original Rhoads residence

 Upload a photo

Crown Prince was tutored by (Quaker) Esther Rhoads

After opening the URL, see paragraph at bottom of screen page.

www2.gol.com/users/quakers/vining1.html

"Elizabeth Vining was awarded by the Japanese Government the Third Order of the Sacred Crown for her work. Upon her return to the US, the Crown Prince [now Emperor Akihito] was tutored by Esther Rhoads, principal of the Friends Girls School in Tokyo."

Esther had two sisters. The three were collectively known as The Rhoads Sisters.

Their father, a prosperous Philadelphia businessman, had owned this once-large "gentleman" farm in New Hope. It abutted my grandfather's farm. Esther often came to Solebury Friends Meeting in the summertime. And sometimes Caroline, one of her two sisters, also attended. Maybe I never met the third sister. But I remember Esther Rhoads quite well. And even Caroline. They were my grandparents' generation, of course.

James Michener, Vientiane, Laos