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From: "?? ?" <>
Subject: [RHEA] 3rd continuation of Ref. and Notes and Article of Bath Co. for Rhea
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 02:12:59 -0500

According to A Memoir Of The Rhea Family by John Rhea,* his father, Rev. Joseph Rhea, was the son of Matthew Rhea, whose "ancestor" was of the "Ancient House of Campbell." he claimed that this ancestor, "having been engaged in rebellion against despotic powers was obliged to abandon Scotland and take refuge in Ireland, where and when he changed his name (to) Creah or Reah." He was, by some accounts, Matthew Campbell, a cousin of Archibald Campbell, Ninth Earl of Argyll and co-participant in the Monmouth Rebellion. See Armstong, Zella, Notable Southern Families, (Chattanooga: Lookout Publishing Co., 1922), Vol. II, 253.*
John referred to his ancestor, who was more then likely his great-grandfather, as "The REbel," a moniker he frequently attached to his grandfather. Based on this article and on other published genealogies, it is untenable that the Rheas herein recorded descended from Matthew, the Rebel's son. "Matthew" and "Joseph" are unknown among early descendants of the three brothers. Some have speculated that the Rheas of Augusta County may have descended from Archibald Reagh, alleged to have been one of two other sons of the Rebel.
This writer is not convinced, and recommends that thorough, documented research be done before conclusions are drawn.
On April 27, 1687, two years after Archibald Campbell, the Ninth Earl of Argyll, was executed for participating in the Monmouth Rebellion, a "Matthew" Reagh married Jenot Baxter in Londonderry, Templemore, Derry Cathedral (Genealogy Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints*) Was he Matthew Campbell the Rebel, the co-patriot and cousin of the Ninth Earl of Argyll, and the father of Matthew and Archibald REagh/Reah? It is difficult to imagine that the Rebel was the only person in Ireland to have the name "Reah" or a close variant. Yet, considering family traditions, both written and oral, a connection between the Rheas and Campbells should not be dismissed. It should be thoroughly investigated.

Throughout this article, a number of family relationships were presented as being less than certain. By reviewing references and acquiring additional information after the article was completed in January 1991, the author is now convinced of the following:

1) That Robert, Archibald, and William were brothers, and the sons of Archibald Roaugh/Reah/Reagh.

2) That Robert married Sarah Bingham, the daughter of John and Sarah Bingham.

3) That Robert and Sarah had a son, Robert, who became a veteran of two wars, who married Mary Stephens, the daughter of Jehu Stephens, a neighbor, and that they had a son, Jehu Stephens Rhea, who married Elizabeth Smith and moved from Tennessee to Preble County, Ohio.

4) That Thomas, the son of James and grandson of William, married his first cousin, Martha, the daughter of his uncle, Robert; and that Mary/Polly, the daughter of James and sister to Thomas, also married her first cousin, Thomas, Martha's brother.

5) That Robert Rhea of Hopkins County, Kentucky, was the son of Robert, and the grandson of William [Ref. 170, 171].




Pat Hall

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