RHEA-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: Re: Frank Rhea
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 23:05:05 -0400 (EDT)

Dick, This is part of what he said in the letter to my g.g.uncle James
Harvey Rhea
August 9, 1913
Dear Cousin, I will introduce myself by saying that I am a son of Thomas
Rhea, a grandson of William Rhea and a great-grandson of James Rhea, born
June 3, 1780, in Greenbrier Co, Virginia and who died February 12, 1843 at
his home farm in Island Grove township, Sangamon County, two miles north west
of New Berlin. James, my great grandfather, and Thomas your grandfather, were
brothers.

He also says there was a Jefferson Rhea who died in 1838, and that his
grandfather William was administrator.

He says as to myself, I am a graduate of Illinois Wesleyan university in
Bloomington, Classical Course, 1898, and also a graduate of the state
university, and profession, a public school teacher.

he said that he had tramped around Turner Cemetery, and copied every Turner,
not knowing which ones my g.g.uncle was related to. He said he also had the
information from James Rhea(myg.g.g.grandfather) g.g.uncles father, and Lewis
Rhea. My g.g.grandfather, brother of James was married to Mary Ann Turner,
and his sister Mary Elizabeth Rhea was married to DAvid Frances Turner.
************************
My cousin was in Waverly, New Berlin and Berlin, Ill this past weekend, and
took pictures of Turner Cemetery. Unfortunately it is overgrown with weeds,
the stones were limestone, and in one spot a oak tree has actually grown out
of a stone.You can see a few field stones, and in the older section one or
two tombstones. I have a picture of my cousin and her husband standing in
poision ivy, bramble bushes, you name it itwas there, and they had to pick
ticks off of themselves when they got out. I asked her why she was in that
and she said the stones were mixed into this mess. They said at one time the
hogs were running loose in there. It has been deeded over to the lady who is
Newsletter Chairman for the Waverly Gen. and Hist. Soc. She is 85. No one to
clean it, or keep it up. Too Bad.
My g.g.g.grandparents were charter members of the Berlin Baptist Church,
Sangamon Co. real close to Morgan Co. in 1833. There is no church left. We
did get pictures of Berlin Cemetery where many of your ancestors are buried.
and two of my g.g.g.grandfathers first two children are buried.

Are you familiar with a STITT that would have been buried in Berlin Cemetery.
that may or may not have been related to the RHEA's. Most of the stones in
Berlin are Rhea's. But off to one side is a stone that literally looks like a
tree that had been hit by lightening. It says broken but not destroyed. The
name plates attached to the stone look like shields, There is branches of ivy
around it, this is all part of the stone.

Pat

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