Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Eli Rhoden

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Descendants of Eli Rhoden

Generation No. 3

9. EMMA FRANCES³ RHODEN (GEORGE OSCAR², ELI¹) was born December 29, 1873, and died July 21, 1952. She married (1) ? HARDIN. She married (2) HENRY POPE GAY. He was born April 13, 1864, and died May 01, 1928. She married (3) BIRD 'CUB' SIMMONS July 07, 1887 in Polk County, Texas, son of THOMAS SIMMONS and RACHAEL SWEAT. He was born April 10, 1866, and died April 10, 1909.

More About BIRD SIMMONS and EMMA RHODEN:
Marriage: July 07, 1887, Polk County, Texas

Children of EMMA RHODEN and ? HARDIN are:

	i.		INFANT SON⁴ SIMMONS.
33.	ii.		IRENE HARDIN, b. Abt. 1913.

Children of EMMA RHODEN and HENRY GAY are:

iii.

WILLIE⁴ GAY, b. May 11, 1915; d. March 28, 1984; m. ? BALLARD.

Notes for WILLIE GAY:
Buried at either Camp Ruby or Bluewater Cemetery

iv.

OLLIE GAY, b. December 01, 1917; d. October 28, 1997; m. ELMER ALLEN.

Children of EMMA RHODEN and BIRD SIMMONS are:

	v.	TINCY⁴ SIMMONS, b. October 29, 1898; d. October 23, 1979.
	vi.	ADA SIMMONS, b. June 22, 1900; d. April 1982.
34.	vii.	BURKETT TALMADGE SIMMONS, b. October 07, 1902; d. March 01, 1964.
	viii.	EFFIE SIMMONS, m. BROTHER TWO BURKS.
	ix.	IDA SIMMONS, m. BROTHER ONE BURKS.
	x.	INFANT SON SIMMONS.
	xi.	JOHN SIMMONS, b. September 07, 1904; d. December 1984.

10. IDA³ RHODEN (GEORGE OSCAR², ELI¹) was born 1880, and died 1962. She married WILLIAM (UNCLE BILL) SILAS HARVELL May 15, 1893, son of THADEUS HARVELL and MARTHA SIMMONS. He was born November 02, 1870 in Alabama, and died June 23, 1958.

Notes for IDA RHODEN:
[EdwinBackup.FTW]

Known as Aunt Pol

More About WILLIAM HARVELL and IDA RHODEN:
Marriage: May 15, 1893

Children of IDA RHODEN and WILLIAM HARVELL are:

	i.	WILLIE JEWEL 'SMOKEY '⁴ HARVELL, b. June 16, 1901; d. February 10, 1975, Livingston, Polk County, Texas; m. LILLIE BARKEY; b. February 06, 1905; d. March 23, 2000, Woodville, Tyler County, Texas.
35.	ii.	CLAYTON 'BUCKSHOT' HARVELL, b. May 10, 1897; d. April 1987, Woodville, Tyler County, Texas.
	iii.	LULA HARVELL, b. December 02, 1905; m. W. SCOTT 'SKEETER' RAY; b. June 08, 1898; d. January 27, 1975.
	iv.	MITTIE HARVELL, m. GEORGE DEAN.

11. GEORGE OSCAR³ RHODEN, JR. (GEORGE OSCAR², ELI¹) was born February 19, 1882 in Polk County, Texas, and died February 03, 1967 in Polk County, Texas. He married MARY VIOLA VESTAL February 25, 1906 in Woodville, Tyler County, Texas, daughter of SELMAN VESTAL and DOLLIE MOORE. She was born September 17, 1890 in Crockett, Trinity County, Texas, and died January 10, 1984 in Livingston, Polk County, Texas.

Notes for GEORGE OSCAR RHODEN, JR.:
The Rhoden Family

[Eli RHODEN and Eunice Caroline BARTEE]

Submitted by Linda Mearse
Source: Notes of Emma Haynes towards a history of Polk Co., Texas. Notes
are stored and easily available to researchers at the Polk County
Museum, which is currently adjacent to the public library.

In July of 1963 Mr. and Mrs. Oscar RHODEN of Livingston were asked to
describe the early events and activities of their family, including life
at Menard�s Chapel and Big Sandy. In 1854 Eli RHODEN, a widower with two
small sons, Joe and Oscar, moved from North Carolina [all census records
give Eli RHODEN�s place of birth as South Carolina] to Polk County and
bought land near Menard Creek. There he built his home. Although
saddened by the death of his son Joe, Eli RHODEN remained in the
community and later gave five acres of land for a cemetery and church
which was given the name, Menard�s Chapel. [I have found a deed dated 24
July 1893 conveying two acres of land by Mrs. E. C. RHODEN to the
Menard�s Chapel Church and School Community for $2.00. This may be what
they are referring to or there may have been an earlier transaction.] At
one time this community was known as LOWE Town because of the many
families of LOWEs living in the area [descendants of John LOWE and
Elizabeth BARTEE].
Oscar RHODEN, Sr. who lived from 1846 to 1905, grew up in the Menard
community and became a farmer. He first married a Miss MURPHY and they
had three children: Ida, called Pol, who married Mr. HARVELL and died in
1962 at the age of 84 years (son, Smokey HARVELL), Emma who married Mr.
Gay, and Joe RHODEN. After the death of his first wife, Oscar RHODEN
married Mrs. Frances Wilson HALL who had moved from Meridian,
Mississippi with her parents and orphan sons. The older son, Dulah HALL,
was a child of Mr. HALL by a previous marriage and the younger son,
James HALL, was the Child of Frances Wilson HALL. After the death of Mr.
HALL, Frances Wilson HALL raised both boys. She and her parents settled
at what is now Camp Ruby. After their marriage the Oscar RHODENs,
Sr. lived about a mile from Menard�s Chapel, where Mr. RHODEN was a
farmer. Here Oscar RHODEN, Jr. and his brother Willie and his sister
Annie were born and grew to adulthood. Annie RHODEN married Eugene
HOUGHTON. They attended school in the church three or four months a year
when the weather was good. They also attended church services in
the Chapel. There were few social events other than an occasional candy
pulling. Oscar RHODEN Jr. married Viola VESTAL (sister of Lawrence
VESTAL, Sr. of Livingston) in 1906 and settled on the old WILSON home
place two miles from the Sunflower Church. He later worked for the Knox
Lumber Company at Soda and for the Carter Lumber Company. They raised
ten children and although none live in Polk County at this time, Daisy
owns a home in Livingston where the Oscar RHODENs are living. In
addition to Daisy the other children are: Frances, Devere, Avaline,
George, Dollie, Willis, Dorothy, Lela and Lester. Lester was killed very
tragically several years ago and his wife and son now live in
Livingston. Mrs. RHODEN is a Bible student.
The RHODEN farm near Sunflower is on the Old Spanish (called Mexican)
Trace which extended from Drew�s Landing through Menard�s Chapel,
Sunflower, Peach Tree Village and on to Nacogdoches. The farm once had
low places where water accumulated to form ponds and there are signs
that people dug for gold which had been buried. In addition to Oscar
RHODEN, Sr., Eli RHODEN had other children for after his arrival in Polk
County he met and married Eunice BARTEE. [Probably were really married
in South Carolina. Eunice (Unity) is with her parents in S.C. for the
1850 census. The 1860 Tyler Co., Tx. census shows Eli and Eunice
married, their children ages 6 and 5 born in S.C., 3 and 10 months born
in Texas; Eli�s children from previous marriage, ages 15 and 13 born in
S.C. The 1870 census shows them in Polk Co.] They became the parents of
ten children: Those who lived in Polk County for many years were: Dick,
Tom, Sam, Charley, Charlise, Annie, Jennie and Savanna.
Dick RHODEN married Mary MOYE of Dollardsville and they had six boys.
The later lived in Magnolia and Livingston before moving to Houston.
They were of the Baptist faith and both are buried in Forest Hill
Cemetery at Livingston.
Tom RHODEN married Catherine DAVIS of Big Sandy community and was a
farmer. Sam RHODEN married Bell GRAY and they had a daughter who married
Mark HATHAWAY of Hathaway Farms near Soda in 1963.
Charley RHODEN married Lucindy CHAMBLESS, a sister of Clara CHAMBLESS
and an account of this family is given with the CHAMBLESS family.
The descendants of Eli RHODEN feel sure that he is buried in the
Menard�s Chapel Cemetery because a grave beside the one of his second
wife[*] has been kept mounded all the years. He gave the land for this
cemetery and church which was for the community and not just for one
denomination. However, most of the people of this community are Baptist.
This church building was the center of community life for about 90
years.
In 1903 this church was a member of the Polk County Missionary Baptist
Association and J. J. Dillon was the church clerk. In 1904 the
membership was 34 and in 1926 it was 35 with Tom R. Lilley as pastor.
*Dates on marker of Mrs. Eunice Caroline RHODEN are given as born Dec.
22, 1813, died July 24, 1901. The 1813
must have been an error as all records
indicate around 1836 for her birth.]

If I find any more Info. I'll send it

Robert

(This is from an e-mail received from Robert Bartee in May, 2000)

More About GEORGE RHODEN and MARY VESTAL:
Marriage 1: February 25, 1906, Woodville, Tyler County, Texas
Marriage 2: February 25, 1906

Children of GEORGE RHODEN and MARY VESTAL are:

36.	i.	FRANCES⁴ RHODEN, b. May 27, 1907, Warren, Texas; d. December 17, 1996, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
	ii.	DAISY RHODEN, b. July 24, 1909, Woodville, Texas, Tyler County; d. July 25, 1983, Livingston, Polk County, Texas.
37.	iii.	CECIL DEVERE 'PEG' RHODEN, b. October 05, 1911, Warren, Texas; d. December 17, 1984, Denver, Colorado.
38.	iv.	AVILINE 'CHIZ' RHODEN, b. September 14, 1913, Doucette, Texas; d. February 22, 1999, Houston, Texas.
39.	v.	GEORGIA RHODEN, b. December 04, 1915, Doucette, Texas; d. August 23, 1999.
40.	vi.	DOLLIE "BOBBIE" RHODEN, b. January 04, 1918, Doucette, Texas.
41.	vii.	WILLIS RHODEN, b. October 19, 1920, Livingston, Polk County, Texas.
42.	viii.	DORTHA RHODEN, b. July 12, 1923, Livingston, Polk County, Texas; d. August 31, 1996, Conroe, Texas.
43.	ix.	LELA RHODEN, b. January 01, 1927, Livingston, Polk County, Texas; d. 1998, Mountain Home, Idaho.
44.	x.	LESTER RHODEN, b. December 04, 1928, Livingston, Polk County, Texas; d. June 05, 1958, Galveston, Texas.

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