Strong Roots, Beautiful Leaves

The next ancestor I have chosen is from Evan's family history. His stories are a little factual, probably a little bit of tall tale, but definitely entertaining! Either way, he was a well respected man who can be found in several books today. In Evan's direct lineage, there are three Henry Rhoads in succession, grandfather, father, and son. To distinguish the Henry's, we call the middle one "badass Henry Rhoads". Henry Rhoads is known as the 'godfather of Muhlenberg County'. This is referring to Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born January 5, 1739 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. He married Elizabeth Stoner on October 19, 1760 in Frederick County, Maryland. After marriage, Henry served as Captain in the Pennsylvania militia during the Revolutionary War. He was a delegate to the Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention of 1776. The document that was created at this convention became the first state constitution in direct response to the Declaration of...

This ancestor is close to me, not because of her achievements or great stories, but because of the hard work and different detecting skills it took to uncover even a part of her story. My fascination is held by the unknown, the what-ifs, and what could have been. "Brick walls" is a term used for road blocks in genealogy research. My first serious road block came early in my research and tree. My great grandpa, Papa Andy, died early in my life. Although we lived with him in his final months, I do not remember him at all. I knew very little about his life other than he served in the Navy. When starting my research, I asked my paternal grandpa about his dad's parents, as I had never heard their names before. Papa Ronnie knew a few details about James McDaniel, but it baffled me how little was known about Papa Andy's mom. Papa Ronnie told me he knew she died when Papa Andy was little and that her name was either Goldie or Golda and surname either Fletcher or Fetcher. That...

My great grandpa, Glenn Robb, passed away in January of 2007. I remember his as a gentle man with a heart of gold. He always had a smile on his face, especially around us great grandkids. I wish I could remember more of him before his Parkinson's disease was severe, but I cherish the memories I have. At his funeral, my great aunt Carol read an origin story of how the Robb family came to America. I have always had a heart for family and a love for history, and this story grabbed a hold of me like nothing I had ever felt before. This story is what started my passion for knowing each and every branch of my family tree, every origin story I could find, and everything in between. My passion and hard work in combination with a soon to be mother-in-law was all I needed to begin my journey. So here is my research of Captain James Robb, or as my family likes to now call him, "The Pirate Guy". Captain James Robb was born in Newtonards, County Down, Northern Ireland in circa 1745. H...