William Hodge by Mildred Zschiesche
(C. Avis Catalog entry #435)
(Document ID #617)
William, the second son of Alexander and Ruth Hodge, was born ca. 1792 in Oglethorpe County Georgia. The family, after leaving Georgia in 1808, lived for a time in Tennessee, and then moved to Kentucky. Christian County was their home for about 7 years. Then, in the spring of 1815, they crossed the Mississippi River into what was then called the Missouri Territory. They settled on Spring River in what was later to become Lawrence County, Arkansas.
Here William married Margaret Welch, the date is unknown. The old records in Arkansas, which might throw some light on the matter, are closed to the public until after microfilming, which has been delayed. To this union two daughters were born, Mary, (Polly) in 1820, and Ruth in 1822. A short time later Margaret died.
William then married Rachel Marshall Houghes. Rachel, in Kentucky had first married a man named Houghes, but for reasons unknown, he soon disappeared from the scene. Rachel's 2 brothers were preparing to start for the Missouri Territory, so she bought a wagon, etc. and joined them. It is said she drove her own wagon through to Arkansas, accompanied by her little son. There she met William with his 2 baby girls. They were soon married, and when the Alexander Hodge wagon train started for Texas in 1824, they were part of it, arriving on the Brazos in December, 1825.
In November of 1826, William was killed by a falling tree, tradition says, while building a cabin. This occurred in what was later to become Brazoria County.
William's death left Rachel with the two little girls, her own little son, and a baby expected soon. On January 6th, 1827, Rachel gave birth to a son. She named him William, Jr. Sometime before 1828, Rachel married David Shelby, a prominent settler of Austin County. Alexander and Ruth took their two young granddaughters, and David and Rachel kept the baby and Rachel's little boy, and raised them along with their own children, which were numerous. WilliamÕs boyhood was spent in Austin and Fayette County.
When Alexander Hodge received his grant of land from Stephen F. Austin, his name was entered into the ledger as "Alexander Hodge and Heirs of Son" thus opening the way for Alexander to apply for, and receive an additional league of land in the children's name, located on the San Jacinto River. This land was left in Alexander's charge, until the children were to come of age. At the death of Alexander, his will passed the care of the two girls and this land to his son, Alexander Elliott Hodge. It remained in his care until the division of the children's estate in 1845.
In Fort Bend County, on January 17th, 1851, William Hodge, Jr. married Mary Eleanor Snedecer. To this union was born 3 sons, William A., James E., and Charles E., with 2 daughters, Lydia and Mary Eleanor. These 3 sons, along with William Jr. and Mary Eleanor, are buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, at Lake Victor, Burnet County, Texas.
The headstones at Pleasant Hill Cemetery read:
Wm. Hodge 1/6/1827-3/14/1910
Mary Eleanor Hodge 1/18/2802-3/30/1904
James E. Hodge 1/1/1855-7/27/1898
Mary Field Hodge 12/14/1865-5/13/1947
W. A. Hodge 10/13/1851-3/31/1923
E. D. Hodge 1/18/1856-12/28/1926
In 1907, William Hodge Jr. was the oldest living person born in Texas. In that year, he signed a statement for some of his half-sister Mary's descendants to get into the DAR. In this statement, he told of Alexander and William arriving in Texas in 1825, and of his fathers death in 1826. Mary, the oldest daughter, married Eli F. Ross, June 4th 1844 in Ft. Bend County. Her children were; Frances Catherine,William Brown, Ruth, Oscar Wade, Francis Marion, Benjamin, Mary Alice and John Allison. Mary died in May of 1855. Ruth, the youngest daughter, married Granville Rose in Ft. Bend County February 2nd 1845. She had separated from her husband at the time of Mary's death, so she married her sister's widower, and undertook the care of Mary's motherless children, the youngest of which was only about 6 weeks old. Ruth died in 1870, and she and her sister Mary are buried side-by-side in Ebenezer Cemetery, about 10 miles west of Huntsville, Texas. So, the two little girls, who shared an orphan's childhood, later shared the same husband, and mothered the same children, also share a common resting place. Much of what we know of the Hodge history today, is due to these two orphan girls. They must have had but the faintest memories of their parents, and it was perhaps for that very reason tales told them by their grandfather, and later by their uncle, were treasures to be passed on to the next generation. We can be thankful also, to members of the next generation, who were interested enough to set some of those tales down on paper.
The sources of this 1979 sketch of William Hodge and his children, are traditional material of the Ross, Shelby and Hodge families, backed by public records. I am a great granddaughter of Alexander Elliott Hodge, who served as guardian of his brother's children after the death of his father Alexander Hodge in 1836.
(Updated 1986)
Mildred Zschiesche
706 W. College
Comanche
Texas 76442