RHEA-L Archives

From: "Johnita P. Malone" <>
Subject: Rhea Research
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 01:33:25 -0800

I would not like to take credit for all the Rhea/Ray/Wray data that I
have posted as there have been several of us who have for years
corresponded and worked on our Rhea lines. One an older man who lives in
Mankato, Jewell Co., KS., and another lady who sponsors the Perkins Round
Robin, and several others. I have accumulated this information for years
along with the data which I have found myself and now don't know for sure
who found what.

Perhaps some of you did not know that some of the Rhea families as well
some of the Perkins families went from Tennessee to Utah and became
Mormons. In fact, they were some of the first of that faith and went on
the trek. Probably some good data can be found there.

My particular Perkins/Rhea families stopped in Mercer Co., MO., and did
not go to Utah. I am very curious as to why they left Tennessee in the
first place. My Sebird Smith Rhea, grandson of Ezekiel, seemed
prosperous enough as he had owned slaves in Missouri and perhaps brought
some of them with him to Missouri. They went there in 1838. I wonder if
the timing had anything to do with it. The following is a story about
him:

Rogers' History of Mercer County, Missouri, pg 691. Sebrid Rhea, born in
Virginia, February 12, 1795, and his wife Nancy Cook Rhea, born in South
Carolina January 9, 1797, married January 23, 1817, moved from the state
of Tennessee to the state of Missouri in 1838, bringing with them their
family consisting of the following children: Mariah Perkins and her
husband, Reuben Perkins; Susan; Robert P.; Ransom H.; Amanda; Permelia
H.; and M. C., leaving the eldest son Spartan F. who afterwards came
through horseback; also with the family came two negro women and one
negro girl. It may be interesting to know that on this long trip Sebried
Rhea rode horseback, riding on ahead of the company, finding the best
roads and best places to camp, while Mrs. Rhea rode in a one-horse
carry-all with the two youngest children, and the others road in the
wagons pulled by oxen part of the time, while others walked and drove the
cattle and loose horses. The first stop was made in the forks of Grand
river, a few miles north of where Trenton now is in Grundy county, (but
at that time what is now Grundy county and Mercer county was part of
Livingston county) on what was known as the "Lyda farm," leaving a part
of the family there to winter, and taking those that were able to make a
"hand," proceeded north to what is known as "Goshen Prairie" and bought
two claims from Emery Hickman and Jackson Williams (two squatters), and
then began to improve what is known as the "Old Rhea farm" situated about
8 miles southwest of Princeton and about three miles southwest of Goshen.
Afterwards Mr. Rhea went to the land office and entered this land. It
was among the first land ever entered in the county, he being the third
permanent settler here. In those days and for several years following
the mail was brought from Chillicothe, Mo., and the milling done at that
place. One man in the country would go to mill and get the mail for all
the rest. The bill of fare consisted of corn bread and hog meat with
almost any wild game desired, and lye hominy thrown in for a change, with
plenty of mile and butter, and a little "coffee, if you please", of a
Sunday morning. There were all sorts of game, from the cottontail rabbit
to the deer. Along about the fall of 1847 or '48 Seabrid Rhea bought of
Rev. Thompson, living in Grundy county near where the town of Spickard
now is, two negro boys. The oldest one whose name was William, always
called "Nigger Bill' was 13 years old when he came to the Rhea farm, and
the other, whose name was Simon, was about 11 years old. These two boys
and the oldest negro woman that he brought from Tennessee stayed with the
Rhea family until the spring of 1865, when Sebrid Rhea sold the old farm
and moved to Leon, Iowa, taking all of them with him. Then the negro
boys went to working for themselves, but in 1872 the old farm was
re-purchased by him and the negro woman came back to Missouri and stayed
with the family until the death of Mr. and Mrs. Rhea, which occurred
February 2nd, 1878 and February 6th, 1879 respectively. Then Aunt
"Tiller" (the negro woman) as she was familiarly called, went to Leon,
Iowa, and died March 16, 1894, living to a ripe old age. The youngest of
the negro boys died in Daviess county, Mo., several years ago. The
oldest one died in Leon, Iowa, October 16, 1910. (See page 17.) In
regard to the children of Sebrid and Nancy Rhea: The eldest son Spartan
F. married Nancy Mickey early in the '40's and eventually moved to
Kansas, where he died several years ago. Mariah married Reuben Perkins
in Tennessee before they came west, and lived and died near Goshen, where
they first settled. Susan married George Clinkenbeard, and lived and
died in Harrison county, Mo., February 29, 1904. Robert P., better known
as "Perry," married Lucy Prichard and finally moved to Kansas, where he
died a few years ago. Ransom H., better known as "Huston," married Lyda
Evertt and lived in Harrison county, Mo., dying March 2nd, 1904. Amanda
married David Thompson and now lives in Mt. Moriah, Mo. Another son,
Marcus L., died in childhood. M. C., known as Clayton, the youngest that
came from Tennessee, being at that time two years old, married Maranda
Melton, who died many years ago, and he is now living with his only
daughter in Leon, Iowa.

Rogers' History of Mercer County, (Missouri), pg unknown. Seabiard Rhea,
b. February 12, 1795, in Virginia, d. Mercer county February 2, 1878.
Preceded James Parsons to the county in 1838, though the latter built his
cabin the fall before. Colonel of civil service regiment in Tennessee in
earlier days. Christian church. A rugged but remarkably charitable man.

As I get time, I will find some of the other info I have about the
Rhea/Ray/Wray family and sent it out.

--
Johnita P. Malone

Researching: Malone, Reed, Staton, Morrow, Stanley, Plunk, Freestad,
Bushong, Wilbanks, Frazier, Meek, Harris, Saylor, James, Perkins, White,
Currin, Morris, Gage, Butler, Dodd, Taylor, Lutz, Ruggles, Briggs, Rhea,
Ray, Fincher, Jackson, O'Briant, Coburn, Black, Parrish, Barnes, Carey,
Betts, Keller, Wymore, Cooke, Jones, Gossett, Smith, Hester, Melton,
Hope, Cannaday, Blocksom, Reynolds, Rinker, Snook, Haddon, Betts,
Bossert, Gantt, Pryor, Watson, Cole, Shewin, Williams, Wheeler, Fowler,
Mitchell, Clendenin, Downing, Pettyjohn, Bowman, Cauffman, Lafferty,
Weigel, Lollar, Wood, Morris, Thompson, Burch, Greene

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