George Reese, planter and State Senator was born 16 Sep. 1796 in Pendelton Dirstrict, SC. and died 26 Jan. 1877, in Chambers County, Ala. He was the son of George and Anna (Story) Reese of Pendleton, SC. He was the grandson of David Reese of Charlotte, Mecklenburg, N. C., singer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, 20 may 1775.

He was the fourth son of his parents, and received his education from Mr. Breckenridge, who taught school in the community school house made of hewn logs and erected by the first settlers in 1800, among whom were the Whitner, Calhoun, Pickens and Taylor families. When he was twenty-three years of age, his parents having determined upon and agricultural career for him, sent him on horseback to New England to see the model farms of that section. While on his journey he visited Yale College at New Haven,and also met a number of celebrities at other points. In his jounal he has left an interesting narrative of his experiences of his jounrey. He met Joseph Bonaparte and and was entertained in his home in New Jersey, saw Aaron Burr, Van Burren in New York, and in Washington City found Senator Earl of South Carolina, "sitting in his seat with his hat on his dressed in homespun."In 1836 he volunteered to fight the indians and was assigned to the command of Major General Thomas Pickney. He was elected to the South Carolina legislature. He later moved to Georgia and hence to Chambers County Alabama in 1839. He was elected by the Democratic Party to the Senate of this state and served three terms. In 1865 he was a canidate fo congress fome the 3rd District but was defeated by General Cullen Battle.

He married in 1824 in Sumter, SC, to Mary Ann Witherspoon, daughter of Gavin Witherspoon, of Reveolutionary fame, descendant of John Witherspoon D. D., of Princeton, singer of the Declaration of Indepencdence and a brother in law of John Knox, the noted Scoth Presbyterian minister.

George and Mary Ann Reese celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1874 at the home of their son Milton E. Reese in West Point Ga. Their last residence was Bluffton (now called Lanett), in Chambers County, Alabama.

Contributred By Cynthia Bozeman