John Rhode and Mary Lewis

JOHN RHODE (1752-1840) My great, great, great grandfather was the first known ancestor of the Rhode family in America. He was an immigrant who probably came as a young man to Charleston Harbor in South Carolina from Winegrode, Thurington in Germany with a boatload of German and Swiss settlers. It is thought that he was given 50 acres and provisions for a year to settle in western South Carolina. He married Mary Lewis (1764-1843) who was a Quaker. It was thought that he probably was Catholic in Germany. He may have converted to Lutheran or Anglican, but after marrying Mary, he became a Quaker. He eventually owned 500 acres on the Edisto River in Dorchester county, 50 miles from Charleston, South Carolina, which meant that he undoubtedly had slaves. They had seven children: William, Jonathan, Caleb, Esther, Mary, Thomas and Seymour. Ellis Rhode says: "Family tradition from many sources insists that John Rhode served in the Revolution. While family tradition is very important and has to be taken into account, it cannot always be relied upon. There seems to be no official government confirmation of his service in any state. However there were many residents who took part in local skirmishes who were never regularly enrolled as soldiers. It is entirely possible that John Rhode took part in the Revolutionary war with General Merion, who was known as The "Swamp Fox" and who directed guerrilla warfare in the vicinity of Charlestown S.C. near where John Rhode afterward settled." However, he was always honored on Memorial Day with a special flag on his grave stone indicating that he had served in the Revolutionary war.

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