This two-volume set traces the Rives family line from the sixteenth century Ryves living in England to the arrival of the Rives in America in the early seventeenth century, and on through to the early twentieth century, over which time the name saw such variations as Reaves, Reeves and Reives. The author has attempted "to recreate a segment of the time and lives of men and women who fashioned a new world out of a wilderness and from whom we have received a spiritual heritage." He neglects no detail in his presentation.
Part I is dedicated to the English Ryves. Part II examines America’s Rives, who settled first in Virginia and then spread to points north and west. The text contains excerpts from public and personal documents, and numerous photographs, which together bring the reader that much closer to the history presented. The Rives family truly comes alive for the reader of this text!
Appendices include information on unidentified branches of the family and unidentified American soldiers named Rives. The index contains a brief section devoted to subjects followed by an index to surnames; full-names are indexed for Rives and Ryves.