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Note: N247 "On the hill east of Waynesburg and Dotysburg, and near the east of the Waynesburg fair grounds, is what is known as the Rhodes' Grave Yard. A Revolutionary soldier by name of Morris is buried there. The grave yard is on land patented by William Rhodes. Some of his descendants still live in the surrounding township. Mr. Rhodes was born in Rhode Island in 1759. He became a sailor at sixteen years of age. In 1778 he was taken prisoner by the French and kept prisoner for two years. After his release he was captured on a voyage from London, but was liberated through the influence of Americans, by reason of his American citizenship. In October, 1780, he accompanied a large fleet of trading vessels to the Barbadoes, from which voyage he seems to have returned safely. The next year he was again captured by the French. After his release he was captured by the British during the Revolutionary war and kept a prisoner in New York for five months, at the end of which time he was exchanged. In 1784 he was wrecked off the coast of Cape Cod.
Thinking himself unfortunate on the sea, he determined to live on the land. He arrived at Old Fort Redstone, now Brownsville, in 1788. He first engaged in peddling through the country. He later opened a small store at Fort Jackson, one-fourth mile east of Waynesburg. He, in 1791, patented the land nearby and engaged in farming during his later life.
The Rhodes' of Dotysburg have some of his old books of voyages. The books are very interesting, and well written, and have many fine drawings in them of places, men, women, ships, animals, etc." (Local History of Greene County and Southwestern Pennsylvania by Andrew J. Waychoff-No. 162-page 78)
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Given name (William) and surname (Rhodes) from The Rhodes Family of Rhode Island, Pennsylvania & Illinois, Compiled by Dorothy V. Masters, with help from Ann Millspaugh Huff, Cornerstone Clues, Cornerstone Genealogical Society, Waynesburg, Greene County, Pennsylvania, Volume 9 Number 1, February 1984
CONFLICTING DATE (March 6, 1759) OF BIRTH, location of birth and date and location of death from family group records of George W. Ingram, 204 W. Green St., Connellsville, PA. copied from files of the Cornerstone Genealogical Society.
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CONFLICTING DATE (March 6, 1759) OF BIRTH from "The Tenmile Country and Its Pioneer Families", Howard L. Leckey, page 320, Reprinted for Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 2001.
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Monument located in Rhodes Cemetery , Franklin Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania. This monument was observed by me and photographed. This information is also found in "Cemetery Records of Greene County, Pennsylvania, Volume 5, Franklin and Morris Townships", page 292.
WILLIAM RHODES SR.
Born at Newport, Rhode Island
March 15, 1759.
Died Jan. 1, 1844.
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