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45. James E. Rice ( Married Jane McLaughlin (Jane Black According to LDS) (46), 30 December 1819, Ross County, Ohio (Jane died in 1844 according to her tombstone); According to Russell Leach, 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 this source, she was born 1 August 1791. [Note: records are confusing. Susan Snyder questions whether or not James had a second wife. The obituary of James and Jane's son Anthony 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 would have been Jane's son. The 1850, 1860, and 1870 census for Pickaway County do not list a wife for James. James and Jane did have a daughter named Elizabeth.]

Born: 15 May 1797 of Unknown Father (89) & Unknown Mother (90) in Vermont (Source of information: census reports).

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)

 

[His siblings, if any, are unknown.]

Miscellaneous: According to 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 fought in the War of 1812. There is a medallion at his burial site. He is listed in the Roll of Capt. Isaac Butler’s Company and 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. He was 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.]

 

James 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 of 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.

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.]

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 (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.]

 

A map dated 1844 of Pickaway Township in Pickaway County shows that James owned land in Section 11. A map dated 1858 of Pickaway Township in Pickaway shows that he now owned additional acres of land in section 11 and in 10. Also note that the 1844 and 1858 maps show land owned by M. Steely in section 11. James E. Rice's son (Anthony C. Rice) would marry Meek Steely's daughter (Susanna Rebecca Steely) on 12 March 1861.

 

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 (19) was living at home, as were his 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, Ilinois, 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 ]. He was a farmer. The value of his real estate was $24,000 and his personal estate was $8000. Anthony was 28, Jane was 25, and Elisabeth was 22. [Note: In 1850, 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, Ilinois, 1906, page 734, James Williams married Eliza Ben Steely on 6 October, 1868. [ Note: Eliza was the daughter of Susanna Rebecca Steely's (Anthony Rice's wife's) first cousin, Benjamin.] Eliza's lineage: Ulrich Steely>Gabriel and Mary (Meek) Steely>John and Margaret (Emerson) Steely>Benjamin and Elizabeth/Eliza (Driesbach) Steely>Eliza Ben Steely. [Susanna Rebecca Steely's lineage: Ulrich Steely>Gabriel and Mary (Meek) Steely>Meek and Martha (McCutchen) Steely> Susanna Rebecca Steely.]

 

According to The Democrat & Watchman February 2, 1877 (OH.61 Scrap., Pickaway County Genealogy Library, Circleville, Ohio), James had "been a Director of First National Bank, of Circleville, many years."

 

Also according to The Democrat & Watchman, (Source: OH.61 Pickaway Genealogical Library, Circleville, OH), James became sick on January 20th, while attending the funeral of his daughter, Mrs. Reuben Pontious. 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.”

In the document titled "Distribution of the Estate of James E. Rice", those who received cash payments in 1877 and 1878 included: Elizabeth Shelby, A. C. Rice, James Rice, William Rice, Jane Rice, Reuben Pontius, Mary Dresback, and James Williams.

 

Below: Photographs of James' and his wife, Jane's, tombstones. Photographs were taken on 29 August 2001 by Susan Snyder.