Bass Reeves began his life as a slave in the state of Arkansas in July 1838, near the town of Van Buren. While working as a water boy and field hand with his family as a youngster, Bass would originate and sing songs about guns, rifles, knives, robberies and killings. Bass Reeves, wearing his iconic push broom mustache. Bass Reeves was born a slave in Crawford County in July 1838. Reeves, though reluctant to take on the difficult task, did the job when no other deputy dared to. His family members were slaves of an Arkansas state legislator by the name of William Steele Reeves. Benny Reeves served 22 years at … George also happened to be the town’s sheriff. Bass Reeves, (born 1838, Crawford county, Arkansas, U.S.—died January 12, 1910, Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.), American lawman who was one of the first deputy U.S. marshals of African descent in the American West.. Born a slave in Arkansas, Reeves grew up in Grayson county, Texas, following the relocation of his owner, William S. Reeves.Reports regarding Reeves’s activities and … Bass was an imposing figure at 6’2″ and 200lbs. Junkyardsparkle/Public Domain. Supposedly, Bass and George argued during a card game, and Bass knocked his master out cold. Dave Kennedy, curator of collections and exhibits, said recently the museum is still in search of Bass Reeves … As one of the most respected lawmen working in Indian Territory, he achieved legendary status for the number of criminals he captured. When the Civil … Read MoreBass Reeves … Written by one of his descendants, a great nephew who is a retired judge. George Reeves, William’s son, later made him his valet, bodyguard, and personal companion. Bass Reeves was born in July 1938 in Crawford County, Arkansas. He and his family were owned by William Steele Reeves, who was originally from Hickman County, Tennessee. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith has an impressive collection of guns and documents related to famed Deputy U.S. Outstanding. Almost a year out from a planned opening of the new $60 million museum, it's the lawman's family tree the curator wants most. Arkansas native Bass Reeves was one of the first black lawmen west of the Mississippi River. He usually rode a large red stallion with a white blazed face. Born a slave in Paris, Texas and owned by George Reeves, Bass Reeves grew up illiterate and remained illiterate for his entire life. In 1902, Bass Reeves’ son, Benny, was charged with the murder of his wife. Marshal Bass Reeves. His owners, the William S. Reeves family, moved to Grayson County, Texas, in 1846. Bass Reeves got his first name from his grandfather Basse Washington and took the surname of the Reeves family who owned him as a slave. The American Old West was a fertile cauldron for myth … William’s son, Colonel George Reeves, was Bass’s legal owner. He was born into slavery in 1838, part of a family that was owned by Arkansas state legislator William Reeves. Bass Reeves said in a 1901 interview that he had been George’s body servant but that they had parted company (not on good terms, according to family history) during the war. Bass was a tall young man, at 6’2”, with good manners and a sense of humor. In about 1846, William Reeves moved his operations, family, and slaves to Grayson County, Texas. William Steele Reeves, a prominent citizen and politician, enslaved his family. Though shaken by the thought of it, Reeves soon arrested his own son. He was known to be courteous and mannerly and to always be immaculately dressed with boots polished to a gleaming shine. Bass Reeves was born in Crawford County, Arkansas in 1838. FORT SMITH, Ark. — The U.S. To me, the story of Bass Reeves, deputy U.S. marshall, is one of the most fascinating real stories in American western history. Bass Reeves was the first African American commissioned to serve as a deputy marshal west of the Mississippi River.