Rhoda Sizemore (abt. 1785 - bef. 1826)

Born about 1785 in Hawkins, Tennessee, United States

Wife of Unknown Begley — married [date unknown] in Unmarried

Wife of Joseph Wilder — married about 1812 in Unmarried

Descendants

Died before 1826 before about age 41 in Hazard, Perry, Kentucky, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Ron Gragg [send private message], Michele Hevingham [send private message], Polly Sizemore [send private message], and Jennifer Eversole [send private message]

Biography

Origins

Rhoda was born between 1785 and 1794, based on her age in the 1810 census (16-25).^[1]

Rhoda is believed to be the daughter of George Sizemore and Agnes Shepherd as reported in an excerpt from the diaries of Rev. John Dickey:^[2]

MRS. POLLY NORTH, CUTSHIN

(*LESLIE COUNTY)MARCH 27, 1898

pgs. 2205-2206

I am 85 years old, was born in this county. My father was a Wilder, my mother Rhoda Sizemore. The first preacher I ever heard was Chenault, a Baptist, and he preached on Cutshin. William Mattingly was the first school teacher. I remember he taught when I was a child. My grandmother's maiden name was Aggie Shepard. I remember to have heard my Grandfather Sizemore say to her "Dam-an-it Shepard I can't stand you much longer". At Glade on Bower's Creek John Gilbert killed a wolf. It had killed a two-year-old mule of his. He rode on the pelt as long as he lived. I have seen Rev. John Gilbert have to hold on to the fence because he had taken a dram too much. I have heard him say many a time at the close of the service on Sunday as he would start for the door "Dear, dear me brethren have you any bull yearlings to sell?" I have wove many a yard of cloth from nettle which grew wild. It made white cloth.

Note added in Diary-by John J. Dickey: The old lady chews tobacco.

An additional clue is that Rhoda's children-- supposedly at her death-- were bound to William Begley, husband of Winnie Sizemore, who would have been Rhoda's sister if they shared the same parents.

WikiTreer Marbeth Sizemore recalls stories from her grandfather, that her great great grandmother Polly Wilder North spoke of her [grand]parents, George All Sizemore and Aggie Shepherd, to Marbeth's grandfather many times.

Marbeth's family history along with the Dickey interview support the parents of Rhoda being George Sizemore and Aggie Shepard.

Mates

Some Wilder and Sizemore researchers state that Rhoda Sizemore had children by a number of different men, none of whom she was married to. Theories include:

1. That she had by Aaron "Chief Red Bird" Sizemore (1721 1797); the child Russell "Ruck" Sizemore (1801–1885). Russell is still attached as son of Rhoda, but by an unknown Begley male because his male descendants' yDNA matches up with a male Begley descendant.^{[citation needed]}
2. That she coupled with Joseph Wilder prior to 1812. This is suggested by court claims related to her children (see below).
3. That she had children by a Begley, even possibly her brother-in-law, William Begley. A Begley connection is supported by DNA evidence; see above.
4. An 1898 interview with relative Felix T Begley gave Rhoda a married name of "Roberts."^[3]

The theory that Rhoda was a single mother is supported by the 1810 federal census, where in Clay Co., Kentucky, Rhoda is enumerated as head of household (age 16 through 25), with two males under the age of 10.^[1]

In 1818, there were two custody hearings related to her children:

• Feb 1818 Custody hearing for the children of Rhoda Sizemore^{[citation needed]}
• September 1818 Custody hearing for the children of Rhoda Sizemore^{[citation needed]}

Rhoda was apparently deceased by 1826 as the court records of Clay County Kentucky show that at a county court, commenced and held in the courthouse in Manchester on Monday 25 September 1826...

"Ordered that the clerk bind to William Begly [husband of Winnie Sizemore, supposed sister of Rhoda Sizemore] - 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." The court records also show that Joseph Wilder apparently filed a motion to have the court order rescinded.^{[citation needed]}

NOTE: Rhoda may not have been deceased at this time; courts were known to place children of unwed mothers with other families.

Joseph Wilder filed suit against William Begley in 1826 in Clay County, Kentucky. There is no mention in the court records what the suit was about. The suit was continued and eventually dismissed in October 1827.^[4]

Children

The children of Rhoda SIZEMORE (without naming the father) were named in a subpoena of 25 Feb 1828 to the sheriff of Perry County, Kentucky:

"to summon William BEGLEY, John BOWLING & Jesse BOWLING, to have them bring to court Nelson SIZEMORE, Polly SIZEMORE, Dempsy SIZEMORE & Agga SIZEMORE, the children of Rody SIZEMORE, taken from the County of Clay & detained in the possesion of the aforesaid persons ..."^{[citation needed]}

Children named in the 1828 subpoena:

1. Polly Sizemore Wilder North (1813–1910); mtDNA results of a direct female descendant match direct female descendants of George All Sizemore's daughters, Winnie and Susan. NOTE: This provides that Rhoda, Winnie and Susan were sisters. Their results all showed that their direct female line was European, so their mother, Agnes (Shepherd) Sizemore was NOT a little Indian girl.
2. Nelson Almanson Wilder (1815–1891); direct male descendants' DNA matches other Wilder men
3. Agnes "Agga" Wilder Smith (1824–1900)
4. Dempsy Sizemore (? - ?)

Possible additional children per Joy Wright (born before her children with Wilder):

Rhoda is "said to be" the mother of four illegitimate sons, all of whom were raised with the surname of Sizemore. There is no paper trail or documentary proof that she was their mother, but the family stories in Kentucky say she was.

We have tested the YDNA (which shows their direct male line) of at least one direct male descendant of each of the four sons. They were [links to wikitree profiles added later]:

• Russell (1802-1882). Descendant's DNA results matched Begley men
• John (c1805-aft 1870). Descendant's DNA results matched the George All Sizemore men. Only John's descendant's DNA results showed teh Q Haplogroup which indicates Native ancestry.
• Willis (abt. 1813-bef 1872). Descendant's DNA results matched the Begley men.
• Wilborn Sizemore (abt 1814-bet 1880-1900). Descendant's DNA results matched the Bowling men.

There is no way to tell exactly which Begley or Bowling man was the father of any of them.

Research Notes

Rhoda's history is complicated and not reliably sourced. She probably had as many as eight children by five different men and there's no proof that she married any of them. Felix T Begley in an interview recorded in the dairies of Rev John J Dickey claimed she married a Roberts man. Then she had children with a Joseph Wilder. Two sons of Rhoda included Russell Sizemore (b 1803) and John Sizemore (b 1805), believed to have been fathered by a Begley male.

Who was Rhoda, and who fathered Russell and John?

• She was enumerated as a Sizemore in 1810.^[1]
• In 1826, her children were bound to William Begley (husband of Winnie Sizemore, daughter of George and Agnes). ^{[citation needed]}
• Direct male descendants of Russell Sizemore, are a genetic match with direct male descendants of William Begley.^{[citation needed]} Rhoda lived with William Begley and Winifred (Sizemore) Begley for a time.^{[citation needed]} William Begley was known to have male relatives moving in and around the place of Russell's birth^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} This suggests that John might have been fathered by a Sizemore.

DNA

Rhoda Sizemore and Agnes Shepherd appear to be a match based on the Sizemore DNA Project study.^[5] To date, there are four kits that match to Haplogroup T2. One kit's owner stops at Rhoda Sizemore as their furthest researched direct maternal ancestor and the other three kits give Agnes Shepherd Sizemore as their furthest researched direct maternal ancestor. Finding out whether any of those three kits connect to Agnes by a daughter other than Rhoda would probably put the "was Rhoda born a Sizemore" issue to bed because T2 is not common for Europeans and is unknown in Native Americans.

Haplogroup T2 is an Eurasian Haplogroup. It is not a Native American DNA result but instead suggests Middle Eastern or Eastern European roots. ^[6], ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "United States Census, 1810," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH2S-RWY : accessed 6 January 2021), Rhoda Sizemons, Clay, Kentucky, United States; citing p. 155, NARA microfilm publication M252 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 9; FHL microfilm 181,354.
2. ↑ John J Dickey, Interview with Mrs. Polly North 27 Mar 1898 (pp 2205-2206), excerpt from the "Dickey Diaries" ~Reverend John Dickey, 1890. Transcribed by Phyllis Hefelfinger at https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sizemoregenealogy/genealogy/diaries/dickey.htm
3. ↑ John J Dickey, Interview with Felix T. Begley, 27 Mar 1898 (pp 2204-2205), excerpt from the "Dickey Diaries" ~Reverend John Dickey, 1890. Transcribed by Phyllis Hefelfinger at https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sizemoregenealogy/genealogy/diaries/dickey.htm
4. ↑ Joseph Wilder vs William Begley: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLX-VSJ6; Citing: Clay County, Kentucky Order Book C (1815-1830) pages 437, 443, & 468
5. ↑ FTDNA Sizemore mtDNA Test Results
6. ↑ Haplogroup T (mtDNA) (Wikipedia)
7. ↑ Felice L. Bedford, Sephardic signature in haplogroup T mitochondrial DNA, in European Journal of Human Genetics, 23 Nov 2011

• Don Green, Shawnee Heritage, Volume 10 (S-T), Entry 105. This source is determined as highly fictional and unreliable. Use with great caution.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #189043054 Rhoda Wilder