Writing a Family History

No single person knows the story of a family, especially a family as large, diverse, and scattered as ours. We all have had the experience of going to reunions and dinners and get-togethers and hearing tales of our relatives and ancestors -- about what Aunt Gertrude cooked for dinner, or about that revival Uncle John preached in Buffalo back in the 40s, or how Grandaddy Will became a Texas State Senator, or how Cousin Bill bought the ranch in Murfreesboro, or how Baby Joanna got left behind when her family moved to a new town.

Any family history is really a thousand tales all mixed together and told from a hundred viewpoints. This web site is our first real opportunity to collect and publish some of those tales in one place, sharing our memories, dreams, and emotions. You can help to create this collective narrative by writing down a story of your own and sending it to:

Andrew Himes
4669 Eastern Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98103

A Letter from Frances Thomas about Rice Family History

This is the letter in which Frances first proposed that we create a web site for the descendents of Will Rice. After several months of procrastination and excuse-manufacturing, I finally found the discipline and fortitude to do something about her fabulous idea. -- Andrew Himes

January, 1997

Dear Andy,

What a nice surprise to find your email after returning home from a short trip! The last time I talked with you was at the Rice reunion at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Of course, I remember you and Alix. In ‘93 Alix was working on a CD about dogs, and you were working for Microsoft. I’m sure much has happened in your lives since then.

My genealogical research on our Rices hasn’t progressed much. Actually, I have just pushed it aside for the time being because I wasn’t getting anywhere with it. I can’t seem to get farther back than my GGG grandfather (your GGGG grandfather), John Rice Sr. who probably died soon after writing his will in 1811 in Hawkins Co., Tenn.

Earliest Known Rice Ancestor

John Rice Sr. named 12 children in his will, and I suspect that he listed them in birth order; otherwise, I think he probably would have grouped the sons together and the daughters together. The 9^th individual named in the will was my GG grandfather, Dangerfield Rice. I know by researching census, deed and court records that Dangerfield Rice was born in 1775, but I can’t say where. His birthplace may have been Virginia, or it could possibly have been North Carolina. He definitely lived in Hawkins Co., Tenn. because that is where he married his first wife, Margaret Looney. She died there and he then married Nancy Brown.

Dangerfield and Duck River

Dangerfield and Nancy Rice lived for a time in Bedford Co., Tennessee, on the Duck River near Shelbyville. I think that is where my G grandfather, James Porter Rice was born in 1816. Dangerfield, Nancy, and the younger children moved to Missouri, arriving there about the time the territory achieved statehood in 1821. They settled in what was then called Lillard Co., Missouri but later became Lafayette Co. Dangerfield Rice died there in 1827 and supposedly was buried on or near his farm. I have not been able to determine the exact location.

Captain Rice, Confederate Guerrilla

James Porter Rice lived in both Lafayette and Johnson counties. During the Civil War he served as Captain in Company E, 10^th Missouri Cavalry. It was during the war that federal orders were issued forcing families in an area east of Kansas City to evacuate. This included the family of James Porter Rice.

The Rices loaded everything they could carry onto two oxcarts. Everything else had to be abandoned. They and just about all the residents of the community in which they lived, began a perilous journey to relocate because battles continued to be fought all around them.

Rices Arrive in Texas

The Rices traveled southward and entered Texas somewhere near presentday Texarkana. Following the Red River to Fannin Co., they settled at the little community of Savoy. After the war had ended, James Porter Rice joined them there. Later, he moved his family to Weatherford in Parker Co., Texas. This is where he died in 1892.

William Henry Rice, my grandfather, was the son of James Porter Rice. He was born in 1859 in Missouri and died in 1930. He is buried in Decatur, Texas.

This is just a short family sketch. Perhaps, one of these days, I’ll take up the search again and try to find answers to remaining questions, such as:

I’ve thought of trying to write a book detailing what I have learned about our family’s history, but there is still much research to be done.

Thanks for writing. I’d like to hear from you again. Maybe our family should establish a web site in order to exchange news and information more easily.

Frances Thomas (your first cousin once removed)
1904 Detroit Ave.
Nederland, TX 77627