RHEA-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: William REAH, REAGH, RHEA
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 03:17:35 -0400 (EDT)

William's name appeared along with Robert's on the call to Rev. John Brown
as pastor of the Timber Ridge and New Providence congregations.(56) His name
is found numerous times in Augusta, Rockbridge, and Bath County records. In
1773, a three year old orphan, William Woodbridge was "bound out" to him by
the church wardens.(57) William married Elizabeth Clark, daughter of James
and Elizabeth Summers? Clark.(58) James Clark was a wheelwright, (59) and one
of William Beverley's land agents. William and Elizabeth had seven children:
Archibald, James, William, Ann, Alexander, Robert, and John. The exact order
is not known. their names are documented in the wills of both parents,
(60,61) and in a Chancery court suit filed in Augusta County on July 19, 1804
(John Rhea vs Wm. Rhea Heirs.)(62)
The suit involved John's obtaining clear title to land that was promised him
by his father. In 1769, William sold his Borden Grant land to his son,
Archibald.(63) Perhaps as early as 1767 he changed his residence to Mill
Creek, a branch of the Calfpasture, four to five miles N.E. of the present
town of Millboro.(64) In 1775, he deeded t5racts on Mill Creek to sons James,
William, and John.(65)
1. Archiblad Rhea and Margaret had three young sons, William Rhea, Hugh
Rhea, and John Rhea, when he died in 1773. His will was written November 1,
1773, and recorded March 15, 1774.(66) A family bible kept by his brother,
Robert, indicates that he died on October 5, 1773, an obvious error.(67) He
named his wife Margaret, and his "Uncle Archibald" executors. Dying when he
did and having three young sons would place his birth no later than 1747-48,
and the marriage of his parents no later than 1746-47, assuming that he was
the oldest child. It has been stated that Margaret was a Campbell, this
based in part by the naming of John Campbell, possibly her brother, and
William Rhea as guardians to her sons.(68) Her son, William, must have died
young, for he did not receive a division of land, (69) nor was he listed
among the heirs of William Sr.(62) Hugh married Rebecca Smiley, daughter of
Walter Smiley, on June 2, 1796.(70) By 1804 they were living in
Tennessee.(62) John married her sister, Mary Smiley, on January 2, 1801.(71)

2. James Rhea married Elizabeth Meek, daughter of Thomas and Agnes/Nancy
Meek.(72) he and his brothers Robert, John, and Alexander were among other
residents along the Calfpasture, Bullpasture, Jackson River, and Bath Creek
who signed a petition on April 15, 1778 to form a new county.(73) On May 27,
1779, James joined others along the Calfpasture in a petition against a
division.(74) In 1779 he sold his property on Mill Creek, (75) moved to the
Greenbrier River,(76) then to Fayette County.(77) He died on November 27,
1795.(67)
There were nine children: Nancy, Elizabeth, James, Margaret, Thomas,
Mary/Polly, Hannah, Martha, and John.(62) (1) nancy Rhea married Joseph
Ritchie in Knox County Tennessee on November 6, 1792.(78) By 1798, the widow
and her children moved to that part of Green County, Kentucky that was soon
to become Barren County. On Christmas day of that year, her daughter (2)
Elizabeth Rhea, married her first cousin, Robert Rhea, son of her uncle,
William.(79) After james' widow married Newberry Stockton in 1801,(80)
Robert was named guardian to her younger children, Mary/Polly, Hannah,
Martha and John.(81)
(3) James Rhea Jr., June 3, 1780-February 12, 1843(82) married Rachel
Jolliff, daughter of james and Elizabeth (Norris) Jolliff, on November 21,
1801.(83) They and their ten children (later eleven) moved to Jefferson
County, Illinois in 1824, then to Sangamon County, Illinois in 1827.(84) (4)
Margaret Rhea married William Barnett.(62) The author believes that (5)
Thomas Rhea married his cousin, martha Rhea, daughter of Robert, the brother
of James. Only two months after Thomas received the power of attorney from
other family members to collect their share of William Rhea Sr.'s estate from
his son and Thomas's uncle, Robert, executor, (85) Martha was married to a
Thomas Rhea in Bath county. The bond was dated January 23, 1804.(86) (6)
Mary/Polly, daughter of James, and Thomas, her husband, signed with other
heirs of James a deed in Barren County, Kentucky granting John Rhea of Bath
county title to the property he secured as a result of his lawsuit.(88)
After Thomas' death, Mary/Polly married James Hickman, January 22,
1819.(89)
When the uncle Robert Rhea, died in Pocahontas county, Virginia in 1834, he
had bequeathed one hundred dollars to the children of Thomas, indicating that
Thomas had died. (90) (7) Hannah Rhea married Noah Hickman on August 16,
1814.(91) The author has found no marriage records for (8) Martha Rhea. (9)
John Rhea chose his own guardian in May, 1812, about the time his uncle and
original guardian, Robert Rhea, moved to preble County, Ohio.(92) A John Rhea
married Margaret harrison on November 1, 1824.(93)
3. William Rhea (Jr) sold his Mill Creek property to Samuel McDonald in
1790.(94)
The house, still standing, is located one quarter mile north of the northern
end of Bath County Road 654. The tenure of William's residency there is
uncertain, for his name was on the Rockbridge County tax list of 1778,(95)
and in 1781 he was appointed constable.(96) He sold his Rockbridge county
property in 1795,(97) in preparation for moving to Kentucky in the fall of
`1796.(98) He died testate in 1824.(99) William is probably buried in the
Rhea cemetery on his "plantation" located several miles N.W. of Greensburg,
kentucky. A personal letter written by him in 1808 to a Robert Anderson of
Botetout County, Virginia is among the extant documents of an Augusta County
lawsuit.(100)
William's first wife was Mary ? Gay, daughter of Robert and Sarah (?) Gay of
Rockbridge County. (101) Sarah was the widow of William jameson.(102) William
and Mary? had three children, Robert, Agnes/Nancy, and Archibald.(101) (1)
Robert Rhea, as stated above under "James," married his first cousin,
Elizabeth Rhea, daughter of james.979) Sometime before January of 1813, they
moved from Barren County, Kentucky to Preble County, Ohio.(103) There were
five children a. nancy Rhea, about 1799-February 4, 1881,(104) married John
Gray on October 7 1819,(105) b. James Rhea, about 1800-1862, (106) married
Mary/Polly Gray, sister to John, on October 11, 1821, (105) c. Robert Rhea
Jr., 1800-1805 to January 15, 1835, (107) married Catherine Hornbaker,
daughter of Harmonious and Leah ? Hornbaker(108)
on September 14, 1826. (105)d. Margaret Rhea, about 1810 to aft August,
1848, (109) m. Matthew Taylor on August 25, 1831, (110) and e. Alexander
Rhea, January 14, 1813-December 16, 1880, (111) m. Sarah Conger, daughter of
Rev. Josiah and Catherine (Runyon) Conger, (112) on February 19, 1834.(113)

Nancy (Rhea) and John Gray's children were Robert Gray, 1822-?, married
Rachel ? Cunningham, 1864; James Gray, 1832-?, married Julia?; Clark Gray
1835, m. Emily Runyon, June 17, 1855,(124) Margaret Gray, 1837, married James
Paddock, February 17, 1857, (124) a daughter who married Thomas Reed, and one
married to J. W. Cook, all living in 1881.(205) An unknown number died
earlier.

James and Mary (Gray Rhea's children were Ann I. Rhea, June 15, 1822-?, m.
Benjamin Glessner, December 12, 1858, (124)Alexander Rhea, April 27, 1824-?,
m. Mary Ann Patrik/Peters, February 28, 1848, (124) John Rhea, March 19,
1827-December 11, 1901, m. Philura Day, October 11, 1849, (124) Jehu Rhea,
October 16, 1829-February 27, 1899, never married; Elizabeth Rhea, April 15,
1832-?, David R. Dooley, August 5, 1853; Nancy Rhea, September 17,
1834-August 13, 1902, m. 1st. Sylvanus Gordon, August 27, 1857, and 2nd Silas
Parks, 1877; (124) George Washington Rhea, September 17, 1834-?; and Mary
Rhea, May 19, 1838-?.
Robert Jr. and Catherine had four children: John William Rhea, the
author's great-grandfather and a Civil War soldier, (114) July7, 1827-May 22,
1881,(115) married Nancy Gard, daughter of Levi and Mary( Jones )Gard, (116)
September 10, 1848(115) Harmonious Rhea, March 27, 1829-December 28, 1896,
(117) also in the Civil War, married Elizabeth Z. Button, March 18,
1852;(118) Elizabeth Rhea, 1830-?, married John Button, September 26, 1849,
(119) and Elias B. Rhea, 1833-?, married Phoebe Paddock, May 25, 1854.(120)

My note to you: If you will check Miami Valley Ohio Genealogical Index that
I gave you yesterday or the day before and check the names and dates you will
see many of the children of William Rhea and Mary Gay, and so on.and where
they were married.

Tomorrow I will post the children of Alexander and sarah Conger Rhea. and
then on to the 2nd child of William and Mary Gay Rhea.

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