Person:Frances Strickler (3)

Mrs. Fanny Rice's Death from an old printed obituary.

November 30th 1870 near Smithville, Wayne County, Ohio of Dropsy of the chest, Mrs. Fanny Rice died, wife of Samuel Rice age 68 years 2 months 13 days. The subject of this notice was the daughter of Henry and Fanny Stewart Strickler, who emigrated from eastern Pennsylvania to Fayette County, Pennsylvania and settled on the banks of the Youghiogheny, a little below the "Broad Ford" and on the farm that is now known as the "Strickler Farm" at which place she was born on the 17th of September 1802. She was married to Samuel Rice in her twenty first year from whence they moved in a few years near Pennsville, in Fayette County where they lived 41 years, when they moved to their home near Smithville, Ohio. She embraced religion and united with the Church in her 29th year, and during the long period of 39 years in which she belonged to the Church, she was a faithful worker in the vineyard of the Lord. She was the mother of eleven children, five sons and six daughters all of whom survive her, except one, the oldest daughter, Nancy Rice Andrews, who preceded her to the grave. She was a kind mother, a faithful wife and devoted Christian. She died in the triumph of that faith which she adorned while she lived and leaves behind her afflicted husband and children, with a large circle of friends to mourn their loss.

An item from Nellie Rice of Wichita, Kansas about Fanny and Samuel Rice in 1958.

Samuel Rice was a "River Brethren" preacher and they didn't give the preacher a salary so with eleven children and the primitive way they lived, she couldn't have had a very easy life. The church got its nickname "River Brethren" because a group of them lived near the river and another group lived in the mountains. They would speak of going to visit these "river brethren" and that is how the name got started. The church was founded by three men named Engle, Stouffer and the 3rd was a Gook. Anyhow the three went down to the river bank, agreed on the tenets of the new church and proceeded to baptize each other into the new church. One of the requirements of which is that the members be baptized three times in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost in running water and face down. The first one to be baptized, naturally had the rite administrated by one who hadn't been baptized that way, but they never told which one it was. Elizabeth Stoner, the wife of Henry Rice was from a group that lived on higher ground in Blair County, Pennsylvania, and it was on one of those trips down to the lower country to quarterly meeting that Elizabeth got acquainted with Henry Rice, the preacher's oldest son. After they were married, they lived with his folks for some time.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Virginia W. Spearman, Independence, Ohio to William A. Coup, Boca Raton, Florida in the 1960s.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 United States Government, Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census. 1850 Census, Pennsylvania, Fayette County, Bullskin Township - Samuel Rice. (Name: 1850 Census, Series M432, Roll 780, Page 450; Pennsylvania, Fayette County, Bullskin Township, 18 September 1850, page 450, Line 38, Dwelling 218, Family 218;).
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 United States Government, Department of Commerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census. 1870 Census, Ohio, Wayne County, Milton Township - Samuel Rice. (Name: 1870 Census, Series M593, Roll 1281, Page 253; Ohio, Wayne County, Milton Township, Smithville Post Office, Page 35, 21 August 1870, Line 5, Dwelling 98, Family 100;).
4. ↑ Spearman, Virginia. Rice family notes. (Name: Source for burial of Elizabeth Rice, Idonia Dorch;).