Rice Family Monument

The Johnson County Historical and Genealogical Society is sponsoring a monument program for the first families of Johnson County. 2003 will bring the Rice Family Monument. As a part of Reunion 2003, a dedication ceremony will be held Sunday July 13 at 1 pm. The basic goal for each family monument is $1,000. Should the donations not reach that dollar amount, then a smaller stone will be purchased with the donated funds. Should the donations exceed that amount, the remainder will be carried over to the next year’s first family monument. We hope to have many of the Rice descendants in town for this special dedication. Below is a little history on Samuel and Phoebe Hitchcock Rice.

Samuel, along with his sister Fanny and brother John came to Floyd Co about 1810 and settled on the headwaters of Jennie's Creek by 1815. Samuel was born about 1791 in Virginia and died in Johnson Co. Ky. about 1870. In 1815 Samuel married Phoebe Hitchcock, daughter of John and Temperance Hitchcock. Phoebe was born in 1798. Samuel was a very influential person in Floyd,( Johnson) Co and owned hundreds of acres of land. His son in law, Elijah Bayes was a United Baptist Minister and he influenced Samuel to deed land where the Beech Wall Church now stands near Leander on Jennies Creek. The children of Samuel and Phoebe were Margaret "Peggy", Isaac, John, Andrew Jackson, Nancy, Lydia, William, Phoebe Ellen, George Washington, Wallace B, Samuel K and Marion. These children are from a book by John Haden Rice, "Aukers, Conley, Rice, Stambaugh and  Witten" These children married into many different families and Samuel and Phoebe can claim hundreds of descendants scattered all over the world.

Donations can be sent to: Mrs. Pat Patton, Johnson Co. Library, Main St. Paintsville, Ky. 41240, or Johnnie H. Lemaster, 6221, Kyle Ct., Ashland, Ky. 41102. John can be reached also by email at: jlem@netacs.net

The 2004 family to be honored will be determined by Mr. Lemaster and Mrs. Patton and other JCHGS members yet to be determined. More consideration will be given to families with reunions planned for the summer of 2004 along with their willingness to assist in the program.