Elisha and James Reavis

[djui5]

Were they related? I've never seen anyone even question it. I have a feeling the answer is "NO", but thought it would be an interesting topic.

[Aurum]

djui5,

No known relationship between the two Reavis.

Elisha Marcus Reavis was born in Beardstown, Illinois in 1827. Went to California in 1849 with the gold rush and arived in Arizona about 1872.

James Addison Reavis was born in Mississippi in 1843, became a St. Louis merchant and later involved himself with the Arizona land grant scheme.

As with many Arizona historical characters, they have been confused by historians and the public for decades.

The story of JA Reavis buying fraudulent land grants from Miguel Peralta is completely false. In 1864 at Prescott, George Willing purchased the rights to a land grant from Antonio Peralta ( Miguel's father) for $100. This was for a legal grant of land, one mile square outside Tubac Arizona that had been granted to Peralta's great grandfather by the King of Spain. This Geo. Willing - Antonio Peralta transaction was recorded in the Yavapai county recorders office in Book 1 page 74 , October 1864.

Some years later, Charles Gitt saw the copy of this land grant in the Yavapai county Recorders records, stole the recording and he and his partner JA Reavis used the wording and signatures on that grant to produce their own land grant of much larger proportions. This is how the Reavis/Peralta land grant fraud began. The Peralta family had nothing whatsoever to do with the fraud even though they were accused of being accomplises.

Aurum