RHODA RAY "Aunt Rhoda"

Rhoda Ray, called "Aunt Rhoda," was born a slave about 1824.  At the age of 14, she was given as a wedding gift to Roxanna for her marriage to William Steele. When John Ray purchased the Steele estate in 1851, it included the slaves. In the 1860 Federal census, Rhoda was listed as having 4 daughters. "Aunt" Rhoda and her children lived in slave quarters behind the house. Although freed in 1865, Rhoda resided with the Rays until 1876 when she moved to Springfield. There she met and married John Jones, a stone quarry worker. She died in Springfield, Nov 4, 1897.  She is buried in Hazelwood Cemetery.

During the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Rhoda and her children took shelter in the cellar of the Ray house, then helped treat the wounded after the battle when the house was used as a field hospital for the Southern troops.

John Ray was a "typical" slaveholder in Missouri in the 1860's, a small farmer.  According to Michael Fellman's book Inside War, the average number of slaves per slaveholder in the state was 4.66.