| Notes |
JCMR pg 198
1900 Jackson Co WV Washington Dist # 346
Gorden M 6/1873 m 9y
Phoebe E 9/1875 5-3
Benonia, son, 11/1892
Charles E 5/1894
William G 11/1899
1910 Washington dist Jackson Co WV
Rhodes, Gordon M 36 M1 18y
Phebe E 34 M1 18y 8/6 children
Benoni M 18
Charles E 16
Willie 11
Alma P 6
Willard 4
Thomas E 1 10/12
1920 #242 Roane Co WV Census Curtis WCP
Gordon M. Rhodes head 46m WV WV WV
Phebe E. wife 43m WV WV WV
Willie G. son 20s WV WV WV
Alma O. dau 16s WV WV WV
Willard W. son 13 WV WV WV
Thomas E. son 11 WV WV WV
Emma I dau 9 WV WV WV
Ora son 4 WV WV WV
Otis son 4 WV WVWV
1930 Curtis Dist Roane Co WV
Rhodes, Gordon 56 m age 19
Pheob 53 m age 16
Earl 22
Oris 15
Ora 15
1940 Curtis, Roane, WV
Rhodes, Phoebe 60 wd WV 1935: Same house
Oris son 23 m WV 1935: Same house
Goldie dil 18 m WV 1935: Rural Roane WV
Roane Co births show Oris was born in March and Ora in May. Births are recorded in Roane Co, not Jackson, even when they lived in Jackson.
Delpha, 12 Aug 1903 to Gardy, 30, and Pheebe (Tuttle) 28
Birth Record
Name: Mary Rhodes
Birth Date: 17 Mar 1898
Recorded Birth Place: Roane Co, WV
Place of Birth: Washington (assume Washington District, Jackson Co
Jackson Co, WV
Sex: Female
3rd child
Father: Gorda Rhodes, born Jackson County, age 24
Mother: Phoebe Tuttle, born Taylor County, age 22
Ora and Ores Rhodes
Our maternal great-grandpa was John Tuttle who married Samantha Jane Ice in 1860. John served in the Civil War as a scout in Alpine, Virginia from 1862-1865. Our paternal great-grandpa was William Leeper Rhodes who married Rebecca Jane Rollins of Jackson County in 1856. Our grandpa was Gordon Mead Rhodes and grandma was Phoebe Emeline Tuttle Rhodes, both of Jackson County. Most of this has been documented in the "Jackson County, West Virginia Past and Present” book that was published in 1990.
Of the Chidren of Gordon and Phoebe Rhodes, one was my mother, Ora, her twin brother, Ores born in 1915. They were the youngest. The other brothers and sisters in the order of their birth were Benoni Mead 1892, Charles Edward 1894, twin babies 1897 (died at birth) William Gordon 1899, Alma Pearl 1903, Williard Willis 1905, Thomas Earl 1908 and Amy Ivel 1910. There have been entered in some genealogies about a baby Mary b. 1898 that may have belonged to my grandparents. However my Aunt Goldie (and Uncle Ores) who is now 90 years old and still with an impeccable memory, lived with and took care of my Grandma Phoebe until the day she died. She told me the only babies that grandma had who died were the one set of twin babies. Never a mention was ever made of a Mary. So I do believe that must have been in another Rhodes line, and goodness knows there were many.
As most people know times back then were very hard and money wasn’t always easy to come by. When repairs were need for the home, sometimes they just had to be let go. One such repair story was recently told to me by one of my cousins, Elmer. He was living with Grandma Phebe Rhodes and his mom and dad. It was a wintery morning and he was very cold and could not get awake enough to realize why. When he did, much to his surprise - he was completely covered by snow!. I guess they had to fix that roof one way or another then.
Where Phebe and Gordon’s children were born in Gay, WV, the property still remains in our family today. The home burned down around 1985. The farm is now owned by Macel Rhodes and she has given lifetime right to her mother and brother Albert Russell and his wife Eva. Russell's dad was my mom’s twin. Many years later Russ, Eva and several of his brothers built another home in exactly the same spot as our grandparents home was — just a little bigger. Even the paw paw patch was left intact. Numerous marriages have taken place of the years and “the cousins” have all remained very close to one another to this day. I do believe that because Ora and Ores were twins is the real reason. In fact just this last fall in 2011 Russ and Eva were gracious enough to invite our family to vacation with them on the farm. My son, Barry Allan Myers and my granddaughter, Rachael Nicole, were able to see what my own childhood was like. Barry’s wife Tina, had to remain at home for her job. Having your son and granddaughter experience something you had as a child and took for granted then actually was a heartwarming experience. Having the freedom of a large family cookout on top of the hill where my grandparents once lived in acres and acres of land was something city people know little about. The little cousins played hide-and-seek with flashlight! Who could do that in a city. It was definitely a first for Rachael.
The children of Ores Albert b. 1915 and Goldie Eulala Parsons Rhodes b. 1921 are: Elmer Dorse b. 1940, Gladys Karen b. 1941, Delmer Gordon b. 1944, Darrell Ernest b. 1946 Bernard Weldon b. 1949, Albert Russell b 1951, Macel Emeline b. 1953, Carolyn May b. 1955, Jesse Wayne b. 1956, Kathleen Kay b. 1958, Regina Eulala b. 1961 and Joseph Michael b. 1964.
The children of my mom, Ora Alice Rhodes Brown and Elmer Thomas Brown are : Delora Mae b. 1939, Alma Lourie b. 1944, Marsha Kay b. 1953 and George Arnold b. 1955.
On of my sisters, Marsha Kay, Bought me a book in 2005. The title was West Virginia Quilts and Quiltmaker by Fawn Valentine and the West Virginia Quilt Search, Inc. She knew I liked and appreciated quilts (I believe everyone from West Virginia does). The book was a ten-year project which illustrated samples of more than four thousand quilts made before 1940. Especially in those times, quilts were always a necessity but also made out of love which showed the quilt maker’s craft, skill and beauty, Marsha had directed me to page 205 of this particular book. When I looked, it seemed like a familiar wedding ring type of quilt with names written all around. She finally had to point it out to me. It was our mother’s name, Ora Rhodes that she had stitched so long ago, along with some other close relative!
The quilt book was an unbelievable find. There were four hundred twenty-five names embroidered on this quilt made in 1934 by the Longview Methodist Episcopal Ladies Aid. The Longview Church is located south of Evens in Jackson County. When this women’s organization was begun decades ago, it was knows as the Farm Women’s Club. The quilt benefited this organization three times. To stitch your name on the quilt it cost ten cents. Then raffle tickets were sold and the quilt was won by a nurse working in the practice of Dr. Royal Kessel. On this quilt, families are grouped together in blocks or border sections . It is shown annually at the church in early April every year. This provides an opportunity to look for you ancestors and a look into the past at the many hours they spent working on this quilt so many years ago.
Dr. Kessel is the doctor who treated by grandparents and countless other residents of Jackson County. My Grandfather, Gordon Mesd, had a heart condition and they could not afford his medicine. That was the real my mom went to Charleston to find work, so she could pay for this. Her twin brother, Ores, was of course needed on the farm. She started working at the Twin Diner and every weekend she would come home and bring her dad’s medicine. That was where she met and married my father, Elmer. Photos for this article were provided by Marsha Kay Brown Puztai Gilliam
Submitted by Alam Lurid Brown Myers Jones, Mesa AZ
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West Virginia Pioneers
1894 - 1947 (53 years)
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