Family of Absalom Rhodes Sr.
From the Book: 'A Lost Arcadia'
My friends, Richard H. P. Day, John H. and Absalom Rhodes, all grandsons of Absalom, Sr., unite in giving me the traditional information that the latter came from North Carolina to Richmond County, and Judge Dat fixes the date at 1765 or 1770. A recent inspection of the stone that marks the grave of
Absalom and of a transcript from the family Bible of his daughter, Mrs. Nancy Loyless, has convinced me beyond a reason that Absalom did not make his advent into the world until five years later, April 8, 1770. It
also renders it rather improbable that he should have been wandering around this section in long dresses and before he had cut his teeth,
prospecting for a place to plant his baby feed in 1770. Even at the date of his sister Nancy's marriage to Edmund
Murphey in February, 1785, he had not completed his fifteenth year, and giving Nancy reasonable time after her arrival in Georgia to make the
acquaintance of her neighbors, time to sit up at night by the light of a tallow candle during her courting days, time to consider Edmund's proposal and time to "make her cloths" for the wedding, and it
would reduce Absalom's age to twelve or thirteen years. This seems rather early in the then unsettled state of the country, for a boy to be rambling around several hundred miles from home, looking for a job. And, as Mr. Dooly
would say. "so there you are". The reader has as much right to a guess as to the real facts in the matter as the writer, and he is a liberty to draw his own conclusions.
I do not know that it will throw any light on the matter, but it is perhaps not amiss to add in this connection that
head rights were granted in ante-Revolutionary days to SAMUEL and WILLIAM RHODES in St. Georges Parish, now BURKE and JEFFERSON Counties, and that JOHN RHODES, possibly the "John" already named as the the father of Lewis Rhodes was a Revolutionary soldier from this State.
And now whatever may have been the place of Absalom's nativity he was for the first three decades of the last century a very living entity and a very prominent factor in the business and official life of Richmond County. He lived for a time at the "corner of Greens and Jackson Streets
where the Engine House now stands. In 1808 and '09 and again in 1812 and '13 he was SHERIFF of the County and lived at the old Jail Building, corner of Broad and Center. During the last named term James Murphey, son of Edmund by his first marriage and great-grandfather of W. J. Murphey, now in similar service with Gen. John W. Clark, was appointed by Absalom, deputy sheriff.
From 1818 to 1812 and again from 1829 to 1836, her served as Judge of the Inferior Court for this County. He as associated in the service with such prominent citizens as Valentine Walker, Holland McTyre, John and Absalom Twiggs, Samuel Hale and Edward Thomas. This court had control not only of the administration of county affairs, but discharged the duties of the present court of ordinary and exercised large judicial powers in the litigation of civil cases.
In addition to these public services rendered by Absalom he was a member of the General Assembly, serving both at Louisville and
Milledgeville former Capitols of the State. I made and effort to secure through my old classmate and war comrade, Prof. Joseph T. Derry, of Atlanta, the years in which this legislative service was rendered, but through loss of some of the House Journals and through interruption in his search caused by his attendance on the Richmond reunion the data are not yet at hand. Joe would rather miss his breakfast than to miss a reunion of his old comrades in
gray.
In the absence of railway transportation in those old days Absalom, in addition to his public duties organized a wagon train, which brought merchandise both from Charleston and Savannah for the merchants of Augusta. During the war of 1812 there was some apprehension of the occupancy of Savannah by British Troops and this train was utilized to transport the specie and other funds of the city's banks to Augusta for safety from military spoliation.
Absalom Rhodes in his later life left the city and engaged in the milling business in the country districts. He built a mill on the waters of Spirit Creek, managed for a time by his son, Aaron, and afterwards sold to John Houghton, of Augusta. later he built another just below the junction of Grindstone and Friendship branches, that still belongs to his grandson, Absalom Rhodes, and has
always been known as the RHODES MILL. The site of both these mills are on the Patterson Road and only a little way removed from the limits of our town. He built homes near these mills and occupied each of them for a time, living also at a place known as "TRANQUILLA" within what is now Hephzibah. During his residence in the country he was known as the political boss of his district, dictating to his
neighbors what they should eat, what they should drink, and how they should vote.
Absalom Rhodes was twice married, but of the identity of his first wife, I have no information. One son was born this marriage ABSALOM RHODES JR. , who though dying in 1820, when only twenty-nine years of age seems to have been a man of some prominence as his name
occurs frequently on the records of the old interior court in some official way. His grave lies in the old Edmund Murphey burying ground.
After the death of his first wife, Absalom, Sr., married MARY BARTON, who belonged to a prominent
ante-Revolutionary family of this county. Willoughby Barton was a Revolutionary soldier, and was granted a section of land in this
county between 1785 and 1788. Dr. Willoughby Barton of Jefferson county, informs me that his ancient namesake was a noted Indian Fighter and at one time commanded a brigade of troops under Andrew Jackson. Mary, wife of Absalom Rhodes, was probably his daughter of otherwise nearly related to him. She was born in 1773, married in 1796, and died in 1825, having borne to Absalom two sons, Aaron and John A., and five daughters, Elizabeth, Nancy, Mary,
Lavinia, and Caroline.
In addition to the children named there were born to Absalom Rhodes by his marriage to Mary Barton three others, who died in infancy or early childhood, viz: Maria in 1795, George W. in 1800, and Mary A.B. in 1804.
Absalom Jr., the sole issue of his father's first marriage, died in 1820, leaving a son, Thomas, who migrated to Alabama where his descendants are now
probably living. John A. Rhodes, son of Absalom, and Mary, was born March 11, 1787; and on Feb. 11, 1819, married Margaretta Trippe, of Port Royal, S. C. Two children were born of this marriage, Mary (Chaplin) and Robert, who died unmarried. His second marriage to Cynthia Brown resulted in the following issue: Julia who married Elisha A. Rheney; Andrew J., who married Ann Sheehan; John H., who married Mary J. Malone, widow of Wm. T., afterwards Cola Renta, and last Eva Whigham; Whitney H., who married Rebecca Rheney; Aaron, who married
Anna Coursey; Absalom, who married Frances Cogle, and Seaborn, who died in later boyhood unmarried. Of
these children four now survive; Andrew, Augusta GA.; John H., Bartow GA.; Aaron, Tifton, GA., and Absalom, Hephzibah GA. John A. died Jan. 18, 1897, having rounded
out almost and even century of existence. Aaron, son of Absalom, married Elizabeth Beale and had one son, Charles A., who lost a leg in Confederate service, and died in Augusta come years ago.
Nancy Barton, daughter of Absalom and Mary, was born Feb. 22, 1809; married Rev. Elliot B. Loyless, Oct. 27, 1829, and died in Dawson, GA., Aug. 11, 1887. There were born to Nancy and Rev. Elliot B. Eleven children, as follows: Mary C. M. (Sanders), born Nov. 16, 1830, and died Sept. 12, 1869; Sarah Lavinia, born Nov. 16, 1832, and died Aug. 15, 1832; Ann Elizabeth (Cheatham), born May 3, 1833, and died May 5, 1869; Martha Jane (Sanders), born Aug., 7, 1835, and died March 19, 1888; Henry Melville, born Nov. 9, 1837, married Mollie Wooding, and died Jan. 3, 1876; James Elliot, born Oct. 6, 1839, married Lizzie Williams, and died Nov. 11, 1861; Lucy Hinton, born Aug. 16, 1842, and died Sept. 27, 1843; Thomas Wesley, born Sept. 13, 1844, married Susan M. Von Aldehoff, and died Nov. 2, 1874; William Arnold, born Sept. 4, 1846, married Hattie Jackson; Francis Cassandra, born March 25, 1848, married John H. Harp; Samuel Anthony, born May 7, 1851, and married Louise J. DeLagle.
Rev. Elliot B. Loyless was a local minister of the Methodist church and at
one time a large cotton merchant in Augusta, having branch houses or connections at Athens, Ga., and other points. He was the son of James and Mary Butt Loyless. Some years after his marriage to Nancy Rhodes he moved to Southwest, Ga., and his last years were spent in Dawson, Terrell county. A grandson is now living in Augusta, Thomas W., son of Thomas Wesley, whose brilliant and facile pen adorns the columns of the Augusta Chronicle.
Elizabeth, daughter of Absalom and Mary, was married to Richard B. Day, and lived at "Tranquilla", in the present limits of Hephzibah. Six children were born to them: John A. R.,
who married Sarah Griffin; Mary Barton who was married to William Cochran;
Sarah Ann (Seale); Richard H. P., who married Mary L. T. Averet; Fanny Elizabeth (Farrar), and William A., who never married. Judge R. H. P. Day is now a magistrate and employed at the Richmond county home. Of the present location of other
descendants I am not advised.
Caroline, daughter of Absalom, was married to Robert W. Bugg. As a result of this marriage five children were born, Samuel, Mary (Kelly), William J., Moses P. G., Lizzie (Sanders), Alex H. S., and Louise E., who never married; Samuel, Wm. Jr., and M. P. G. Bugg are now farming in this county. Rev. A. H. S. Bugg is an able, earnest and
useful member of the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church.
Mary, daughter of Absalom, was married to Henry Johnson, and bore to him the following children: Charles J., William H., Larry, Danfort, Samuel and Mary. I am not advised as to their matrimonial alliances, except as to Mary, who married Mr. Coursey. William H. is now living in Augusta.
Lavinia, daughter of Absalom, married Thomas Beale and their marriage brought to them three sons and three daughters, George, John, Absalom, Ella, Bertie and Louisa, whose descendants are probably living in this and adjoining counties.
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