Birthdate: January 01, 1786
Birthplace: Roanoke, Virginia, United States
Child of: John Rice and Elizabeth “Patsy” Rice
Death: September 1849 aged 63 at Jennie’s Creek, Kentucky
Place of Burial: Old Rice Farm, Middle Fork, Jennie’s Creek, Johnson, Kentucky, United States
There is a tradition in the Rice Family that John Rice Jr. was captured as a young man by some native Americans who took him to their camps in Tennessee to make music for them. They later released him and he returned to his home, which was said to be near Roanoke, VA. He later came to Kentucky with his two brothers and a sister and settled in Letcher County before moving to Beaver Creek. While still a young man, he moved to Johnson County, KY on March 16, 1815 and settled at the head of Jenny’s Creek. It is said he was a great old time fiddler and made several trips to Tennessee on missions to make music. In so doing, he went by the way of the Cumberland Gap, where he met and married Nancy Davis, the daughter of John Davis. They first lived on Middle Creek then moved to Jenny’s Creek, where they are buried. As of 1837, According to Floyd County tax records, John Rice II owned 350 acres of land and 4 head of cattle, and had 4 slaves.
Married to Nancy Davis, they had nine children:
Nancy Rice – died 1854
Joseph Rice
Martin R. Rice – born Feb. 16th, 1810. Married Malinda Davis on April 21, 1831. She died in 1847
Malinda Rice – married Payne Patrick
Samuel Rice – married a Bayes
George Washington Rice – Married Elizabeth (Betty) Auxier. He died 1907.
Mahala Rice – married Johnson Adams
William Rice – born February 16, 1815 on Jenny’s Creek in KY. Married Dicy Prater August 27, 1835.
Andrew “Black Jack” Jackson Rice (1822-1884)
Cynthia Rice – married Robert Prater