[last accessed 21 Nov 2012]
Zeley Reno served as a sergeant in the Minute Men from Prince William County under LaFayette in the campaign around Williamsburg and Yorktown in the Revolutionary War and received a pension. He also served in the campaign against the Shawnee Indians under Col. Benjamin Logan. During the War of 1812 he served in Capt. Moses Demmitt's Company of the Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia. He made application for the pension on February 13, 1833, in Harrison County, Kentucky. He signed his name Zeley on his will written in 1834, and his Revolutionary War Pension has the spelling as Zely or Zela, although it often appears as Zealey in various documents. His father and Mary Chinn's father both wrote his name as Zeley. The fourth son of Lewis Reno and Elizabeth Whitledge, he inherited 140 acres (a part of the original Reno-Chevalle Grant of 1710) from his father, which he later sold to Simon Luttrell on March 16, 1784. In 1774 he became engaged to Mary Chinn, and the court records of Fauquier County, Virginia, contain notes from each of their parents authorizing the marriage. Charles Chinn wrote "Zeley Reno and my daughter Mary Chinn is engaged. I desire you will grant him licens for them to marrey in so doing you will oblige your humble servent." Lewis Reno (signed his name Reno) wrote "Sir please to grant marrage lizen between Zeley Reno and Moley Chinn and oblige your humble servant. Lewis Reno gargin." On July 26, 1775, Zeley Renoe and his brother Thomas Renoe posted a marriage bond in Fauquier County of 50 pounds for his marriage to Mary Chinn.
Zeley's Revolution War pension file says that his uniform was a purple hunting shirt marked on the front with larger letters "Liberty or Death", and that he wore a macaroni hat with a bucktail in it. After the war, he lived in Prince William and Loudon counties in Virginia until 1784, when he sold his land and moved to Fayette County, KY (now Bourbon County), possibly with his nephews Lewis Reno, John B. Reno, and Jesse Reno, sons of his brother Lewis. He appears on the 1787 tax list for Bourbon Co. when it was still part of Virginia. On March 20, 1787, Zeley Reno sold land in Bourbon County to Thomas Whitledge (Bourbon County Deed Book A-1, p. 41-43). He was on Bourbon County, Kentucky, tax lists from 1787 through 1799. They lived 8 miles from Paris, Kentucky. He was mustered into Capt. Moses Demitt's Company, Kentucky Mounted Volunteers on August 13, 1813, at Newport. It was commanded by Col. John Page.
He witnessed the will of John Whitledge on October 5, 1788, in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He witnessed the will of Haden Edwards in August 1803. He was baptized at the Cooper's Run Baptist Church in Bourbon County in 1790, and was granted a letter by the Silas Run Baptist Church in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1819 (Kentucky State Historical Society, v. 27, p. 1929). Some of his family admitted to the Silas Run Church are as follows: Mary Reno, admitted by letter from Cooper's Run, Sept. 3, 1802; Charles, baptized August 13, 1811; Lucy, baptized August 18, 1811; Lewis Reno and wife Polly, baptized September 28, 1811; Penelope, admitted by letter from Mill Creek, August 7, 1813; Christopher Reno, baptized July 1818; and Cynthia Reno and margaret Reno.
The list of names of his children is incomplete, being based entirely on baptismal records between 1811 and 1818 and his will, which does not mention all of his children. Older children, such as sons born before 1810, might have moved away before the family joined these churches, as indicated by the 1810 census record for Benjamin Rennoe next door to Zele Rennoe in Bourbon Co. The 1810 Kentucky census indicates 1 son and 4 daughters.
His will dated June 10, 1834 (Harrison County Will Book D, p. 16) reads "In the name of God Amen, knowing that it is appointed once for all men to die and I being now frail in body but of perfect mind and memory I do hereby constitute this to be my last will and testament. In the first place it is my will and desire that all my just and lawful debts be paid out of my estate.
- Item I thus will and bequeath to my son Christopher Reno four hundred dollars which I have here tofore lent him for his own proper use.
- Item I will and bequeath all the balance of my estate to my beloved wife Mary Reno her life time and at her death all the balance of my estate to be equally divided amongst all my children towit Charles Reno, Lewis Reno, Sytha Jones, Polly Jones, Pernelepy Calbert, Margaret Lewis, Terissa Reno my granddaughter. Christopher having got his part is to get none of the last divide. In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand and my seal in the presence of these witnesses on the 10th day of June 1834."
Zeley Reno.
His will was witnessed by Benjamin Bradon and William Simpson, and was probated February 17, 1837.
William L. Reno, Jr. (1975, "The Reno Family," addendum 2) argues based on pre-1850 census records, the ages of individuals involved, and geographical opportunity that Zeley Reno probably had two or three additional sons born between 1775 and 1790: James, John, and Benjamin, who apear later in records of Kentucky and Indiana. In the 1810 census, he is listed as Zele Rennoe of Bourbon County (p. 105: ages 01001-02201-00; 1 boy 10-15 (probably Christopher); 1 man 45 and up; 2 girls 10-15; 2 girls 16-25; 1 woman 45 and up). A Benjamin Rennoe is also listed in Bourbon County in 1810 on the same page, with 1001-00100-00; one boy under 10, 1 man 26-44, and one woman 16-25, and his son Charles has a listing as Charles Runnoe. There is no listing for Zeley in 1820, but in the 1830 census Zele Reno of Bourbon County has 1 male 30-39, 1 male 70-79, 2 girls under 5, and 1 woman 20-29 (probably one of his daughters and her husband and two girls; his wife is not listed yet she didn't die until 1839). [cos1776 Note: a marriage bond has been found to show that a Zely Reno m a Polly Jones in 1814, so either Zely had a son also named Zely (who does not appear anywhere else) or the young woman in the 1830 census is likely a 2nd wife.]
Here are portions of Zeley Reno's pension file W8545 from the National Archives: Harrison Co., KY: "On this 13th day of February 1833 before me Joel Frazer a justice of the peace and member of Harrison County Court, Kentucky, which is a court of record, appeared Zela Reno a resident of Harrison County Kentucky age nearly seventy six years, having been born in Prince William County Virginia on the 3rd day of April 1757. Who being first duly sworn according to law doth, on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the law of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served hereinafter stated. That in March of 1775 as well as he recollects he entered the said service as Sargeant in the Minute Service and Marched from home in Prince William County, Virginia, to Williamsburg to counteract Governor Dunmore who had taken the Magazines runaway negroes. That declarants uniform was a purple hunting shirt marked in the breast with large letters with the words "Liberty or Death" with a Macarone hat and bucktail. That his captain's name was Cuthbert Harrison, George Madden was Lieutenant and Lewis Reno Ensign in Col. Jesse Ewell and Major James Ewells regiment. That as near as he recalleth after services rendered by him during the Revolution were as follows vis: He marched from home in the above specified town in Prince William County to Fredericksburg, thense to Williamsburg. And Dunsmore having escaped on board a vessel, he returned home having been absent in service two months. And again during the same year, in the fall, he marched from home in said service and under the same officers, except Capt. Harrison, who had died, and Henry Hoe, or Haugh, acting as Capt. to Newgate in Fairfax County, Virginia, where he was stationed three months - thense to Dumfries where he was stationed three months - thense to Little York where he was stationed three months - thense to Williamsburg where he was stationed four months. From this place the British drove the Americans - who retreated to Richmond and where this declarent staid three weeks, thense home where he spent the balance of this year 1776 and is going thru little tours of three weeks each to guard the country on the Potomac at Tripletts Landing and near Dumfries. That in the spring of 1781 he marched under Capt. Simon Hancock from home to Williamsburg where he was stationed two months. Thense to Little York and here he staid two months. Thense to Richmond wher he staid two months - thense home on patrol a short time - thense to Little York to the siege and capture of Cornwallis under Capt. Simon Hancock who had been his Captain in all said tours for three years preceeding at various places... He assisted in guarding British prisoners at Fredericksburg and served nine months. That he has no record of his age. He was christianed in the Church of England in Prince William County Virginia as he has been informed, and he has been informed verbally of his age by his parents, and believes what he has stated about is true. That he lived after the Revolution in Prince William and Loudon counties Virginia until the year 1784, when he moved to Fayette County KY where he resided some years and has resided in Bourbon and Harrison counties ever since and now resides in Harrison County Kentucky. That there is no person by whom he can prove his service that he knows of. He hereby relinquishes every claim that everts to a pension or a warranty except of the present and declares his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state or territory." Signed the 13th day of February 1833 by Joel Frazier.
Also in his pension file is a document dated August 8, 1839, Book A, Vol. 2, p. 179, saying, "Mary Reno, widow of Zela Reno due a pension act 7 June 1832 who died on the 30 January 1837 of Bourbon Co. in the State of Kentucky ... who was in the company commanded by Captain Hough of the regiment commanded by Col. Ewell in the Virginia Militia. Inscribed on this roll of Kentucky at the rate of 83 dollars and 33 cents per annum to commence on 30th day of January 1837."
In his wife's application for his pension after his death, she says that they lived in Prince William County and that "shortly after their marriage he entered the service as a soldier in the company of Captain Burr Harrison ...". Also in Zela Reno's file is a document dated December 11, 1840 stating that Mary Reno died on 17 May 1839 and that Zela Reno's pension was thereafter unclaimed and paid to the treasury of the United States.
He is on the 1787 Bourbon County, Kentucky, census listing he had no males between the ages of 16 and 21, had 1 horse, mares, colts, and mules; and 1 cattle.
He is also listed in the 1799 tax lists for Bourbon County, Kentucky.
The 1810 Bourbon County, Kentucky, census lists Zele Rennoe, 1 male 10 to 16, 1 male over 45, 2 females 10 to 16, 2 females 16 to 26, and 1 female over 45.
The 1830 Bourbon County, Kentucky, census lists Zello Renno, 1 male 30 to 40, 1 male 70 to 80, 2 females under 5, 1 female 20 to 30, 1 female 70 to 80, and 2 slaves.
