When Transylvania County was founded in 1861, many of the earliest organizers had Brevard streets named for them in honor of their contributions to the community. The last founder to be highlighted in this series is John (Jesse) Enoch Rice (1825-1864). Rice Street runs roughly parallel to Broad Street, terminating at one end with Johnson Street and looping just past E. Main Street on the other.

While Rice Street was listed as one of the ten streets in the original plan for Brevard, early records were initially unclear which Rice was the namesake. After discovering a will for J.E. Rice and comparing it to Civil War soldiers from Transylvania County, Jesse Enoch Rice was identified. However, sometimes he was recorded as John and misspellings of Rice were common. While B.C. Lankford (the namesake of Caldwell Street) was listed as the executor of Rice’s will, Lankford was also Rice’s brother-in-law. A sale list of Rice’s estate on November 6, 1863 included a number of items sold to W.P. Poor, A.D.B. Allison, R. Hamilton and R. Whitmire, to name a few. The 1860 census shows Rice along with his wife and first two daughters, but his recorded profession is illegible.

On May 30, 1857, Jesse married Susan Ann Lankford (1837-1926), younger sister of Braxton Caldwell Lankford. They had four children: Mary Matilda (1857-1947), Emma Jane (1859-1914), Perry Edgar (1861-1917), and Susan Almena (1864-1907). After Rice’s death, Susan Lankford Rice married her second husband, George “Jackson” Tinsley in 1867.

According to the NC Civil War Roster from the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Jesse E. Rice enlisted in Transylvania County on April 13, 1863. He was a private in Co. E. 7^th Battalion NC Cavalry. Most soldiers in that company were transferred to Company D, 6^th Regiment Cavalry in 1863, but there was no evidence that Rice joined them.

Based on military records and the date his will was executed, John (Jesse) E. Rice likely died in 1863, though his headstone says 1864. Along with many of Brevard’s other founders, he was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. Rice’s headstone was replaced in 1975 by a Lankford descendant.

Despite the questions around “J. E. Rice” and how he came to live in Transylvania County, the impact of Jesse Enoch Rice and his connection with other founders is remembered in the name of Rice Street.  Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Erin Weber Boss. Sources available upon request. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.