RHEA-L Archives

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Subject: Archibald Rhea- ref. #202-203
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 12:31:05 -0400 (EDT)

#202 Rockbridge Co.,VADeedBookB, 141-143.* Dated April 10, 1790.
"Between Archibald Rhea and Jean his wife of the County of Augusta...of the
one part...and...children and heirs at law of David Wilson deceased of the
other part...seventy-four acres...Walker's Creek...(signed) Archibald Rhea,
Jean (her Mark) Rhea." William Rhea was a witness.
The second deed for 101 acres was dated June 1, 1790, and recorded
the same day. Grantees were heirs at law of John Bell, deceased (Rockbridge
co., VA Deed Book B, 144-146).* The original tract deeded to Archibald by
Robert Rhea in 1758 contained 118 acres (Ref. 4,5). The combined acreage of
the deeds of 1790 contained an extra fifty-severn acres that were added
sometime after 1758 to the north of the original patent line.

#203 Amherst Co.VaWillBook4,161-162* Will of Archibald Rhea Jr., brother of
William and Robert. Dated September 25, 1802, proved October 15, 1804. An
abstract of the will was the source of information found in the text, but a
copy of the will received after the text was sent to the publisher revealed
several errors in the abstract. Jean, his wife, was also an executrix and a
guardian of their children under age. Jean and Archibald were not witnesses.

On December 27, 1805, Archibald Rhea of Rockbridge County, Virginia, and
Richard Litteral signed a marriage bond for Archibald and Susannah
Litteral(Augusta Co., VAMarriage Records, Vol. 10, also, a copy of the
original bond).* They settled in
Wilson County, Tennessee. Eleven children were born to the union. His will
is recorded in Wilson county on May 18, 1835, and Susannah's son October 31,
1838. Transcripts of the wills and a copy of the bond were sent to the author
by Mrs. Mary L. Johnson, Lakewood, Colorado, a descendant. Some researchers
believe that this Archibald was the son of Archibald Jr. who died in 1804.
However, a more likely relationship is that of grandson. In 1784, when
Archibald Rhea sold the 191 acres he purchased from Borden in 1753 (ref.#3),
Archibald Rhea, presumably his son, witnessed the deed. The land was free of
dower right and title of dower, indicating that the seller was not married.
But when he died in 1804, he had children under age, suggesting a second
marriage. Jean's father , John McCausland Sr., named in his will grandsons,
John, Andrew, and Robert Rhea, but not Archibald, who, presumably, was a son
by a previous marriage, and old enough in 1784 to witness a deed. The 1810
U.S. Census for Rockbridge County Listed an Archibald Rhea as between 26 and
45 years of age. If 45, he was born in 1765, and was nineteen in 1784, which
may or may not have sufficed for witnessing deeds. It is doubtful that this
Archibald married susannah Litteral in 1805, for the census listed one female
between 26 and 45, two between 16 and 26, two under ten, two males between 26
and 45, and one under ten. The author suspects that he was the son of
Archibald Jr. who died in 1804, and the father of Archibald of Rockbridge
County who married Susannah Litteral in 1805.

In 1806, Archibald Rhea and "his mother," Jean Rhea of Rockbridge County
sold property that Archibald and Jean owned in Amherst County (Rockbridge Co.
Va DeedBook K, 506-507*). If she was, in fact, his step-mother, I doubt that
the distinction would have been made on the deed. Both were executors of
Archibald's estate.

Pat

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