RHEA-L Archives

From: Charla A Marchione< >
Subject: [RHEA-L] Grainger County RAY/RHEAs
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 12:20:31 -0500

Hi Alvey,

I think most of us have found the family name spelled many different
ways. There are as many different reasons for this - as people moved out
onto the frontier there was little time for schooling and usually younger
family members could neither read nor write, also census takers spelled
names phonetically. My family spells the name RHEA and RAY. I can't tell
which came first so I look at all of them.

My sister thinks that those early Grainger County Ray/Rheas are related
to our Hawkins/Hancock/Claiborne County relatives. She may be right but
the connection hasn't been worked out yet. It would seem that all those
Grainger Co. Rays are related since they're living so close to one
another.

The Samuel in my branch isn't born until about 1814 and he married Martha
(Patsy) Odle or Odell. I don't think he would have been old enough to
make the 1830 TN census listing. However most of the first names of
David, Jesse, Robert, and Samuel were also used by my Ray/Rheas. I've
seen Benjamin and Thomas used by the Pittsylvania/Henry County, VA Rays.

Also the Blount Co., TN Rays are REAs from Mecklenburg Co., NC. That's
the author Worth S. RAY's family line which he traced from Henry Co., VA
(where they married into the Massenburgs) down into Mecklenburg Co., NC
(where his line married into the Morrows) and then moved over the
mountains into Blount Co., TN. This line has also been known to spell
their name RHEA.

Sometimes I think all these RAYs, REAs, etc. used RHEA in a wish to be
associated with the Congressman John RHEA from Knox/Sullivan Co., TN.
This John had a certain amount of influence in Washington during the
Andrew Jackson administration. But this could just be frustration on my
part from researching these families for so long!

charla in nj


On Thu, 26 Mar 1998 21:54:59 -0500 Alvey Summers <>
writes:
>Is your Samuel Rhea, #383, the same Samuel Ray husband of Tabitha
>Sacres,
>also your Obadiah Rhea, could be the same Obadiah Rea found in Obion
>County, TN in 1870
>My family of Rea's spelled their name two way's, Ray or Rea.
>
>

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

This thread:

• [RHEA-L] Grainger County RAY/RHEAs by Charla A Marchione< >