Charles Oley Rhodes

1886 - 1970  (84 years)

• Name	Charles Oley Rhodes
  Born	31 Mar 1886	West Virginia, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Died	24 May 1970	Randolph County, West Virginia, USA   [2]
  Buried	Randolph County, West Virginia, USA
  Notes	West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973 Name: Charles Oley Rhodes Death Date: 24 May 1970 Death Place: Randolph, West Virginia Marital Status: Married Father Name: Charles Rhodes Mother Name: Nancy Minerva Cobb Spouse Name: Emma Ellet Hamrick FHL Film Number: 1992296 Charles O Rhodes BIRTH 31 Mar 1886 DEATH 24 May 1970 (aged 84) BURIAL Glady Cemetery Glady, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA MEMORIAL ID 27586626 Charles Oley Rhodes from Great Hunting and Fishing Stories Written by Steve Bodkins Charles Oley Rhodes, most commonly known as Oley by his close fiends and acquaintances, and referred to as a term of endearment by his many children as "The Old Man", was one of the greatest hunters and fisheren to ever hunt and fish the hills around Bemis and Glady. Oley was one of the best practical American naturalists, angler, hunter and taxidermist in West Virginia at one time. He was truly from the old school of outdoorsmen, born in Bellegrove, Jackson County, WV on March 31, 1886. [Belgrove] Most of his early life was spent on the big waters of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers. It was said he could swim like a fish in his earlier years from his exposure to those big waters in the late 1890's and the early 1900's. He set numerous trout lines, fish traps and gigged several big fish in those waters when the was a young man. One of his old time neighbors, Dan Wilson, caught a 72 pound catfish in the Elk River at Queen Shoals near where Oley lived. Oley was on Paint Creek that emptied in the Kanawha river and saw a 110 pound catfish that was caught in one of the pools after the receding flood waters. He worked for about one year as a ferryman on the Elk River and picked up a great deal of experience dealing with and being in the water. His father became a semi-invalid when he was just 45 years old and Oley had to go to work at an early age to help support the family. His first job was water boy on the Charleston, Clendenin and Sutton Railroad. He worked various jobs in the mines and timber woods but a great deal of his experience was as foreman and supervisor building railroads. He was a foreman for the WVP&P Company when they dug the "Big Cut" near Spruce in Pocahontas County about 1910. He also worked for a while near Jenningston on the railroad that ran from Parsons to Whitmer. He met his first wife, Lena Waybright, in the Sinks of Grady around 1905 while on a groundhog hunting expedition on the Waybright family farm in the area. They were married in 1907 and had several children from this marriage. He located in the Glady area in the early part of the 1900's to work on the railroads and as a timber cutter in the woods, but one of the main reasons Oley was attracted to this area was its considerable hunting opportunities. The Glady and Bemins areas range in elevation fron 25000-4000 feet. This area was the home of bear, wildcat, deer, grouse and many other game animals. Oley and his brother, Herman, a game warden in the Laurel Fork area, discovered the first raven's nest to be found in the Mountaineer State. This nest was found about seven miles up Cheat River on a rock ledge on the Cheat Mountain side of the river. Oley brought some of these ravens to hs home and raised them to adulthood. Oley, accompanied by Scott Dickey, a doctor of science at Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania, examined and investigated the nests of these rare birds in the Bemis area. Oley moved in and out of the Glady area until he finished his working career with the mines in Bemis in the 1940's. After this, he retired to a life of hunting, fishing and enjoying the outdoors. He lived along the road between Glady and Bemins until he died in May 1970. During his years of hunting and fishing, he harvested upwards of 50 bear, about 100 deer, 350 wild turkeys and caught 2500 trout and harvested numerous other game animals. Much of this game was harvested and the fish were caught when there was no limit on the amount that could be taken.
  Person ID	I41133	WVPioneers
  Last Modified	16 Apr 2018

  
  

  Father	Charles B Rhodes,   b. Apr 1848, Jackson County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 1900  (Age ~ 51 years)
  Mother	Nancy Minerva Cobb,   b. Oct 1851, Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 1910  (Age ~ 58 years)
  Married	21 Apr 1868	Jackson County, West Virginia, USA   [3]
  Notes	1870 Roane Co WV Rhodes, CB 22 Nancy M 18 1880 Harper, Roane, West Virginia Page 39C Charles RHODS Self M M W 32 WV Nancy M. RHODS Wife F M W 27 WV Richard H. RHODS Son M S W 10 WV James W. RHODS Son M S W 7 WV Sarah L. RHODS Dau F S W 5 WV Hyram S. RHODS Son M S W 3 WV William H. RHODS Son M S W 8M WV 1900 Clay Co WV Otter Dist 8 Rhodes, Charles B 4/1848 m 32y WVWVWV Nancy M 10/1851 m 32y 11-8 children Hiram S 10/1877 William H 10/1879 Charles O 3/1886 Nancy L 5/1888 1910 Washington Dist Jackson Co WV #148 Rhodes, Richard H 39 M1 20y and family Nancy mother 60 D 11-8 children 1910 Census 238 Roane Co WV Harper Cobb, Julian F. Head 38 Widower and family Nancy M Aunt 56 D 6-6 Roane Co BR Aranon L 4/25/1869 Roane Co, Twin, Charles B & Nancy M Marietta 4/25/1869 Roane Co, Twin, Charles B & Nancy M Leona S, 3/22/1882 CB & Nancy M
  Family ID	F1226	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Lena Marie Waybright,   b. 22 May 1886, Pendleton County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 11 Dec 1925, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 39 years)
  Married	21 Mar 1907	Randolph County, West Virginia, USA   [4]
  Notes	Marriage Record Date: 3/21/1907 at Elkins Place: Randolph, West Virginia, United States C O Rhodes, 22, Harrison Co, Randolph Co Lena Waybright, 21, Pendleton Co, Randolph Co Informant - John Martz 1920 Dry Fork, Randolph, WV Rhodes, Ola 33 WV WV WV Lena wife 33 WV WV WV Donnie da 12 WV WV WV Clellan son 10 WV WV WV James son 8 WV WV WV Loyd son 5 WV WV WV Loema da 3 WV WV WV Arthur son 1 WV WV WV 1930 Greenbank, Pocahontas, WV Rhodes, Charles O 44 md age 21 WV WV WV Zettie wife 34 md age 32 WV WV WV Charles O Jr 1 10/12 WV WV WV Clellen son 20 WV WV WV James I son 18 WV WV WV Lloyd A son 16 WV WV WV Arthur son 11 WV WV WV Everett 9 WV WV WV Foy son 8 WV WV WV Hamrick, Emma sd 13 WV WV WV
  Children	1. Donna Rhodes,   b. 17 Nov 1907, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. Jan 1987  (Age 79 years)   2. McClellan C Rhodes,   b. 30 Jan 1910, Pendleton County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 23 May 2001, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 91 years)   3. James Isaac Rhodes,   b. 4 Jan 1912, New York County, New York, USA ,   d. 19 Jul 2002, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 90 years)   4. Lloyd Albert Rhodes,   b. 24 Jan 1914, Kanawha County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 7 Mar 1995, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 81 years)   5. LoEmma Rhodes,   b. 22 Mar 1916, West Virginia, USA ,   d. Bef 4 Nov 2014  (Age < 98 years)   6. Arthur Hiner Rhodes,   b. 16 Oct 1918, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 18 Jun 2005, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 86 years)   7. Everett Oley Rhodes,   b. 12 May 1920, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 7 Jan 2007, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA  (Age 86 years)   8. Faye Rhodes
  Family ID	F28602	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Zetta Hamrick,   b. 19 May 1896, Webster County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 25 Apr 1936, Upshur County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 39 years)
  Married	25 Jul 1927	Webster County, West Virginia, USA   [4]
  Notes	Marriage Record Date: 7/25/1927 Place: Webster, West Virginia, United States Ola Rhodes, 40, Randolph Co, Randolph Co Zettie Hamrick, 30, Webster Co, Webster Co 1930 Greenbank, Pocahontas, WV Rhodes, Charles O 44 md age 21 WV WV WV Zettie wife 34 md age 32 WV WV WV Charles O Jr 1 10/12 WV WV WV Clellen son 20 WV WV WV James I son 18 WV WV WV Lloyd A son 16 WV WV WV Arthur son 11 WV WV WV Everett 9 WV WV WV Foy son 8 WV WV WV Hamrick, Emma sd 13 WV WV WV 1940 Beverly, Randolph, WV Rhodes, C O 54 WV 1935: lived R (rural, assume Randolph Co) Emma wife 23 WV 1935: lived R Charles son 12 WV 1935: lived R Raymond son 9 WV 1935: lived R Marie da 8 WV 1935: lived R Earl son 7 WV 1935: lived R Marjie da 6 WV 1935: lived R WV 1935: lived R Retha da 5 WV 1935: lived R Forrest 4 mo WV
  Children	1. Charles William Rhodes,   b. 3 May 1928, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 31 Jan 2010, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 81 years)   2. Raymond R Rhodes   3. Marie Lucy Rhodes,   b. 26 Nov 1931, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 28 Dec 2012, Bridgeport, West Virginia, USA  (Age 81 years)   4. Margie Rhodes,   b. 28 Sep 1933, Webster County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 4 Nov 2014, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 81 years)   5. Wreatha Rhodes   6. Retta Rhodes,   b. 1 Jan 1936, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 15 Dec 1939, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 3 years)
  Family ID	F28603	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 3	Emma Ellet Hamrick,   b. 5 Apr 1916, Webster County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 6 Oct 2002, West Virginia, USA  (Age 86 years)
  Married	18 Mar 1939	Randolph County, West Virginia, USA   [4]
  Notes	Marriage Record Date: 3/18/1939 at Elkins Place: Randolph Co, WV Charles O Rhodes, 52, Jackson Co; Glady, Randolph Co Emma Hamrick, 22, Webster Co; Glady, Randolph Co 1940 Beverly, Randolph, WV Rhodes, C O 54 WV 1935: lived R (rural, assume Randolph Co) Emma wife 23 WV 1935: lived R Charles son 12 WV 1935: lived R Raymond son 9 WV 1935: lived R Marie da 8 WV 1935: lived R Earl son 7 WV 1935: lived R Marjie da 6 WV 1935: lived R WV 1935: lived R Retha da 5 WV 1935: lived R Forrest 4 mo WV
  Children	1. Earl Coffer Rhodes,   b. 28 Oct 1932, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 6 Sep 2017, French Creek, Upshur, West Virginia, USA  (Age 84 years)   2. Forrest Rhodes   3. Willie Rhodes   4. Harry Herman Rhodes   5. Ralph Rhodes   6. Ronald Rhodes   7. Georgia Lorraine Rhodes,   b. 4 Apr 1949, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA ,   d. 4 Apr 1949, Randolph County, West Virginia, USA  (Age 0 years)   8. Alice Irene Rhodes   9. Irene Emmajean Rhodes,   b. 8 May 1950,   d. Between 2010 and 2014  (Age 59 years)   10. Roseanna Rhodes
  Family ID	F28605	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Sources

  [S1205] Census. [S873] West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973. [S17] Marriage Records, Jackson Co, WV. [S654] Marriage Records, West Virginia Division of Culture and History.