NC-FRIEDENSCHURCH-L Archives

From: "Peggy or Tom Bruckner" <>
Subject: [FRIEDENS] Evolution of Surnames - Kachelriess to Reece or Reese
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 01:14:25 -0400

The first documented American KACHELRIESS was Nicolaus, who arrived at the Port of Philadelphia in 1737 aboard the ship Snow Molly. That same year he was recorded as Nicholas COCHELRISE on a Philadelpha Co Census - the first of many spelling variations!

This surname has been spelled no less than 35 different ways...the most popular being COCKLEREECE, COCKLEREESE or COCKLEREAS. The COCKLE is sometimes COCKEL, CACHEL or CACHLE, and the REECE is RUSE, REAS, REASE, RIECE, RECE to further confuse researchers...

Nicolaus' assumed widow, Mary, and her two sons, Michael and Taboll (probably Theobald) COCKLEREESE arrived in the Granville District of NORTH CAROLINA sometime between 1737 and 1769 where they appear on Tax Lists. Mary's husband Mythias MYARS died in 1770 leaving his property to Michael and Tabalt COCKELREECE. Tobott and Michael COCKLEREE and their mother Mary MYARS sold jointly owned property in the Granville District 1777, and Taboll/Tobott disappears from NC records. Joboll COCKLERUS appears on a 1778 Petit Jury list in the Camden District of SOUTH CAROLINA, but disappears thereafter.

All of the North American COCKLEREESE/COCKLEREECE/COCKELREAS families appear to descend from this Michael COCKLEREECE who was a member at Friedens from 1811 to 1825, and who appears in Friedens records as Michael KACHELRIESS (mostly...). The anglicized version of this surname is not found anywhere outside of the US.

COCKELEREAS/COCKLEREASE families descend from Johannes, Michael's oldest son who moved from Orange Co, NORTH CAROLINA to Montgomery Co, ILLINOIS about 1834. After John died in IL in 1843, several sons moved on to Marion Co, IOWA and out to OREGON and CALIFORNIA on the Oregon Trail in the 1850s. Son George remained in Montgomery Co, ILL. Most of these descendants retained the COCKLEREAS/COCKLEREASE spelling for some time after 1850; however, there are less than a dozen families who use this spelling today -- none in ILLINOIS, although there may be REECE/REESEs who descend from this line.

COCKLEREESE/REESE families descend from Nicholas, Jacob or Henry -- also sons of Michael -- who moved to Sumner Co, TENNESSEE about 1813-1816. Some moved on the ILLINOIS after 1820. In TN most, if not all, of these descendants became REESE, and a few REECE, after 1850.

COCKLEREECE/REECE families descend from Daniel, son of Michael, who moved from Orange to Surry Co, NC about 1840-1843. The majority of Daniel's sons became REECE after 1850 in Guilford/Alamance/Surry Co, NC; however, a few retained COCKLEREECE -- mostly descendants of Jacob, but a few became REESE or REES. The majority of COCKLEREECEs are located in or near present-day Guilford Co in NC. In Surry Co, the name evolved to REECE.

There are present-day US KACHELRIESS families; however, all who spell the name "correctly" arrived sometime after the first Nicholas...and most of these are located in FLORIDA and NEW JERSEY.

Peggy Reece Bruckner

Bostwick, GA

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• [FRIEDENS] Evolution of Surnames - Kachelriess to Reece or Reese by "Peggy or Tom Bruckner" <>