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- Ref: PHHGENE@aol.com, posted in Rhea-L@rootsweb.com
This is from a letter written by Frank H. Rhea, to my g.g.uncle in 1913. They were cousins. I have the original.
He said, "I have gathered from many different sources records of the Rheas of the United States. there seem to be four distinct branches which came either directly from Scotland or from Scotland through Ireland. They were all
Presbyterians of the coventer type.
One branch settled in New Jersey before 1680. The ancestoral farm of this family is at Freehold, New Jersey. This farm is the old battle ground of the Battle of Monmouth and contains the graves of many of these early new Jersey Rheas. Colonel David Rhea of this branch was a participant in the Battle of
Monmouth.
Another member of the family was also in the Revolutionary War and also in the War of 1812. Before his death, he was commissioned General. He was a distinguished lawyer of Trenton N.J., one of the founders of Jersey City, N. J., and was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetary at Trenton. His name was John Rhea.
Another branch, the Tennessee Rheas, are descended from Rev. Joseph Rhea a graduate of the University of Edinburg who came to this country in 1770. The annals of the Presbyterian Church South, contain many glowing sketches of his life and character.
A third branch of the family located in Pennsylvania.
The fourth branch, the Virginia-Kentucky-Illinois branch. So far as I can ascertain, the first Rhea in this country of our line were Wiliam, Robert and Archibald Rhea, who came either directly from Scotland or through Ireland before 1750 to this country. They were Presbyterians. William and Robert
settled in what is now called Augusta Co., Va., and were members of the New Providence church, near Brownsburg. Archibald lived in what is now Rockbridge County, Virginia, and was a member of Timber Ridge Church."
The spelling of the name has been changed on some of these branches,many times. The Rhea's of Tenn. and Va. name went through many changes until it finally became Rhea in the early 1800's. prounouced Ray. The name has been spelled Ray in census records, etc. Important records, such as wills, marrige records, death records, etc, the name was spelled Rhea.
Change Date: 26 Mar 2009 at 17:33:06
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=vlkennelly&id=I4234
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