RHEA-L Archives

Archiver > RHEA > 1998-02 > 0886795789


From: Charla A Marchione< >
Subject: [RHEA-L] RHEAs and WRAYs in PA and TN
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 15:09:49 -0500


>From History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania by Caldwell, 1882:

JOSEPH RHEA. -- We trace the RHEA family to John RHEA, of county Derry,
Ireland, who came to this country and settled in Lancaster County, PA and
afterwards in Franklin county. He was the father of Joseph RHEA, our
subject. Joseph was born in Franklin county, and married Elizabeth WHITE,
of Adams county. After marriage they settled in West Virginia, and from
thence came to this county in 1806 and settled in Conemaugh township, on
the Kiskeminetas river, at a point generally known as Coalport. Their
children were: James b. in West Virginia in 1797, died in this county in
1867, married to Jane HUSTON WRAY, deceased; Thomas, deceased, born in
1799, married to Elizabeth MORROW, died and settled in West Virginia;
Isaac, deceased, born 1803 married to Elizabeth CARUTHERS, and first
settled in West Virginia, and afterwards in Armstrong county, PA; Daniel,
deceased, born in 1801, married to Jane KERR, and settled in Armstrong
county; William L., now living in Conemaugh township at the mouth of
Blacklegs creek, and is in his 75th year, was born in 1805, and married
to Sarah SHIELDS; Mary, deceased, born in 1808, married to Robert
McILWAIN, deceased, of this county; and Elizabeth, deceased, born in
1810, married to David SHIELDS, of Westmoreland county. James was county
commissioner one term. Thomas became judge of the court of Marion county,
West Virginia; William L., now owns the old homestead, and three other
farms in Conemaugh township. The Coalport farm is supposed to have been
settled by the Hindmans, but we do not find any record of them earlier
than about 1800. They were an unfortunate family - one drowned, one
killed at a raising, another met accidental death in some manner, all we
are informed, in the space of about one year. This farm received the name
of Coalport at the building of the canal. James ALCORN had the first
store about 1829, and for some years a store was kept at this point by
Samuel M. KIER, of Pittsburgh, and George WILSON late of Indiana, PA. The
business of the place ceased with the closing of operations on the canal.
Wells were bored for salt water, but no paying quantity found. The
present house of Wm. L. is where the SPEAR saw mill was built about 1826.
There have been found skeletons of men, probably Indians, on this farm,
and there are burial places on this and the Coalport farm. Some old
settlers think the Indian town, on old town bottom, opposite, across the
Kiskeminetas, extended across the river on present Indiana county side.
>From one of these graves, stones enough were taken to build a chimney. In
drilling a salt well on this farm a vein of gas was struck, the well was
pluggged and abandoned and the forty years since has not exhausted all
the gas, as there are evident signs of it yet. The children of William L.
are: Joseph, Thomas W., Elizabeth m. to Samuel G. WALKER of Franklin
county; Anna M., m. to James W. SMITH; Florence, and William L. The
children of James RHEA and wife Jane H. WRAY, were: Eliza Ann, deceased,
born in 1825, m. to John McDOWELL; Daniel, b. in 1826, m. to Sarah
ALEXANDER, of Ohio; Mary W., b. in 1830, m. to John ALCORN, deceased, of
Westmoreland county; Margaret, deceased, born in 1832, m. to Joseph
PIPER; Nancy J., deceased, b. in 1834; Henrietta, b. in 1836, m. to James
M. BARKLEY; John HARRISON, deceased, b. in 1839. Daniel served in the
late war in 135th Pennsylvania volunteers, nine months' service. Daniel,
the only son of James now living, resides on a farm near the place of
first settlement of the family, in the county. His children were: James
Alexander, Walter Lowry, deceased, Bessie Huston, and Russell Lyon. This
sketch, as already seen, embraces names from the WRAY family with whom
this family intermarried, and of them we are furnished the following
notes: Daniel WRAY came from county Derry, Ireland, to this country , and
lived a while at New Wilmington, Del., thence to Franklin county, PA,
thence to Sewickley, Westmoreland county, thence to this county about
1797, and settled one-half mile from the present town of Saltsburg. His
son William H. WRAY, deceased, succeeded him in possession of the
homestead. The only living descendants bearing the name now are the
children of William H., and are Robert and Margaret J., now living in
Black-lick township.

On the same page, in a blurb about John McDOWELL: John, our subject,
born in 1823, married first to Eliza Ann RHEA, deceased, and second to
Margaret EWING. The children of our subject by his first wife are Anna
Jane and James Rhea, both telegraph operators.

Sorry for the length of this message but did not see a reasonable way to
shorten it.

Although this is not my RAY/RHEA family, it is Interesting to note the
McELWAIN connection and remember that the Rev. Joseph RHEA of Sullivan
Co., TN had a wife named Elizabeth MC ILVAINE. This is the same family
based in eastern PA, mainly Lancaster Co. although you can find Mc ILVAIN
all over the Delaware Valley today (that's where I live and we even have
one on our local school board). This Rev. Joseph was also from county
Derry, Ireland where he was ordained and ministered before coming to this
country. One source says he died at Taneytown in Maryland, just south of
Gettysburg, PA, another says in Virginia, another says he's buried at
Taneytown.

>From The Colonial Clergy of Maryland book: JOSEPH RHEA, b. Ireland, ca.
1715; settled Cumberland (Adams) County, PA, Upper Marsh Creek Church, at
Gettysburg, 1770-1771; Taneytown, MD, Piney Creek Church, 1771-April 11,
1776; Presbyterian; died in Virginia, September 20, 1777, aged about 62.

I also have to note the MORROW name mentioned above. Those of you have
have a copy of Tennessee Cousins - A History of Tennessee People know
that the author, Worth S. Ray's wife was a MORROW and early Knox Co., TN
was "full" of Morrows as well as Mecklenburg Co., NC. I hope someone can
use this and that it's not a "repeat" of info that's already been on the
list.

charla in nj


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