Calling all
Genea-Musings Fans:
It's Saturday Night again -
Time for some
more Genealogy Fun!!
Here is our assignment from Randy
Seaver of Genea-Musing:
1) We all have "elusive ancestors" that
we cannot find a name for, or one that absolutely eludes us, but we know some
details about their spouse and/or children.
2) Tell us about one of them - how are you related? What do you
know about them? Where did they live? etc.
3) Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or
in a Facebook Status post. Please leave a link in a comment to this
post.
Here’s mine:
I do not know the parents of my 3x-great-grandfather,
Benjamin W. Jones, who married Amanda A. Haley 26 Jun 1845 in Rankin County,
Mississippi.[1]
Census records in Rankin County show Benjamin was born in
Virginia about 1822.[2]
He first appeared in Rankin County in the 1845 state census and 1845 tax list.
These show Benjamin as a single man, both done right before his marriage. He
marries, buys land, pays taxes, and sells land, all in Rankin County. He joined
Company A of the 3rd Mississippi Cavalry in 1864 and does not
survive the war.
An Ancestry tree has his parents as Thomas Jones and Susanna
Saunders Walker.[3]
The main source is other Ancestry Family Trees, “Hunter Knox Family Tree” and “Putnam/Evans
Family Tree.” Both have errors. One has Benjamin marrying two women in 1845.
The other has Benjamin dying in Madison Co, Mississippi in 1870.
There is not enough information to jump back to Virginia and
choose this couple as Thomas’ parents. I need to continue researching in Rankin
County.
Other Jones Men
There are other Jones men in the county. Any of them could be kin to Benjamin. Each of these men need to be researched further. Also, C.O. Jackson was Benjamin’s bondsman when he married Amanda A. Haley. What is Jackson’s relationship to Benjamin?
Early records of Rankin County include 1840 census, the 1841
state census, 1845 tax list, 1845 state census, and 1848 tax list. All of these
list numerous Jones men and each should be researched in later census records,
deeds, and probate, to see if there is any connection with Benjamin. Of course,
the focus should be first on those who also came from Virginia. In fact,
searching the 1850 census for any residence who was also born in Virginia would
be helpful. Perhaps they came together.
In looking at my records, I had started this process and I
need to continue, making research reports for each of the Jones men in Rankin County.
Correlating through all of the records may bring some light to his origins in
Virginia.
[1] Rankin Co, Mississippi, Marriage Records, vol. 1, p. 285,
1845, Jones-Haley; FHL film 879737.
[2] 1850 U.S. census, Rankin Co, Mississippi, pop. sched., p
237b, household 480, fam 480, Benj. W Jones, digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com); NARA M432, roll 380. Also 1860 U.S. census, Rankin Co,
Mississippi, pop. sched, Brandon, p 74, household 482, fam 501, BW Jones,
digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com); NARA M653, roll .
[3] “Weaver
Family Tree,” owned by billynanna2000, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/89139778/person/162205412446/facts
: accessed 25 April 2021).
I don't envy you researching a Jones. I think my first two steps would be to look for other Joneses from VA living there in 1850 and researching C.O. Jackson's (another fun surname) tie to your Jones family. It doesn't look yet like an impossible task, but it will take some digging.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my idea, too. Benj Jones' daughter married a Johnston!
DeleteI agree that the approach of researching every Jones in the area is a good one. If the first time he appears in records is when he is about 23, there's a reasonable possibility that he came with an older male relative. Maybe he will show up on a tax list with one of those other Jones men, linking them.
ReplyDeleteI really hope so.
Delete