Rhodes

Zachariah Rhodes b. 1603

/ Kirstin Miller

Zachariah Rhodes 10th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree.

Zachariah was born in 1603 in Lancashire, England and was in America before 1644. In Rehoboth, Massachusetts on July 3, 1644 Zachariah with others in Rehoboth signed a compact “to order the prudential affairs of the plantation”, then land lots were assigned.


The history of Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, compact

Zachariah married Joanna Arnold in March 1646, they had 9 children. Zachariah didn’t stay long in Massachusetts and may have been in a Boston jail, he refused Massachusetts religious laws, “the courts have naught to do with matters of religion”. The Rhodes family followed Roger Williams to Providence, Rhode Island. In both Providence and Rehoboth, Zachariah was a commissioner, constable, treasurer, deputy and more.

Zachariah died on October 11, 1665, “drowned on the Pawtucket shore”. He was 64 years old. He wrote his will April 28, 1662. Zachariah named widow Joanna as overseer of the estate, left lands and money to his children and gave Joanna permission to change the will if needed, “if any Shall Marry or Match themselves with any Contrarey to ye Mind of their Mother or of my two friends my will is then that it shall be in their Mothers liberty what to give them, whether anything or No”.

Sources

Rebecca Rhodes b. 1651

/ Kirstin Miller

Rebecca Rhodes 7th great grandmother of Elizabeth Speedy who married Stanley Roose Sr.
Rebecca Rhodes was born September 21, 1651 the daughter of Zachariah and Joanna Arnold Rhodes. Rebecca is in her father’s will with some conditions: I doe also Give and bequeath unto my Eldest daughter Elizabeth Eighty pounds to be due unto her at the age of 21 yeares or at ye day of her Marriage I also give unto my two daughters Mary and Rebeca sixty Pounds apeece to be payd to them at the age of twenty one yeares or at the time of their Marriage: But if my daughter Elizabeth, or my two daughters Mary and Rebeca if any or either of them Shall Marry or Match themselves with any Contrarey to ye Mind of their Mother or of my two friends whome I make my overseers; If so they doe, my will is then that it shall be in their Mothers liberty what to give them,whether anything or No.
Volume 3 page 82, The Early Records of the Town of Providence, Providence (R.I.). Record Commissioners at HathiTrust.

Rebecca’s married her 1st husband Nicholas Power in 1671, he died in 1675. Nicholas was possibly lost at sea, or killed ‘accidentally by his own friends in the Swamp Fight of King Phillips War’, both possible, neither proven. For sure when Rebecca’s 1st husband died in 1675, her home, colonial Providence, was destroyed by war: homes burned, possessions lost, settlers gone. On December 2, 1676 Rebecca married her 2nd husband Daniel Williams. Their marriage was a big deal and is noted as the 1st since “God mercifully restored ye Towne of Prouidence.”
Volume 8 page 15 The early records of the town of Providence at HathiTrust.

Rebecca and her husband are buried at Williams Family Cemetery in Rhode Island.

Rebecca Rhodes (1651 – 1727)
Mary Williams (1683 – 1759)
Martha Olney (1707 – 1793)
Martha Angell (1747 – 1793)
Asa Angell (1771 – 1842)
Dexter Angell (1794 – 1854)
Delia Viola Angell (1839 – 1916)
Matilda Elizabeth Flood (1858 – 1940)
Philippa Flood Mockford (1891 – 1979)
Elizabeth Speedy (1917 – 2005) m. Stanley Roose (1915 – 2004)

Daniel and Rebecca Rhodes Power Williams marry 1676

/ Kirstin Miller

Daniel is the second son of Roger Williams, Roger is credited with founding Rhode Island when banished from Massachusetts because of radical religious beliefs. Rebecca Rhodes is the daughter of Joanna Arnold and Zachariah Rhodes, she first married Nicholas Power (he may have died at sea) she married second Daniel.

When they married around December 1, 1676 King Philips War was just ending. Dated entries in Volume 8 of The early records of the town of Providence, trace the end of the war, understood by most to be the deadliest war of the colonies.  From the preface, “The period succeeding the time embraced in the last named volume was one of disaster to the town, for the Indian War which had raged with varying success throughout the New England Colonies was then brought within the confines of Rhode Island. During a part of this period, previous to March, 28, 1676, and for some time thereafter the town was practically deserted, its business well nigh suspended and a portion of it destroyed by the ravages of the Indians. The townsmen however carried on such governmental affairs as were actually necessary, and during this time Roger Williams held the office of Town Clerk.”

Daniel and Rebecca’s wedding is recorded (Volume 8, page 15)

Dan: Williams & ye Widow Rebekah Power were married ye 2 of 10th ye first Mariage since God mercifully restored ye Towne of Prouidence.

So this could be the most real wedding story ever. “Our town was completely destroyed by war, people fled or were killed until only about 30 remained. We persevered, made a commitment and married.”

In this same Volume 8 Daniel’s brother Providence (page 14) is credited with rescuing his mom and maybe the town?

by Gods Providence it seasonably came to pass ye Providence Williams brought up his mother from Newport in his sloop and cleared ye towne by his vessel of all ye Indians to ye great peace and Content of all ye Inhabitants

Source:

Providence (R.I.). Record Commissioners. The Early Records of the Town of Providence, V. I-XXI … Providence: Snow & Farnham, city printers, 1892 (there are assorted editions of this ebook)