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The Back Rhodes of Our Genealogy

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The Records of the Rhodes Family: Births, Deaths,
Marriages, and a Brief  Family History

by L. M. Rhodes
November 4, 1924
Footnotes by Gifford Rhodes

John W. Rhodes1, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and had a brother, David Rhodes, who was also a soldier in the war of 1776, was born near Elberton, Georgia, January 8, 1759, and died July 4, 1837.  He was the great-great-grandfather of L.M. Rhodes.  His son, Moses R. Rhodes, great-grandfather of L.M. Rhodes was born near Elberton, Georgia, February 28, 1789 and was married to Hanna Park2 of Elbert County, Georgia, who was born in 1790.  Their son, John W. Rhodes, who was born in Elbert County, Georgia, near Elberton, January 5, 1813, married Polly Kelly3, who was the daughter of James Kelly and granddaughter of John Kelly, who was killed in the Revolutionary War.

Polly Kelly was born in Elbert County, Georgia, January 14, 1822.  John W. Rhodes and Polly Kelly, the grandparents of L.M. Rhodes, were married at Elberton, Georgia in 1838, and to this union were born 13 children, the fifth of whom was John Marion Rhodes, father of L.M. Rhodes, born May 23, 1848 near Elberton, Georgia.4

When John M. Rhodes was six months old his father, John W. Rhodes moved to Carroll County, Tennessee, and here John M. Rhodes grew to manhood.  He was deprived of educational advantages, as he grew up during the Civil War, but was an extensive reader and well-informed, he was a man of great native ability, and strength of character.  He possessed physical and moral strength and courage, possessed by few men, and was indeed a Christian gentleman.  He was six feet one inch tall and was a very fine specimen of the old type southern manhood.  He was married to Nannie Jane Morgan, near Newbills Cross Roads, December 31, 1873.

Nannie Jane Morgan was the daughter of Needham Morgan, who married Martha Shaw, who was the daughter of Jessie5 Shaw, near Huntington, Tennessee, December 24, 1853.  Nannie Morgan Rhodes, the mother of L.M. Rhodes, was born October 21, 1854, on the old Morgan farm near Huntingdon, Tennessee.  Her father, Needham Morgan, was the son of Enoch Morgan, who was the son of John Morgan, a Revolutionary soldier.6

Enoch Morgan, the great-grandfather of L.M. Rhodes, married Winnie Green, who was the granddaughter of John7 Green, a first cousin to General Nathaniel Greene of Revolutionary fame.  The mother of Winnie Green Morgan, was Margaret Woodard8, whose mother was a Taylor and first cousin to the father of Nathaniel Greene Taylor, the father of Robert L. and A.A. Taylor

Edward Green, an uncle of Winnie Green had a daughter who married John Harris, near Franklin, Tennessee, who was the father of U.S. Senator Isham Green Harris.9

Needham Morgan, grandfather of L.M. Rhodes was born on the old Morgan plantation10 near Newbills Cross Roads in 1831, and died February 9, 189911, had four brothers in the war between the states.  The Morgans were a hardy, thrifty, rugged, honest people with fine character, and Needham Morgan was one of the best citizens in West Tennessee.  He was as devout a Christian and as strong a Baptist as ever lived in Carroll County.  Courageous, honest, charitable, he was indeed a splendid type of man.12

Martha Shaw, the grandmother of L.M. was born near Huntingdon, Tennessee, February 14, 1834 and died August 21, 1922.  She was a woman of remarkably strong character.  There were eight13 children born to Needham and Martha Morgan.  The oldest, Nannie Jane, was the mother of Lucian Monroe Rhodes.  She was a fine type of physical, mental, moral, Christian womanhood as firm in her faith in God as any woman in her time, had much more than ordinary native ability, honest, generous, faithful, fearless in her convictions.  She was the mother of six children.  L.M. Rhodes, the oldest and Galispie Rhodes,14 the youngest were the two sons and Florence Emma Rhodes, born January 8th, 1876, Ida Estelle Rhodes, born January 12, 1878, Lillie Osker Rhodes, born December 18th, 1879, and died August 18th, 1884, and Mattie Ethel Rhodes, born August 23rd, 1881, were the daughters of John Marion and Nannie J. Rhodes.

Nannie J. Rhodes died on June 12th, 1913,15 and was buried at Union Academy Church, where she professed religion and united with the Baptist Church, forty years before her death.

John Marion Rhodes died at the home of his son L.M. Rhodes in Huntindon, Tennessee, February 29, 1916, and was buried beside his wife.

Florence E. Rhodes married Eligah M. Demoss in 1898 and died April 8, 1908.16

Lillie Osker Rhodes died at 5 years old, Galispie Rhodes died in infancy, L.M. Rhodes and Ida Estelle Rhodes who married J.T. McCollum and Mattie E. who married Wade Bennett are living at this writing November 4, 1924.

L.M. Rhodes was born in the 6th district of Carroll County, Tennessee, near Robinson Bridge, about halfway between Huntingdon and Milan, October 13, 1874, and was married to Anna Epps McEwen, near Huntingdon, Tennessee October 21, 1896.  One son was born to this union, Lucian Neill Rhodes, August 11, 1898, who married Lillie May Bruce, January 11, 1820.  Lillie May Bruce, who is a direct descendant of Robert Bruce of Scotland, was born at New Plymoth, New Zealand, October 8, 1898.17  She is the daughter of James Bruce and Laura Bruce of New Plymouth, New Zealand.

L. Neill and Lillie M. Bruce have two sons, Bruce Monroe Rhodes, born in Jacksonville, Florida, November 12, 1920 and Gifford Neill Rhodes, born in Jacksonville, Florida, February 6, 1923.

 Anna E. Rhodes, wife of L. M. Rhodes, was born at Trenton, Tennessee, October 26, 1877 and is the daughter of J.D. McEwen and Martha Allena McEwen.  The Rhodes came to Georgia from England and were among the first settlers.  The Kellys came from Ireland to Georgia, who were also pioneers in the early settlement of Georgia.  The Morgans and Greens came from Wales to North Caolina during the early years of the 16th century.18  Some old records show that they had been citizens of Wales for hundreds of years.

John Dickinson McEwen, was born near Mifflin, in Henderson County, Tennessee, August 18th, 1850 and was married to Kate Johnson at Huntingdon, Tennessee, December 26, 1872.19  To this union one child was born, Katie McEwen at Huntingdon, Tennessee December 22, 1873.  Kate Johnson McEwen died in a short time after the birth of Katie McEwen and John d: McEwen was married to Martha Allena Currey at Trenton, Tennessee, July 13, 1876.20  Martha Allena McEwen, the mother of Anna E. Rhodes, wife of L.M. Rhodes, was born at Trenton, Tennessee, March 3, 1851.  She was the daughter of Algernon Sidney Curry and Martha A. Curry, and died near Huntingdon, Tennessee, January 23, 1924.21

John Dickinson McEwen was the son of Levi McEwen who was born in Madison County, Tennessee, near the Henderson County line, January 8, 1826.  He served six years as deputy sheriff of Henderson County (also six years as sheriff), was also County Court Clerk of Henderson County for eight years, then moved to Huntingdon, Tennessee, served many years as Mayor of the town, was a man of great native and business ability.  Levi McEwen's father was James McEwen whose grandfather was married in Eddenburg (sic), Scotland about 1745.22  The mother of J.D. McEwen, father of Anna E. Rhodes was Frances E Thomas, born July 10, 1830.  She was married to Levi McEwen November 7, 1849.  The McEwens23 were of Scotch-Irish descent and came to Tennessee from North Carolina.

A.S. Currey, father of Allena Currey24, mother of Anna E. Rhodes, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, January 20, 1820.25  His father, Robert Brownlee Currey, was the first Postmaster of Nashville, Tennessee.  Robert Brownlee Curry was the son of Ezekiel Curry, who was the son of Samuel Currey.  Samuel Currey migrated from Belfast, Ireland, to Boston in 1727; from there he moved to Pennsylvania.  The Curreys were Scotch Presbyterians and some of them were soldiers in the Revolutionary War.

A.S. Currey who was a soldier on the Confederate side and a very scholarly man, speaking several different languages fluently, was married to Martha A. Nimmo, April 22, 1842, and died at Trenton, Tennessee, November 6, 1891.  Martha A. Currey, wife of A.S. Curry and grandmother of Anna E. Rhodes was born January 8th, 1827 and died at Trenton, January 1896; she was a woman of sterling worth and strong character.

Katie McEwen, half-sister of Anna E. Rhodes, married Flint Singletary of Clinton, Kentucky.  Her only daughter is Frances Singletary Lasure.26

John W. Rhodes, grandfather of L.M. Rhodes, died in the fall of 1876.His wife Polly Kelly Rhodes died in February, 1902.27

Martha Allena McEwen, mother of Anna E. Rhodes, was a woman of rare intelligence and attainments.  She was cultured, gentle, kind, obliging, yet firm in her ideas of right, generous to a fault but strong in her opinion of justice.  She was in many respects a remarkable woman.


 

1 Has not been documented

2 Hannah Park(e)?

3 Kelley?

4 First child was William Byron (?) Rhodes, who apparently changed spelling to Rhoads.  He was a Union soldier in the Civil War, Baptist Preacher and County Magistrate after the war.

5 Jesse

6 Edward

7 William?  Half brother?

8 This is incorrect

9 Not true.

10 Not true - Winifred China Woodward, daughter of Pleasant Woodward and Winifred E. Wiley

11 February 7

12 Morgans were Union soldiers of the Tennessee 7th Cavalry.  Needham was the oldest.  He has family that stayed behind to tend the farms.

13 Nine

14 Galispie died in infancy.

15 Tombstone says June 16th, 1913

16 Married 25 December, 1898

17 Bruce line not documented.

18 17th century?

19 Mifflin is in present-day Chester County

20 More correctly, Currie.

21 She allegedly had twins before Anna.  Both died in infancy.

22 Edinburgh.  James' line not proven.

23 Thomases?

24 Curry/Currie

25 January 14, 1820.

26 Jennelle Frances Singletary (3 October 1903-4 June 1987).  Frances married Dr. Samuel Sumpter Daughtry (minister), First Christian Church, Rome, Georgia.  Do not know significance of Lasure.

27 Conflicting dates in Bible on deaths of John W. Rhodes and his wife Mary ?Polly? (Kelly) Rhodes.  John: 19 February 1878.  Mary: either 30 June, 1901 or 8 April 1902.

 



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