John Rhea Letter to James Shields
This collection consists of one handwritten letter from John Rhea to James Shields in Greeneville, Tennessee circa December 1812. In his letter, Rhea updates Shields on issues related to the War of 1812.
Dates
- circa 1812 December
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
This collection consists of one handwritten letter from John Rhea to James Shields in Greeneville, Tennessee circa December 1812. In his letter, Rhea updates Shields on issues related to the War of 1812.
Biographical/Historical Note
James Shields was born on November 8, 1757 to William (1728-1797) and Jane Bentley Williams Shields (1736-1828). He married Jane Montgomery, widow of his brother Samuel Shields and mother to his two nephews and niece. Following Jane's death in 1837, Shields married Jane Gilliland (1764-1849) and together they had eleven children. Shields died in 1840.
John Rhea was born in 1753 in Ireland before immigrating to Pennsylvania at 16. He moved to East Tennessee in 1778 and attended Princeton College and served in the Patriot militia. He worked as a clerk for Sullivan County in what was the proposed State of Franklin from 1785 to 1790. He served as a member to the North Carolina House of Commons and as a delegate to the convention for the ratification for the Federal Constitution. Rhea was admitted to the bar in 1789 and became the Attorney General for Greene County while serving as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He served in Congress from 1803 to 1815 and again in 1817 to 1823 after being appointed U.S. commissioner to the Choctaw Nation. Rhea County, Tennessee was named in his honor. He died on May 27, 1832.
Arrangement
This collection consists of one folder.
Acquisition Note
This material was purchased by Special Collections in 1986.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository