Catherine Arthurs

Who was Catherine Arthurs? She is one of my newest brick walls. For many years I only had her as Catherine Unk, wife of Henry Rhoads/Roth. But I started to pull the strings on her other children (siblings of John Rhoads) and found a death certificate for Deliah (Delilah) Hilterbran (the same Delilah Coder mentioned in her father’s will). One of Delilah’s sons was the informant for this record and named Catherine Arthurs and Henry Rhoades (I know right? The “a” and “e”!) both of Pennsylvania as his grandparents. Another daughter (Susan) whose informant was a W.B. Helterbran (possibly the same William, son of Delilah) for her death certificate names Catherine as Arturs instead of Arthurs. As with “Rhoades”, Catherine’s given name and surname have German variations; Arturs is a variation of Arthurs and is probably closer to the German pronunciation of the same name, Catherine is recorded as Catharina in church records.

Side by side comparison of Delilah (Rhoads) Coder Helterbran’s death certificate and Susan Rhoads (her sister).  The informant for both may have been the same person, or from the same family in Gibsonton, PA, but spelled Catherine’s surname differently.  Accessed on Ancestry.com, Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966.

What about the other children? Most died in Pennsylvania which didn’t begin to record deaths at the state level until 1906 (Delilah died in 1926 and Susan died in 1912). Some counties started recording them earlier. Westmoreland didn’t start recording deaths until 1852 but very few events were recorded to the county until about 1893. The majority of Henry and Catherine’s children died before 1893, therefore the records do not exist. I have been unsuccessful in finding dates of death for Daniel, Samuel, and Rebecca.

What about John and Joseph in Indiana? Indiana did not record deaths until 1882 in either the county or the state. Since Joseph died in 1902, I did find Joseph’s death certificate, but his son (the informant) only named Joseph’s father as Henry. He did not appear to know the name of Joseph’s mother.

Since John died in 1859, there is no death certificate. His death is only recorded in the 1860 mortality index that accompanied the census for that year and does not record the names of parents.

Catherine was born in Pennsylvania sometime around 1790 (calculated based on age in census and age at death).

That’s it…that’s all I know about Catherine as Arthurs. As Rhoads, we know she outlived her husband and died in November 1871 at the ripe old age of 81, probably in Smithton, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. She is buried at Hoffman/Hope Cemetery next to her husband, Henry. She is recorded mainly in Lutheran church records as the mother of several children and is named in her husband’s will.

Headstone photo uploaded on Catherine’s profile on Find-a-Grave by Arthur Hepler.

Genealogical Summary:

Catherine Arthurs was born around 1790 in Pennsylvania. She married Henry Rhoads/Roth (church records variants include Heinrich Roth and census/probate record him as Henry Rhoads) probably in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. 

She died in November 1871, probably in Smithton, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and is buried in Hoffman/Hope Lutheran Cemetery.

Catherine and Henry had the following children: 

1. Daniel Rhoads born abt 1810 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The last census he is found in is 1880 living with brother, Samuel, and sisters, Mary Ann and Susan. He appears to have remained unmarried.
2. John Rhoads born 29 July 1812 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and died 4 September 1859 in Aboite Township, Allen County, Indiana. He married Mary Weigle in Pennsylvania.
3. Mary Ann Rhoads was named in Henry’s will. Zion (Alverton) Lutheran Church records her birth as 14 May 1814 and baptism on 17 July 1814. She never married and died on 14 September 1898.  She is buried in Hoffman Cemetery as “Rhoades”.
4. Joseph Rhoads born 12 March 1816 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and died 24 December 1902 in Clear Creek, Huntington County, Indiana.
5. Isreal Rhoads born 1 July 1820 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and died 2 March 1841 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Buried in Hoffman Cemetery as “Rhoades”
6. Paul Rhoads born 10 August 1822 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and died 20 October 1892 in Lima, LaGrange County, Indiana. Buried in Indiana as “Rhodes”
7. Samuel Rhoads born 1 October 1824 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The last census he is found in is 1880 living with brother, Daniel, and sisters, Mary Ann and Susan. He appears to have remained unmarried.
8. Elizabeth (Betsy) Rhoads born 15 December 1827 and baptized 4 April 1828 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Hoffman/Hope Lutheran Church) and died 5 June 1851 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. She married Jacob Helterbran(t).
9. Susan Rhoads, Lutheran church records her birth as 15 December 1829 and baptism as 25 April 1830. She never married and died 17 December 1912 in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Burial in Hoffman Cemetery as “Rhodes”.
10. Catherine Rhoads born 16 November 1831 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and died 26 May 1832 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Buried in Hoffman cemetery as “Rhoads”
11. Henry Rhoads born about 1834 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and died in July 1880 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
12. Delilah Rhoads born 8 April 1839 in Pennsylvania and died July 1926 in South Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. She married 1) Unk Coder and 2) Jacob R. Helterbrant.
13. Rebecca Rhoads was named in Henry’s will, no records found, but she would have been living in 1859 under the name Rebecca Wible.