Rhoda Sizemore

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189043054/rhoda-wilder

Biography

• Parents uncertain
• seen as partner of Aaron Brock without supporting evidence

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sizemore-49

Rhoda's history is complicated and unproven. She probably had seven children by five different men and there's no proof that she married any of them, if internet family trees are to be taken as fact. First of all, she reputedly married a Roberts man. Then she had five children with a Joseph Wilder, none of whom are my ancestors so my knowledge of them ends here. My two ancestors, both sons of Rhoda, were Russell Sizemore (b 1803) and John Sizemore (b 1805.) My quest is to answer these questions:
Who was Rhoda, and who fathered Russell and John?
There is no proof that Rhoda was born a Sizemore. That's an assumption that nearly everyone makes though it's possible that she married a Sizemore and was known by that name.
Direct male descendants of Rhoda's son, Russell Sizemore, are a genetic match with direct male descendants of William Begley. Rhoda lived with William Begley and Winifred (Sizemore) Begley for a time. William Begley was known to have male relatives moving in and around the place of Russell's birth so we cannot automatically assume William is the father.
Direct male descendants of Rhoda's son, John Sizemore, are a genetic match to a descendant of Edward "Old Ned" Sizemore, specifically a cousin.

Sources

• Michele Riley,
• 1890 Rev Dickey Diary
• 1810 Federal Census, Clay County, Kentucky
• 1818 (February) Custody hearing for the children of Rhoda Sizemore
• 1818 (September) Custody hearing for the children of Rhoda Sizemore

Older notes

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/189043054/rhoda-wilder

The second wife of Aaron "Chief Red Bird" and also the sister of Susannah.

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/a/n/Donald-N-Pantherya...

. RHODA6 SIZEMORE (GEORGE ALL5, JAMES4, HENRY3, WILLIAM2, MICHAEL1) was born Abt. 1790. She married (1) AARON (RED BIRD TO-JU-HWA) BROCK. She married (2) JOSEPH WILDER. She married (3) -------- ROBERTS.

More About AARON (RED BIRD TO-JU-HWA) BROCK:

Ethnicity: Cherokee

Child of RHODA SIZEMORE and AARON BROCK is:

	i.	 	RUSSELL (RUCK)7 SIZEMORE.

Aaron Brock was a 1/2 Cherokee Indian and he married a full blooded Cherokee Indian. He lived in Cumberland County, Virginia, and his son Jesse settled in Knox, (later Harlan) county, Kentucky in about 1799.

Aaron came to Knox,(now Harlan), county around 1798.

The first Aaron Brock, Reuben's son, married an Indian named Susan, who was from the Cherokee Nation in the Carolinas, and when son Jesse (Revolutionary soldier) was granted land, Aaron and Susan moved with him from South Carolina to Kentucky; Aaron and Susan lived in a sycamore tree in what is now known as Red Bird, Kentucky, named after Aaron.

Aaron Sr was aka Chief Red Bird - Cutsawah, the Sizemores claim that he was the chief of the White Mountain Laurel band consisting (for about a 10 year period) of about 2,000 Indians most of whom had the last name of Sizemore. No one believes that he married Rhoda Sizemore, just had children with her.

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/a/n/Donald-N-Pantherya...

RHODA6 SIZEMORE (GEORGE ALL5, JAMES4, HENRY3, WILLIAM2, MICHAEL1) was born Abt. 1790. She married (1) AARON (RED BIRD TO-JU-HWA) BROCK. She married (2) JOSEPH WILDER. She married (3) ROBERTS.

More About AARON (RED BIRD TO-JU-HWA) BROCK: Ethnicity: Cherokee

Child of RHODA SIZEMORE and AARON BROCK is:

i. RUSSELL (RUCK)7 SIZEMORE.

Rhoda Sizemore, b. between 1782/1794, NC.
Head of household, 1810 census, Clay Co., KY. - by
1820, Joseph Wilder. 25 September 1826, Clay Co., KY, first three children bound to William Begley. 25 February 1828, Perry County, KY, subpoena to sheriff of Perry Co., KY, to summon William Begley, John Bowling, and Jesse Bowling to have them bring to court Nelson Sizemore, Polly Sizemore, Dempsey Sizemore, Betsy Sizemore, and Agga Sizemore, the children of Rody Sizemore taken from the county of Clay and detained in the possession of the aforesaid persons.

Note: buried Jackson Ceme. Census: 1810 Clay Co., KY Note: head of household with two males under age 10 Note: first three children bound to William Begley Note: subpoena to sheriff of Perry Co., KY, to summon William Begley, John Bowling, and Jesse Bowling to have them bring to court Nelson Sizemore, Polly Sizemore, Dempsey Sizemore, Betsy Sizemore, and Agga Sizemore, the children of Rody Sizemore taken from the county of Clay and detained in the possession of the aforesaid persons

Rev John Dickey Diary: Interview with Felix T. Belgley

Below are excerpts from The Dickey Diaries regarding George and Aggie. These accounts recall a time in Kentucky, much later than the Tryon North Carolina times. (The Dickey Diaries were a collection of interviews of elderly people taken by John Dickey in 1898. You'll find more of them in the Dickey Diaries chapter.) INTERVIEW WITH FELIX T. BEGLEY Page 2204: Bull Creek, March 27, 1895. "I was born March 6, 1834 in Leslie County, then Perry near the mouth of Cutshin. My great grandfather and father Begley came from Ireland. He was a weaver by trade. He came with my grandfather and is buried on Cutshin. He had a by-word "damn-an-it". He spoke broken English. My grandmother was Minny Sizemore. She was a daughter of "Old George Of All" Sizemore, who came with my grandfather, William Begley from Hawkins County, Tennessee" Page 2205: "He had sons as follows: - Henry, John, Ned, and George: Minny (William Begley), Rhoda (Roberts), Ruth (John Jones), Susan (Bolling). "Old George of All" was a hairy man and a prize-fighter. He wounded William Twitty in a fight, so that he died. Sizemore nursed Twitty, would cry and tell him he had nothing against him. All he asked of him was to fight him again if he got well. Sizemore is a Cherokee Indian name. He is said to by half or more Indian. The Sizemores are very numerous in the mountains. The Sizemores settled first on Middle Fork, the went to Clay, Floyd and other Counties." http://www.globalgraffiti.com/family/sizemore/george.htm

facts about Rhoda Sizemore

Notes for Rhoda Sizemore:Rhoda is a bit of a Clay Co. mystery. She was a daughter of Geroge "Of All" Sizemore (1755-1821) and Aggy Shepherd (1755-1826). She born 1784. She is pinpointed in time and place only once in any records, although her progeny account for hundreds of genealogical line in Clay, Leslie and Perry Counties. The documentation that Rhoda Sizemore had seven children are 1) in the 1810 Clay Co census Rhoda has two sons under age 5, 2) in 1827 an 1828, the court of Clay Co. orders the children of Rhody Sizemore; Nelson 1816, Polly 1817, Dennis (Dempsey) 1818,Elizabeth 1820 and Agnes 1822 Sizemore first to bound out to relatives and later return to Joseph Wilder. Rhody Sizemore's name appears no where else it seems. Her children use both the Wilder and Sizemore surnames for both themselves and their children. Joseph Wilder remarried and has other children but stays in the same locale, Whether Rhoda has died or just disappeared is unknown. The Russell Sizemore (1802) and John Sizemore(1805) seen in the 1830 Clay census are likely to be Rhoda's first two sons. An old, undated picture and article believe to be from the Manchester Enterprise adds the the Rhoda Sizemore puzzle. This picture of "Uncle Ruck Sizemore" is her son Russell Sizemore (b. 1820) The article names Indian Chief Red bird as an ancestor. Were Rhoda Sizemore's first two sons, Russell and John, fathered by Red Bird before his murder? Notes for Joseph Wilder: In 1898, in the John J. Dickey diary, Mrs. Polly North states that she was born in 1813, the daughter of Rhoda Sizemore and a Wilder. Rhoda Sizemore's name appears no where else it seems. Joseph Wilder remarried and has other children but stays in the same locale. Whether Rhoda has died or just disappeared is unknown. Children of Rhoda Sizemore and Chief Bird are: Russell5 Sizemore, b. Abt. 1803; d. 1882.John Sizemore, b. Abt. 1804.Nelson Sizemore, b. 1816.Polly Sizemore, b. 1817.Dennis (Dempsey) Sizemore, b. 1818.Elizabeth Sizemore, b. 1820.Agnes Sizemore, b. 1822 http://genforum.genealogy.com/sizemore/messages/367.html

This is a study paper on the Sizemores done by Ron Blevins, 4250 Mockingbird

CT, West Point, VA 23181 Betron529@aol.com first issuance:1998 136.Rhoda Sizemore3(George All Sizemore2); born prior to 1789; was the mother of at least seven children according to various sources including Clay County, KY court minutes and the 1810 Clay County, KY Census. "Rugged Trail Appalachia" says that Roda married a Roberts and a Wilder. However other researchers have indicated that she had children by these two men but was never actually married to either. A KY court record excerpted below would seem to indicate that she may have married Joseph Wilder in the 1820's. Selected records which refer to Rhoda are excerpted below:

The book "Rugged Trail to Applachia" by Mary T. Brewer, published in 1978 provides the supposed Indian ancestry of both George All and Aggy. Pages 131 and 132 of that book gives the stories as ....When George All grew to manhood he married the Indian girl whom Mr. Cornett had raised. George All and Agnes Shepherd thus became the progenitors of the Leslie County Sizemores. Their children were Henry, John, Edward, George, Ally Ann (who married Eli Couch), Minerva "Winnie" who married William "Bill" Begley, Rhoda who married a Roberts and a Wilder, Ruth who married John Jones, and Susan who married a Bowling.

Brewer's book also includes a quote from the Rev. dickey Diary that "Felix T. Begley told Rev. Dickey the following story 'I was born on May 6, 1834 in Leslie County which was Perry at that time. My great grandfather William Begley of Hawkins County, Tennessee...married Minerva Sizemore daughter of George All Sizemore. George All's sons were Henry, John, Ned and George. Daughters were Minerva, Rhody, Ruth and Susan.' " "On March 28, 1890, Polly North age 85, told Rev. Dickey 'I was born in Leslie County, a daughter of Rhoda Sizemore. My father was a Wilder. My grandmother was Aggie Shepherd...' "

Clay County, KY Court records provide additional information. Kentucky-Clay County-At a county court, commenced and held in the courthouse in Manchester on Monday 25 Sep 1826..."Ordered that the clerk bind to William Begby-Nelson Sizemore aged ten years, Dennis Sizemore aged eight years, Betsy Sizemore aged six years, infants of Rhody Sizemore until the males arrive at age of 21 years to learn the art and mystery (sic) of farming, the female until she is 18 to learn the art and mystery of Spinster." "ordered the clerk to bind to John Bowling-Polly Sizemore aged 9 years, Agnes Sizemore aged 4, until they arrive at age 18 to learn the art and mystery of Spinster."

"On the motion of Joseph Wilds (sic should be Wilder) and for reasons appearing to the court it is ordered that the order of the last court binding to John bowling-Polly Sizemore and Agnes Sizemore, and also to William Begby, Nelson Sizemore and Dennis Sizemore and Elizabeth Sizemore, infants of Rhody Sizemroe be rescinded and held for naught."

At a county court commenced and held in the court house in Manchester on 25 Feb. 1818.... "On motion of Joseph Wilder it is ordered that the clerk issue a spa to the Sheriff of Perry County commanding him to summon William Begby, John Bowling and Jesse Bowling to appear before the Justices of Clay County Court on the first day of their March term next and have then and there before the court Nelson Sizemore, Polly Sizemore, Dempsy Sizemore, Betsy Sizemore and Agga Sizemore, the children of Rody Sizemore taken from the county of Clay and detained in the possession of the aforesaid persons."

Source: 1810 Clay County, KY Census: Clay County, KY Court Minutes, Correspondence from Bobbie Baker 1986, Shirley Perez 1989, and Danny L. Miller 1981 Brewer, Mary T. "Rugged Trail to Appalachia", 1978 Pages 131-132 Email messages 17 Apr. 1999 from Ken Maggard and Beth Adams, Silas Begley dtd. 25 Dec. 1998

CHILDREN OF RHODA SIZEMORE AND UNKNOWN(POSSIBLY REDBIRD OR A ROBERTS) 681. Russell "Ruck" Sizemore b ca. 1801 TN married 1 Ann Pruitt, 11 May 1823, Floyd Co., KY 2.Nancy Metcalfe, 8 Dec 1859, Perry Co., KY 682. John Sizemore b. ca. 1804 TN married Aggie Cornett 24 Mar 1830 Perry Co. KY CHILDREN OF RHODA SIZEMORE AND JOSEPH WILDER 683 possibly Rhoda Sizemore/Wilder b. ca. 1808 m. Andrew Miracle 684. Nelson Sizemore/Wilder b ca 1816 m. Elizabeth

My concluding remarks: There is more evidence that Russell and John were not children of Joseph Wilder than there is that they were. Just because Joseph Wilder tried to get custody of them, doesn't mean that they were his children by blood. Many people try to get custody of children who are not theirs for various reasons. Barbara

https://mediasvc.ancestry.com/v2/stream/namespaces/1093/media/a8712...

• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Mar 2 2020, 19:16:45 UTC

Rhoda Sizemore 1784–1829

BIRTH 1784 • VA, USA DEATH 1829 Perry, Kentucky, USA 3rd great-grandmother∼Parents: George "All" Edward Sizemore 1750 – 1797 Aggie Agnes Cornett Shepherd 1754 – 1833 Spouse: Aaron "Chief Red Bird" Sizemore 1721 – 1797 Children: Russell "Ruck" Sizemore

.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 2 2020, 20:02:07 UTC

  ---

GEDCOM Source

@R-1567799659@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=39460040&pid...