III The Life of James L Jones

The tax rolls and land deeds have revealed a great deal about James L Jones and have in fact shown that he was the only James L Jones on Clear Creek and the only James L Jones in the entire area in the 1840s through the early 1870s. True there were other James Jones in Calloway and Marshall Counties; in fact there were a total of 7 James Joneses with a middle name/initial that began with an “L” listed in the index to my 1988 book. But the only person by that name before 1870 was none other than the subject I am writing about.

Some say exceptions make the rule and if that’s the case its worth relating that in the 1846 tax rolls of Marshall County there are two men by the name of James L Jones. They are both listed on the Clear Creek watershed and were taxed on 30 acres (is this number familiar?) for that one year only. This was obviously a duplicate listing created by a clerical error.

So this JLJ had to be the man who married his first cousin, Sarah Ann Whitlock (SAW) on 31 Oct, 1840 in Calloway County KY. The 1850 Marshall County census locates them one house from his father Thomas Jones and two houses from his sister Nancy Jane Jones Mathis. SAW’s brother George W Whitlock actually lived between JLJ and his father and there is mention in Marshall deeds of his buying the land from Thomas Jones. James L and Sarah Ann Jones’ 1850 census family consisted of (birth and death dates/places added by me);

James L Jones, 1819 TN – 1893 KY
Sarah Ann Whitlock Jones, 1819 TN – 1851 KY
Lucy A. Jones, 1842 KY – 1865 KY
Mary M. Jones, 1845 KY – 1864 KY
Rufus B. Jones, 1848 KY – >1880 ??
Joshua A. Jones, 1850 KY – 187? MO

The timeline of James & Sarah Jones’ extended family

Sarah Ann Whitlock Jones, (1819 TN – 1851 KY) I believe Sarah died between the 26^th of August 1850 when the Marshall County census was taken and the 5^th of June 1851 when her former husband remarried. There are three excellent reasons to draw this conclusion; 1^st, no divorce record has been found for the couple, 2^nd the man named JLJ who married on 5 June 1851 with Marshall County license #454 to Anna Lovett is listed in that record as a widowed, and 3^rd there were no other men by the name of James L Jones who could have married Ms Lovett. It is unfortunate that JLJ was not listed anywhere in the 1860 census although Marshall County tax rolls and deed activity proves he lived there.

Tracing James L and Sarah Ann Whitlock Jones’s descendents

Lucy A Jones (1842 KY – 1865 KY) Marshall County records show that their oldest daughter married John Wethers (Weathers) on 8 July 1858 with her father’s consent at the home of James “F” Jones. I firmly believe the initial “F” was a transcription error and that the consent was given by JLJ and that the marriage took place at his home. This is reinforced by the fact that the only James F Jones found in any temporal Marshall or Calloway record, James F (Franklin) Jones was 5 years old in 1858 (and he may not have lived in the area until 1879).

Mary M. Jones, (1845 KY – 1864 KY) Marshall County records show that Lucy’s younger sister married Wm W Brown on 24 Dec, 1861. This marriage took place with the consent of her father JLJ at JLJ’s home in Marshall Kentucky. What more evidence is needed to prove this was the same JLJ who wed SAW and fathered this child and the others we are discussing?

Despite their early start, or perhaps because of it these girls died quite young; Mary M Jones Brown died at the age of 19 while Lucy A Jones Weathers lived until the age of 23. They did reproduce, however and the timeline of facts for these children provides confirmation that JLJ was their father.

After Lucy Ann’s early death Mr. Weathers apparently also dies leaving their two daughters, Sarah A Weathers and Martha M Weathers (affectionately named after their mother and maternal aunt) as orphans. In the 1870 census these children were found in the Jas L and Ann Jones household listed as Sarah Wethers, sic and Martha M Wethers, sic. There can be no doubt that the children are living with their grandfather and step grandmother. My guess is they were also there in the 1860 census for which JLJ household was missed but his presence in Marshall County can be verified by his continued presence on the tax rolls. Lets look forward in time and see what happened to them.

Martha M Weathers Jan 1862 KY - >1920 ??) The Marshall County Guardian’s Bond Book sheds further light on JLJ and his grandchildren. Guardian Bond Book Vol 1, page 83 shows that on 3 March 1875 JLJ became the guardian of Mary M Weathers¹. This was just before her 5 March 1875 marriage with Marshall County license # 2269 to John W Henderson. J L Jones was a witness to the ceremony of this 13 year old who married with the consent of her new guardian.

Sarah A Weathers (Jan 1860 KY 30 June 1940 KY) Roughly two years later, the Marshall County Guardian’s Bond Book Vol 1, page 95 records that on 8 Dec, 1877 JLJ became the official guardian of Sarah A Weathers². She, now all of 17 years of age had the consent of her guardian J L Jones to marry Mr. William A Gorden with Marshall County License # 2529 the next day, 9 Dec 1877.

Thus these girls lived with and were cared for by their grandfather without official status and it was for legal reasons because they went to altar as mere teenagers that he becoming their formal guardian 1-2 days before their marriage.

In his later life JLJ continued to demonstrate love for his grandchildren. For example; In 1891 when his granddaughter Mary Weather’s only child, James Hendren "Bud" Brown (1862 KY-1949 KY) was 29 years old he received a Marshall County land deed “For the love and affection J L Jones has for his grandson” in which JJLJ deeds 30 acres off the East side of the S W Q section 21, T 4, R, 5 East and Charlotte, aka 'Charlty' his 3^rd wife waives her dower right.³ The date of this deed, 28 November 1891 is also the date of James’ last will and testament suggesting he saw the end coming and wanted to do something special for this grandson. Also, the number of acres transferred brings up memories from 1852 when his father Thomas sold James that exact acreage which he had lived on and worked for a decade . . .“Like father like son”.

But, back to the children of JLJ and SAW Jones.

Rufus B Jones (1848 KY – <1880 u="u">

Their first son married Martha Ann Gregory with Marshall County marriage license # 1410 on 30 November 1865. The ceremony was performed by W W Faucett at the home of and with the consent of the bride’s father W W Gregory. Rufus’s father also gave consent for his marriage and the name appears to be listed as “T L” Jones. There was not a person by those initials living in Marshall County District one. Since one of the witnesses was J L Jones I firmly believe there is an error in interpretation of script and that the “T L Jones” and J L Jones very likely both refer to JLJ.

Soon thereafter the newlyweds move to Missouri where their first child Margaret was born in 1867 and a second daughter Lisa was born in 1878 both being listed in the 1880 census of Stoddard County MO. This family has not been found since and their fate is unknown which of course means the date and place of death for Rufus B Jones has not been established.

Joshua A Jones (1850 KY – 187? MO) Their youngest son married Jane E Cross with license # 1779 on 11 Nov 1869 in Marshall County. He was 19 years of age and married with consent of his father but the father’s name was not recorded. His bride married with consent of her father W E Cross. Their first child Alice M Jones was born in KY in 1871 and soon they moved to Missouri apparently to be near his brother. Their 2^nd child, Anna H Jones was born in 1873. They had one other child, Claudius Bowin Jones, born 24 June 1875 in Stoddard County Missouri. We know this because he later returned to Marshall County and in his 1900 Marshall Marriage license his place of birth is recorded as Stoddard County Missouri. Joshua A Jones died sometime between siring his last offspring and the 1880 census. We know this because Jane E Cross Jones is found in the 1880 census widowed and living next door to her parents in Birmingham, Marshall County KY.

James L Jones’ will proves he is the father of Sarah’s A Whitlock’s children

James L Jones (1819 TN – 1893KY) JLJ lived a long life and left a very revealing will⁴.

His second wife of some 36 years, Anna Lovett dies on 30 September, 1887 and within the year he married a third time to Charlotte “Charlty” McGrew. Their marriage was on 10 July, 1888 and three plus years later, 28 Nov 1891 James writes his will including provisions for his children and their heirs and appoints his executor.

JLJ dies on 23 Jan 1893 in Marshall County. A Marshall County KY Newspaper of 25 Feb 1893 commented that James L. Jones, an aged citizen, died at his home up beyond Jonathan Creek last week. He was near 75 years old. He was once one of the shining lights in the ME Church but before he passed away he joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church & died a member.

It is critical to note that the heirs listed in his will are the same four children listed 43 years earlier in the James L and Sarah A Jones 1850 census household, mentioned in the two deeds used to settle the estate of Isaac Jones and discussed at some length above.

It is of interest that JLJ specifies in his will that Lucy A Jones, Mary M Jones and Joshua A Jones are each deceased and that their share of his estate is to pass directly to their heirs. He treats Rufus B Jones differently and chooses his words carefully to cover the possibility that Rufus could still be alive and if so that he is entitled to his proportional inheritance but if not his share is to pass to his heirs. A quick count shows that in 1893 JLJ and SAW Jones had at least 15 grandchildren and great grand children.

The remainder of his last will and testament will be discussed later.

References

1. JLJ’s Guardian Bond for Martha M Weathers, dated 3 March, 1875