"And Never Again Heard From"

RHODES: Captain Holden Rhodes and Susannah Wall were the parents of nine children, two girls and seven boys. The girls lived into middle or old age. Such was not the case for the boys. Only one, Holden, reached forty. The other six died between the ages of 14 and 34. The fates of three of the boys [Daniel, Wanton and Samuel] has yet to be determined. The remaining four [Holden, Isaac, Zachariah and Perry] were taken by the sea.

Holden was lost at sea on a voyage to London in 1811. Isaac died in the coast of Guinea or Jamaica in 1800.

Zachariah was born in Rhode Island, but found his way to the port of Baltimore. He married Harriet Cunningham in 1810. Daughter Ann Bathia was born in 1812. The Rhodes family resided at in the Baltimore waterfront community of Fells' Point.

Zachariah's story had been related by his grandson, Isaac Prall, in a short history of the Rhodes, Cunningham, Rittenhouse and Prall families. Isaac gave no dates and provided some misinformation as well. According to Isaac, the ship piloted by Rhodes was the Polix and Castor.

After finding bits and pieces of the story in Descendants of Roger Williams and The Life and Times of Samuel Gorton, the lasts details fell into place during a visit to the NEHG Society Library courtesy of The Holden Family in America, Vol. VII.

 Zachariah Rhodes was the captain of the schooner Hannah. He had been joined in Baltimore by his youngest brother, Perry, who served as Zachariah's first mate. The Hannah left Baltimore on 14 August 1815 for Puerto Rico, "never again to be heard from."

Harriet Cunningham Rhodes died about 1818. Ann was taken in by her aunt and uncle, Bathia Cunningham and Ralph Porter. Porter was also a sea captain. Captain Porter died in 1822. Bathia and Ann moved to Harford Co., Maryland shortly thereafter.