Matthew Rodham
Roem...@aol.com
In regard to Matthew Rodham: I don't know much about him. In 1993 a
friend of mine, Willa Mac (Duncan) Coulter, published a hefty tome (860 pages)
titled "Some Families of Revolutionary War Patriots from Virginia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Kentucky." Gateway Press, Inc.
Baltimore, MD, 1993. Lib. of Congress Catalog Card No. 93-73281.
Names she wrote on were Duncan, Miller, Coulter, Fleming, Pomeroy, Junkin,
Harned, Galloway, Hartley, Weatherholt, Crawford, Mason, Pate, Moorman,
Adams, Lewis, Clark, Johnston, Walker, Martin, Reynolds, Head, Long, Seaton,
Kenner, Thompson, Greenwell, Bonum, Philpot, Eskridge, Spence, Youell,
Sturman, Howson, Lee, Constable, and Rodham. Of these, seventeen were surnames
of my colonial ancestors; i.e., Moorman, Adams, Lewis, Clark, Johnston,
Walker, Martin, Reynolds, Seaton, Kenner, Bonum, Philpot, Eskridge, Howson,
Lee, Constable, and Rodham.
Of these, my families were Moorman, Adams, Lewis, Clark, Johnston, Walker,
Martin, Reynolds, Seaton, Kenner, Bonum, Philpot, Eskridge, Howson, Lee,
Constable, and Rodham. One of the lineage charts in the book, No. 16, is
one I sent her but she mistakenly attributed it to one Mr. E. B. English, Jr.
I don't believe she gave anything on the ancestry of Matthew Rodham. I
will write a few of her comments about him, which you may already know.
P. 525, "Matthew Rodham was one of the colorful characters who was a part
of the history of Kent Island. For the intriguing history of the Isle of
Kent, located off the coast of Virginia, see pages 35 and 36 of the also
intriguing volume "The Stronghold, A Story of Historic Northern Neck of
Virginia and Its People, by Miriam Haynie, The Dietz Press, Inc., Richmond, VA,
1959."
The following quote is on page 14: ..."Matthew Rodham was one of 73 free
men on Kent Island in 1642 and was summoned to attend the General
Assembly...
"The land granted to Matthew Rodham was described as being on the western
shore of Chesapeake Bay across from Kent Island. That location would be in
present day Ann Arundel County which was formed in 1650...
'In 1664 Matthew Rhodon (sic) and his wife, Elizabeth, executed a deed of
gift to Richard Kenner, "in consideration of a marriage already had between
Elizabeth my daughter and sd. Richard Kenner, ye plantation whereon I now
live in ye county of Northumberland, 750 acres...
"A biography of Matthew Rodham is included in an article by C. D. Cochran
in The Bulletin of the Northumberland County Historical Society, Vol. XII,
1975, F 232 N87 N8 v. 12, March 17, 1977, Virginia State Library
Bicentennial Issue."
It appears that this article is 26 pages, and some succeeding paragraphs by
Willa quote Cochran from these pages. One reference to Matthew, e.g.,
comes from one George Turtle giving testimony before the Court of Admiralty
about events of the previous year. Within the paragraph he mentions Matthew
Royden as articulate. (Matthew would have been about 17 at this time.)
Cochran says of use of the word "articulate," that this "indicated that
Rodham expressed himself well and was probably an educated man." He goes on to
say that "if Matthew Rodham was educated and had funds of his own, those
factors would have gone a long way in helping him gain acceptance in the
colony even though he was very young." Another reference by Cochran refers to
Matthew joining with his neighbors to sign the Oath of Allegiance to the
Commonwealth of England: "That document exists to this day and Matthew's
signature appears in a neat and precise hand. Many of his neighbors signed
with a mark, others wrote their name in a laborous scrawl."
Something else, Nat, that might be helpful. Coulter ( p. 527); From
Cochran: "Matthew Roadham (sic) was one of twenty-three men whose names appear
on a list dated April 3, 1638, "Entred by Capt. George Evelin for the Manor
of Evelinton in the Baronie of St. Maries." "Then in 1639 Matthew was
released from his covenant with Clobery & Company." "These are to Certify all
men whom it may concerne that Mathew Rhoden of the Isle of Kent in the
Province of Maryland planter hath served his full time of Service due by
Covenant with William Clobery & Company of London Merchants. Wittness my hand
this 28th day of October 1639." /s/ Leonard Calvert."
Nat, Might something be found in Clobery & Company records, if extant?
Matthew would have been very young, although I suppose many emigrants were
very young. But he was age 14 in 1634, so born in 1620.
Various spellings of Rodham in the Colonies acc. to Willa's book:
Royden, Rodan, Roden, Raiden, Roadham, Rhoden, Rhodon,
Re: surnames being used as "forenames" (first time I've seen this word),
"Rodham" and "Howson" are two examples in my ancestry. Willa writes (p.
526) that three of the known daughters of Matthew Rodham each named a son
Rodham.
Kay
Nathaniel Taylor
Roem...@aol.com wrote:
> Nat, Will says that Thomas Forster was not a Baronet.
Baronets as we know them came into existence in 1604, but the title was
used, ad hoc, a hundred odd years prior to that; I assumed it was a
mistake. But that is neither here nor there. You cannot assume any
medieval ancestors of Matthew Rodham without tracking down the sources
which prove his parentage.
> In regard to Matthew Rodham: I don't know much about him. In 1993 a
> friend of mine, Willa Mac (Duncan) Coulter, published a hefty tome (860
> pages)
> titled "Some Families of Revolutionary War Patriots from Virginia,
> Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Kentucky." Gateway Press, Inc.
> Baltimore, MD, 1993. Lib. of Congress Catalog Card No. 93-73281.
<...>
>
> P. 525, "Matthew Rodham was one of the colorful characters who was a part
> of the history of Kent Island. For the intriguing history of the Isle of
> Kent, located off the coast of Virginia, see pages 35 and 36 of the also
> intriguing volume "The Stronghold, A Story of Historic Northern Neck of
> Virginia and Its People, by Miriam Haynie, The Dietz Press, Inc., Richmond,
> VA,
> 1959."
>
These notes show only that Rodham was in VA as an indentured servant in
1638, that he was intelligent, and subsequently advanced in the colony.
Note that indentured servitude doesn't disprove the possibility of
Rodham belonging to a gentry family, but his articulateness or literacy,
or subsequent career, do not prove it either. Unless Cochran's article
gives concrete clues or even a reasoned conjecture for Matthew Rodham's
specific identity back in England, or unless any specific evidence has
been found and published since Cochran's article, there isn't anything
to go on here. I rather doubt that a 17th-c merchant company's records
with information relevant to the identity of early Virginia colonists
would still exist undiscovered at this point.
Nat Taylor
a genealogist's sketchbook:
http://www.nltaylor.net/sketchbook/
wjhonson
> Nat, Will says that Thomas Forster was not a Baronet.
>
Kay I did not say that Thomas Forster was not a Baronet. What I said
(I believe) is that is quite possible, even perhaps likely that you
might be confusing the term with another term "Knight Banneret" which
is a different thing.
That's why it's always a wise practice (not that I do this
consistently myself) to note your sources exactly at least. Then as a
follow-up to that, you can, return to those sources, and quote exactly
what they say. Or anyone else can after you. But without knowing the
sources, we cannot do that next step.
Will