News Article: Rangers winger Ryan Reaves discovers the history behind the family name

[nyr2k2]

I was going to share this in an old Reaves thread, but it was locked. This was a really cool article, and I thought it was deserving of a share.

Rangers winger Ryan Reaves discovers the history behind the family name

Ryan Reaves recently traced his ancestry and found he was the great-great-great grandson of a guy named Bass Reeves, who was the first Black deputy U.S. marshal west of the Mississippi.

“Bass was the Michael Jordan of law enforcement,” Burton said. “He was the greatest frontier hero in U.S. history because of what he had to do. He walked through the valley of the shadow of death every day for 30 years and came out on top of the game.”

The article also mentions Reeves was a character in The Harder They Fall, which I recently watched, and mentioned that many historians think he was the basis for The Lone Ranger. Pretty neat.

Anyway, while it's a cool story in it's own right, I also wanted to mention that I think Reaves has thus far been a really solid addition to the club. Tough as nails, works his ass off, and is clearly a guy who commands the respect of everyone on our bench. Happy to have him.

Click to read more...

 

[Miamipuck]

Bass Reaves was mentioned in one of the shows I love Justified many times. Also this is referenced in his WIKI, I read up about it when he first was traded here. Anyway cool story

 

[bobbop]

Great lesson for everyone here…you have a family history and you will find out amazing things if you research and investigate. It’s a great hobby that has allowed me to find out things I never could have imagined. Get started while you still have family alive that you can talk to. I wish I had.

 

[Chaels Arms]

Great story.

 

[cheech70]

Makes sense.....we needed a Sheriff and we got a legend

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I didnt want the Rangers to trade for Reaves.

I couldnt have been more wrong.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I always found it amazing how the lineage of careers, hobbies, pain, workmanship, character, etc. are passed down through centuries, between generations far removed from each other.

If you watch the PBS show 'Finding Your Roots' in almost everyone they interview and work up the genealogy for there are always connections like this made. Some not as obvious.

Reaves is an enforcer on the ice, advocate off of it. His father is a deputy. Great great great grandfather is an old west Marshall. Who knows what Bass Reeves Great Great grandfather did. Likely something similar. The Apple and tree saying is more truer than we know.

 

[Machinehead]

Great lesson for everyone here…you have a family history and you will find out amazing things if you research and investigate. It’s a great hobby that has allowed me to find out things I never could have imagined. Get started while you still have family alive that you can talk to. I wish I had.

Yeah, I did the Ancestry thing and it's really cool. I literally met people I was related to through it and had no idea.

We came back French on my dad's side even though we've always been German. My great-grandmother spoke German. As it turns out, it was Germany somewhere near the border, then shit happened, and now it's France. We still do Oktoberfest.

Even better, I was always Irish on my mom's side, and we still are, but I found out my ancestors were ethnic Irish but born and raised in Liverpool. I've been a diehard (basically religious) Liverpool fan for years and I found out earlier this year I'm actually Scouse. Some things are meant to be, my mother always said.

Neither of those are as cool as what Reavo found, but it was an amazing experience for me.

 

[Boris Zubov]

His dad, Willard was a CFL running back who won their version of the MVP. He also played briefly in the NFL.

 

[DutchNYR]

Yeah, I did the Ancestry thing and it's really cool. I literally met people I was related to through it and had no idea.

We came back French on my dad's side even though we've always been German. My great-grandmother spoke German. As it turns out, it was Germany somewhere near the border, then shit happened, and now it's France. We still do Oktoberfest.

Even better, I was always Irish on my mom's side, and we still are, but I found out my ancestors were ethnic Irish but born and raised in Liverpool. I've been a diehard (basically religious) Liverpool fan for years and I found out earlier this year I'm actually Scouse. Some things are meant to be, my mother always said.

Neither of those are as cool as what Reavo found, but it was an amazing experience for me.

Alsace-Lorraine? It was taken from the French - who I think conquered in the 17th century - by the German Empire in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian war, but Germany was forced to give it back to France after World War I (Treaty of Versailles). Or is another area?

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Great lesson for everyone here…you have a family history and you will find out amazing things if you research and investigate. It’s a great hobby that has allowed me to find out things I never could have imagined. Get started while you still have family alive that you can talk to. I wish I had.

This cant be understated.

Younger kids dont think about the importance of this but as you age it becomes much more relevant. You begin to see the circle of life and want to make sure you pass down some significance to the next generations. Material things are nice, but the stories of your family and where you come from are priceless.

I had an uncle who recently passed away who was as sharp as a tack all the way to his death in his late 90s. He was a WW2 vet and a Battle of the Bulge survivor (amongst many other things). I didnt appreciate any of it until I was older. I made sure that I picked his brain every chance I could and learned so much about how my family arrived in the US and the real struggle and sacrifice that generation made for all of us.

 

[Machinehead]

Alsace-Lorraine? It was taken from the French - who I think conquered in the 17th century - by the German Empire in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian war, but Germany was forced to give it back to France after World War I (Treaty of Versailles). Or is another area?

Yes! We're Alsatian.

During the time when my ancestors lived there (we came over late 18's/early 19's) the population was very German. My family didn't speak anything but German when they came to the US. It's different now. Most people there today consider themselves French and speak French first by choice (although German is still taught in primary school and just about everyone there speaks both as far as my understanding).

 

[Miamipuck]

This cant be understated.

Younger kids dont think about the importance of this but as you age it becomes much more relevant. You begin to see the circle of life and want to make sure you pass down some significance to the next generations. Material things are nice, but the stories of your family and where you come from are priceless.

I had an uncle who recently passed away who was as sharp as a tack all the way to his death in his late 90s. He was a WW2 vet and a Battle of the Bulge survivor (amongst many other things). I didnt appreciate any of it until I was older. I made sure that I picked his brain every chance I could and learned so much about how my family arrived in the US and the real struggle and sacrifice that generation made for all of us.

You're lucky not only he was alive to talk but he actually spoke about his experience's. Many times those guys just don't want to talk about that part of their life and with good reason. In my 20's I was enjoying the Rangers winning the cup, in their 20's their best friends were getting killed right next to them. I can't imagine that.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

You're lucky not only he was alive to talk but he actually spoke about his experience's. Many times those guys just don't want to talk about that part of their life and with good reason. In my 20's I was enjoying the Rangers winning the cup, in their 20's their best friends were getting killed right next to them. I can't imagine that.

Yep, my maternal Grandfather who was at the D-Day invasion never said a word of what happened to him until 40 years later when he was on a beach. My grandfather had his shirt off and my uncle saw something shiny in his shoulder, went to flick it off and it was shrapnel that had surfaced from a mortar shell that knocked him out of the war. He finally let it out. The things he must have seen.

What they went through was unconscionable.

My other Grandfather (mentioned in the video above) flew 26 missions over Germany as a B52 tail gunner, got shot down, refused to go home and then flew another 12. Talk about luck. I pretty much shouldnt exist.

After he flew his final mission near the end of the war he went to Belgium where in a completely chance encounter, he reunited with my Uncle Louie (the one being interviewed) after not seeing him for 4 years and not knowing if either made it out alive.

My Uncle had to fake his own death under a Jeep because his company got wiped out. The German Army would march by and shoot the dead US GIs to make sure they were out. His stomach froze to the ground while he waited 36 hours for them to clear out.

I can't imagine how happy they must have been to find each other, after seeing all of the death and destruction around them. They each lived long and happy lives afterward.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Great lesson for everyone here…you have a family history and you will find out amazing things if you research and investigate. It’s a great hobby that has allowed me to find out things I never could have imagined. Get started while you still have family alive that you can talk to. I wish I had.

Or you’ll find out that your deceased father was an attempted murderer & drug dealer/violent criminal who was in & out of prison his whole life, as was his dad; and the rest of the family and he has like 5 cousins and they’re all in prison. A bunch of scumbags, my mom’s side of the family isn’t much better either, and I am the first person in my family to even have an ELEMENTARY school education. I don’t know how I turned out so normal!

 

[Machinehead]

I don’t know how I turned out so normal!

 

[EdJovanovski]

Jajajaj, I have a very outlandish and quirky personality but I’m an upstanding citizen

 

[duhmetreE]

I didnt want the Rangers to trade for Reaves.

I couldnt have been more wrong.

I was all in on the Bennett and Reaves train.... I guess 1 out of 2 of the fOuRtH lInErs isn't that bad.

Bennett was the perfect add, still sad about it.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I was all in on the Bennett and Reaves train.... I guess 1 out of 2 of the fOuRtH lInErs isn't that bad.

Bennett was the perfect add, still sad about it.

I wouldve seconded that

 

[Miamipuck]

Yep, my maternal Grandfather who was at the D-Day invasion never said a word of what happened to him until 40 years later when he was on a beach. My grandfather had his shirt off and my uncle saw something shiny in his shoulder, went to flick it off and it was shrapnel that had surfaced from a mortar shell that knocked him out of the war. He finally let it out. The things he must have seen.

What they went through was unconscionable.

My other Grandfather (mentioned in the video above) flew 26 missions over Germany as a B52 tail gunner, got shot down, refused to go home and then flew another 12. Talk about luck. I pretty much shouldnt exist.

After he flew his final mission near the end of the war he went to Belgium where in a completely chance encounter, he reunited with my Uncle Louie (the one being interviewed) after not seeing him for 4 years and not knowing if either made it out alive.

My Uncle had to fake his own death under a Jeep because his company got wiped out. The German Army would march by and shoot the dead US GIs to make sure they were out. His stomach froze to the ground while he waited 36 hours for them to clear out.

I can't imagine how happy they must have been to find each other, after seeing all of the death and destruction around them. They each lived long and happy lives afterward.

This is a really cool story about not cool things (if you know what I mean). That's why they're called the greatest generation and more to the point should be.

 

[jay from jersey]

Great lesson for everyone here…you have a family history and you will find out amazing things if you research and investigate. It’s a great hobby that has allowed me to find out things I never could have imagined. Get started while you still have family alive that you can talk to. I wish I had.

very very True Bob. My cousin did one of those websites, I think it was ancestry, but I’m not 100% sure. My brother, my cousin and I all found out we were related to Steve Ditko.
My bro being a huge comic fan of course was happy as a pig in shit lol.
When we reached out to him, he was a great guy. He was at the weddings for family members when I was real young, 2-3 years old. He pulled out some pictures, it was crazy to see my mom, all my aunts and uncles there at the same wedding.
This was when he was a very young guy as well of course. But it’s crazy what a small world it is.
We met up as a family 3-4 times, he had out out at his place in Pittsburg. It was a great time.
Unfortunately, he wound up passing away not too long ago.
It’s a shame because he was a great guy and had a ton of cool stories. There was so many more things I wanted to ask him......
You’re absolutely right about the not waiting part. My bro mainly was kicking himself wishing he did Ancestry years ago.
Last time we spoke, he was supposed to come out to jersey and stay at our house at the shore for a week. Everyone was excited.
But his health wound up taking a turn for the worse, and I never got to see him in person again...
I’m super happy we got to meet him and know him even though it was brief. I love hearing his stories about the old days etc.
Like I said, our only regret was that we didn’t contact him sooner, we certainly missed out on a lot of good times....

 

[Fitzy]

Bass Reaves was mentioned in one of the shows I love Justified many times. Also this is referenced in his WIKI, I read up about it when he first was traded here. Anyway cool story

I've watched Justified through twice and not noticed... when is this? Was it in Noble's hollar?

 

[RangersFan]

I would also recommend HBO's Watchmen for some Bass Reeves in pop culture.

 

[jay from jersey]

Yep, my maternal Grandfather who was at the D-Day invasion never said a word of what happened to him until 40 years later when he was on a beach. My grandfather had his shirt off and my uncle saw something shiny in his shoulder, went to flick it off and it was shrapnel that had surfaced from a mortar shell that knocked him out of the war. He finally let it out. The things he must have seen.

What they went through was unconscionable.

My other Grandfather (mentioned in the video above) flew 26 missions over Germany as a B52 tail gunner, got shot down, refused to go home and then flew another 12. Talk about luck. I pretty much shouldnt exist.

After he flew his final mission near the end of the war he went to Belgium where in a completely chance encounter, he reunited with my Uncle Louie (the one being interviewed) after not seeing him for 4 years and not knowing if either made it out alive.

My Uncle had to fake his own death under a Jeep because his company got wiped out. The German Army would march by and shoot the dead US GIs to make sure they were out. His stomach froze to the ground while he waited 36 hours for them to clear out.

I can't imagine how happy they must have been to find each other, after seeing all of the death and destruction around them. They each lived long and happy lives afterward.

great story. Both my grandfathers were in the Pacific in WWII.
Those guys were a different breed. They don’t make them like that anymore.
They certainly lived up to their names, being the greatest Generation.
Can you imagine the shit they had to see, do, and be responsible for at 18-19-20 years old?? Absolutely crazy.
Neither of them really spoke about the war much when they got home, they just came back, got married, wanted to work and have kids and start a family.
My fathers father was crew on the fighting Lady. ( U.S.S Yorktown is the formal name). He drove the LCP boat that would drop troops off on the beach heads, return to the carrier, fill up the boat and keep going back. I can’t imagine what he went thru with all the explosions an bullets flying by, seeing tons of terrible things etc. When they were out to sea, he was a gunner on the Yorktown. What all those guys went thru for family, god, and country is astounding. I love hearing old WWII stories. They were hard like rocks.

 

[Miamipuck]

I've watched Justified through twice and not noticed... when is this? Was it in Noble's hollar?

I know he was mentioned when Raylan was drinking bourbon with Art in his office they looked at the pics of the old Marshall's and one was Bass Reaves. I can't remember the exact quote but they specifically menitoned Bass Reaves. I think he was mentioned one other time.

Yes it was in an episode that involved Nobles Hollar but not in the hollar when they had the conversation.

Edit:

Found it: 'Justified' EP Graham Yost talks 'Cut Ties'

"Last question: Art says “Somebody needs to tell Denzel” the story of Bass Reeves (who was famous for the number of criminals he captured after being commissioned a U.S. Marshal in 1875, making him one of the first black federal lawmen west of the Mississippi). Was that you, screenwriter of Speed, pitching Denzel Washington?


No. Elmore Leonard has a new book out, called Raylan, which is three interconnected stories that he started working on after we started the series. I think it’s in there that Raylan has a long conversation with another marshal, and the other marshal talks about Bass Reeves. One of the things that you find in Elmore’s writing is he loves characters to talk about movies, because we all talk about movies. And they will even talk about, “You know, I’d like to be played by this guy,” or “Let’s get Denzel to do that.” It’s either in there, or it was just something that Tim and the writer of the episode, Ben Cavell, came up with."