Person:James Jones (245)

Biography

Origins

James Jones was born perhaps about 1797, or perhaps a bit later, possibly in Pennsylvania. ^[1][7] Based on DNA evidence, he appears to have some connection to at least two families in Branford, New Haven, Connecticut, although the nature of the connection is unknown, other than it is at least a generation or more earlier.

According to his son and wife, James served in the War of 1812.^[2] To date, however, no service record has been identified as belonging to this James Jones. James’ son, George Jones, claimed that his father had fought in three wars, not just the War of 1812. It is known that he served in the Black Hawk War, and he may also have served in the Winnebago “War”, in 1827, although that remains speculative.

By 1825, James was in Indiana, possibly Montgomery County, where he met his future wife, Polly Meadows. Years later she described him as having been tall, about six feet; thin, no than about 150 pounds; and having dark hair.^[2]

Lead Mines

By 1827, James was in what was then Michigan Territory and would later become Wisconsin Territory. The southwest corner of Wisconsin was known as the lead region, and James was one of the early participants in the “lead rush” of the 1820s-40s that was a portent of the much larger gold rushes that would come two decades later.^[16][17]

James, along with Levi Gilbert, is credited with opening the "Walter Diggings" mine, in Iowa County, Wisconsin late in 1827, the second mine in the immediate vicinity.^[3] The most likely location of James Jones' mine is only about 15 miles from Dodgeville, Wisconsin, where Henry Dodge located his diggings at the same time. Dodge had discovered his "diggings" while leading a volunteer militia during the Winnebago “War” of 1827.^[18][19][20] It is possible, although not documented, that James was in the Galena (Illinois) area when Dodge enlisted his volunteer militia, and that James was one of the volunteers and discovered his "diggings" in the same way. Sadly, Dodge's mine, possibly that of James Jones, and certainly those of many other miners who flooded into the area, was outside the legal area for mining and inside land land belonging, by treaty, to the Winnebago. The United States government, unable to force miners off of Winnebago land and unwilling to risk the lives of miners, purchased the Winnebago's land and forced them to move west of the Mississippi River.^[21]

According to his oldest son, he was a Capt. who served in three wars, and was highly educated

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Eastern Division, Grant County, Wisconsin, in United States. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432)
   HH 369, Family 373.

   Jas. Jones, age 53, male, miner, RE=$200, born Penn
   Polly Jones, age 25 [sic], female, born Ind., unable to read and write
   Clarinda Jones, age 14, female, born Wis
   Geo. Jones, age 10, male, born Wis
   Elnora Jones, age 6, female, born Wis
   Thomas J. Jones, age 4, male, born Wis
   Jas. Jones, age 1, male, born Wis.

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} Widow's Service Pension Application, War of 1812, #44135, in Jones Family Documents.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} History of Iowa County, Wisconsin: containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, biographical sketches. (Salt Lake City, Utah (originally Western Historical Company, Chicago): Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978 (originally 1881)).

   p. 468-469
   - Blue River, first adventurer was a French Canadian; 2nd was Capt. Silas Jones, who arrived in the Blue River Precinct on ground now occupied by Centerville, in latter part of 1827. Capt. Jones built first smelting furnace here in 1828. After him, during 1827, a large number of miners came in and started what have since been known as the "Centerville diggings".
   p. 796
   - In 1827 and 1828, when grand influx of miners occurred, many came here [to Highland], inc. Capt. James Jones, Levi Gilbert and Daniel Moore. Levi Gilbert and Capt. Jones opened 2nd mine, called Walter Diggings.
   p. 468-469
   - Capt. Silas Jones, - His title was gained during Black Hawk war when he was commander of the Blue River Fort.
   p. 482 - distribution of military supplies, May 28, 1832, To Thomas J. Parrish and Capt. James Jones, two muskets, taken out of the wagon on the road from Prairie du Chien to Mineral Point;
   public swords issued to 8 people, inc. James Jones and Thomas Parrish
   June 21, 1832 - To Fort Jones, on Blue River, five US muskets, twelve pounds of powder and twenty pounds of musket balls, issued to Lieut. Armstrong.
   July 1, 1832, Capt. Jones, twenty muskets on Colonel's order.
   p. 796
   - During [Black Hawk] war of 1832, people were posted on the east half of the SW 1/4 of Sec 34, Town 7, Range 1, under command of Capt. James Jones. Garrison remained quiet during 3 month war, and many miners continued working.

4. ↑ James Jones, Jones' Co. Iowa Militia, Black Hawk War. The National Archives and Records Administration.

   Jones, James, Jones' Co. Iowa Militia (Black Hawk War) Captain
   Card Number 11313040; no personal papers
   Appears on Co. Muster-out Roll, dated Aug 20, 1832
   Enrolled May 20, 1832, for 3 mos
   From Second Auditor's Roll

5.   White, Virgil D. Index to volunteer soldiers in Indian Wars and disturbances, 1815-1858. (Waynesboro, Tennessee: National Historical Publishing Co., 1994, c1993)
   Vol. 1, A-K.

   p. 744 - Jones. James, Capt., serv in his own Co. of IA Mil in the Black Hawk War

6. ↑ Grant Township, Iowa County, Wisconsin Territory, in Wisconsin territorial census for 1836. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980)
   Family History Library Film No. 1293919; scanned image on-line.

   p. 1, James Jones, 3 males over 21[James, (Jackson Meadows??) unknown], 0 males under 21, 1 female over 21 [Polly], 1 female under 21 [Clarinda], total of 5 persons in household

7. ↑ ^7.0 7.1 Eastern Division, Grant County, Wisconsin Territory , in United States. 1840 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M704)
   p. 21/41.

   James Jones: 1 white male between 30 and 39 years of age [James], 1 female between 20 and 29 [Polly}, 1 white female under 5 years [Clarinda]; 1person employed in mining

8. ↑ Eastern Division, Grant County, in Wisconsin territory census for 1842. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980)
   Family History Library Film No. 1293919.

   p. 25 - James Jones, 3 heads of families, 7 white males, 2 white females, 9 persons total

9. ↑ Grant County, Southern District, in Wisconsin Territory. Secretary. Wisconsin territory census for 1846. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980)
   p. 34.

   James Jones, 2 males {James, George], 3 females [Polly, Clarinda, Elnora]

10. ↑ Tax Roll 1850 Platteville, Grant Series 9, in Jones Family Documents.

    Capt. James Jones, 30 acres of N part or side of SW1/4 of N1/4 of S10, bounded S by tract owned by N Dowling - valued at $130

    James Jones never registered the deed for this land. The last registered owner was Vance L. Davison of Carroll County, Illinois, who purchased the land from Elias Blundell & wife Hannah of "the same place", recorded on 24 March 1840 in Grant County Wisconsin Deed Books A & B (FHL #1463501). Both Davison and the Blundells were early settlers of Carroll County, having previously taken part in the "lead rushes". Vance Davison and his wife subsequently moved to California (History of Carroll County, IL. FHL #0934971).
    The land was sold by James' son, George W. Jones, after James died.

11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} James Jones Bounty Land Warrant Application, in Jones Family Documents.
12. ↑ United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records.

    Patentee: Andrew McCrady, Assignee of
    Warrantee: James Jones, Captain in the Michigan Militia Black Hawk War
    NWNW Sec 14, T6-N, R1-E, Iowa County, Wisconsin (40 acres)
    Document Nr.: 29721; Issue Date: 3/1/1855; Land Office: Mineral Point
    Authority: September 28, 1850: ScripWarrant Act of 1850 (9 Stat. 520)

13. ↑ Wisconsin State Genealogical Society Newsletter
    Vol. 30, No. 1, p. 66, June 1983.

    p. 66 - Family Heads in 1840 census
    Grant county, Platteville - James Jones (2)

14. ↑ Wisconsin Muster Rolls from the Black Hawk War, 1832. Typescript of original muster rolls in the records of the General Accounting Office (Record Group 217) at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Online facsimile at Wisconsin Historical Society
    p. 29, accessed 21 Sep 2017.

    Muster Roll of Captain James Jones Company of Iowa Militia Stationed at Fort Blue called into the service of the United States in the requisition of Gen. Henry Atkinson 19th May 1832
    1. James Jones, Capt 20th May for 3 months
    5. Austen Palmer, 1st Sgt.
    14. Levi Gilbert Private
    19. Jackson Meadows Private
    20. James Moody Private
    22. Thos. J. Parish Private

15. ↑ James may have been in Missouri looking at the potential for work as a lead miner. According to the town's history, "During the 1840s, mining became a part of Neosho when lead was discovered. Neosho's early commercial development was dominated by lead and zinc mining and Newton County established one of Missouri's earliest commercial operations."
16. ↑ ’Lead Mining in Southern Wisconsin’’, Wisconsin Historical Society. Accessed 12 June2020
17. ↑ Galena”, ‘’Wisconsin 101 Our History in Objects’’, Wisconsin Historical Museum. Accessed 12 June 2020
18. ↑ Nesbit, Robert C. ‘’Wisconsin: a history’’. Second Edition. (Madison, Wisconsin; University of Wisconsin Press) 1989. p. 96
19. ↑ ”Winnebago War (1827)”, ‘’Wisconsin Historial Society’’
20. ↑ See also, “Winnebago War”, “Wikipedia’’
21. ↑ Rayman, Ronald. "Confrontation at the Fever River Lead Mining District." The Annals of Iowa 44 (1978), 278-295. (Available at: https://doi.org/10.17077/0003-4827.11366 Hosted by Iowa Research Online.) p.281 & ff