Litchfield enquirer., 1860-03-08
AsIloyed and admired Judge Reeve vhile

As Iloved and admired Judge Reeve while living. and mourned him when dead love to think and talk of him now that have attained to greater age than he did, though he reached some eighty-four years, and I feel tempted to ob- trude upon you some such leading incidents of his life as I am in memory possessed of, and which cannot be much longer retained.
 Judge Reeve was the son of Presbyterian clergyman and was born on the south side of Long Island. He was educated at Princeton College, where he graduated in l763 at seven- teen years of age as have heard him say. He was immediately appointed tutor of the grammar school connected with the college, and in that station and as tutor in the college itself he re- mained seven years He then came to Connec- ticut to study law, which he prosecuted in the office of Judge Root then practicing lawyer in Hartford, and as soon as he was admitted to the bar he settled in the practice at Litchfeld This I suppose to have been in TIP. He had previ- ously married Sally Burr, the eldest child and only daughter of President Burr of Princeton College, and the sister of the celebrated Aaron Burr, who was a pupil of Judge Reeve in the grammar school. The Revolutionary war hav- ing commenced within a short time after he came to the bar there was but little civil business done in the Courts until it's conclusion or nearly SO. He therefore carly betook himself to giving in- structon to young gentlemen who looked forward to the legal profession for support and advance ment in life, when the circumstances of the coun try would allow of it's exercise This employ ment tended greatly to systematze and improve what stock legal science he already had acquir- ed, and aided by his uncommonly fine talents and native eloquence early secured to him, the de- served reputation of an able lawyer. About the close, believe, of the Revolutionary war, either through an acquaintance with the late Judge Sedgwick or otherwise he was introduced to some practice in Berkshire County, and in the cele- bratcd crina con. case of Winchell rs Goodrich, gave such display of his oratorical powers as astonished the natives, and that, together with the conspicuous part he took with Judge Sedg- wick in the great case of General Ashley's ne- groes, which put an end forever, to slavery in Massachusetts, he established reputation which ensured him business there as long as his avoca- tions at home allowed him to attend to it. This however, believe, was not very long. The deli cate health of his wife, and his great professional business at home induced him to forego any business which called him abroad, and to utterly decline any sort of public appointment whatever, during her life. She died, to the deep grief of as devoted husband as ever lived, a few months before it became necessary to fill two vacancies in the Superior Court, occasioned by the death of Chief Justice Adams and the final extinction of mental capacity in Judge Huntington-and to one of those vacancies Judge Reeve was ap- pointed.
 must draw this long letter to close. It is enough to say, that no act of Judge Reeves life ever, in the least degree, lessened the admira- tion and respect entertained for his capacity in- tegrity and learning or ever diminished the es- teem and affection cherished for the spotless pu- rity of his moral department through long life, nor the reverence extorted from all for the deep religious impression which adorned his old age and perfected his character
 Ipresume you have seen Judge Reeve, though in very old age. He was, presume, in youth, extremely handsome.
 am with much esteem your friend, etc.,
 D. $. BoARDMAN.