Martha Community

Missouri, and four children were born to this union, two dying in infancy. 

Marie married Mr. W. R. Harrington of North Carolina and Fred married Miss 

Nona Alderman of Florida. 

Adjoining the Phipps farm is the farm owned by the heirs of Jahne Rodgers. 

Miss Nannie Rodgers was a daughter of Squire William S. Rodgers, who 

purchased the Dusenberry mill and owned it until his death. Mr. Rodgers 

was a very popular man, always elected to any office for which he asked. 

He was married three times and reared excellent families. His first wife 

was Miss Bias, daughter of Robin Bias. To this union were born four 

children, Wilson, George, Tom, and Fenton. Fenton was the father of Squire 

Tom Rodgers of Huntington. His second wife was Miss Nancy Childress, 

daughter of Riland Childress. To this union was born Robert, deceased, and 

Nancy, wife of Thomas Pennell. The third wife was the widow of Mike Wentz. 

To this union was born one child, the late Jahne Rodgers. Mrs. Wentz 

Rodgers was the mother of Morris, William, and J. T. Wentz. Morris Wentz 

was a fine fiddler. William Wentz went west. J. T. Wentz married Miss 

Joanna Dolan, daughter of George and Lethia Dolan. To this union were born 

seven children, Mike, George, Bailey, Robert, Hal, Mollie, and Myrtle. 

I might say here that land in the early days was very cheap. Good timber 

land could be bought for eight and ten dollars per acre. It is said that a 

small farm on Heath's Creek was traded for a rifle gun. In fact it was the 

cheap land that attracted the smaller farmers. The virgin soil as well as 

timber could not be excelled. Corn was the principal crop and the market 

for it was the timber haulers. Great quantities of timber were marketed in 

that day and the price ranged from fifty cents to one dollar per tree. 

Charles Louis Rolf was a large land holder in McComas District, he owned 

about all the Tom's Creek land including a good portion of Fudge and Cyrus 

creeks. His possessions were cut up into small farms and sold for homes, 

and then sub-divided until there are throngs of people living on this once 

large tract of land owned by this one man. Neither one of these large land 

holders were noted, so far as the writer has ever heard, for their 

enthusiasm for building churches or schools. Accumulation of land seemed 

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