Some researchers have said that Charles Preston Rodes was the son of John W. Rhodes and Tabitha Pearson. I have recently found evidence that seems to indicate that he may have been the oldest son of Charles Rodes, Sr. and Jane Hopkins Rodes--or perhaps he had a different mother. In a chancery suit following the death of Charles Rodes, Sr. and William Henry Rodes (his son), a bill was submitted by a Dr. Iverson Twyman to the estate of William Henry Rodes regarding a professional visit he had made to William Henry Rodes at his brother Charles's house.... Charles P. Rodes was also summoned to court regarding the estate of William Henry Rodes. While there were other Charles P. Rodes in Nelson County at this time of this chancery suit, they were too young to have been summoned to court.

HOWEVER, Charles Rodes, Sr. did NOT mention a son by the name of Charles Preston Rodes in his will--but neither did John W. Rhodes. Also all of the known sons of Charles Rodes, Sr. were born in Nelson County (according to census records), but Charles Preston Rodes listed Albemarle County as his place of birth.

Despite these confusing issues, Charles Preston Rodes--husband of Ann Nelson Goodwin Rodes--was most certainly connected in some way to the sons of Charles Rodes, Sr. As a case in point, John Hopkins Rodes, a known son of Charles Rodes, Sr., named one of his sons Charles Preston Rodes. Greenberry Rodes, another known son of Charles Rodes, Sr., ALSO named one of his son Charles Preston Rodes! And Greenberry's son, Charles Preston Rodes, was given $500 in the will of Ann Nelson Rodes (widow of Charles Preston Rodes).

In another curious thing of note, the Rodes brothers--Benjamin, Greenberry, and John H.--all appear on the same page of the 1850 census, meaning that they lived in very close proximity to each other. And right with them on the same page was Charles Preston Rodes, along with his wife, Ann Nelson Goodwin Rodes.

To further question John W. Rhodes and Tabitha Pearson Rhodes as parents of Charles Preston Rodes is the difference in spelling of the last name. Official documents most definitely have used various spellings when referring to these families, but it does seem that different factions of the family were either RODES or RHODES. It seems unlikely that if Charles Preston Rodes were the son of John W. Rhodes, that he would have dropped the "h" in his name.

While I cannot conclusively prove that Charles Preston Rodes (1794-1864) was the son of Charles Rodes, Sr. (1760-1839) or the older brother of John Hopkins Rodes (1795-1855), William Henry Rodes (1796-1842), James H. Rodes (1800-1878), and the other Rodes brothers, I do not think that the possibility can be overlooked.

Ann Nelson Goodwin Rodes was the daughter of
Thomas Goodwin and Temperance Overton Harris
of Nelson County, Virginia.