James E. Rice

45. James E. Rice (Married: Jane McLaughlin / McGlaughlin (#46) (Jane Black or Jane McGlaughlin According to LDS), 30 December 1819, in Ross County, Ohio. (Jane died in 1844 according to her tombstone). According to Russell Leach (#3), family historian, James' 2nd wife, Elizabeth Steely died April 1880, aged 69 years, 8 months, 16 days.) A LDS site says Elizabeth Steely was James' wife and that they married in 1845. According to LDS, she was the child of Gabriel Steely (#93) and Mary Meek (#94) , and sister of Meek Steely (#47). She was born on 1 August 1811 and died 17 April 1880.[Note: If her parent's names are correct, her mother would have been 44 when she gave birth to Elizabeth; her father would have been 48. According to History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio, published by Williams Bros.,1880, p. 268, Meek Steely had six siblings. The names of the six are verified on a plaque on the tombstone of Gabriel Steely, at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Kingston, Ohio. Elizabeth is not listed.]

[Note: This webmaster, Susan Snyder, questions whether James ever had a second wife. The obituary of James and Jane's son Anthony (#23) states that he was the son of James A. and Elizabeth Rice. Since Anthony was born in 1831 and Jane did not die until 1844, Anthony was likely Jane's son. The 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses for Pickaway County do not list a wife for James. The 1850 and 1860 censuses show James' daughter Elizabeth living with him.

[Also, note one of Anthony's brothers was named James Rice. He married Nancy Steely.] (Source of his wife's name -Nancy Steely is: The History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio by Williams Bros 1880, page 268 states that "Nancy, wife of James Rice, lives in Pickaway...." According to information sent by Robert Steely (a Steely family genealogist) to Susan Snyder in April 2007, Nancy Steely married James Rice on 5 June 1845) . [Note, that year is the same as LDS says Elizabeth Steely married James Rice.]

[Note: In James E. Rice's obituary (The Democrat & Watchman), the sentence, "His wife died some years since", must refer to Jane, who died in 1844 (33 years earlier). There is no indication in this obituary that he ever had a second wife. And if he did, the supposed second wife, Elizabeth Steely, did not die until April 1880. Had she been his wife, she would have been mentioned in James' obituary, will, the ""Distribution of his Estate" , and in one or more of the censuses for Pickaway County. The absence of her name in any of these documents affirms for this webmaster that James had only one wife... Jane.]

Born: 15 May 1797 of Unknown Father (#89) & Unknown Mother (#90) in Rutland, Vermont (Source of blue information: census reports and newspaper article listed below). (Source of green information is the 1924 death certificate of his daughter Elizabeth Rice Shelby).

Died: 29 January 1877, aged 79 y'rs, 5 m's, and 14 d's. (He is buried at the Black and Rice Cemetery, Pickaway Twp., Pickaway County, Ohio). ( GPS: 39° 32.606' N, 82° 51.867' W)

Miscellaneous: According to his obituary in The Democrat & Watchman, a Circleville, Ohio newspaper ... dated February 2, 1877, (Source: OH.61 Scrap., Pickaway County Genealogy Library, Circleville, Ohio), James came to Ohio from Vermont in early life.

He may have fought in the War of 1812, but that needs to be confirmed. He would have been about 15 when that war began and 18 when it ended. It is unknown where he was living at the time. As shown in the photograph at left, there is an 1812 war medallion at his burial site.

There is a James Rice listed in the Roll of Capt. Isaac Butler’s Company who served August 9 until October 9, 1812. [Source: Roster of Ohio Soldiers in War of 1812, p. 50, published by the Adjutant General of Ohio 1916, State Library of Ohio. Another listing for James Rice was as a private in the Roll of Captain Joseph W. Ross Company and served Sept. 1813 until March 1, 1814. [Source: Roster of Ohio Soldiers in War of 1812, p. 13, published by the Adjutant General of Ohio 1916, State Library of Ohio.] [Note: Captain Isaac Butler's unit was a company of the Gallia Volunteer Riflemen attached to the Second Regiment (Safford's) in General Edward Tupper's Command. Gallia is an Ohio County along the southern tip of Ohio and borders the Ohio River. Captain Joseph W. Ross Company was probably from Ross County. In 1810, Pickaway County was created from parts of Ross, Fairfield, and Franklin Counties. James E. Rice definitely owned a home in Pickaway County in 1816 as described below. However, the two referenced James Rices in the Roster of Ohio Soldiers are likely a different James Rice according to a descendent of another James Rice who lived in Ohio. Information was shared with this webmaster in a series of e-mail October 2012 - December 2012 with Gene Patterson, who was tracing the roots of a James Rice who lived in Gallia County. Gene has evidence that his ancestor was the person referred to in both rosters. Information posted at Find A Grave by Ruth Rice Patterson, a great, great granddaughter, confirms that James Rice (November 27, 1795 - August 6, 1874), who was born in Gallia/Jackson/Athens County area of Ohio and died in Porter County, Indiana was a soldier in the War of 1812. Her proof is his obituary in the Porter County Vidette, dated 13 August 1874, Vol. 18, Pg. 3, Col. 5., "Died, on the 5th inst., at his residence two miles southwest of here, James Rice, Sen. He was a soldier in the War of 1812”.]

The 1810 Tax List record page 044 shows a James Reece living in Scioto Township in Ross County. The database is the Ohio 1810 Washington County Census Index. This may have been James E. James definitely owned a home in Pickaway County in 1816 as described below. James E. Rice probably lived in a log cabin on the property where a brick home was eventually constructed. A deed to his brick home is dated 1816. James would have been just 19 years old at the time. The home was probably constructed by German laborers who traveled throughout the region building homes. It may have taken three years to complete. The bricks for his home were made from clay and sand mined on his property. The exterior surface is three bricks thick and the woodwork inside the home is walnut, cut from trees on the property. The home has survived through the ages. Sometime in the 1970s and 1980s the house was restored to its present condition, with fireplaces, exposed wooden beams, walnut molding and stair railings, and molded ceiling designs. In James' time, the home was a stop-off point for stage coaches. Small rooms were available for stage coach guests and the basement, complete with a fireplace and bunk beds, was available for the stage coach staff. James Rice was a religious man and did not believe in drinking or gambling so guests had to walk to a designated "poker tree" to partake in those activities. James is thought to have had a lumber mill, grist mill, and card wool mill on his property. (The information in this paragraph was provided by G. and S. Strawser, the present owners of the property. With their permission, Susan Snyder took the photographs below of their home on June 29, 2008.)

Below: A picture taken at some time in the past, shows columns outside the house. It is unknown whether or not the original home had columns.

Below: Stairs go to a second and then a third floor landing. The banister and door frames are walnut.

Below: Exposed beams in the kitchen, thick walnut molding trim around the windows, and molded ceiling designs have survived nearly two centuries of time.

James and Jane had 10 children: William, John W., Mary, Anthony C. (#23), James, Jane, Margaret, Ellen, Elizabeth, and Charles. [Note: Charles was born on 8 December 1842 and died less than a year later (21 September 1843). Jane died the next year (27 September 1844). With Jane's death, James was left to raise his children alone.]

The 1830 Census for Pickaway County, Ohio shows that James E. Rice was the head of his family of 8. Living in the home was one boy under the age of 5, two boys between 5 and 9, and two boys between 15 and 19. James was between 30 and 39 years old. Also living there was a girl between 5 and 9 years of age and a woman between 20 and 29 years of age. [ Note: The boy under the age of 5 was probably his son John (born 1828), one of the boys between 5 and 9 was probably his son William (born in 1825). The woman of between 20 and 29 was no doubt his wife Jane (born 1801, she would have been 29). It is unknown who the second boy between 5 and 9, the two boys between 15 and 19, or the girl between 5 and 9 may have been. Anthony C., Mary, James, Jane, Margaret, Ellen, Elizabeth, and Charles had not been born.]]

The 1840 Census for Pickaway County, Ohio shows that James E. Rice was the head of his family of 8. One boy was between 5 and 9; two boys were between 10 and 14. James was between 40 and 49. There were 2 girls under 5, one woman between 20 and 29, and one woman between 30 and 39. [Note: The boy between 5 and 9 could have been James (born 1832) or Anthony (#23) (born 1831), the two boys between 10 and 14 would have been John (born in 1828) and William (born in 1825), the two girls under 5 were probably Margaret (born in 1835) and Ellen (born in 1837), and the woman between 30 and 39 would have been his wife, Jane. It is unknown why Mary (born 1830) and Jane (born 1833) are not listed, nor why one of James' sons is not included in the census for boys between 5 and 9. The woman between 20 and 29 is unknown. Elizabeth and Charles had not been born.]

The 1850 Census for Pickaway County, Ohio shows that James was 53 years of age. He was farming. The value of his real estate was $10,000. His son Anthony (aged 19) (#23) was living at home, as were James' daughters Jane (14), Margaret (15), Ellen (13), and Elizabeth (10). James Williams (10) and Milton Frazier (22 -a laborer) were living at his home. [Note: Although the census data for Jane says she was 14, she would have been 17 in 1850 if she was born in 1833 as researched by Russell Leach.] According to History of Pickaway County, Ohio And Representative Citizens, Edited And Compiled by Hon. Aaron R. Van Cleaf, published by Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1906, page 734, James Williams was James E. Rice's grandson. James Williams was born 16 June 1840 in Pickaway Township, Pickaway County, Ohio, the son of John Williams and Mary Rice (James Rice's daughter). [Note: It is unknown exactly why James Williams was living with his grandfather at or before age 10. However, according to one LDS source, James William's father died in 1845 at the home of James E. Rice. Mary and her son were probably living with James Rice prior to 1850. It is unknown why Mary is not listed in the census.]

James' land in Circleville in 1844 and 1858 can be located on modern maps of Circleville, Ohio. According to The Democrat & Watchman, a Circleville, Ohio newspaper ..dated February 2, 1877, (Source: OH.61 Scrap., Pickaway County Genealogy Library, Circleville, Ohio), James amassed a large amount of property, in Pickaway County and in Kansas.

According to History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties , published by Williams Bros, 1880, p. 201, “In 1851, the (County Savings) Institute was merged into the Pickaway County bank, a corporation organized under the act to authorize free banking, passed March 21, 1851, by the general assembly of the State of Ohio, with capital stock of $200,000.” James E. Rice was one of the five members of the board of directors.

The 1860 Census for Pickaway County, Ohio shows that James was 66 years of age. [Note: His age would have actually been ~63 if he was born in 1797]. He was a farmer. The value of his real estate was $24,000 and his personal estate was $8,000. Anthony (#23) was 28, Jane was 25, and Elisabeth was 22. [Note: In 1860, Jane would have been 27 (born 1833) and Elizabeth (born 1840) would have been 20]. James Williams (20) was a farm laborer.

According to History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties , published by Williams Bros, 1880, p. 201,“On the tenth of October, 1863, the stockholders of the Pickaway County bank accepted of the provisions of the ‘act to provide a national currency, secured by the pledge of the United states bonds,’ and organized under it as the First National bank of Circleville, with a capital stock increased to $260,000.” James E. Rice was one of the six members of the board of directors.

The 1870 Census for Pickaway County, Ohio shows that James is 73 years old. He was a farmer. The value of his real estate is $36,500 and the value of his personal estate is $32,000. Jane, his 35 year old daughter, lives at home with her father and is keeping house. [Note: Jane would have been 37 years old unless research done by Russell Leach is incorrect. His research shows that she was born 3 April 1833]. Mipomi Imler (16) is a house keeper. James Williams (25) has married Eliza B. (23) and they have a daughter, Ida May (aged 1 month.) [Note: if James Williams was 10 in the 1850 census and 20 in the 1860 census, the 1870 census is incorrect. In 1870, he would have been 30]. According to History of Pickaway County, Ohio And Representative Citizens, Edited and Compiled by Hon. Aaron R. Van Cleaf, published by Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1906, page 734, James Williams married Eliza Ben Steely on 6 October, 1868. [ Note: Eliza was the daughter of Susanna Rebecca Steely (#24)'s (Anthony Rice (#23) 's wife's) first cousin, Benjamin.] Eliza's lineage: Ulrich Steely (#185) > Gabriel (#93) and Mary (Meek) (#94) Steely > John and Margaret (Emerson) Steely > Benjamin and Elizabeth/Eliza (Driesbach) Steely > Eliza Ben Steely. [Susanna Rebecca Steely's lineage: Ulrich Steely (#185) > Gabriel (#93) and Mary (Meek) (#94) Steely > Meek Steely (#47) and Martha (McCutchen)(#48) Steely > Susanna Rebecca Steely (#24). ]

According to The Democrat & Watchman February 2, 1877 (OH.61 Scrap., Pickaway County Genealogy Library, Circleville, Ohio), James became sick on January 20th, while attending the funeral of his daughter, Mrs. Reuben Pontious. James had "been a Director of First National Bank, of Circleville, many years." He died at the end of January 1877 at 79 years of age.

In Abstracts of Wills, Pickaway County, Ohio: Books 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1808-1892, p. 221 James’ will “Mentions children, Ellen wife of George Moore and their dau’s Ellen and Engine, land in Shawneece Kansas, Mary widow of Manuel Dresback and their son William; James, William, Anthony C., Jane, Margaret Pontius and Elizabeth Shelby. Exct. sons James, William and Anthony C. Made May 11, 1869. Prob. Feb 13, 1877. Wit’s Joseph and Martha Hassenflug.”

The 1877 Executor's bond document lists the executors of the estate and the probate process for the estate. The document titled "Distribution of the Estate of James E. Rice", describes the details of those who received cash payments in 1877 and 1878, and included: Elizabeth Shelby, A. C. Rice (#23) , James Rice, William Rice, Jane Rice, Reuben Pontius, Mary Dresback, and James Williams.

JAMES E. RICE
BORN MAY 15, 1797
DIED JAN. 29, 1877
AGED
79 Y’RS 5 M’S 14 D’S
__________
JANE,
WIFE OF
JAMES E. RICE
BORN OCT. 19, 1801
DIED SEPT. 27, 1844
AGED
42 Y’RS, 11 M’S 8 D’S

Stones resembling footstones and labeled "Father" and "Mother" are in front of this tombstone and may be the original markers for their burial site.

Event	Date	James' age
Birth	1797	0
War of 1812	1812-1815	15 - 18
Marriage	1819	22
Children's births	1825 -1843	28 - 46
Son A. C. Rice (#23) birth	1831	34
Death of wife	1844	47
Civil War	1861 - 1865	64 - 68
Death	1877	~ 80