children known to have existed. One of these many publications is A Genealogical History of the Ream Family in Fairfield County, Ohio by Reverend Solomon Ream published in 1908. It's unclear who was the person who compiled this list of names. I have always assumed it was the famed Norman Bruce Ream (1844-1915), who did a massive amount of research on the Ream family in the late 1800s to early 1900s. However, at the end of this work by Solomon Ream are a list of addenda, the very last of which says
----
John Ream, son of Andrew Ream, b. 1800, Lancaster County; m. Lydia Kling; 1821: - immigrated to Iowa, following his sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Abraham Kendig. By Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn
----
This addendum actually mirrors what was written by James David Ream Jr. (1941-2020). He was told by his great-uncle Fred Hal Ream (1884-1973 -- son of James Donahue Ream) whose sources were Anna Ream Foster (1848-1942 -- daughter of Benjamin Ream) and Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968 -- son of Andrew Jackson Ream) whose source was his uncle, Samuel Ream (1838-1933)
----
"Nancy Ream Kendig and her husband, Abraham Kendig, moved to Iowa in 1854 and then persuaded her brother John Ream (1800-1873) to bring his family to Iowa in 1855."
----
So far I have been unable to figure out who Mrs. Arthur D. Lynn was, but clearly her story matches that passed down by Uncle Fred Ream. Furthermore, Nancy Ream Kendig (1795-1889) and John Ream (1800-1873) and his son Benjamin Ream are all buried in Mahaska, Iowa.
Why it is that the more general consensus online has been that John Ream (1800-1873) is the grandson of Captain Andrew Ream is unknown to me. I have been unable to find any evidence linking John Ream (1800-1873) to him. I think the confusion comes from the fact that Captain Andrew Ream had a son named Michael John Ream (1770-1858) buried in Ohio. I have heard that our John Ream's middle name was Michael (a fact I need to corroborate). However, the online community has said that John Ream's mother was Catherine Glessner Ream who died on November 17, 1799, whereas John wasn't supposedly born until June 3, 1800. His tombstone however, does only list his death date and how old he was when he died (73 y, 3 m, 11 d).
This begs the question could his tombstone be off? I am inclined to think no. In a biography about him and his family in 1887 (written ten years after his death) lists her birth date as July 1st 1800 and mentions that she is still living. Her tombstone is written in the same format as John's. And by calculating her death date on December 8th 1888 with her age at death (88 y, 5m, 7d) you arrive at July 1st 1800 as the biography said. So clearly the people who had the tombstone inscribed were able to calculate their ages to the very day even accounting for leap days.
If Catherine Glessner Ream was not John's mother, could it have been Michael's second wife Catherine Wyant? Unlikely, as Catherine Glessner's death and John's birth are quite literally set in stone. This would have meant that Michael had been actively cheating on his first wife shortly before her death and married her afterwards which especially for the late 1700s is highly improbable.
My final conclusion can only be that John Ream (1800-1873) was the brother of Nancy Kendig and they were the children of Drummer Andrew Ream and Barbara Christina Schwartzwaller. I further conclude that the two siblings did indeed move from Reamstown to the Mahaska area in 1854-1855 and settled there for the rest of their lives. I can only assume that due to the confusing nature of there being two Revolutionary War Andrews who had sons named John (maybe with Michael as part of their name as well) a twisted lineage was created in the early 1900s by people who may not have even been directly descended from either Andrew. Given the time period and limited information, this would not be unsurprising or even uncommon and I believe this in turn has influenced other publishers of Ream genealogy.
Addendum
John Ream's Bible was last known to be in the possession of his great-grandson Charles Finley Ream (1887-1968) who died without heirs as far as I know.
His daughter Susanna, died in PA before the family came to Iowa in 1855. Her husband John Fletcher Sharp is ID: 21706428 - I've been unable to locate her grave. - Ethan Ream
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aged 73y 3m 11d
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