William Rhodes
1777 - Aft 1797 (> 33 years)
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Name William Rhodes [1] Birth Between 1765 and 1777 St. Mary's County, MD 
Gender Male Death Aft 1797 Patriarch & Matriarch 
Abraham Rhodes, b. Bef 1741, St. Mary's County, MDd. Between 19 Jul 1797 and 12 Sep 1797, St. Mary's County, MD (Age > 56 years) (Father) 
Priscilla Heard, b. Bef 1720, St. Mary's County, MDd. 1 Nov 1767, St. Mary's County, MD (Age > 47 years) (Grandmother) Person ID I7833 1665 GOUGH/GOFF (US-MD-STM/US-VA-LOU) I-Y6902-A Last Modified 20 Oct 2023
Father Abraham Rhodes, b. Bef 1741, St. Mary's County, MD d. Between 19 Jul 1797 and 12 Sep 1797, St. Mary's County, MD (Age > 56 years) Mother Mary Gough, b. Bef 1752, St. Mary's County, MD d. Bef 1784, St. Mary's County, MD (Age < 32 years) Marriage Between 1764 and 1771 St. Mary's County, MD Family ID F1916 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family 1 Malinda Burch Marriage 1814 Family ID F845 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 20 Oct 2023
Family 2 _______ Semmes Marriage Between 1800 and 1804 Children 1. William Rhodes, b. Bef 1805 d. Yes, date unknown Family ID F3143 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 20 Oct 2023
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Notes - William Rhodes 1777 - 1797 b: Bef. 1777 in St. Mary's Co., MD
mdstmary@rootsweb.com
Linda Reno wrote: Could someone tell me the source for the middle name of Priscilla for Mary Gough, wife Abraham Rhodes? The wills of both of her parents call her Mary. Her mother's name was Priscilla, but hers was not unless someone has found something I haven't seen.
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Also, this isn't the first time the issue of William Rhodes has come up. Has anyone ever been able to prove he actually moved to Kentucky? The last record I have of him is in 1797 when he was Executor of his father's will. Linda Reno
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>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jackie King"
>To:
>Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 12:13 PM
>Subject: [MDSTMARY] William RHODES - St. Mary's to Bardstown?
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List, I keep finding references that state William RHODES (aft. 1765 - abt 1817??), son of Abraham RHODES and Mary Priscilla GOUGH died abt 1817 in Bardstown, Nelson Co., KY, however, I can find no sources for this? Can anyone point me toward one?
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>>Along the same lines, the source of his "marriage" to a Mildred?
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>>I do find a William Rhodes in Washington, D.C. married to a Malinda Burch in Oct. 1814 but because this is tied to a Revolutionary War pension and William would have probably been too young to have served, I find this one questionable.
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>>Any thoughts or any ideas?
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>>Jackie King
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jking71@gmail.com wrote:
>For a number of years, on a number of lists, I've watched the debate over Benedict Rhodes, William Rhodes and his mysterious wife Mildred and the Rhodes connection to Washington D.C. I believe I know some of the answers which have been overlooked because of mis perceptions and misconceptions in the past.
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>With much help from others, here's what I believe is the answer:
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>Abraham Rhodes, the father of Benedict and William Rhodes (and other Rhodes who we see migrating to and through Kentucky) died in Sept 1797 naming two of his sons, Benedict and William as executors for his estate.
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>Fourteen months later we find William announcing through the columns of the Centinel of Liberty and Georgetown Advertiser, that he had taken the Little Hotel in the City of Washington. Over the course of the next several years William Rhodes became a well-known innkeeper in the new federal city and proprietor of what became known as the Rhodes tavern - later best known as the dining location of the British as they watched the city burn in 1814.
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>That this is the same William Rhodes is somewhat circumstantial but a massive preponderance of the evidence makes me believe it is.
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>William Rhodes business dealings were many but during his early years they were almost all with friends of the family from the old home of St. Marys including the Fenwicks, the Semmes, the Spaldings, the Cissells and the Medleys. One of his joint ventures with one of his partners was a stage line from his hotel to St. Mary's - running daily and guaranteed to deliver you to your destination.
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>The evidence indicates that William Rhodes of the Rhodes hotel first married a daughter of Joseph Semmes- another Charles County/ St. Mary's county denizen who became well known as a Washington innkeeper. I've desperately looked to find her first name but so far have been unable to do so. This marriage must have occurred sometime around 1800 - 1804 so whether she is the mother of his son Hillary b. 1802 is also unknown but she very well could be.
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>However she is NOT the much sought after Mildred and Mildred is NOT the mother of Hillary either. She enters William's life much later as well.
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>William apparently had connections with Holy Trinity Church and the early beginnings of Visitation Academy. In fact, his sisters, soon to be the foundresses of the Sisters of Loretto, were attached to the academy in one form or another very early on. Meanwhile other St. Mary's families moved through Washington on their way to KY .....William's brother Benedict probably meeting up with his soon-to-be wife, Eleanor Medley, during a series of baptisms in Washington in 1800.
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>There is little doubt that William acquired influence during his lifetime. His roomers included the elite of Washington and his business partners and cohorts occupied some of the political plum jobs of the time period. The first city council meetings were held at his hotel and the tavern was the city's first polling place. Bankruptcy auctions were held at the establishment and for some time it was the home of the Orphan's Court.
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>The influence apparently paid off. Hillary eventually acquired a commission as mid-shipman - married into the Carter family of Virginia - had a long naval career before retiring to Virginia. He died later on a riverboat near Vicksburg on his way to see his family in St. Louis where they were riverboat pilots and businessmen.
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>The first (and I say that somewhat timidly because I am of the firm belief that there may have been one more prior) Mrs. Rhodes died sometime before 1814 when we find William Rhodes marrying Malinda Burch. She is called Malinda in the marriage records of the District of Columbia however every other document says her name is Matilda Burch, the eldest child of Captain Benjamin Burch (b. 1761) a revolutionary war soldier who also did service in the War of 1812 and was for 22 years one of the Doorkeepers of the United States House.
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>Finally - the mysterious Matilda.
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>Now for the other Rhodes mystery - I cannot find William Rhodes death. Most genealogies have him dying in either 1817 or 1818 in Nelson County, KY. however I have been able to find no one who has actually seen a document supporting this.
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>There are several reasons this is wrong but the easiest reason is that in April of 1819 William is still in Washington D.C. selling some of his household property. His wife Matilda (by this time his widow) is found later in life still residing in Washington D.C. handling many of the Burch family affairs. There is no indication that she or her husband ever resided outside of the district during their marriage.
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>Hence, there are still a lot of questions but perhaps this is a framework for more work on the Rhodes family. It is my firm belief that we may still be missing some of the linkages between St. Mary's and the Rhodes and associated families in Kentucky.
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>By the way, the Washington D.C. William had a son William born before 1805. Could HE be the mysterious Nelson county William. I also believe there may be other children whom I have missed. If anyone has any ideas, I'm more than open.
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>Comments, critiques appreciated -
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>Jackie
- William Rhodes 1777 - 1797 b: Bef. 1777 in St. Mary's Co., MD
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Sources - [S5407] Reno, Linda.
- [S5407] Reno, Linda.
