William Henry Rhodes
(“Rhodes” or “WHR” 1/1920 to 9/1920”)
William Henry Rhodes (1/25/1899 to 7/22/1955 (Holy Cross Cemetery, Richmond) was the middle child (Madeline (born 1897 ), William and John (born 1906)) of Henry Lorenzo Rhodes (born 1873) – a brick foreman for James Stewart & Company and Ellen Rahily Rhodes, who died before September 1918. The family lived at 213 Northside Avenue in Richmond.
A copious search of Richmond City Directories finds no listing for William Henry Rhodes before 1915, but that year’s directory lists him as “Architect,” living at 213 Northside Avenue. The listings for 1916 and 1917 are the same. The 1918 directory does not list him. A WWI draft card could not be located, but he enlisted in the Army on June 4, 1917but his obituary states that he was a Corporal in the Army and participated in combat engagements at St. Mihilel, Meuse-Argonne and Chateau-Thierry. The 1919 City Directory lists him as “CSA,” which is believed to be “Civil Structural Architect.”
The 1920 Richmond City Directory is the only one that lists Mr. Rhodes as a “Draftsman, Charles M. Robinson Architects.”
The 1921 directory lists him as living at 1805 Virginia Avenue, but the 1922 directory does not list him.
The 1923-1925 directories list him as a “draftsman” for “H. T. Barnham”—a former Charles M. Robinson employee who later started his own (and other) firms. Those directories list him as living at 3406 3rd Avenue (1923-24) and 3602 Carolina Avenue (1925-30+).
The 1926 and 1927 directory lists him as a “draftsman” for F. A. Bishop, listed under the “Architects” section of the directories. The 1928 directory lists him as “architect” with no employer. The 1929 and 1930 (and beyond) directories list him as a “Draftsman” for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.
At the time of his death on July 22, 1955, Mr. Rhodes was still employed as an “Architect” for “Chesapeake & Ohio Railway,” living at 3602 Carolina Avenue, and married to Virginia O. Rhodes, the daughter of Italian immigrant parents. He died at home of a coronary thrombosis. The Richmond Times-Dispatch stated that he had been with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway for 27 years and was employed in the office of the Chief Engineer. His wife survived him and two daughters survived him: Mrs. Marie T. Capiello and Miss Betty Ann Rhode