Counties of Morgan, Monroe and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical.
Charles Blanchard, Editor. Chicago: F. A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1884. 

MORGAN COUNTY
ADAMS TOWNSHIP
PAGE 313

JOSEPH W. RHEA, farmer and attorney, was born in Washington County,
Va., December 28, 1825, and is one of ten children born to George G. and
Dorcas (Lowrey) Rhea, a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in this
volume.  Joseph W. Rhea, the subjcet of our sketch, received a good common
school education in youth, and was employed on his father's farm until he was
seventeen years old.  He then attended an academy in Washington County, Va.,
for three years, after which he taught in Virgina for six months.  In the fall of
1847, he removed to Jefferson County, Ky., where he taught continuously for
five years, near Louisville.  In the fall of 1852, he came to Adams Township,
Morgan County, Ind., where he built the first dwelling house on the site of the
present village of Eminence, which was laid out the following year.   Here he
engaged in general merchandising for two years, when he sold the store and 
went to East Tennessee to visit his father, whom he brought with him on his
return to this townshp and county.  In the spring of 1855, he moved onto a 
partially improved farm of ninety-five acres, one-half mile north of Eminence,
where he has since resided.  To this farm he has added till he now owns some
500 acres.  Soon after he came to Adams Township, he was elected Justice
of the Peace, which office he held continously for thirteen years.  He purchased
a law library and commenced the study of law, which profession he has prac-
ticed since with excellent success.  He was regularly admitted to the bar in 
1874.  He also  taught school nearly every winter from 1855 to 1879.
He was first married in March, 1852, to Sirrintha A. Odair, a native of Jeff-
erson County, Ky.  To this union were born three children, two sons and one
daughter.  Mrs. Rhea died in May, 1864.  She was a member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church.  Mr. Rhea was next married in December, 1864, to
Elizabeth Shoemaker, a native of this township and county.  Two children--
one son and one daughter--blessed their union. In politics, Mr. Rhea is a
Democrat.  In 1872, he was a candidate for the Lower House of the State
Legislature.  Mr. Rhea is one of the pioneeers and prominent citizens of the
county.  The grandsire of our suject was one of several brothers, who emi-
grated from Ireland to the United States, all of whom then spelled their name
Ray, but he, our subject's grandfather, became acquainted with a certain 
school teacher, who advised him to change the spelling of the name to Rhea, 
which he did, and so his descendants have spelled it ever since;  but the other 
brothers and their descendants still spell the name Ray.

Data Entry Volunteer:  Diana Flynn 

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