This is the "John Roads who was killed by the indians."

The surname is also spelled as Roades and Rhodes.

From A History of Shenandoah County Virginia, by John W. Wayland (Shenandoah Publishing House, Strasburg, VA: 1927), pp. 69 - 70:

In August of 1764 eight Indians and a white man, the latter according to some traditions the notorious Simon Girty, came into the Valley, crossed the upper end of Powell's Fort, and descended upon the peaceful home of John Roads, a Mennonite preacher and one of the Massanutten pioneers. The Roads homestead lies in a crescent bend of the South Shenandoah, on the west side of the stream, about five miles northwest of Luray, and directly south of Kennedy's Peak, the highest point of the Massanutten range. The place was later the home of the Gatewoods; in recent years it was occupied by Mr. George R. Bauserman. Bixler's Ferry on the river is near by.

Rev. Mr. Roads and his wife, who was Eve Albright, had a large family of children, some of whom fortunately were not at home when the savages came. Mr. Roads, his wife, and a son were killed at or near the house. Two of the boys were in the cornfield below the house, alongside the river. One of them climbed a pear tree about 150 yards from the house, was discovered and shot in the tree. The other attempted to escape by crossing the river, but was pursued and killed in the stream. To this day that place in the river is called the "Bloody Ford." In the meantime Elizabeth, one of the older daughters, caught up Esther, the baby, in her arms and ran with her first into the barn, thence into a field of tall hemp below the barn, and so on to the river, escaping the vigilance of the Indians. Carrying the child across the river she finally reached the house of a neighbor. Esther grew up and married Dr. Jacob Kaufman. Elizabeth, the heroine, married Jacob Gochenour. Two boys and two little girls were taken captive and led away northward into the Massanutten Mountain. There one of the boys and both of the girls were killed. The other boy, Michael, after about three years with the Indians, was allowed to return home. He married Ann Strickler, a daughter of Benjamin Strickler. In all, six of the Roads children were killed; seven survived.

Kercheval [A History of the Valley of Virginia, by Samuel Kercheval (1833)] gives the year of the Roads massacre as 1766, but the tradition of the family has preserved the year as 1764. The motive of this atrocious crime was probably robbery, as Mr. Roads had a considerable sum of money; but it was hidden in a niche of the cellar wall and was not found by the murderers; neither was it destroyed in the burning of the house. The money, with certain valuable papers, was found afterwards in good condition.

On August 31, 1924, five hundred people, from many parts of Virginia, a number of them descendants of the Roads children who survived the massacre of 1764, assembled at "Hope Farm," the scene of the tragedy, and unveiled a monument to the memory of the victims. Mr. P. S. Rhodes, of Woodstock, read a brief history of the Roads (Rhodes) family. Miss Sarah Kauffman read an appropriate essay. Addresses were made by Bishop L. J. Heatwole, Mr. D. L. Kauffman, Mr. H. M. Strickler, and others. The monument, of native blue limestone, is the cunning handiwork of Mr. P. M. Kauffman, an aged descendant of one of John Roads's daughters. A bountiful dinner was prepared for all visitors from a distance by Mrs. Bauserman, the widow of the late George R. Bauserman, and a daughter of Reuben Ruffner, deceased.

The author hereof was one of those privileged to be present at the unveiling of the Roads memorial. He marked the site of the old house of the pioneer, walked across the river bottom were the tall hemp grew, stood at the place of the fatal pear tree, and watched the sparkling waters sweep down by the "Bloody Ford." On the bank of the river he counted the graves, the longer and the shorter ones, wherein the victims of that tragic day were laid to rest. He then returned to the present dwelling house, and ancient structure, and inspected the large vaulted cellar under it. This house was doubtless erected shortly after the massacre, and was provided with a safe retreat from bullets and fire as against another dire emergency. The memory of the fate that had overtaken the occupants of the older dwelling must have rested here as a heavy shadow of many years. In all probability some of the other houses in Massanutten land that have vaulted cellars were also built shortly after the Roads massacre and fitted out with their strong refuges in dread of other raids.

The old mansion now standing at "Hope Farm" was probably built by a son or a son-in-law of Rev. John Roads. Its vaulted cellar and two huge chimneys speak of colonial days. A grandson of the pioneer lived here, it is said, till 1814, when he sold the place to John Gatewood. This was probably John Gatewood, Sr.

These vaulted stone cooling cellars, which are also known as Gewölbekeller, are often described as defensive in function and the houses above them are often listed as "forts" in the 19th century histories of the area. However their main function according to contemporary scholars was to keep cool during the summer (see the American Forts Network and "The 'fort homes' and historical interpretation" by Robert H. Moore II, "Heritage and Heraldry", a column in the 24 Feb 2000 issue of Page News & Courier).