Ollie C. Rhinehart

Ollie C. Rhinehart, daughter of William Dearnald Rhinehart and Roda Elizabeth Sneed was born August 1888 in Tennessee, most likely Sevier County. She was the second child of five—Sarah “Malonia” Rhinehart, Ollie C. Rhinehart, James (Jim) Daniel Rhinehart, Arlie Mack Rhinehart, and Hattie Jane Rhinehart. She is my 2nd great-aunt with our nearest common relatives being her parents, my 2nd great-grandparents. Her sister Hattie is my great-grandmother.

The Rhinehart family. Ollie is probably the young woman on the left in the back row.

On June 11, 1900, Ollie and her family lived in Civil District 13 of Sevier County, Tennessee. Her parents had been married 14 years. Her mother was enumerated as having had five children, all of which were living. Her father was a farmer and her brother James (10), a farm laborer. Ollie and her sister Malonia, enumerated as Sarah M., could both read but not write. James was unable to read or write. 

Ollie lost her father William when she was 19 years old and he 44. His death occurred on April 19, 1908 in Sevierville, Sevier County, Tennessee. William was buried at Catons Chapel Cemetery in Sevierville. 

On April 29, 1910, Ollie (21), lived in a rented farm in Civil District 13 of Sevier County with her widowed mother, brothers James (20) and Arlie (17, enumerated as Arley), sister Hattie (16), and Hattie’s husband James “Stewart” Shields (18). Hattie and Stewart were newlyweds, married for one year. Ollie’s mother was enumerated as a farmer on a general farm, Ollie and James as farm laborers on a home farm, and Arlie and Stewart as farm laborers working out (I assume that means working outside of their farm). Hattie was the only person in the home not working. Except for Ollie, everyone in the home could read and write. Ollie’s sister Malonia, enumerated as Lona, lived next door with her husband Ashley Sutton and their infant daughter Georgia. 

Ollie was married to George Walter “Tobe” Matthews, son of John Henry Matthews and Margaret J “Peggy” Sutton. I have been unable to find a marriage record but it probably took place sometime between August 1910 and 1911. I am able to document five children born to this couple—Melvin Matthews, William Arley Matthews, John Leonard Matthews, Hattie Lee Mathews, and Robert Matthews. Ollie gave two of her children Rhinehart family names—Arley, probably after her brother Arlie Mack Rhinehart, and Hattie, after her sister named earlier. Melvin, William, John, and Hattie were born fairly close together, between 1912 and 1918. There was a 10-year age difference between Hattie and Robert with Hattie’s birth occurring in 1918 and Robert’s in 1928.

About 1914, Ollie’s sister Malonia and her family moved to Whitfield County, Georgia. It is believed that Malonia had cancer of some sort and was very sick. The move was made so family in Georgia could help take care of her, but sadly, Malonia died on November 25, 1916. She was buried at Deep Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia at the age of 29.

On January 9, 1920, Ollie, husband Tobe, and children Melvin (8), William (6), John (4 3/12), and Hattie (2 5/12) lived in Civil District 13, District 152, of Sevier County. Her husband was enumerated as Tobe Mathes, working as a farmer on a general farm. Neither Tobe or Ollie could read or write. None of the children attended school at the time.

On April 21, 1930, Ollie and her family lived in Sevierville. The census enumerator noted that Ollie was 21 and Tobe 20 when they married. Tobe and their 19-year-old son William were laborers on a farm; Ollie was not working. Three other children lived in the home—John (14), Hattie, enumerated as Lee (12), and Robert (2 4/12). Tragically, Ollie died four years later, in Sevierville on July 24, 1934. The doctor, who last saw her on July 19, recorded pellagra of the bowels as cause of death. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “pellagra is a disease caused by a deficiency of niacin, otherwise known as vitamin B3” and is a “form of malnutrition.” Her brother James Rhinehart, was the informant on her death certificate. Ollie was buried at Catons Chapel Cemetery in Sevierville on July 25. She was 45 years old and had spent her adult life as a housewife and mother. Her youngest child, Robert, was only 6 years old.

References

• Allie Matthews, Tennessee, Deaths and Burials Index, 1874-1955, Ancestry.com.
• John H. Mathes and Margaret J. Sutton, Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002.
• Mrs. Ollie Matthews Certificate of Death 16503, State of Tennessee, State Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics.
• Pellagra, Overview, What is pellagra?, Cleveland Clinic; https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23905-pellagra. 
• Personal memories via email from Carol Defore to Jennifer Roberts, June 8, 2001.
• U.S. Federal Census, Civil District 13, Sevier County, Tennessee, 1900, 1910, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, District 4, Sevier County, Tennessee, 1930.
• William Matthews Certificate of Death 32125, State of Tennessee, State Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics.