Revolutionary Privateer

RHODES: The Rhodes family of Rhode Island was allied with many prominent families of that colony: Arnold, Waterman, Williams, Remington, Greene, Gorton and Holden among them.

Holden Rhodes would do his heritage proud:

Holden Rhodes, an only child, was born to Holden Rhodes, Sr. and Mary Remington at Warwick in September of 1750. He married Susannah Wall, daughter of William Wall and Patience Pierce, on 12 March 1768 in Warwick, Rhode Island. The couple had nine children born between 1769 and 1792. [There is a discrepancy in the date of the marriage. Arnold records the date as 12 May 1769, while Bamberg gives the date as 19 May 1769.

Holden Rhodes was listed as the head of a household in the 1774 Rhode Island Census with one male above 16, one male under 16, one female above 16, and two females under 16. At that time, Holden [24] and Susanna [24] were the parents of Mary [5], Holden [3], and Ann [newborn].

With the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Holden chose to side with the patriot cause, as did many of his relatives. The foundling nation did not have a navy and had to rely on privateers to act in that regard. Holden Rhodes served his country as a prize master*aboard at least two vessels.

Holden was prize master aboard the sloop "Joseph" on 15 August 1776. The sloop based in Providence was entered "50 tons, 6 guns, 10 swivels, 45 men: Capt. John Field, 1st Lieut. William Ham, 2nd Lieut. _____ Anthony, Master Nathaniel Coddington, Prize-Master Holden Rhodes." While prize master aboard the "Satisfaction", Holden was captured and committed to Forten Prison from 27 July 1778 until his exchange on 11 December 1779.

Forten Prison was located at Gosport near Portsmouth, England. It was one of two prisons in England, along with Mill Prison at Plymouth, where American prisoners were housed. The prison was originally a privately built Naval Hospital, Fortune Hospital. When the British government built its own Naval Hospitals, Fortune was closed. The building and surrounding neighborhood became known as Forten when it was converted into a military prison. The site of the old prison is now a hospital for Sea Cadets at the H.M.S. St. Vincent Naval Training School.
After the Revolutionary War, Holden remained a mariner. Rhodes was master of the sloop "Sally", owned by Jonathan Gorton of Warwick, on 14 December 1792. On 4 November 1793, Holden Rhodes was master of the sloop "Friendship", owned by Charles Briggs of East Greenwich. He was again master of the "Sally" [owned by Charles Briggs] on 11 June 1795.

Tension was again building between the U.S. and Great Britain in the 1790s. Britain was again at war with France. In an effort to fill out the crews of their ships, the British impressed [kidnapped] U.S. seaman to serve in the Royal Navy. In an effort to combat this act, Congress required customs officials to register seamen serving aboard U.S. vessels. The men were issued a "Seaman's Protection Certificate" which vouched for his citizenship and included a physical description. On 8 December 1796, Holden Rhodes was issued a Seaman's Protection Certificate [Book 1, p. 22], which listed him as age 46, with light complexion, and born in Warwick, Rhode Island. Sons Isaac, Samuel R., and Perry were also issued certificates.

The 1790 Federal census shows Holden Rhodes as the head of a household in Warwick, Kent Co., Rhode Island with 2 free white males over 16, 5 free white males under 16, and 5 free white females. In 1800 the Kent Co., Rhode Island Census lists the Holden Rhodes household with the following: 1 male under 10, 2 males 10 - 16, 1 male 16 -26, 1 male over 45, 1 female 26 - 45, 1 female over 45.

The seafaring life was not friendly to the Rhodes family. Of the six sons born to Holden and Susanna, at least four, Holden, Isaac, Zachariah, and Perry, were lost to the sea. Susanna Wall Rhodes died in 1806 and Holden in 1809.

* Prize master: officer in charge or command of a captured vessel. [atasegment.com - online dictionary]