Looking for Elizabeth Rhoads (b 1820) or her father (Joseph Rhoads?) information

Rob Carpenter

I'd appreciate any information about Elizabeth Rhoads (b 1820) or her father, who I think is Joseph Rhoads. I am new to the group, and am not sure how this works. Thanks for any help you may provide.

SerraNola

@Rob Carpenter Welcome to the Community! This works better if we have more details to help answer your questions. Can you provide more of what you know of Elizabeth Rhoads? It's essential to know where she lived in order to look for more information.

Rob Carpenter

Elizabeth Rhoads was born 2 Apr 1820 in Muhlenberg County Kentucky. She married James Richard Howerton (b. 17 Aug 1814 in Essex, Virginia, d. 26 Jan 1899 in Shelton Township, Knox County Missouri), son of William Roane Howerton, on 14 Dec 1837 in Muhlenberg County Kentucky. She lived in Muhlenberg County until at least 1850, but lived for a time after that in Liberty, Adams Illinois. She died in Shelton Township, Knox County Missouri on 2 May 1895. She had (I think) 3 sisters, one older (Hannah), and two younger (Catherine and Rachel). Unfortunately, Elizabeth was a popular girl's name among the Rhoads families in Muhlenberg County, which has made definitive information about her parents hard to find.

Randall Jay Philpot

Rob:

There seems to be a large number of Rhoads/Rhodes family members in and around Muhlenberg County, Kentucky especially during the early to mid 1800 time period.

Also, there seems to be a number of Family Trees that have the same or similar names to some of those you have listed in your post.

Ailsey McQuery (1793–1864), John Rhoades (1784–1850) • Landscape View • Family Tree • FamilySearch This tree lists a total of 13 children of John or possibly Joseph and Ailsey or possibly Ailey of which there is a Katherine, Rachel and Hanna, although Katherine and Rachel have birthdates listed before 1820 and Hannah a birthday later than 1820. Surprisingly there is a five year gap between 1818 and 1823 where no children were born.

Also, surprisingly John or Joseph Rhoades vs Rhoads or Rhodes father’s name was Joseph and mother’s name Elizabeth. John or Joseph had 8 siblings of which 5 were sisters. There’s a Hannah, Elizabeth, Catharine and Rachel. It seems that Hannah, Catharine or Katherine and Rachel were also popular names in addition to Elizabeth. With all these common first names I can understand the confusion that may arise in determining how the Elizabeth Rhoads and her parents that you are researching fit in.

Although this family tree lists a Ailsey McQuery married to a John Rhoades, a marriage record provided as a source lists the husband as Joseph Rhoades and the spouse as Ailey McQuary. Kentucky, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965 - Ancestry.com

In an 1860 US Census it lists James and Elizabeth Howerton with Elizabeth’s age as 35 which would make her birth year approx. 1824-1825. ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/38129548:7667?_phcmd=u(%27https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/35/?name=James_Howerton&birth=1814_virginia-usa_49&gender=m&location=2&priority=usa&spouse=Elizabeth_Howerton&successSource=Search&queryId=faeeb83c-c037-4276-97b3-85c63528bdd4%27,%27successSource%27)

Also, in an 1850 US Census it lists Martha Ann Wright (maiden name Rhodes) as 24 years of age which would make her birth year approx. 1826. ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4159375:8054?_phcmd=u(%27https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/35/?name=Martha+Ann_Wright&birth=1826_muhlenberg-kentucky-usa_2124&location=2&priority=usa&spouse=David+Z._Wright&successSource=Search&queryId=93c77ddf-65f7-4f4b-9641-8c334704e632%27,%27successSource%27)

There are no sources listed for the second Martha Ann Rhoads listed in the Family Tree the link was provided for above, but numerous Sources listed for the Martha Ann Rhoads listed with the 1824 birthdate.

As a suggestion, it may be worthwhile to contact some of the "Sources" listed for Ailsey McQuery, her husband and their children provided in the link above to see if Elizabeth’s name could or should have appeared with an 1824 birthdate instead of Martha Ann Rhodes appearing twice. It just seems more than a coincidence that the parents and children all ended up in Missouri with a possible intermediate stop in Illinois.

Let the group know if this information helps provide some additional background in sorting through some possible errors in some of the names, spellings and dates that were listed. Good luck with your continued research.