Rhoda Skeen

Rhoda Sanford (1812 - 1896), daughter of Solomon Santvoord aka Sanford (1787 - 1847) and Eleanor Barry, was born 15 June 1812 at Kitley, Ontario, Canada, and died at the age of 84 on 23 August 1896 at Lehi, Utah County, Utah, and was buried at Lehi City Cemetery, Plot: 8 11 4. She emigrated to Utah with her second husband in 1851.

Marriages and Children

1. John Edwin Lawrence (1803 - 1846), married about 1830 Ontario, Canada
   1. Sarah Jane Lawrence (1824 - 1908)
   2. Arminta Miranda Adelia Lawrence (1831 - 1891)
   3. Maria Lawrence Karren (1836 - 1909)
   4. Emma Smith Lawrence Molen (1838 - 1915)
   5. Angelina Elizabeth Lawrence (1842 - 1846)
   6. Rhoda Almira Lawrence (1845 - 1846)
   7. John Edwin Lawrence (1847 - 1847)
   8. Mary Ellen Lawrence
2. John Jasper Loveless (1807 - 1880), married 21 November 1847; divorced prior to February 1855
   1. John Oscar Loveless
   2. Charlotte Lucretia Loveless aka Sharlotte
3. Joseph Skeen (1816 - 1882), married 6 February 1855
   1. Joseph Lawrence Skeen

Discussion

• Her daughter, Sarah Jane Lawrence, was more likely the daughter of a previous wife of John Edwin Lawrence, for the following reasons:
  • Rhoda was born in 1812, which means that she would only have been twelve years old at Sarah's birth.
  • Sarah was born in 1824, at least six years prior to the likely marriage date of John and Rhoda.
  • There is a gap of seven years between Sarah's birth and that of her next sibling, which often indicates that the previous wife has died and a new marriage has taken place.
• Her son, Joseph Lawrence Skeen, is usually attributed to her third husband, Joseph Skeen. However, it is at least possible that her second husband, whom she divorced, was actually the father. Finding the divorce record, as well as Joseph Lawrence Skeen's birth record, would help determine his paternity.
• Find-A-Grave indicates that Rhoda had a fourth husband, William Duncan Loveless (1842 - 1925). This is unlikely, as she married her second within one year of the death of her first; could only have been married to the second for seven years at most, during which time she gave birth to at least two children (possibly three); and died while still using the surname of her third husband (as listed in her obituary).

Sources

• Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel: Rhoda Sanford Lawrence Loveless; Birth Date: 12 June 1812; Death Date: 23 Aug. 1896; Gender: Female; Age: 39; Company: John G. Smith Company (1851). Pioneer Information: Genealogical and newspaper sources indicate that Rhoda was in this company. Sharlotte Lucretia Loveless was her daughter. Rhoda's obituary (where she is Rhoda Skeen) says she arrived in Utah in the early 1850s.
• Find A Grave Memorial# 15917881