November 16, 1999
More Information Courtesy of the Gibneys

Bob and Dorothy Gibney have been busy. Besides sending still more photos of various family members, Dorothy has been combing Catholic Church records in Newton and has come up with the full names of my grandfather's brothers and their birthdates.

But most amazing was her find that my grandfather Louis' given name was not Louis but LEUDOZICUS. Very unusual name.

August 30, 1999
Traffic to Site Increases!

The over 200 hits since August 9, 1999 is a marked increase in traffic, an average of nearly ten hits a day versus the average of one hit per day before the site was moved to Xoom! and added to the German/American Webring. More hits means more exposure.

August 17, 1999
More Photos Found!

Bob Gibney and wife Dorothy have unearthed many more family photos. One of the photos shows an unknown German gentleman wearing an Iron Cross. Markings on the back of the photo indicate it was taken in Graudenz, West Prusse (now Grudziadz, Poland).

August 9-11, 1999
Another Living Relative Found!

Ralph Reynolds, 86, son of my grandfather Louis' sister Mary May was found alive and well in Indiana. I found his address and telephone number on the Internet and my father contacted him. My father says he sounded alert and we're sending him some of our new forms to fill out with as much information as he can.

Moved Site to Xoom!

I decided to move the entire Rhoden Genealogy Site to Xoom! The Yahoo! GeoCities site was running out of room for additional photos and such and the Xoom! site offers much more space.

Joined German/American Webring

I also added the site to the German/American Webring to increase traffic to the site in hopes of sharing our family history with a wider audience and perhaps reaching additional Rhoden family members.

July 29, 1999
New Photo Unearthed!

Bob Gibney, son of my great-aunt Bertha Gibney neé Rhoden, continues to provide valuable information and now, a new photo. My father thinks Bob has much more to offer, but because of his age (78), we're taking it slow. How we'd like to get up to Wichita and help dig into his family memorabilia!

Bob provided my father with the name of the other daughter of Ernest and Flora. She is Mary May Reynolds neé Rhoden. I'll be adding new pages with information on my grandfather's siblings and their descendants very soon.

June 29, 1999
New Source Discovered!

In April, my father found another Rhoden descendant alive and well and living in Wichita. Robert F. Gibney, 78, son of my great-aunt Bertha Gibney neé Rhoden, has promised to pass on as much information as he can about his mother and other family members. He was an only child and a bachelor until he was in his sixties, when he married his wife Dorothy. Consequently, he is the last of the line on that branch of the family tree.

Also in April, I wrote a letter to and received a reply from my aunt Rose Tennyson neé Rhoden. She lives in Valley Center, Kansas with her husband Elvin. I have never met my aunt and, until this letter, had never communicated with her. She did not have much new information to share, but the contact was appreciated.

New Information on Ernest and Flora Rhoden

My father's correspondence with Bob Gibney has revealed new information on my great-grandparents.
Ernest Henry Rhoden was apparently born in West Prussia, Germany on November 13, 1846. He emigrated to the United States and arrived in Peabody, Kansas around 1880. According to a newspaper obituary, Ernest was a "Kansas pioneer" and "related to a number of families ranking high in the German aristocracy." He married Florentinea Gereolosky, or Flora, in 1883 in Newton, Kansas. She was also born in Germany, on December 23, 1866. Since she was only 16 at the time of her marriage, this leads me to believe she may have emigrated to the United States with other family. Ernest and Flora had six children: Louis, my grandfather, William, Arthur, Bertha, Anna, and another daughter name unknown.
Ernest died of the effects of a stroke around February 12, 1908 in Newton. Flora remarried (Issac Dawson) and passed away on November 3, 1933 in Newton.