Rhoda A. Fletcher was born 4 June 1828 in Montgomery County, Kentucky. She was the second of nine children born to Fielding Fletcher and Elizabeth Sharpe. The Fletcher family lived near the border where four counties meet—Montgomery, Bath, Bourbon and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky. Rhoda lived in three of these counties during her lifetime, as well as Fleming which was just east of both Nicholas and Bath Counties. She also spent a brief time living in Missouri.
Rhoda’s father lived near Somerset Creek, which flowed from southern Montgomery County, and emptied into Hinkston Creek on the eastern border of the county.
The church the family attended when Rhoda was a girl was near the city of Mount Sterling in Montgomery County. This was an historically important church. Rhoda was born during the Second Great Awakening (1790-1870), when religion was the most important topic of discussion. Kentucky was a hot spot for the the new Restoration movement, which some describe as the oldest ecumenical movement in America. John “Raccoon” Smith was a preacher at the church that Rhoda attended, and during her early childhood he became a leader in the movement in western Kentucky. Rhoda’s family was therefore heavily influenced by his preaching to embrace the new faith.
The Restoration movement wanted to do away with creeds and rituals that tended to divide christian churches. They tried to bring the church back to essentials upon which all christians could agree—faith in Christ, baptism by immersion for the remission of sin, and close adherence to scriptural teachings. John “Raccoon” Smith had united Rhoda’s parents in marriage just a few years before her birth. Rhoda was undoubtedly highly influenced by his preaching.
While Rhoda spent her early life attending the Mt. Sterling church, when she was about nine years of age, her family moved to Bath County. They spent a brief period of years living in Bath County, near Flat Creek, before moving north into Nicholas County where they lived just south of the city of Carlisle. They still lived near the border between Bath County and Nicholas County, which is how Rhoda met and fell in love with Hansford Hawkins who was resident in the northern part of Bath County. They would have registered their marriage at the county courthouse in Carlisle, and married at the Old Concord Church just nine miles south of Carlisle.
Hansford Hawkins to Rhoda Ann Fletcher 5 Jun 1849
[Nicholas County, Kentucky marriages 1799-1855 compiled by Robert E. & Phyllis J. Selby]
The following Bible record identifies the children of Hansford and Rhoda Fletcher:
HAWKINS FAMILY BIBLE RECORD
First owned by Hansford Hawkins. Now in possession of Mrs. Anna Donaldson, Flemingsburg, KY.
Copied by William M. Talley
Births
Hawkins, Hansford was born the 9th day of Dec., 1820.
Fletcher, Rhodiann was born the 4th day of June, 1828.
Their children:
Hawkins, William Woles was born the 12th day of April, 1850.
Hawkins, Francis Ellen was born the 17th day of June, 1852.
Hawkins, John Jefferson was born the 14th day of Nov., 1854.
Hawkins, Mary Elizabeth was born the 19th day of Sept., 1857.
Hawkins, Harvey Breckenridge was born the 17th day of Apr., 1860.
Hawkins, Matilda Jane was born the 5th day of Jan., 1868.
Hawkins, James Fielden was born the 9th day of Jan., 1866.
Hawkins, Tones Madeson was born the 13th day of June, 1869.
Hawkins, Clisty Emily was born the 3rd day of Jan., 1873.
Deaths
Hawkins, Hansford died Oct. the 18th, 1908.
Hawkins, Rhodiann died Jan. 8th, 1911, aged 82 yrs., 7 mos., and 4 ds.
Hawkins, Hansford, of KY., and Rhodiann Fletcher, of KY., married on the 4th day of June, 1849, at Nicholas County by John Dyle. In the presence of James M. Hawkins and Arch Prater.
(Note by J. F. Hawkins: “John Hawkins was father of Hansford. John is thought to have married a Rogers. John’s father came from Ireland.”)
Pasted from <http://www.kykinfolk.com/fleming/biblehawkins.htm>
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| The blue dotted line traces the path that the family traveled while traveling from Bath County, Kentucky to Adair County, Missouri, a journey of about 562 miles. |
The family settled in Bath County, Kentucky after their marriage, where they lived for many years. In 1857, they moved to Adair County, Missouri, to take advantage of the land prices there. There three of their children were born. They stayed in Missouri for about ten years, through the terrible ferment of the Civil War. They returned to Kentucky shortly after the war ended, purchasing land in Poplar Plains, Fleming County, Kentucky. This was about twenty miles north of where they had lived after their marriage.
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| Rhoda (Fletcher) Hawkins in the household of son James Hawkins for the 1910 Census in Poplar Plains District, Fleming County, Kentucky |
Here Rhoda lived out the rest of her life in the Poplar Plains area. The family thrived there, and continued to grow. Rhoda lost her husband in 1908. Their son James Hawkins and family moved into the family estate, where Rhoda can be found in his household in the 1910 Census.
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