Rhodes sells out book on Chatham-Kent pioneers

John Rhodes admitted that so many people have helped build Chatham-Kent over the years, it was difficult narrowing them down to fit in his book.

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The Chatham author, who wrote ‘Chatham-Kent Pioneers,’ was on hand at Sons of Kent Brewing Co. on Saturday, distributing pre-purchased copies of his hardcover book.

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Rhodes, a Chatham-Kent This Week columnist, had been working on the project for the past year, compiling 150 biographies.

“The difficulty was who I had to leave out,” he said. “Otherwise it would’ve gone over 200 pages.”

Readers may recognize some of the last names of those profiled, with multiple individuals from the Eberts, Gray and McKeough families, among others.

Rhodes called the area rich with history, adding that one of his favorite biographies is that of Sophia Jones.

“She was the daughter of a former slave, and she wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “But they wouldn’t accept women in medical school at the time.

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“So, she went to university in Toronto for a year… Then she found out if the University of Michigan would accept women. She became a doctor and then she went to Atlanta, Georgia and set up a nurses training program. She did the same thing in Wilberforce, Ohio.”

The limited run of 375 books sold out. However, he is currently working on another project, titled, ‘Boards and Bricks,’ which is about the history of King Street.

Rhodes expects that book will be released later next year.

He said he enjoys writing about Chatham-Kent’s history and making the public aware of the local people who had a notable impact.

“I loved it,” he said. “It was fun.”

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