Friday, April 18, 2014

The Rhodes Family Massacre at Tom's Brook

A period of terror and fear.” (from Old Homes of Page County, Virginia by Jennie Ann Kerkhoff)

In the late afternoon on August 11, 1764, the Reverend John Hans Rhodes came to the door of his home in the Shenandoah Valley after he heard shouting from the yard. Before the sun had set, the Reverend, his wife, and five of his children were murdered, and likely scalped, and his home burned.

My sixth great-grandfather, the Reverend John Rhodes (Rood, Roodt, Rhodes, Roads) died in one of a series of "Indian raids" that occurred in the Shenandoah Valley. He was a Swiss Brethren (or Mennonite) and a pacifist who would not use arms, even for self-protection. His twelve-year-old daughter Elizabeth escaped and married my fifth great-grandfather Jacob Gochenour.

Mennonite Persecution and Emigration

The 16th c saw the emergence of radical ideas that birthed the Protestant movement. Their beliefs included that baptism should be the mark of a believer who has chosen Jesus Christ as Lord so they did not baptise infants. Known today as Anabaptists, meaning "one baptism," they also eschewed paid ministers and prepared sermons, participation in government, and the swearing of oaths, swearing allegiance to the state, and as non-violent pacifists, would not bear arms.

Anabaptists were persecuted across Europe by state churches and governments. Their afflictions included beatings, jailings, loss of property, confiscation of children, and even death.

The Swiss Mennonites of Lake Zurich in the Canton of Berne were exiled and moved to outlying small towns. In 1650 these capable farmers were invited to the Palatine in Germany to restore the war-torn, once rich farm and orchard lands. They paid a fine to live there. Then, around 1700 a new ruler ended toleration.

Those who remained in Switzerland were banished in 1710. The Berne Mennonites were allowed to sell their property if they agreed to take the money and leave forever.
William Penn, the English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, felt a kinship with the Mennonites and welcomed them to settle in America.

So, the Swiss Mennonites left the Palatine. Between 1711 and 1732 thousands immigrated to Pennsylvania, settling in Germantown outside of Philadelphia and in Berks and Lancaster Counties. Others left for Holland and England, some becoming indentured servants to pay their way to New York State and the Mohawk Valley. By 1730 so many Germans had come to Pennsylvania that the British colonists worried about "The German Peril." As land became scarce in Pennsylvania some followed the 'river road' of the Susquehanna River south into the Shenandoah Valley and beyond.


John Rhodes Immigration
In 1711 the Mennonites in Sumiswald, Canton of Berne, Switzerland were exiled.

Ulrich Rhodes born May of 1680 in Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland to Daniel Rode and Susannah Ballmer (1689-1729) immigrated with his family to Pennsylvania, arriving in the port of Philadelphia on August 19, 1728. They settled in Lancaster, PA.

In 1730 John Rhodes and other Swiss Brethren arrived in the Shenandoah Valley as the first European settlers along with the Strickler and Kauffman families. The Gochenours came with the second wave of settlers. In 1740 John Rhodes married Eva Catharina Albright (born 1723 in Germany). They had thirteen children.

In 1741 John Rhodes purchased 100 acres along the Shenandoah River adjacent to Martin Kauffman's tract. On November 4, 1760, he purchased land from Thomas Palmer of New York, who was granted the Virginia land from Lord Fairfax in 1751. Rev. Rhodes's estate grew to over 400 acres along the Shenandoah River, with his home situated at the mouth of Tom's Brook. The area today is three miles northeast of Maurertown, VA not far from Luray. The Rhodes home was in the shadow of Kennedy's Peak, the highest point in the Massanutten mountains.

For an article with photos on the area see: http://www.wendtroot.com/cockrill/d0004/d0004notes/MassanuttenHistory.html

On the fatal day, his eldest son Joseph and two daughters were already in their own homes. The younger children were still at home.
The Massacre at Tom's Brook

They were called Indian Raids. Between 5 and 6 p.m. on August 11, 1764, some allege that Simon Girty,“The White Savage” * who had committed a string of attacks against settlers, led a party of eight Native Americans into the valley and to the Rhodes home. Their intent was robbery. The method was murder.

Rev. Rhodes was shot in the doorway of his home. Eva and a son had been killed in the yard of the house. The raiders followed two boys who had fled into a cornfield along the river. One boy climbed a pear tree located 150 yards from the house, perhaps to hide, perhaps to see what was happening. The marauders found him and shot him. The other boy had run to the river hoping to cross to safety. He was killed in Tom's Brook, the area known afterward as Bloody Ford.

The marauders searched the Rhodes home but did not find the money that was hidden in a niche in the cellar wall. They burned the house down with Rev. Rhodes body in it. The money, along with important papers, were found safe afterward.

Twelve-year-old Elizabeth had grabbed 15-month-old Esther and run into the barn. While a man tried to break into the barn, the girls escaped through an opening in the back of the barn. They ran through a field of hemp, crossing the river to find refuge in a neighbor's house about four miles away. Then, Elizabeth walked another eight miles to her brother's home in Ida, her baby sister in her arms. She told Joseph of the horror that had descended upon their parents and siblings.

Two boys and one or two girls were captured and taken into the Massanutten Mountains. The party was in a hurry to get away and the frightened children could not keep up the pace. First, they killed the seven-year-old boy who had been ailing. The girl(s) refused to go on and were murdered and left with their brother. Michael alone survived. He was taken to Ohio and spent three years with the Native Americans before a treaty brought his released. He then returned home.

Michael told that his family was scalped and the scalps sold to the French for $15 each. The next day neighbors came and buried the Rhodes family near the river, their headstones now in the Brubaker family cemetery.

Rev. Rhodes father, Ulrich, died shortly afterward on August 31, 1764.
7-17 Jeff Evans POST June 20 PrePR_2
Birth Certificate Fraktur art by Jacob Strickler

The Children
  1. Joseph Rhodes was born in 1735 and died in 1766 at Massanutten, August Co., VA. He had a farm in Ida at the time of the massacre. By law, he inherited his father's estate. Joseph married Elizabeth Mary Strickler, who was the daughter of Shenandoah Valley pioneer Rev. Abraham Stickler. Abraham immigrated from Zurich, Switzerland around 1705 and came to Chester Co, PA before migrating to the Shenandoah Valley in 1726 with his sons. Stickler was a master weaver, Fraktur artist, and a Mennonite preacher.
  2. Anna was born around 1738 and died on May 6, 1774, in Ohio. In 1758 she married Christian Grove. In 1765 Christian was deeded 116 acres on the North Branch of the Shenandoah by Joseph Rhodes. Christian was born in 1738 in Lancaster, PA and fought in the Revolutionary War. After Anna's death Christian married Ester Musselman, of another early settler family. He died at Woodstock, VA in 1786. The Groves great-grandfather had left Zurich, Switzerland for Lancaster, PA.
  3. Susannah (Susan) Elizabeth was born in 1740. She married Mark (Marcus) Grove, brother to Christian Grove who married her sister Anna. Joseph Rhodes gave Mark 120 acres on the north fork of the Shenandoah River at the mouth of Elk Lick Run. After Susan's death, Mark married Mary. He died in 1800.
  4. Daniel was born in  1746 and died in the massacre on August 11, 1764.
  5. David who was born in 1745 and died at age 19 in the massacre on Aug 11, 1764.
  6. A son born 1757 and died in the Massanutten mountains on August 11, 1764.
  7. A daughter, perhaps Mary, born in 1754 and died on August 11, 1764.
  8. A son born 1760 and died on August 11, 1764. Likely he was the son with Eva, killed in the house yard with her.
  9. Michael was born May 1, 1749, He was captured and taken to Ohio for three years. On March 26, 1780, he married Anna Strickler, daughter to Benjamin. Benjamin was a brother to Elizabeth Strickler who married Michael's brother Joseph.
  10. Esther was born in 1762. She was rescued by her sister Elizabeth. In 1786 she married Dr. Jacob Kauffman. Esther died in 1836. Jacob's father the Rev. Martin Kauffman was one of the earliest settlers in the area. Kauffmans appear in the earliest annals of the Mennonite church.
  11. Elizabeth born July 21, 1752, and died August 26, 1818. She married Jacob Gochenour, my fifth great-grandfather. Elizabeth married Jacob Gochenour. Jacob Gochenour was born near Woodstock, VA, the grandson of the original Gochenour immigrant from Lake Zurich, Switzerland. The Gochenours had been Mennonite for generations; a Gochenour appears in the annals of Mennonite martyrs. They were converted to Anabaptism by the Peter family. Elizabeth was deeded 177 acres by her brother Joseph, situated on the east side of the Shenandoah River near Tom's Brook where her brothers were killed. Jacob bought land across the river near Luray and built a flour mill.
My Gochenour family tree goes like this:
  1. Gorg or Georg Gochanauwer born 1567 in Fischenthal, Zurich, Switzerland and died in Alsace Lorraine in 1609. He married Maria Weber in 1589.
  2. Jacob or Jakob Weber Gachnauwer born 1605 in Fischenthal, Zurich, Switzerland and married Margarethe Peter/Petter, whose family were Mennonites and likely converted Jacob to the faith. A 1634 Census for Fischenthal shows Jacob Gachnauer and Margareta Peter with children Jorg age 5, Hannss age 3, Heinrich age 2, and Barbel age 1. Jacob died in 1660 in Onhenheim, Alsace, France.
  3. Heinrich Gochenour who was born in 1632 in Fischenthal, Zurich, Switzerland and immigrated with his father to Alsace Lorraine and then to Ibersheim, Hesse, Germany. He was a tailor.
  4. Joseph Gachnauwer b. 1673 in Ibersheim, West Palatinate, Germany and died 1738 in Hemfield, PA. he married Mary Magdalena Teather.
  5. Jacob Gochenour born 1717 in VA and died in 1771. He married Mary.
  6. Jacob Gochenour (1747-1809) Jacob was a literate man who owned ten books. In 1769 he and Jacob Strickler petitioned the House of Burgess for the right to follow their faith and not bear arms but instead would contribute a “proportional part of their Estates whenever the Exigencies of Government may require it.” A second petition in 1785 asked Mennonites be exempted from military duties. Among the seventy-four Mennonite signatures are the names of Jacob Gochenour, Joseph Gochenour, John (Johannes) Gochenour, and Abraham Gochenour. He married Elizabeth Rhoades. Jacob and Elizabeth settled on land which she had obtained by deed from her brother Joseph Roads, situated on the east side of the Shenandoah River adjacent to where Toms Brook flows into it. Jacob bought other land on the opposite side of the River where he operated a flour mill until the time of his death in 1809. This is not far from the present town of Luray, Va. In the 1785 census published in Wayland's Shenandoah county history, Jacob Gochenour (Coughener) is listed as living in the area from North Mountain to the Massanutten including Mt. Olive, Toms Brook and the adjacent portions of the river. The "First Census of the United States" under "Heads of Families-Virginia 1783" lists Jacob Caughenhour with eleven white persons in his house and no black (slaves).  Jacob Gochenour died October 27, 1809, leaving a considerable estate, personal property of $2200 and real estate of $8000. His will is lengthy. He left a life estate in two tracts of land to his wife Elizabeth which was land where "my son Daniel Gochenour now lives." It directed that the land on the east side of the river be sold including the mill. It gave his "granddaughter Mary Fisher (that I raised and now lives with me)" personal property, stating that the rest be equally divided among his children. It gave his grandchildren Mary and Rebecca Fisher, "children of my late daughter Mary a share, my daughter Elizabeth the wife of George Howbert one share, my daughter Barbara the wife of Philip Bare one share, my daughter Ann the wife of Jacob Fisher one share, my daughter Esther the wife of David Stover one share, my son John one share, my daughter Catherine wife of John Crabill one share, my son Jacob one share, Magdalene the wife of John Stover one share, my son Daniel one share, my daughter Rebecca the wife of Henry Jordan one share, my son Joseph one share and my son Shen one share." The will was made October 13, 1809 and probated November 13, 1809. 
  7. Abraham Gochenour born in Alonzaville, VA around 1771 and died in 1812. In 1782, Abraham married Christina Haas, whose father Johann was an immigrant from Germany. The First Census of the United States under Heads of Families-Virginia 1783 lists Abraham Coughenour with his wife. His will included a 'grist mill'.
  8. Henry Gochenour (1791-1856)  married Barbara Wiseman whose grandfather Johann Phillip immigrated from Germany. His first wife had died and he married again after Barbara's death. 
  9. Samuel Gochenour 1826-1901, who was conscripted into the Virginia Militia as a Private, Company C, 3rd Regiment, 7th Brigade from July 1861 to September 1861; also from December 1861 at Woodstock, VA; and he volunteered March of 1862. He earned the rank of Corporal. The Militia were issued no uniform or arms and usually were employed in manual labor. In 1873 he was Post Master in Alonzaville, VA. Samuel married Susannah Catherine Hammon whose grandfather immigrated from Germany. She was a devoted Evangelical Lutheran. They are buried in the Mt. Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery.
  10. Henry David Gochenour born in Fairview, VA in 1861 and died in Stonewall, VA in 1924. He married Mary Ellen Stutz whose grandfather immigrated from Germany.
  11. Alger Jordan Gochenour born in Woodstock VA in 1904 and died in Tonawanda, NY in 1955. He married Emma Becker, born in Volhynia, Russia, daughter of immigrant John Becker and Martha Kelm.
  12. Eugene Vernon Gochenour 1930-2008, my father.



Samuel Gochenour

Henry David Gochenour family

Henry Gochenour and wife Mollie with son Clarence and wife Alice

Gochenour homestead, the birthplace of Alger Gochenour, Woodstock VA

* Further research into Simon Girty shows that in 1764 he in Western Pennsylvania, finally reunited with his mother and siblings eight years after he was kidnapped by Native Americans. It was not until later that he allied with the British against the colonists. I am hesitant to accept that Girty lead the raid until I find evidence of his being in the area in 1764 when the Shenandoah Valley settlers underwent several attacks by natives.
In A Short History of Page County by Harry M. Strickler, he writes that some suggest Simon Girty led the Rhodes raid but "this could not have been possible for he was loyal until the battle of Point Pleasant."

26 comments:

  1. Hi Nancy, I guess this makes us cousins. I am of Jacob Gochenour line who married Elizabeth Rhodes.
    I am finding so much interesting information and thought would just say hi. Did you do a dna test. I have one but still trying to find connections to family lines.
    Take care,
    Carolyn Grisham

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  2. Hi Nancy, Thanks for your article. Rev Rhodes is my 7th Great Grandfather. Thank goodness
    for Elizabeth! Regards, Bill Percival (Woodbridge VA)

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  3. Thank you so much for this information. I believe that Reverend John Rhodes is my 7th Great Grandfather.

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  4. Rev. John Rhodes and Eve Catherine Albright are my 6x great-grandparents and Elizabeh my 5x great-grandmother. I spent all day working on this branch of my family and your blog was so helpful! Now it's time to sort the Gochenour branch. Ha hah Thank you. Enjoy the Spring!

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  5. Hi Nancy. I too am a descendent of Elizabeth and Jacob! We just recently visited the marker at Brubaker Family Cemetery. We did not see any headstones for the Rhodes family. Other information I have seen says there is another memorial near the river and they are buried there. Can you clarify? Thanks so much!

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  6. I am also a descendant of Elizabeth and Jacob. Part of the family moved to Pennsylvania in the 1800's and changed their name from Gochenour to Cochenour, my 93 year old grandmother's maiden name. By a strange coincidence, I went to school with a Michael Rhodes, who also was a direct descendant of the Rhodes family. His mother was into geneology, and we knew that we were distantly related, but did not know the history. I was told about the story of John Rhodes at the funeral of my grandmother's sister by one of her daughters. I'm so grateful for your site, which gives so many details! We live near Pittsburgh, which was where Simon Girty's family was from. There is a plaque in the "Squirrel Hill" section of Pittsburgh commemorating Simon Girty.

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  7. My 6th grandma was Susan. OMG were all related! I’m in Oklahoma!

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    Replies
    1. My husband's 6th Great Grandmother was Susannah Elizabeth Rhodes Grove.

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  8. Discovered your site after reading about the massacre in the Kauffman Lineage by Charles Faas Kauffman. I believe Dr.Jacob Coffman, who married little sister Esther, was the son of Rev Isaac Coffman. Youngest son of Andreas Kauffman and Eliz Kneissle. I am related thru their 3rd child, Christian.

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  9. Just saw this! Extremely interesting but heartbreaking! Both sides of my family have been Anabaptist for generations, probably to 1600s, all coming from Switzerland, some then went to Alsace Lorraine (where many still are today, never having left), my GGF immigrated here before 1874. I looked carefully at last names and locations, and I'm disappointed that we're not likely related! :)

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  10. So much more detail than I have seen anywhere else, concerning the massacre of the Rhodes family. I am directly descended from John and Eva. Thank you so much for this informative article!

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  11. Hello, Susan Elizabeth Rhodes and Marcus Grove are my 7th great grandparents! :) I'm doing family research right now and found this post. Exciting!

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  12. I was researching my family tree and came across this story. Elizabeth Rhodes is my 5th Great Grandma. Crazy to think how lucky I am to be here today.

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  13. I was researching my family tree and came across this amazing story. Elizabeth Rhodes is my 5th Great Grandma. Crazy to think how lucky I am to be here today. I live in PA.

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  14. I wish the name of this could be changed. The Rhodes massacre did NOT take place near Tom's Brook, VA. While Uncle Michael is buried near there, the massacre took place on the South Fork of the Shenandoah across the Massanutte Mountain range from Tom's Brook. The area is known even today as Egypt Bend and is about 20 miles as the crow flies to Tom's Brook. The closest town is Luray, VA in what is in Page County, VA today. I am descended through Michael's brother, Joseph, and still live near the area. If you would read Dr. John Wayland's History of Shenandoah County, Virginia, on page 67 you will see an image of the Rhodes Fort "NEAR LURAY, VA." Also, you can see an image of Bloody Ford at this website http://archives.countylib.org/files/original/cc9ef99d2051a3c6ee40b4fb27909b58.jpg which also says "NEAR LURAY, VA." You can also see where John "Roads" lived on a map made by Harry M. Strickler for his book Massanutten. I have visited the Bloody Ford area many times. I am also going to clean Uncle Michael Rhodes headstone tomorrow as part of a day of service for the DAR.

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    1. Hello, I'm not sure if you'll see this. I am a descendant of Michael Rhodes (Michael, John, Noah, Jacob, Ona, Cecil, Donna, me). I have never been to the area but hope to make a trip from Ohio within the next year or so as I have so many ancestors from Virginia. Thank you for cleaning his headstone.
      Kristen

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  15. So glad to find this post. I am descended from Jacob and Elizabeth Gouchenour. I live near Quantico and will definitely drive out to pay my respects. Thank you!

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  16. My name is Lisa Strickler.

    My father is Oren Dale Strickler Sr from Madison County ohio

    My grandparents are John James McNamee Strickler from W Rushville Ohio

    Great Grandparents Joseph Lyons Strickler

    From Fairfield Ohio



    Great Great grandparents John Martin Strickler
    From Rockingham County VA


    3rd great grandparents Joseph Strickler Sr from put spring Rockingham County VA

    4th great grandfather John Strickler Sr from hempfield Lancaster County PA

    5th great-grandfather Abraham strickler from dirmstein congregation Germany


    6th great grandfather Jacob Strickler from ibersheim Germany

    7th great-grandfather is Hans Jacob strickler ftom Bruderhaus Hirzel zH CH


    8th great-grandfather is Hans Ulrich Strickler from Bruderhaus Hirzel-Horgen ZH CH


    9th great-grandfather is Conrad Strickler from Oetwnbach Prison , Zurich city ZH

    10th great-grandfather is Hirzel Horgen Strickler from Hirzel-Horgen ZH

    11th great-grandfather is Hans Landis of Hirzel ZH

    12th great-grandfather is Hans Landis from Horgan ZH

    13th great-grandfather is Heini Landis from Zug Swi

    14th great-grandfather is Peter Landis from Zug Sei

    15th great-grandfather is Heini Landos of Zug Ch

    16th great-grandfather is Hansen lands of Swi


    I am trying to find out more about the Stricklers that left Switzerland fleeing religious persecuting they were Mennonite

    I can be reached at

    fjlldl63@gmail.com
    Thank you

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  17. Hello! My name is Melissa & through Ancestry.com I am finding out that Rev John Rhodes (Roads) is my 7th great grandfather! His daughter Elizabeth (married to Jacob Cochenour) was my 6th great grandmother. Thank you for posting this information!

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  18. Hello and thank you so much for this, he is my 8th Great Grandfather! Michelle Reynolds

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  19. Hi! My name is Deanna and I am seeing that John Rhoades would have been my 7th great grandfather. When I branch off into my fathers tree I find a snag where it seems the name is changing from cochenour to Gochenour. Curious if anyone has any information on this or can help me continue my tree.

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    Replies
    1. The name was spelled many ways from the beginning. See if you can find Robert Evan’s book History of the Descendants of Jacob Gochenour through a library.

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  20. Jacob and Elizabeth are my 6th great grand-parents, also.

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