The more I learn, the worser my family gets

I am trying to get my act together for the trip to Tennessee to track down the missing answers. I think I've read somewhere my gg grandfather was adopted so that's a dead-end although I plan to really check that out. When my mom did the trip in the 1980's, there wasn't as much documentation.

So I hit RootsWeb. I didn't realize that it was possible to search by name, by county. Imagine my surprise when I found these two tidbits. 


Martha Priscilla Rhea
BIOGRAPHY: She was a twin and her twin brother was named Aquilla and they were Herb Doctors. The common talk or story was that one of Priscilla's brother's did not like her husband and had killed him and put him in the river.Her brother helped her raise her twins James and John Jr.

John McCollom
BIOGRAPHY: His occupation was a music master. He died of unknown causes. He disappeared one day and never was found. He probably was taken by Indians who were raiding in the area at that time. As a young man he came and boarded at the Rhea Station, which was south of Sneedville, Tn. and across the Clinch river. It was the first home of the Rhea family. He met his wife Priscilla Rhea at this Station. 

I have a death date (not verified) for John McCollom. Now, it might be bogus and has to be added to the list of questions to answer. The note on RootsWeb does not identify the brother who didn't like John but it leads one to wonder if if might be John Elijah Rhea Jr. His son, John Carter Rhea, married Martha Jane Rhea, the daughter of the twin, James Northcross McCollom.

It took several days to unravel the relationship between Martha Jane Rhea and John Carter Rhea. They were second cousins. Now it gets even more sticky if indeed the brother disposed of Martha Priscilla Rhea's husband and not Indians as the other note suggests. However, the Indian story also holds some merit because Martha and John Elijah's mother was Indian.  

I'm going to Tennessee!

Due to my gracious cousin Patty, we are making a pilgrimage to Tennessee to see where our grandfather grew up and to understand the area that made him who he was. We are going to the Historical Society to see what we can find about our great grandmother. We have a cousin there who is going to show us where the Rhea land grant was so we can see where they lived. This is more exciting than I thought because I never believed I would have this opportunity.

There is so much that I want to know. Facts and records tell only part of the story. I want to walk on the land, take in the sights and hear the river. I want to walk in their footsteps.

We never went to Tennessee as children. Our parents (my dad and her dad) never took us to see where Grandpa was from. We didn't hear much about that side of the family and it was only when my parents went there in the 1980's that we had any pictures or ideas what it was like. We heard the stories that were passed down and it wasn't until recently that we were able to confirm them.

The thought of going there makes me weepy. How much richer could our lives have been if we knew that part of the family? My mother had a large family in Texas and we were there a lot. My dad's family was only his parents and two brothers. We spent time with our grandparents, cousins and two uncles but never with any of my grandma's or my grandpa's extended families. We knew they were out there but only as abstracts. 

We have a short amount of time and lots of places to visit. I firmly believe that to write my great grandmother's story, I need to understand her surrounding. This is a gift that I am going to take full advantage of.

Taking a "Rhea" break, spending a moment with the "Yeakley's"

I have been doing some research on my cousin's family tree. Her family is really interesting with multiple wives, Salem happenings and Mayflower descendents. It took a lot longer to go through her tree because there were so many interesting things to read as I did each family. Every time I found something that I thought would interest her, I sent it on. I did tell her that I was jealous because she has Mayflower descendents and some great uncle who was accused of witchcraft in Salem. We only have preachers and farmers. Her family is also Mormon and Annie Clark (her great grandmother) wrote a book that is used in their university. Patty's family is so much easier to document because the Mormon's were wonderful record keepers.

I can't seem to track the Rhea's back that far. I do need to look at the family in Pennsylvania and how they are related to the Ephrata Cloister but I think they landed in America much later than 1620. 

So I went looking at the Yeakley's and found that they were also Mayflower immigrants. I am still verifying my sources because in the middle of the family they seem a little thin. Still, I don't believe that I am too far off.

It seems that we may be related to William Brewster who was the Elder of the community. His daughter Patience Brewster married Thomas Prence who was the Governor of Plymouth and at one time presided over the Salem trials.

When we went to Plymouth, I didn't even consider checking to see if we were related. Plymouth is a fun place on its own and just being in that part of history was enough. Now I wish I'd spent more time. I was disappointed by the small size of Plymouth Rock but now I know it was divided four times. I learned that they didn't go directly to the mainland. I was appalled by the size of the Mayflower. It is really, really small. We are history buffs and love all those details.

I am going to continue looking for sources. If I find myself satisfied with the results, I will attempt to join the Mayflower Society. I don't so much care but my grandson (who is 12), finds it fascinating and they have a Junior Membership. It is a teachable moment and a connection to the past that affects him directly. We can have fun learning about the Pilgrims in more detail. What a great thing to share with him.