RHOADS, HENRY (Godfather)
Sunday, July 9, 2006, 05:38 PM - Muhlenberg County
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Among the pioneers who first
settled that section of the Green River country which is included in
what is now the northern part of Muhlenberg County were some who had
fought in the Revolution under General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg.
Most of the first settlers in the central and southern sections of the
county were Virginians and Carolinians, mainly of English, Scotch, and
Irish extraction.
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Representatives of General
Muhlenberg's army drifted to this part of the Green River country from
Southern Pennsylvania and Northern Virginia. Most of General
Muhlenberg's soldiers were born in America, but their fathers came from
Germany and Holland long before the Revolution. Among these was Henry
Rhoads, "the Godfather of Muhlenberg County," who not only procured the
name of his general for the county but was also a prominent pioneer in
Western Kentucky and identified with the early development of
Muhlenberg and the entire western section of the Green River country.
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In Perrin's "History of
Kentucky," page 997, a brief sketch of the life of Rhoads is
incidentally introduced in a biography of Professor McHenry Rhoads, the
well-known educator, who is a son of Absalom J. Rhoads, a grandson of
Solomon Rhoads, and a great-grandson of Henry Rhoads. 1
From this sketch I quote:
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Henry Rhoads was born in
Germany in 1739 and died in Logan county in 1814. [He died in
Muhlenberg County.] He and two of his brothers came to America about
1757 and settled in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. In 1760 he married
Elizabeth Stoner of Maryland. He fought for his adopted country through
the great struggle for Independence, under the leadership of General
Muhlenberg. After the war for Liberty, having lost heavily in the
cause, he, with his two brothers and their families, came to Kentucky.
They stopped first at Bardstown where they left their wives and
children, and then went out in the wilderness to find a site to build a
town. The place selected was at the falls of Green river where they
started a settlement and called it Rhoadsville. After three years of
peaceable possession an action was entered in the Ohio circuit court,
styled "John Hanley vs. Henry Rhoads and others," for the possession of
the land on which the new town stood. The suit was gained by the
plaintiff. Henry Rhoads and a few of his friends then removed to
Barnett's Station, on Rough Creek, where he lived five years, during
which time the present town of Hartford was laid out and a few houses
built. He next moved to Logan county and settled ... where he owned
7,000 acres of military land. He represented the county [Logan and what
became Muhlenberg] in the legislature of Kentucky in 1798, [and] on its
formation [in December, 1798] as a county, named it in honor of General
Muhlenberg.
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Collins, in his "History of
Kentucky," under the head of McLean County, says that the first fort or
station in McLean County was built where Calhoun now stands, in 1788,
by Solomon Rhoads', and called Vienna, and that in 1790 James Inman
built Pond Station, a few miles southeast of Calhoun.
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Other authorities and most
traditions say that Henry Rhoads established a station some time
between 1784 and 1788 where Calhoun now stands, and that he was
assisted in this work by his brother Solomon Rhoads and another brother
whose name is usually given as David. At any rate, a few years after
Henry Rhoads established or helped to establish Rhoadsville or Fort
Vienna, he lost the title to all his land in that vicinity, and after
living for a while near Hartford he moved into what is now the Browder
Mine neighborhood, in Muhlenberg County, which at that time was part of
Logan County.The Henry Rhoads House, Near Browder
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From a letter written to me by
Judge Lucius P. Little, of Owensboro, the highest authority on the
history of the Green River country, I quote:
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"When Henry Rhoads came to this
part of the Green River country he stopped at Barnett's Fort, on Rough
River, above Hartford. He first located his claim for land at the site
of the present town of Calhoun, and laid out a town in 1784 and called
it Rhoadsville. When Rhoads was defeated by Captain John Hanley, agent
for the Dorseys, of Maryland, the name of the town was changed to
Vienna. Rhoads then went back to Barnett's Fort for a short time and
soon after located in the bounds of the present county of Muhlenberg,
five miles from Paradise on Green River and a mile from the present
town of Browder on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.
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"Simultaneously with the
departure of the Germans to the south side of the river, they erected a
fortification about five miles south from Rumsey for refuge in case of
Indian attack. This was called 'Pond Station.' This was in Muhlenberg
until the territory embracing it was made a part of McLean County.
About the same time such of the residents of Fort Vienna as owned
slaves quit the fort and opened up farms north of the river, where some
of their descendants are still to be found.
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"As late as 1840 the settlement
south of Cypress Creek and extending far enough south to embrace
Sacramento and Bremen was commonly called 'The Dutch Settlement.' While
these people were thrifty, yet few of them owned slaves."
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In 1798, a few years after
settling in Logan County, Henry Rhoads became a member of the State
Legislature and on December 14, 1798, an act was passed creating a new
county out of parts of Christian and Logan. It was Henry Rhoads who
proposed and secured the name of Muhlenberg for the new county. Ed
Porter Thompson, in his "School History of Kentucky," page 162, says:
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General Muhlenberg was at no
time a resident of Kentucky. His name and his deeds, however, are of
interest to us because some of the gallant members of his church who
followed him when he left his pulpit to fight for independence, had
grants of land for military service, which they located on and below
Green River, soon after the close of the Revolution, and made their
homes in what are now Muhlenberg, McLean and Ohio counties. One of
them, the Hon. Henry Rhoads, was a member of the legislature in 1798
when Muhlenberg county was established, and procured it to be named in
honor of his pastor and general, ... Through the influence of one to
whom General Muhlenberg had been a pastor in peace and a valiant
captain in the fight for freedom, his ever enduring monument (a
county's name) was erected, not in his own land, but in the wilderness
of Kentucky.
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While faithfully and
successfully serving the public, Henry Rhoads had, for a number of
years, more or less trouble in establishing his claim to the land to
which he was entitled and on which he lived after he moved into what
later became a part of Muhlenberg. This land, of which he finally
gained possession, lay in what was up to 1798 a part of Logan County.
It was part of a grant of almost 7,000 acres which he had surveyed in
1793 for General Alexander McClanahan, with the understanding that he
was to receive part of it. It is possible that 1793 was the year Henry
Rhoads first settled in what is now Muhlenberg. In 1797 the State of
Kentucky issued to McClanahan and Rhoads a patent for this survey. In
October, 1801, a commission of six men was appointed to divide this
tract between the two and issue a deed to each for his share. Order
Book No. 1, page 1, gives the names of these commissioners, all of whom
were prominent pioneers--John Dennis, Henry Keith, Matthew Adams,
William Bell, Benjamin Tolbert, and Solomon Rhoads Deed Book No. 1,
page 66, shows that they granted Henry Rhoads two thousand acres of the
survey, for which he received a deed October 26, 1801. Thus, after a
long and patient struggle, he held a title to land against which no
priority of claim was ever brought. In 1798 he bought an adjoining
survey of five hundred acres that had been granted to General George
Matthews.Grave of the "Godfather of Muhlenberg County"
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It was on this 2,500-acre tract
that he built his home, shortly after his arrival from Hartford. The
original dwelling has undergone many changes, but is still standing,
near the Greenville and Rochester Road about nine miles from
Greenville. The farm on which this house stands has passed from father
to son for more than a century, and is now owned by Professor McHenry
Rhoads. Near this historic house is the old family graveyard. In it,
among five generations of Rhoads buried there, is the grave of the
"Godfather of Muhlenberg County," on which was placed, almost a century
ago, a sandstone about two feet high and marked: "H. R., B. J. 5, 1739,
D. M. 6, 1814."
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Henry Rhoads died on the 6th of
March or May, 1814, aged seventyfive. His "last will and testament" was
written April 15, 1812, witnessed by J. W. McConnell and Wm. Sumner."
It was recorded in 1813 and probated in August, 1814, as attested by
"C. F. Wing, Clerk," in Will Book No. 1, page 194:
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In the name of God, Amen. I,
Henry Rhoads, of the county of Muhlenberg and State of Kentucky, being
weak in body but of perfect mind and memory, do make and ordain this my
last will and testament.
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First, I recommend my soul to
the Almighty God, and as touching my worldly effects wherewith He has
helped me, I give and dispose of them in the following manner.
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First, I give and bequeath to
my beloved wife Barbay Rhoads all the property she brought with her
after we were married, agreeable to contract, and one cow, a large
heifer and one iron pot and the corner cupboard and chest and my large
Bible, and the low posted bedstead, one large and one small wheel
including all the furniture we have got since we were married. I also
give and bequeath to my beloved wife Barbay all that is allowed to her
agreeable to the courts of a bond on my son David Rhoads bearing date
August 23, 1810.
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Secondly, I give and bequeath
all my debts, dues and demands and all the property I own in this world
except what is expressly mentioned in this my last will to my children,
namely my sons, Jacob Rhoads, Daniel Rhoads, Henry Rhoads, Solomon
Rhoads, David Rhoads, Susanah Nighmyoir and Caty Jackson, Elizabeth
VanMeter and Hannah Jackson, all my daughters, to be equally divided
among them, at the discretion of my executors at my decease.
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Lastly, I do hereby nominate
and appoint my brother Daniel Rhoads and Solomon Rhoads and David
Rhoads as executors of my last will and testament, hereby ratifying and
confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament, hereby
revoking all other wills by me made as witness and seal this 15th day
of April in the year of our Lord 1812 and the presence of viz: Henry
Rhoads. (Seal) 2
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When Henry Rhoads settled on
his tract of land Muhlenberg was practically an unbroken wilderness.
Many wild animals, large and small, held sway. A number of stories are
told about the game that roamed over these hills in olden times. I here
repeat two of these stories, because they are characteristic of life in
the wilderness and because they are incidents from the life of
Muhlenberg's first great pioneer, handed down by local tradition.Henry
Rhoads (Grandson of Pioneer Henry Rhoads), His Wife and Daughter, in
1854
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When Henry Rhoads was building
his log house his neighbors were few and far between, but all came with
a helping hand and a happy heart to take part in his "house-raising."
These old-time house-raisings were attended as much for the sake of
their social features as for the purpose of building a house.
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One afternoon, while the crowd
was busily engaged on the roof of this building, a large bear leisurely
wandered into sight. When the men saw the animal they stopped work and
immediately started on a bear chase. Some ran after him with axes and
others with guns. The women of the wilderness always lent a helping
hand. In this instance one woman followed in the bear chase with a
pitchfork. After an exciting time old Bruin was finally killed. That
night a large bearskin was stretched on the new log wall and barbeeued
bearmeat was served in abundance at all the other meals prepared for
the house-raising party.
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But the noise made by the
bear-chasers evidently did not scare all the wild animals out of the
neighborhood. About a year after that event Henry Rhoads, while walking
in his wood, which is still standing a short distance north of the old
house, espied a large drove of wild turkeys. He slowly raised his
flint-lock rifle for the purpose of shooting a fine gobbler strutting
under a white oak within close range. When he was about ready to pull
the trigger he heard a rustling in the dry leaves behind him. Rhoads
looked around, and to his great surprise saw a huge panther preparing
to spring upon him. Without stopping to take sure aim he fired at the
threatening beast. Luckily, the bullet hit the animal between the eyes
and killed it instantly. A half-hour later Rhoads walked back home with
the panther skin on his arm and his trusty flint-lock on his shoulder.
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These old flint-locks were, as
a rule, fine-sighted and unerring. They were slow but sure, although
they did not kill every panther they were aimed at. Compared with
modern rifles they were slow in all the operations that preceded and
resulted in the discharge of the bullet.
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Most of the local traditions
are subject to a variety of versions. The old panther story, as I have
related it, has probably changed very little from the original since
Henry Rhoads' day. However, another version of this incident has also
crept into circulation, and shows to what extent some traditions are
changed. This new version has it that when Henry Rhoads saw the wild
turkey in the woods he took steady aim and then pulled the trigger of
his flint-lock. He had no more than pulled the trigger when he heard
the panther back of him. Rhoads turned, immediately swung his gun
around and aimed at the panther, then in the very act of making a long
leap from a limb down upon the hunter. But the old pioneer was quicker
than the discharging powder or the charging panther, for he had the gun
pointed at the animal before the bullet left the barrel, and thus
killed the panther with the load that, a few seconds before, had been
started toward the turkey! This same version continues with the
statement that the animal did not drop to the ground after it was shot,
but fell across the shoulder of the hunter, who then leisurely walked
home and did not throw the panther down on the ground until he reached
the front of his house. I do not adopt this version, but merely record
it for its vivacity and novelty.
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Henry Rhoads, as already
stated, was a member of the State Legislature from Logan County when,
in 1798, Muhlenberg was formed, and he was the first man to represent
the new county in the House of Representatives. He was sixty years of
age when the county was organized. Although he declined various county
offices offered to him, he nevertheless continued to work for the good
of the community, and probably did as much for the county, if not more,
than any of the other early pioneers. He helped draw the plans for the
first courthouse and also did much toward promoting the interests of
Greenville, the new county seat. He was bondsman and adviser to a
number of the younger men whom he successfully recommended for office.
Tradition says that many, and probably all, of the German-American
pioneers in Muhlenberg came to the county through his direct or
indirect influence.
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During his last years Henry
Rhoads spent much of his time looking after his farm, tanyard, and
other personal affairs, but nevertheless lost no opportunity to bring
in new settlers and perform such acts as he thought would advance
Muhlenberg County and its people. To-day a small sandstone is all that
marks the spot where rest the bones of this influential pioneer. Some
day his labors will be more fully recognized and appreciated and an
appropriate memorial will then, I dare say, be erected over the grave
of the Godfather of Muhlenberg
County. 3 McHenry
Rhoads, 1912.
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1. The name Rhoads is occasionally
spelled Rhoades and Rhodes, but pioneers Henry and Solomon Rhoads and
their descendants never so wrote it.
2. The descendants of Solomon Rhoads, son of Henry Rhoads, are represented more extensively in Muhlenberg County and other parts of the Green Rive country than any other of Henry Rhoads' children. Solomon Rhoads was born June 7, 1774, and died near Browder November 19, 1849. (This Solomon Rhoads was a nephew of the Solomon Rhoads who, with Henry Rhoads and another brother, started the station which later became Calhoun.) Among the children of Solomon Rhoads was Henry Rhoads, whose picture, taken with his wife and daughter, is here reproduced. This Henry Rhoads was born in Muhlenberg in 1806, where he died in 1864. His wife, Elizabeth Morton Rhoads, was born in Muhlenberg in 1808 and died near Greenville in 1907. They were the parents of Morton and Doctor Solomon Rhoads and Cynthia Ann, who in 1863 became the wife of Robert W. Browning. Luther Bard Rhoads, of Drakesboro, is a son of Isaac W., grandson of Barnabas and a great-grandson of David Rhoads, who was a son of Henry Rhoads.
3. Professor McHenry Rhoads, a great-grandson of Henry Rhoads, was born in Muhlenberg County on July 27, 1858, and entered West Kentucky College, South Carrollton, in 1876, from which institution he was graduated in 1880. He held the chair of natural science in this college until 1885, when he was elected vice-president of the Hartford College and Business Institute, where he taught science and literature until 1891, when he was elected Superintendent of City Schools at Frankfort, which position he held for nine years. In 1900 he was elected to the superintendency of the city schools of Owensboro, which position he held for eleven years. In the fall of 1910 he was appointed State Supervisor of High Schools under the General Education Board and elected to the professorship of secondary education in the State University, which position he now holds. He has been a member of the National Educational Association since 1891, and has served in the capacity of director, vice-president, and treasurer. His work as State Supervisor of High Schools arises out of a dual position, he being connected with the State University and the Department of Education at Frankfort.
2. The descendants of Solomon Rhoads, son of Henry Rhoads, are represented more extensively in Muhlenberg County and other parts of the Green Rive country than any other of Henry Rhoads' children. Solomon Rhoads was born June 7, 1774, and died near Browder November 19, 1849. (This Solomon Rhoads was a nephew of the Solomon Rhoads who, with Henry Rhoads and another brother, started the station which later became Calhoun.) Among the children of Solomon Rhoads was Henry Rhoads, whose picture, taken with his wife and daughter, is here reproduced. This Henry Rhoads was born in Muhlenberg in 1806, where he died in 1864. His wife, Elizabeth Morton Rhoads, was born in Muhlenberg in 1808 and died near Greenville in 1907. They were the parents of Morton and Doctor Solomon Rhoads and Cynthia Ann, who in 1863 became the wife of Robert W. Browning. Luther Bard Rhoads, of Drakesboro, is a son of Isaac W., grandson of Barnabas and a great-grandson of David Rhoads, who was a son of Henry Rhoads.
3. Professor McHenry Rhoads, a great-grandson of Henry Rhoads, was born in Muhlenberg County on July 27, 1858, and entered West Kentucky College, South Carrollton, in 1876, from which institution he was graduated in 1880. He held the chair of natural science in this college until 1885, when he was elected vice-president of the Hartford College and Business Institute, where he taught science and literature until 1891, when he was elected Superintendent of City Schools at Frankfort, which position he held for nine years. In 1900 he was elected to the superintendency of the city schools of Owensboro, which position he held for eleven years. In the fall of 1910 he was appointed State Supervisor of High Schools under the General Education Board and elected to the professorship of secondary education in the State University, which position he now holds. He has been a member of the National Educational Association since 1891, and has served in the capacity of director, vice-president, and treasurer. His work as State Supervisor of High Schools arises out of a dual position, he being connected with the State University and the Department of Education at Frankfort.
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