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From: "Robert P. Rhea" <>
Subject: [RHEA] Eliz. RHEA, d. of James & Eliz, (SNAPP), g-d. of Rev. Joseph (#1 of 2)
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 19:07:01 -0600


ELIZABETH RHEA, DAUGHTER of JAMES & ELIZABETH (SNAPP) RHEA, and
GRANDDAUGHTER of REV. JOSEPH RHEA
(Part 1 of 2)

This past year, Mary Ellen RHEA McKELVEY has posted inquiries here and
elsewhere concerning Elizabeth RHEA, the daughter of James and Elizabeth
(SNAPP) RHEA, the granddaughter of Rev. Joseph RHEA, and Mary Ellen's
g-g-grandmother. In a post to RHEA-L dated June 4, 2001, she wrote, "My
great grandfather [H. Tolbert "Tobe"RHEA] came to Texas with a John
SNEED family and married one of his daughters. I believe he was born
out of wedlock to Elizabeth RHEA and she must have been disowned." She
wishes to verify her relationship to Elizabeth, to learn where and when
she died, was buried, her ancestry through the John SNEED family, and
hopefully through H. Tolbert RHEA's biological father.

I wrote to Mary Ellen, mentioning that I had in my files a 33-page copy
of a genealogy entitled "The Rheas from Scotland through Tennessee to
Texas" (hereafter referred to as "The Genealogy"). It begins with a
brief review of Rev. Joseph RHEA's ancestry, then names his children,
focusing primarily on his youngest child, James, and the children born
to him and his wife, Elizabeth (SNAPP). Concerning their fourth child,
Elizabeth, the author wrote that she "was probably born in 1821, omitted
from the family history and would have been 16 in 1837, when she
reportedly gave birth to a baby born out of wedlock. Several sources
have omitted her name from the family history which indicates she was
disowned." The remainder of The Genealogy names the descendants of H.
Tolbert and Sarah (SNEED) RHEA to June, 1979

She replied that her aunt, Jo RHEA, the wife of her uncle, Floyd,
compiled The Genealogy. Knox RHEA, who was Floyd's father and Mary
Ellen's grandfather, was the seventh child of Tolbert and Sarah Jane
(SNEED) RHEA. Mary Ellen's father was Robert G. RHEA. The Genealogy
was prepared for a June 1979 reunion of Tolbert RHEA's descendants.

There is strong evidence that H. Tolbert RHEA was indeed the son of
Elizabeth RHEA and the grandson of James and Elizabeth (SNAPP) RHEA. In
searching through Knox County, Tennessee, court records at Knoxville,
Mary Ellen's mother and aunt found the following, which is included in
The Genealogy: -----Court Record N-186-6/17-1837. Rhea, Elizabeth and
Tolbet $25.00 pd to Blount County given to secure the county from any
cost because of a child born to her. Sd child is a white male; witnessed
by William Collum, Matthew Whittenbarger, J. P. Ack. 9/4-1837-----
She thinks that "Tolbet" may have been a typo, and it should be
"Tolbert." Both names are surnames; some TOLBETs lived in Carter
County, Tennessee, at that time, and Knox County recorded a fairly large
number of TOLBERT marriages. Tolbet/Tolbert in the court record is
probably the surname of the father.

According to The Genealogy, in the 1870 Census of Titus County, Texas,
Tolbert was living in the home of John, 53, and "Polly or Sally Ann,"
47, SNEED, their son James, 32, daughter Easter, 22, daughter Sarah, 19,
and Harry RHEA (friend), 23. All were born in Tennessee. "Harry" RHEA's
age was given as 23, indicating that 1847 was the year of his birth.
The Knox County Court record was dated 6/17/1837. His gravestone gives
his birth date as 6/17/1847, the month and day being the same as on the
court record. Mary Ellen's grandfather, Knox RHEA, suspected that his
father was older than his mother. She believes that he gave the later
date to appear closer to the age of Sarah SNEED, who became his wife on
Nov. 30, 1870.

Tolbert RHEA related to his family that he was the illegitimate son of
Elizabeth RHEA, and the grandson of James and Elizabeth (SNAPP) Rhea of
Sullivan County, Tennessee. His mother taught him to read and write
Latin. James RHEA was proficient in Latin, as were other family
members. His brother, John, and their father, Rev. Joseph RHEA, often
wrote letters to one another in Latin. James' diary is liberally
sprinkled with Latin phrases and quotations.

On Oct. 14, 2001, I sent RHEA-L the dates of birth of six of the seven
children of James and Elizabeth RHEA as recorded in his diary or "Loci
Communes" (Common Place Book). He recorded Elizabeth's birth as
follows: "Blountville Tennessee Aug. 25, 1823. 11 Oclock P.M. Elizabeth
4th child of James & Elizabeth Rhea Born. Sol in Virgo, Luna in Aries."
Thus she was two months shy of her 14th birthday when Tolbert was born
on June 17, 1837, and just a child herself! I stated that a note
following the recording of her birth notice would be quoted and
discussed at a later date. The note in James' handwriting reads, "died
25th October 1829 Friday 30m after 2 o'clock A.M." From the entry in
the Knox County court records and the testimony of her son, H. Tolbert
RHEA, it is obvious that this notice of Elizabeth's death at age six had
basis in James mind but not in fact. This is reinforced somewhat by an
error that James made in the note, for October 25, 1829 was on Sunday,
not Friday. (End of Part 1 of 2)

Robert Perry Rhea


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