Person:Evan Jones (19)

Family tradition has Evan's middle name as "Wilkinson," but documentation for this name has not been found.

Evan's date of birth, his first wife's name (Mary VORHIS) and date of birth, and Mary, Sarah, Amy, Martha Davis, and Thomas' names and dates of birth are from earlier family records I inherited and appear to be from a family Bible, but their source has not yet been discovered, and the identity of that elusive source is desperately wanted. The Bible was probably his daughter Harriet's because her husband's siblings are also named along with their full dates of birth, as are Harriet and John Wilkinson's 10 children, but if this is true, then it's interesting that Harriet's 2nd step-mother (Phebe Palmer) and Harriet's youngest half-sisters and brother were not included. My mother and her siblings who worked on their genealogy had no knowledge of Evan's 2nd marriage to Lydia or his 3rd marriage to Phebe. Instead they had Lydia Jones b. June 11, 1802, as Evan's only sibling, and had Evan's first six children linked to his wife Mary.

Evan W. JONES, b. ca. 1793, of Hamilton, OH, son of Joseph JONES and Mary COVALT. --LDS IGI, Batch 6020645, sheet 48. (Correct date, Sept. 9, 1794.)

ca. 1816-1819, EVAN's first wife, MARY, died.

1820 Jan. 6, E.W. JONES md. LYDIA BOLLINS, Miami Co., OH. --FTM CD400 Marriage Index: Ohio 1789-1850 1820 Jan. 6, ELI JONES md. LYDIA BOLLINS, Miami Co., OH. --LDS Batch M514531, Film 0550177, Marriage Records (1807-1853), Probate Court, Miami Co., OH Lydia's name was ROLLINS, not BOLLINS (see notes in Lydia's file).

1820 Miami Co., OH, census [hand drawn forms on various sheets of paper], p.95, Spring Creek Twp., line 18, EVAN W. JONES / 10001 / 10001 1 F 45 and over (b. before 1775, identity unknown; Evan's 2nd wife Lydia must have been marked in the wrong column?); 1 M 26-45 (b. ca. 1775-1794, this would be Evan b. Sept. 1794); 1 M & 1 F under 10 (b. ca. 1810-1820; Evan's only known child in 1820 was Harriet b. in 1816; the boy's identity is unknown). Evan's mother and siblings are accurately recorded in the 1820 Hamilton Co., OH, censuses shown below, confirming that Evan was not living in Hamilton Co. Writing for her grandmother, Mary Jones Vorhis (Evan's sister), Ada Tharp wrote her cousin Jane Love in Illinois, March 24, 1891, from Troy, Iowa: "Your Grandmother name was Lydia Rollins. They lived so far away that Grandma don't know much about her, they lived on Pickaway, Troy* Ohio. Grandma's Mothers name was Polly Cavault."

• Troy is the county seat of Miami Co., OH, where Evan and his family were enumerated in 1820. According to the U.S. Geological Survey website today, there is no place in Pickaway Co., OH, known as Troy, and conversely, there is no place in Miami Co., OH, known as Pickaway.

1820 Hamilton Co., OH, census, p.144A, Sycamore Twp., line 38, MARY JONES, 120200 / 22210 / 02 (sons EVAN, ISAIAH, and JONATHAN were md.; EVAN was in Miami Co., OH, ISAIAH is on the next page, JONATHAN is here) 1 F 26-45 (b. 1775-1794, Mary); 2 M & 2 F 16-26 (b. 1794-1804, Jonathan & wife Nancy, Joseph, Sarah); 2 M & 2 F 10-16 (b. 1804-1810, Joel, Reason, Nancy, Mary); 1 M & 2 F under 10 (b. 1810-1820, Ephraim, Elizabeth, Sydney); 2 persons engaged in agriculture. (A John HARPER is the 7th name before Mary's)

1820 Hamilton Co., OH, census, p.144B, Sycamore Twp., line 39, ISAIAH JONES, 100100 / 00100 / 01 1 M & 1 F 16-26 (Isaiah, Leah); 1 M under 10 (b. 1810-1820; Griffin); 1 engaged in agriculture.

1821 Feb. 18, EVAN's dau. Mary Jane was born in Ohio, presumably Miami Co. 1822 Sept. 29, EVAN's dau. Sarah Ann was born in Ohio, presumably Miami Co. 1825 July 19, EVAN's dau. Amy R. was born in Ohio, presumably Miami Co. 1827 June 3, EVAN's dau. Martha H. was born in Ohio, presumably Miami Co.

"The Regular Predestinarian Big Shawnee Baptist church was organized July, 1829. A presbytery was called together consisting of Elder Johnson and brethren Jess Osborn, Asa SMITH, Roads SMITH, James D. Drake, and John Orr, of Coal Creek* church, and Elder James Buckles, of Sinking Creek* church, Ohio. Elder George Johnson was chosen moderator, and E. W. JONES clerk. The following persons presented letters of dismission from other churches, and were organized into the Big Shawnee church: Isaiah JONES and Leah his wife, James SMITH, David STEPHENS and Susan his wife, Hannah Buckles, Francis [Frances?] WILKINSON [wife of Moses WILKINSON?], and E. W. JONES." --Beckwith, History of Fountain County (1881), p.227.

• Today, there is a stream and a church in Clark Co., OH, known as Sinking Creek, but there is no place name in Ohio known as Coal Creek. However, there is a populated place in Fountain Co., IN, known as Coal Creek. (USGS website.)

The numbers don't exactly match the information we have for Evan's family, but there were 7 individuals in his family as stated in this census. 1830 Fountain Co., IN, census, pp.151A-B, no Twp. listed, line 7, EVANS JONES: 1 M 30-40 (b. 1790-1800; Evan 1794); 1 F 20-30 (b. 1800-1810; Lydia 1802); 3 F 5-10 (b. 1820-1825; Harriet 1816, Mary Jane 1821, Sarah 1822); 1 M & 1 F under 5 (b. 1825-1830; should read 2 F; Amy 1825; Martha 1827); 7 total. (son Thomas b. 1832) http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/in/fountain/census/1830/0151a.jpg

1832 Oct. 18, EVAN's son Thomas J. was born in Indiana.

1834 Sept. 3, Evan W. JONES of Fountain Co., IN, patented 80 acres, W2 SW4, Section 34, Twp. 21N, Range 7W, Fountain Co., IN. (When did this land change ownership? Did Evan own other land in Fountain Co.?)

1835-1836, Evan W. JONES was administrator for the estate of John ERWIN filed Nov. 25, 1835, Fountain Co., IN, Letters of Administration, 1832-1846, p.129.

Last week I was looking over some pages copied from Fountain County's "Complete Probate Record," Book 2, pages 454-456 concerning the estate of John Erwin. The entry notes that Evan W. Jones was granted Letters of Administration on this estate and that he had submitted an inventory of John's personal property on December 1, 1835. Isaiah Jones and Wm Penney acted as appraisers. The record notes that Joseph Erwin had provided security against the debts owed by John's estate as Administrator Jones had run off with most of the funds! --Gary Purviance, e-mail, July 19, 2005

1836 March 27, Evan W. Jones md. Phebe Palmer, Fountain Co., IN.

1837 June 15, Evan's dau. Mary Jane md. William Washington DAWSON, Fountain Co., IN.

1838 July 8, Evan's dau. Sarah Ann md. Joseph Newlan, Fountain Co., IN.

1839 Oct. 24, Evan's dau. Harriet Bell md. John Wilkinson, Fountain Co., IN, suggesting that Evan was still in the vicinity. Harriet's 2nd step-mother, b. ca. 1815, was about a year older than Harriet b. in Sept. 1816.

1840 Fountain Co., IN, census, EVAN or E.W. JONES not indexed; probably somewhere in Illinois; an EVAN JONES indexed in Cook Co., Munroe Precinct, but this is not our Evan.

ca. 1840, Evan's dau. Lydia R. was born in Illinois.

1843 Feb. 12, Evan's dau. Amy R. md. Samuel Brownfield, Champaign Co., IL.

ca. 1843, Evan's dau., Elizabeth "Lizzie," was born in Illinois.

1845 Jan. 2, Evan's dau., Martha H. Jones, md. Michael Davis, Champaign Co., IL.

1850 census, Evan W. Jones and his family (Phebe, Thomas, Jasper, Lydia, Elizabeth, and Sidney) have not been located. We have looked at every E.W. and EVAN JONES indexed in IL, IN, and OH, and every conceivable spelling variation, including all members of this family in the every name index for 1850 that now includes variations of given names in the search results at Ancestry.com.

1850 census, Evan's dau. Harriet Jones Wilkinson enumerated in Davis Co., IA; dau. Mary Jane Love was in King Twp., York Co., Ontario, Canada; dau. Sarah Ann Newlan enumerated in Moultrie Co., IL; dau. Amy R. Brownfield enumerated in Champaign Co., IL; dau. Martha H. Davis enumerated in Montgomery Co., IL.

1851 Jan. 25, E.W. Jones witnessed the will of John Roberts, in Jasper Co., IL, father-in-law of Evan's brother Joel L. Jones.

1851, Evan's dau. Mary Jane Love was enumerated with her family in the census for King Twp., York Co., Ontario, Canada

ca. 1852, Evan's youngest child, Luella Jones, was born somewhere in Illinois (presumably Jasper Co.). Luella Jones, "youngest child of E.W. Jones," was among the beneficiaries named in the 1870 will of Evan's sister, Sarah Jones, Hamilton Co., OH.

Evan's dau. Lizzie Mercer wrote her niece Jane Love from Delaware City, New Castle Co., DE, July 17, 1877: "Oh Jane wouldent I love to hear Mr Warren preach one time more / when you see him and mrs warren give my love to them both / I think I would go farther to hear him preach than any ofther minister I ever heard preach (?)mary was the ?onan / he has preached in that big barn in summer and in the house in winter / they held meting at our house in once a month / I never shall forget the day that he babtised Alexander Roberts / what a crowde was thare"

Lizzie Mercer wrote her niece Jane Love from Vermillion P.O., Sweetwater Co., WY, May 7, 1893: "how I would like to see the old place one time more / how well I remember the church that was started with a members Mr & Mrs. Ray Mr. & Mrs. Warren. Pa & Ma & the meetings that was held in the old barn / the people came from miles a round"

1854-1855-1856. Lizzie Mercer wrote her niece Jane Love from Delaware City, New Castle Co., DE, May 6, 1877: "you wanted to know how manny children thare were of [u]s when we lived in jasper county / thare was 6 / brother Thomas was in his 19 year when we left thare / Jasper was a bout 16 and sister Leydia was in her 14th year and your humble servant was in my 12th year and Sidny was in her 10th year and Ella was between four and five years old when we moved a way"

1856 Sept. 7, ELIZABETH N. JOSERS [JONES] md. HENRY MERCER, Shelby Co., IL, Book C, p.125 Lizzie Mercer wrote her niece Jane Love from Delaware City, New Castle Co., DE, July 17, 1877: "we werewe were living in Mongomery Co Ill when I was married" [Cumberland Co. is next north of Jasper Co.; Shelby Co. is next west of Cumberland Co.; Montgomery Co. is next west of Shelby Co.]

1860 Titus Co., TX, census, p.142B, Precinct #7, P.O. Grey Rock, July 5, 1860: 22/22, E. W. JONES, 66 M, farmer, $300 real, $700 personal, OH; Phebe, 45 F, KY; Thomas J., 26 M, day laborer, IN; Lucy E., 13 F, IL. (Another Thomas J. Jones in this census, age 26, b. in VA, wife Martha, and 2 children, Ann and Michael.)

1863 March 15, Independence, Warren Co., IN. Rebecca Ann Dawson wrote her uncle Joel L. Jones: "I cannot tell you where Grandpap is; all I know he is in the rebel army." "Grandpap" would logically refer to Joel's brother, Evan W. Jones, but Evan would have been age 68 at the time Rebecca wrote her letter. There are many ways in which an older man could be of service to an army during this period -- as a teamster, a corpsman, a cook, and numerous other possibilities.

The Civil War Service Records at Ancestry.com includes 8 EVAN JONES in the Confederate Army but none were in Texas units. It also includes an E.W. JONES, Private, Company C, 5th TX Infantry, Confederate. However, this may not be our EVAN because Co. C, or The Leon Hunters, was formed in Leon Co. [in east-central TX]. The 5th Texas Infantry was organized in Richmond, VA, October 22, 1861. More than 30 independent companies of the Texas Infantry and Artillery that had traveled to Richmond, VA, were combined to form the 5th Texas regiment, also called "The Bloody Fifth." The Texas Brigade, or [Gen. John Bell] Hood's Texas Brigade, was to Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia what the Old Guard was to Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Imperial Army. First in the advance. Shock troops in battle. The rear guard in retreat. The Texas Infantry Regiments were formed into the 1st, 4th, and 5th. These were the only Texas troops to fight in the Army of Northern Virginia. Hood's Texas Brigades were also the only troops to fight in both the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee in the Eastern and Western Theaters of War. members.tripod.com/~FifthTexas/regimental_history.html http://www.bauer.uh.edu/parks/tex/irg0050.html www.geocities.com/texas5coe/page1.html

THOMAS J. JONES (which one?), Company F, listed among the men from Homer, Angelina and Titus Counties on the 18th Texas Infantry Muster Roll. Formed April 25, 1862, Mt. Pleasant, TX, Captain Jos. G.W. Wood.

Indigent Families of Northeast Texas, compiled by Ron Brothers. http://gen.1starnet.com/civilwar/indimain.htm Perhaps one of the first welfare acts of its kind, the Texas Legislature in December 1863 passed the "Act to Support the Families and Dependents of Texas Soldiers." One million dollars was set aside to distribute to the families of soldiers who were in active service, had died in the war or had been disabled because of the war. Additionally cloth and excess thread from the State Penitentiary were given to these families after November 1864. Bibliography. Linda Mearse, Confederate Indigent Families Lists of Texas 1863-1865, (San Marcos, TX: 1995).

Indigent Families in Titus County, Texas Jones, Unknown, 1 in the family, taken on 1 Feb 1865. Pirkens, William, Decd, 2 in the family, taken on 1 Feb 1865.

1863-1870, Titus Co., TX, exact date unknown. Lizzie Mercer wrote her niece Jane Love from Delaware City, New Castle Co., DE, July 17, 1877: "you wanted to know what was the matter with pa when he died / he had bad ? neuralgia for a long time in his head for a good while and his head gathered and broke and was running near six weeks before he diede / he had been subject to the bilious colic for a good many years and it and the gathering both was the caused the in formation [inflamation] of the stomache and that was the cause of his death / we were living in titus county Texas when he died / we werewe were living in Mongomery Co Ill when I was married" Contrary to Lizzie's description of her father's ailments leading up to his death, he suffered from three separate ailments, all of which were very painful, and together it's difficult to imagine how he must have suffered. First, "he had bad ? neuralgia for a long time in his head for a good while" In other words, he suffered from headaches which were termed in the 19th century as "neuralgia in the head." In Evan's case, these may have been migraines. In addition, "his head gathered and broke and was running near six weeks before he diede" He likely had a bad case of shingles on his head. The term, gathering, means a collection of pus, and most of us know that shingles are blisters caused from a herpes infection similar to chicken pox. Thirdly, "he had been subject to the bilious colic for a good many years" Colic is an abdominal pain and cramping in the bowels, and bilious colic is the same accompanied by constant vomiting of bile that won't stop.

Lydia Love wrote her sister Jane, April 12, 1885: "Please tell me where Grandfather Jones died / Some say in Texas and some say in the Rebel Army / of Course you know for Uncle did tell Ella Jones" Correspondence from the family letters and papers of Jane Love and her cousin, Lillice Jones Harper, courtesy John, Danny, and Dave Harper in 2001 and 2004, transcribed by Brenda Boyer

1870 Hamilton Co., OH, census, Symmes Twp., p.734, P.O. Montgomery, June 28, 1870, James I. Ross: LUELLA JONES, 18 F W, at school, IL; WILLIAM S. PERKINS [Luella's nephew], 10 M W, at school, TX; Luella, William attend school; with 48/49, William WIKOFF, 56 M W, clerk, $2100 real, OH; Elizabeth, 59 F W, keeps house, OH; Ada W. HOPKINS, 30 F W, seamstress, OH; Reason JONES, 64 M W, retired farmer, OH. [Marion was in Putnam Co., IN.]

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nranck/colt-p/p797.htm#i21560 Sources for EVAN JONES: [S24] Chambers, George Gailey, Family Group sheets and correspondence, copies in my files [Nancy Ranck's]; hereafter referred to as Chambers Manuscripts. [S246] Howard Hurtig Metcalfe, Forty north; lineages of some early settlers along the fortieth parallel: being the ancestry of Barbara Leonore Snowbarger, including her parental lineages of Snowbarer, Paul, Brumbaugh, Metzger. Covalt, Gustin, Cory and Davis and her maternal lineages of Barnes, Lee, Wagoner, West, Lippicott, Keaffaber, Haupert and Schultz (Decorah, IA: Anudsen Publishing, 1997), 240. Hereinafter cited as Forty West.

Two photographs believed to be Evan W. Jones are posted on his Find A Grave memorial, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=33938353

1. ↑ JONES / WILKINSON family records compiled by my mother.

   EVAN W. JONES, son of Joseph Jones and Polly Carault, was born Sept. 9, 1794; source for this date is unknown

2. ↑ correspondence, 19th century
   letter from Mary M. Jones Vorhis, Davis Co., IA, dated Jan. 29, 1891.

   "Evan W. Jones was born September 9th 1794."

3. ↑ LDS IGI (International Genealogical Index)
   Batch 6020645, Film 1621557, sheet 48.

   EVAN W. JONES b. ca. 1793, of Hamilton Co., OH, son of Joseph JONES and Mary COVALT