Friday, March 30, 2012

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Jones Family in the Civil War, Part 2

At the beginning of March, I wrote about Joseph Jones and his service in the 61st Tennessee Mounted Infantry during the Civil War. Joseph was joined in the 61st by his brother in law, William Gilbert Daniel, husband of Sarah Melissa Jones, and his younger brother, Martin Van Buren Jones.

The War also had an impact on the older Jones siblings. Joseph's sister Adeline Jones married James W. Cline in Jefferson County on 26 March 1859. James entered the 39th Tennessee Mounted Infantry for the Confederate Army at Talbotts Station, Jefferson County on 20 March 1862. Corporal Cline died on 24 June 1862, leaving Adeline a widow.

Adeline remarried after the war, to James Miller of Jefferson County on 12 October 1865. I found James and Adeline in the 1870 Census in Jefferson County, but not after that.

Another older sister of Joseph, Margaret Caroline Jones, had married Ewen Jefferson Newman in 1849 after he returned from the Mexican War. Newman had served alongside her father and brother in Company G, 5th Infantry Tennessee Volunteers. They had a daughter later in 1849, Martha Elizabeth Newman. Martha later married David Wesley Lampkins (brother of Joseph P. Lampkins, who married Margaret & Adeline's sister Emeline Jones).

It is unclear to me if Ewen Newman served and died in the Civil War, but Margaret Caroline Jones married Anderson Walker in Jefferson County on 25 July 1865. The family moved to Montgomery County, Indiana sometime before the 1880 Census.

Emeline Jones married Joseph P. Lampkins in Jefferson County on 13 March 1859. The young couple had a son, William N. Lampkins in January 1860. Joseph Lampkins joined the Union Army, and served in Company L of the 9th Tennessee Cavalry (remember that Joseph Lampkins' brother in law Francis Marion Jones was in Company B of the 9th Tennessee Cavalry with John Thornhill). Joseph enlisted on 13 November 1863. He was transferred in Company D of the 9th Tennessee Cavalry on 29 Feb 1864. He discharged on 11 September 1865.

Emeline Jones Lampkins must have died in 1865, because Joseph Lampkins married Rachel Carter in Jefferson County on 18 January 1866. In the 1870 Census, Emeline's son William was living with Joseph Lampkins' mother Lucinda Lampkins, while Joseph was living with his new wife Rachel and young son Thomas J. Lampkins in nearby Greene County, Tennessee. Joseph later married for a third time, because in the 1880 Census he was living with new wife Angelina Lampkins, Thomas J. Lampkins, and young sons Earnest and Wiley H. Lampkins in Grainger County, Tennessee.

William, son of Emeline and Joseph Lampkins, later journeyed west and settled in Sonoma County, California.

Another Jones sister, Mary E. Jones, married Isaac Nelson Rankin in Jefferson County on 26 October 1859. Isaac and Mary had three sons:
1. William Horace Rankin in 1860,
2. Martin Benjamin Rankin in 1862, and
3. Joseph Emmett Rankin in 1868

Isaac died on 31 December 1870. Mary remarried, to Charles Toliver Jolly in Hamblen County, Tennessee on 29 February 1876.

Monday, March 26, 2012

California Connections

I'm heading this week for another regular meeting in Los Angeles, so I thought it was timely to have a post on the variety of connections across the family (and through my wife's family) to California. We moved to Santa Monica in February 2006, and still have a place there although we moved back to Alexandria in May 2010. My parents lived in Vacaville, California for a time before I was born.

On My Granny's side of the family, her aunt Isabel Portillo Cruz and family moved from Tucson, Arizona to Los Angeles by 1926. She went to visit her aunt and cousins in 1942 when she was 16 years old. Granny told me a great story of her going to see a young Frank Sinatra in concert during that visit. The photo below is from that trip of my Granny, Lydia Campuzano, with her cousin Armando Cruz in Long Beach.
My Gumpy took a road trip with his brother and two friends in the summer of 1937 from Indiana to California (he has preserved this in a collection of short stories he published in 2000, which I'll have more in a subsequent post).
The Hotel California, Santa Monica
Also on the Jones side, Arthur Eugene Jones, son of Martin Van Buren Jones (8th child of my 4th-great-grandfather Robert Thomas Jones Sr), made it to Atlas Peak, Napa Valley, California before World War II. He arrived there about the time the area was reemerging from Prohibition. Atlas Peak is now prime wine country and its own appellation.

In 1944, my grandfather Leo Reid was stationed at Eagle Field, and later at the base in Merced, California while training as an Air Force pilot. I'm fortunate to have his pilot logs from his time with the Air Force.

On my wife's side, her great-great-grandmother, Caroline [Karolina Wilhelmina Rech] Freyling journeyed to California from Evansville, Indiana with her daughters Marie Elizabeth Freyling, Kathryn Freyling and Emma Carolyn Freyling. Caroline died in Los Angeles County on 12 August 1960. Emma is supposedly buried in Santa Monica so I'm hopeful to find her headstone on a future visit back to LA. My wife's uncle and family live north of San Diego today, and she has other family from her Boston side in the Pasadena area.

Our son was born in Santa Monica in 2009, so LA has additional significance because of our time there.
Several of my Granny's siblings lived in the LA area. Her brother Robert "Bobby" Campuzano passed away in West Hollywood, California in 2007. He was a "gardener to the stars" and had an apartment at the corner of La Cienega & Fountain, not far from Sunset Boulevard. Another brother, Manny, lived in Long Beach, while Ernesto lived in Ventura County.
LA from Runyon Canyon Park, 2009

In preparing this post, I'm struck by how many connections to California we have in the family over the years. When we moved to Santa Monica in 2006, I felt instantly at home. I have a special place in my heart for LA and enjoy being able to go back on a regular basis. It's now my adopted second home.

I'm ending this post with a link to the fabulous video "LA Light" by Colin Rich, who dedicated this to his grandmother. This is a moving tribute to his grandmother, and perfectly captures LA at night.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Blanche Lamon O'Brien

In January I wrote about my great-grandfather, Harry Edward O'Brien. Harry married my great-grandmother, Blanche Lamon on 18 February 1912 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Blanche was the daughter of Uriah Lamon and Anna Smith, and was born in Fort Branch, Gibson County, Indiana on 28 June 1887.
Blanche met me after I was born, she gifted me a baby book which I still have. I am hoping to supplement this entry with some stories from my parents.

According to the City of Indianapolis Directory from 1913, Harry and Blanche were living 715 East 17th Street, Indianapolis (near Downtown, on the corner of North College & 17th Street). The home still stands, although probably for not long. On Google Streetview it looks like the home is slated for being demolished. By 1918, Harry and Blanche were living at 432 West 31st Street (that house appears to have been well-cared for and looks a lot like the house in the pictures of Blanche below).

In the 1920 US Census, Harry, Blanche and family were in Indianapolis (Washington Township), Marion County, Indiana.
In the 1930 US Census, the O'Briens were in the same house in Indianapolis.
I'm looking forward to finding them in the 1940 US Census.

Blanche and Harry had the following children:
1. My grandmother, Blanche Allene O'Brien, born 28 November 1912
2. Harry Edward O'Brien Jr., born 4 April 1914, died 9 April 2003
3. Lowell O'Brien, born 11 March 1920, died 15 November 1991

My Dad's cousin Mike O'Brien provided me with the great old photos of Blanche in this set.
Blanche lived to be 88 years old, and died in February 1976.

Company G Service and Pension Comparison

After reading the rejected Mexican War pension applications for Robert Thomas Jones Sr, Jr, Miles Jones of Jefferson County, and Thomas Jones of Jackson County, Tennessee, I have decided to have a long-term project comparing the list of those who served in Company G, 5th Infantry Tennessee Volunteers in the Mexican War against those who actually received a pension.

I reviewed the Mexican War Service Records - Tennessee on Fold3.com, and checked this with R.M. Mitchell's Down the Tennessee. 105 men served in Company G between November 1847 and their discharge at Memphis, Tennessee on 20 July 1848.

After reviewing these files, I compared the list of 105 names with the Mexican War Pension Index on FamilySearch. Out of 105 men, pension applications were filed by 34 (or by their spouses).

The next step in this research is to look up the actual pension files at the National Archives for each to see if their pension was granted or rejected. I have already looked up applications filed for Robert Thomas Jones Sr, Jr, Miles Jones and Thomas Jones of Jackson County, Tennessee, so I have 30 other files to review. This will take some time, so I'll follow up with more findings.

I do not believe this research has been done before. My hope is that this will be useful for other descendants of veterans from Company G and for furthering research on those who served from East Tennessee.

In the list below, if I mark "Memphis", that means they were discharged with the Company in Memphis, Tennessee on 20 July 1848. If their service record indicated death or other action before 20 July 1848, I have included that information.

Of the 105 men in Company G, 86 either returned to Memphis or were discharged prior to 20 July 1848. 11 died in service, 3 had no official notice of death or discharge. 6 deserted.

Company G, 5th Infantry Tennessee Volunteers (Nov 1847-Jul 1848)
Captain John Reese (24) -Memphis (no pension filed)
2nd Lt. Proctor Porter (21) - Memphis (no pension filed)
2nd Lt. John A. Miller (23) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Laura A.W. Miller, application# 14520, 19012)
Sergeant [Marcus] LaFayette Allen (21) - Memphis; promoted to 2nd Lt when Atkinson discharged (pension filed by widow Leah Allen, application #6965 from Arkansas)

Sergeant William F. Barr (28) - resigned, discharged in New Orleans on 28 Dec 1847 (pension filed by widow Mary E. P. Barr, application #18628)
Sergeant Isaac Cardwell (21) - promoted to Sergeant when Barr resigned; Memphis (No pension filed)
Sergeant Conner Moore (26) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Sergeant James Thomas (25) - promoted to Sergeant on 4 Apr 1848 when John P. Holland was demoted to private; Memphis (Pension filed by widow Elizabeth J. Thomas, application# 9181)
Sergeant John W. Thurnburg (19) - promoted to Sergeant on 1 Jun 1848 (No pension filed)
Sergeant John P. Holland (23) - demoted to private, "broken of his appointment to Sergeant on 4 April 1848, since that time a private"; Memphis (no pension filed)

Corporal James Bethel (20) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Corporal Leonard R. L. Davis (25) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Corporal Hugh K. Duncan (21) - promoted to Corporal on 1 Jun 1848 (No pension filed)
Corporal James Lowe (25) - promoted to Corporal on 4 Apr 1848; promoted again when LaFayette Allen was promoted to 2nd Lt. 1 Jun 1848; Memphis (pension application #11799)
Corporal/Pvt Robert Thomas Jones Sr (41) - Memphis (but died 2 days after discharge, drowned in Mississippi River) (Widow's pension filed by Elizabeth Thornhill Jones rejected)

William G. Atkinson (19) - Musician/Drummer; Memphis (pension application filed, #18918 Old Wars #12168; later served in Company I, 2nd US Cavalry 1855-1858; died 9 April 1919 in Russellville, Tennessee)
William P. Cozart (17) - Musician, played the fife, discharged in Memphis (pension application #1399)
William Couch (19) - Cook; transferred to hospital on 4 Feb 1848; made hospital steward on 29 Feb 1848; discharged in Memphis (pension application filed by widow Sarah Couch, #9235)

Privates
Roderick Anderson (20) - Memphis (no pension filed)
John P. Baugh (25) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Eli Blair (26) - Memphis (pension application # 518)
Hiram Blair (19) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Mary J. Blair, application #23049, 12324)
James Branham (28) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Lewis Breeden (21) - Memphis (pension filed #697)
Merrill Breeden (21) - Memphis (pension filed #11391)
Ransom Brogden (26) - Memphis (No pension filed)
[Frances] Marion Click (21) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Eliza Ann Click, #4274)
Robert Collier (21) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Mary Catherine Collier, #18621)
William R. Copeland (27) - Memphis (pension filed #15019)
Samuel Cox (19) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Caleb Crow (21) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Jane Crow, #10395, Old Wars file #13444)
James Ferguson (19) - transferred into Company G on 12 Nov 1847; Memphis (pension application #2111; 9565)
John Foster (28) - joined in New Orleans on 25 Dec 1847; Memphis (No pension filed)
David Fry (21) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Joseph Grisham (23) - Memphis (No pension filed)
James J. M. Haggard (20) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Shadric W. Harie (or Haire) (22) - Memphis (Pension filed by widow Mary Ann Hair, #4137, Old War Widow Pension)
Valentine L. Harris (19) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Thomas Haskett (19) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Thomas B. Hickey (30) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Henry Hickman (18) - Memphis (pension filed application 14879)
Humphrey Hickman (28) - Memphis (No pension filed)
William L. Hudson (22) - Memphis (Pension #20618)
Francis A Irwin (20) - Memphis (Pension filed by widow Levina Irwin, #3385; 11920)
Grant Jones (19) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Miles Jones (40) - Memphis (pension application rejected)
William Lane (19) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Zebedee Langford (24) - Memphis (No pension filed)
John J. Lennon (19) - Memphis (No pension filed)
William Lines (18) - Memphis (No pension filed)
James Maner (24) - Memphis (No pension filed)
Benjamin Manning (20) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Mary J. Manning, application #13316, survivor application #4281)
Henry Maples (20) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Andrew J. Margraves (44) - Memphis (no pension filed)
George W. Massengill (21) - Memphis (no pension filed)
James D. McClelland (21) - Memphis (no pension filed)
James McKinney (21) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Jacob Miller (22) - Memphis (pension application #4620)
James C. Myers (19) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Sarah C. Myers, application #1462, Old Wars file #16710)
James L. Neal (22) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Ewen Jefferson Newman (19) - Memphis (married Margaret Caroline Jones on 15 Feb 1849, daughter of Robert Thomas Jones Sr, sister of Robert Thomas Jones Jr) (no pension filed)
Jackson Nunn (19) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Paul Potter (23) - Memphis (pension filed by widow Isabella J. Potter, application #1713 in Tennessee)
Andrew J. Potts (20) - Detailed for daily duty as artilleryman since 4 April 1848; Memphis (pension filed by widow Mary Potts in Oklahoma, #18554; Invalid #17168; application #21279, Texas)
Henry Ratford (23) - Memphis (no pension filed)
James Robertson (40) - Memphis (no pension filed)
William P. Rodgers (20) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Stephen Shrobert (20) - Memphis (no pension filed)
William P. Sisk (20) - Memphis (no pension filed)
John P. Smallwood (30) - Memphis (no pension filed)
James Sparks (23) - Memphis (no pension filed)
Thomas Spurgeon (21) - Memphis (pension application #10310)
Thomas Stafford (25) - Memphis (pension application #16552)
Soloman Stanberry (21) - Memphis (no pension filed)
George Stomer (26) - Memphis (no pension filed)
John Thomas (19) - Memphis (pension application #6394, 15255)
Wyley [or Wiley] A. Warden (24) - Memphis (pension application #12875; 20077; Old War's 18731)
Burl Whorly (19) - Memphis (no pension filed)
William Wood (25) - Memphis (pension application #14676)

Early Discharge
1st Lt. Hendle Atkinson (40) - honorable discharge on 20 Jun 1848 (no pension filed)
Frederick Hickman (38) - discharged 14 May 1848, in New Orleans by 29 May 1848 on surgeon's certificate (No pension filed)
Alexander Jones (22) - discharged by writ of habeas corpus by Judge Alexander in Knoxville, Tennessee on 4 Dec 1847 (no pension filed)
James K. Michaels (18) - discharged at National Bridge, Mexico by surgeon's certificate, 28 Mar 1848 (pension application #4594 in Illinois, 29 Jan 1887)
Eli Sartin (30) - Discharged at National Bridge, Mexico upon surgeon's certificate 28 Mar 1848 (pension filed by widow Mary Ann Sartin, application # 2610, Old War's Inv. Rej. #17653)
Jesse Young (44) - Transferred to Company G from F on 12 Nov 1847; Discharged at National Bridge upon surgeon's certificate 28 Feb 1848 (No pension filed)  

No official notice of death or discharge
Andrew J. Clemens (22) - Left sick in hospital in Veracruz on 30 Jan 1848, no official notice of death or discharge (no pension filed)
William Kensley (20) - transferred from Company F to G on 12 Nov 1847; name not on further rolls for Company G after Nov 1847 (no pension filed)
Ruffin Warrick (24) - Left sick in hospital at Veracruz, 10 May 1848. No official notice of death or discharge. (No pension filed)

Died in Service
Elijah Church (19) - Died at Veracruz on 26 Jun 1848 (No pension filed)
John W. Ebbs (29) - Died at Veracruz on 25 Jun 1848 (No pension filed)
William Johnson (19) - Died at National Bridge, Mexico on 18 Mar 1848 (No pension filed)
Thomas Jones (29 years old, of Jackson County, Tennessee) -  Died in Mexico (pension filed by wife rejected)
Robert Thomas Jones Jr (20) - Died at Muscle Shoals, Alabama on 17 Dec 1847 (pension filed by mother Elizabeth Thornhill Jones rejected)
Thomas H. Lawson (28) - Died at National Bridge, Mexico on 9 Apr 1848 (no pension filed)
Henry Pangle (28) - Died at National Bridge, Mexico on 13 May 1848 (no pension filed)
James Russell (38) - Left in hospital in Veracruz 30 Jan 1848, died 11 Feb 1848 (no pension filed)
James Soloman (20) - Died on board transport ship America 9 Jun 1848 (no pension filed)
Thomas L. Walker (41) - Died at Veracruz, 23 Jun 1848 (No pension filed)
Thomas D. Whalen (20) - Died at National Bridge, 4 Mar 1848 (No pension filed)

Deserted
Ransom Cross (21) - Deserted in Knoxville, Tennessee on 15 Nov 1847
George Hurst (23) - Deserted at wood yard on Mississippi River, 25 Dec 1847
Noah Hurst (19) - Deserted at Paducah, Kentucky, 23 Dec 1847
Pleasant Hurst (19) - Deserted at Paducah, Kentucky, 23 Dec 1847
Charley Mathis (18) - Deserted at Veracruz on 30 Jan 1848
Paschal Nunn (25) - Deserted at wood yard on Mississippi River, 25 Dec 1847

Friday, March 23, 2012

Friday Photo - Street Art

Monterey, CA - July 2011
Mexico City - 6 March 2009
Mexico City - March 2009
Santa Monica, CA - June 2009
Space Invader - Vienna - May 2011
Warhol Banana - Vienna - May 2011
Cartagena, Colombia - Dec 2010
Cartagena, Colombia - Dec 2010
Pacific Coast Highway - July 2011
Montmarte, Paris - October 2011

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Sarah Melissa Jones Daniel

The youngest child of Robert Thomas Jones Sr and Elizabeth Thornhill was Sarah Melissa Jones. She was born on 11 August 1846 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. My distant cousin & fellow Jones family researcher Lynne King has provided the photo of Sarah Melissa below:
Sarah Melissa married William Gilbert Daniel on 23 October 1862, just before William joined the Confederate Army with Sarah Melissa's brothers Martin and Joseph. A copy of their marriage record from the Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002 is below:
Sarah Melissa and William had the following children:
1. William Alonzo Daniel - born 25 July 1863 in Jefferson County, Tennessee
2. Frank Caswell Daniel - born 1866 in Jefferson County, Tennessee
3. Minnie Clayton Daniel - born 1 January 1869 in Jefferson County, Tennessee (Minnie married Albert Vail, a grandson of my 4th-great-grandparents James Vail and Selina Hampton).

In the 1870 US Census, Sarah Melissa and William were in Talbotts Station, Jefferson County. Elizabeth Thornhill Jones was living with them.
By 1880, the Daniels had moved to Boone County, Indiana with the families of Sarah Melissa's brothers, Joseph and Martin Jones.

Sarah Melissa Jones Daniel died on 2 July 1888, before her 42nd birthday. She is buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Thorntown, Boone County, Indiana.

I'll have more on William Daniel and his service in the Civil War in a separate post.

Miles Jones of Jefferson County, Tennessee

In February I wrote about the rejected Mexican War widow's pension application submitted by Elizabeth Thornhill Jones for her husband, Robert Thomas Jones Sr. The application contained an affidavit written on behalf of Miles Jones, fellow soldier in Company G, 5th Infantry Tennessee Volunteers in December 1852. Miles Jones submitted his own invalid's pension application on 20 April 1853. Like the pension applications submitted by Elizabeth, this application was also rejected. The file below was copied at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
Background
At this time I am unsure of how Miles Jones may be related to Robert Thomas Jones Sr. It is possible that Miles was his older brother, but the affidavit submitted in Elizabeth's widow's pension does not mention this. He clearly knew Robert, Elizabeth and family. [Other researchers on Ancestry show Miles to be a son of Thomas Jones and Nancy Tucker. I haven't confirmed this yet.]

Miles was born about 1799 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. He married Mary Ann Quarles in Jefferson County on 23 December 1820.
Miles appears in the 1830 & 1840 US Census in Jefferson County, but not the 1850. He's there in 1860 Census in Jefferson County with wife Mary Ann and son Miles Jones Jr. (living next door to Dr. W. P. Massengill).

In the 1830 US Census, Miles is listed as between 30 and under 40, with one male child under 5, 1 female child under 5, and one female child between 5 and under 10. Mary appears between the ages of 20 & 30. Miles is a few houses away from Duke Kimbrough.

In the 1840 US Census, Miles is living next door to Andrew Jones, and a few houses away from Joseph Thornhill and also not far from a Nancy Jones. Miles is shown with one male child between 5 and under 10 years old, one between 10 and under 15 years old, one female child under 5 years old, one between 5 and 10 years old, one between 10 and 15 years old, one between 15 and 20 years old, and wife Mary between 30 and under 40 years old.

Miles and Mary Ann had at least the following children:
1. Daughter born around 1821-1825
2. Daughter born between 1825-1830
3. Son born between 1825-1830
4. Daughter born between 1830-1835
5. Adam Jones born between 1830-1835
6. Daughter born between 1835-1840
7. Miles Jones Jr., born about 1844

Miles Jones Sr does not appear in the 1870 US Census, so it is likely that he died sometime between in 1860-1870. I assume this to be in Jefferson County.

The Claim
 "The statement of the undersigned, a citizen of Jefferson County, Ten. would respectfully represent that he volunteered during the later part of the year 1847, for during the late war with Mexico and served as a private under Capt. Reese, Co. G. 5 Tenn. Vols, the full term of this enrollment, and at the conclusion thereof he was honorably discharged at Memphis, 21st July 1848.

He states further that when he entered the said service he was in good health and free from any constitutional malady or complaint, and he [unclear] said condition until he reached the National Bridge, Mexico, where about the later part of April 1848, he was violently attacked with the Diarrhea, diseases present among the soldiers in the service, in a malignant form, which diseases continued to operate upon his health, and constitution until he was discharged, and which have contrived upon him up to the present time, impairing the general strength of his system and undermining the force and vigor of his constitution, so that he is much debilitated and greatly reduced in strength and health.

He states that he still has the chills and fever and diarrhea, periodically so that he is much afflicted and wasted away, and having a large family to support, nearly all of when are helpless, he has hard times to get along, and being of about 50 years old age, he feels his strength gradually decaying and therefore asks the relief of the Pension laws. Dr. Satterfield, being near Mossy Creek in said County has been his duly physician since his discharge, and he expects to secure his evidence, as well as that of service of his [unclear] and officers, all of the later having removed or died, except Lt. Porter, who it is said resides at Greeneville, Tennessee.

Know to and subscribed before me this 15th of April 1852, a credible witness interviewed above in 3 places before me. A. Bethel, Justice of the Peace

his mark [X] Miles Jones

The application also contained:
1. Affidavits of James Thomas and John W. Thornburgh (sergeants in Company G), 15 April 1852
2. Affidavit of surgeon R. Humphrey
3. Affidavit of Dr. Levi Satterfield, 25 December 1852
4. Affidavit of 2nd Lt. Proctor R. Porter of Company G, 2 March 1853
5. Cover letter prepared by A.G. Graham to the pension office
6. Letter dated 11 July 1854 asking the pension office for a status update on Miles' claim
7. Response from the pension office dated 12 July 1854

Pension Office Response of 12 July 1854
Sir,

The papers of Miles Jones, a private of Company G, 5th Regt Tennessee Volunteers to which you allude in your letter of this date, have been examined and filed. He claims a pension for chills and fevers contracted at the National Bridge in about 1848 and diarrhea incurred while crossing the Gulf in July following. He has produced the form affidavits of the sergeants of his Company who corroborate his statement, and his affidavit of Lt. Porter, of said Company. The latter only can be received, as he was present with it on his return to this state and when it was discharged. He states that he has no recollection of June, being attacked with any diseases while in the service, but it is possible he says that he may have had them, as he (Porter) was for a month or more absent from the Company while it was stationed at the National Bridge. If he was absent during that time, it is inferred that he would have made acquainted with the soldier's sickness and if he contracted the diarrhea in crossing the Gulf, he must have seen him at that time, and when he was discharged.

We are not authorized to take the testimony of uncommissioned officers or privates in a case when commissioned officers were with the company and unless the claimant can show by such evidence that he suffered from chills and fever and diarrhea at the date of his discharge from the Army as well as the time when and the place where said diseases were incurred, he cannot obtain a pension.

Dr. Satterfield states in his affidavit that he was called in occasionally for medical relief by Jones, and that he gave him the usual remedies. It is [unclear] that he state at what date he first saw him, in what manner he was when affected, how often he had been subject to attacks of chills and fever as well as diarrhea, having the attacks contained (?) whether the claimant has been [unclear] in his habits and what has been his occupation.

Dr. Humphreys, who lives in a distant county, has set forth the operation of the diseases in no such particularity as to make the impression that he has had a personal knowledge of the case, and it is presumed that he did not see him with the medical survey; and if so, his testimony cannot have much weight.

We have heretofore stated that we cannot permit applicants to go out of their neighborhood to obtain a medical survey. They must be examined by at least two competent and skillful physicians residing near them, who will state in a joint affidavit professionally the manner in which they are affected by diseases and the degree of disability resulting therefrom. Such an affidavit is wanted in this case, and the professional standing of the physicians must be certified by a member of Congress or some prominent person known at this office. Dr. Satterfield must also be certified.

Hon. N. C. Taylor

Thoughts
Like the other rejected pension applications submitted by Elizabeth Jones, this is incredibly frustrating to read. It is clear that Miles Jones served in Company G, 5th Infantry Tennessee Volunteers and the pension office recognizes this. It is also clear that Miles, like Robert Thomas Jones Sr., was at National Bridge, Mexico, and returned to Memphis, Tennessee in July 1848. He very likely contracted yellow fever in Mexico or on the voyage back to Tennessee. Yellow fever and other diseases were rampant among the men who served in Mexico at this time. This is confirmed in R.M. Edwards' Down the Tennessee and other writings of the time.

It would be interesting to see how many of the men of Company G who survived the war and returned home (or their wives) actually received the pension they deserved.

Wordless Wednesday - A New Arrival, Dec 1912

Harry Edward O'Brien & Blanche Allene O'Brien - Dec 1912

Monday, March 19, 2012

Motivation Monday - Writing Reminders

I'm now back from meetings in Costa Rica. It was a beautiful country, and I can cross a few things off my bucket list (extreme zip lining in the cloud forest, assisted with security for a President). It is definitely a place I would visit for a vacation. Posting stories & research has been a bit difficult due to workload and travel, although I did manage to post some photos. Here is an updated set of writing reminders for March:

- The Mexican War pension application of Miles Jones
- Following up on my inquiry with the Descendants of Mexican War Veterans
- My great-grandma Lois (Elizabeth Lois Whitley)
- Blanche Lamon O'Brien
- Easter Vail Armstrong
- California connections
- William Allman of Carroll County, Ohio
- William Daniel, husband of Sarah Melissa Jones
- Looking ahead to the 1940 US Census

Parking this for now as a future research idea, but I am interested to see how many men from Robert Thomas Jones Sr's company in the Tennessee 5th Infantry who returned home in 1848 actually received a pension for their service. [Update - see Company G Service Record & Pension Comparison].



Friday, March 16, 2012

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Campuzano siblings

Photo source - Patty Marple, photo dated mid 1930s
Campuzano siblings - Tucson, Arizona

Monday, March 12, 2012

Mappy Monday - Big Black River 17 May 1863

Below is a battlefield map showing the Big Black River area when Joseph Thomas Jones was captured on 17 May 1863 in Mississippi:

Source: Fold3.com, Civil War Maps database, Civil War Maps 1861-1865, Library of Congress & Virginia Historical Society.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Jones Family in the Civil War, Part 1

Like many Tennessee families, the Jones family of Jefferson County dealt with divided loyalties among the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. In January I wrote about Corporal Francis Marion Jones, who enlisted in the 9th Tennessee Calvary on the Union side. Last month, I also covered his commanding officer, Captain John Thornhill, nephew of Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. While Francis and John Thornhill joined the Union side, Francis' brothers Martin V. Jones and Joseph Thomas Jones (my 3rd-great-grandfather) enlisted on the Confederate side.

Joseph joined Company F, 61st Tennessee Mounted Infantry on 3 September 1862 in Morristown, Tennessee. Martin joined Company F in December 1862. Joseph (appearing on the service roll as Thomas) was present in the company in March and April 1863. Joseph transferred to Company G, 61st Infantry on 1 April 1863.
 
One thing I find fascinating was that when Joseph Thomas Jones joined the 61st Infantry, he had 4 young children at home (his youngest son, Marion Columbus Jones had been born in April 1862). He had grown up hearing about his father and older brother's deaths in the Mexican War, and saw his mother's struggle to receive a widow's pension. Joseph's older sisters Catherine, Margaret Caroline, Emeline, Adaline and younger sister Mary had all gotten married before the Civil War. Joseph would have been the oldest son in the family at this time.
 
Prisoner of War
According to his muster roll, Joseph was captured at the Battle of Big Black River on 17 May 1863 (see http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ms010.htm and http://www.nps.gov/vick/historyculture/bigblack.htm). A detailed account has been written by Rebecca Blackwell Drake and is worth a read at http://battleofchampionhill.org/history/big-black.htm. Joseph was sent to Memphis with other prisoners of war on 25 May 1863, and then transferred to Fort Delaware, Delaware on 15 June 1863.
On 20 September 1863, Joseph was sent from Fort Delaware to Point Lookout, Maryland. This has been referenced as the largest and worst northern prisoner of war camp (see http://www.censusdiggins.com/prison_ptlookout.html). The map below shows Point Lookout's location at the point where the Potomac River empties into the Chesapeake Bay.
At some point, Joseph was paroled at Point Lookout and released as part of a prisoner exchange on 10 February 1864.
Another interesting bit of history is that on 4 February 1864, one week before Joseph was paroled in the prisoner exchange, Abraham Lincoln wrote to the US Senate on correspondence between Union and Confederate authorities on the exchange of prisoners (see the Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, Volume 7):
Annotation

[1]   DS, DNA RG 46, Senate 38A F2. Stanton's report of February 4 with enclosures is printed in Thirty-eighth Congress, First Session, Senate Executive Document No. 17.

Joseph returned to Jefferson County, Tennessee to his wife Mary Katherine Green Jones and their four children. He must have returned home by mid to late February or March 1864, because Mary gave birth to their fifth child, Nancy Cornelia Jones, in November 1864, approximately 9 months after Joseph returned home from war.
  
Joseph's brother Martin Van Buren Jones (named after the 8th President of the United States, who served between 1837-1841) was also captured outside of Vicksburg, Mississippi around 17 May 1863. He filed a Confederate Pension application, and his wife filed a widow's pension application after Martin died. I'll have more on Martin and his pension in a later post. Martin received his pension, and died on 2 February 1918 in Erath County, Texas.

As noted in earlier posts, Joseph Thomas Jones and family later moved to Boone County, Indiana. Joseph appears in the 1870 Census in Jefferson County and by the 1880 US Census the family had moved to Boone County. His oldest daughter Martha appears in Oklahoma in 1900. Marion Columbus Jones also went to Oklahoma and later Kansas.

There is also a Joseph Jones who appears in White Pine, Jefferson County, Tennessee in the 1900 Census, born in April 1838 (with father born in Tennessee and mother from Virginia), married to a Cordie Jones, age 36. The Tennessee Marriage Records, 1780-2002, show that a Joseph Jones married Cordia Hart on 1 December 1897 in Jefferson County. There is a death record in Jefferson County for a Joseph Jones, age 71 years, on 21 January 1910. This is possibly my 3rd-great-grandfather, but I need to request records.

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Joseph Thomas Jones' service information and images from the Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Tennessee, National Archives Publication Number M268, via Fold3.com.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Thomas Jones 1778-1857

My Jones family links in Tennessee predate the formation of the state. I have previously written about Thomas Jones and his land purchases in Jefferson County on the French Broad River (see An Island in the French Broad from 11 February 2012), the decision against him in the State of Tennessee vs Thomas Jones (post dated 9 February 2012), and the records from Dumplin Creek Baptist Church (post dated 5 February 2012). This post is to tie up loose ends and cover Thomas' story as best as I know currently. [UPDATED 29 Dec 2012]

Thomas Jones (my 5th-great-grandfather) was born in North Carolina around 1778, although it is unclear at this time if this was within the present borders of Tennessee or North Carolina. He married Nancy Tucker on 30 June 1798 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. From the Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002:
Nancy was the daughter of James Tucker and Jane, and was born in North Carolina around 1773. James filed a pension application from service in the Revolutionary War for North Carolina, and I will have more on him in a subsequent post.

Census Records featuring Thomas Jones
Thomas appears in the 1830, 1840 and 1850 US Census records in Jefferson County. In the 1830 US Census, Thomas is listed with 1 male of 5 and under 10, 1 male of 15 and under 20, 1 male of 20 and under 30, 1 male of 50 and under 60 (Thomas), 1 female under 5, 2 females of 5 and under 10, 1 female of 10 and under 20, and 1 female of 50 and under 60 (Nancy).
 In 1840, Thomas Jones appears in the Northern Division of Jefferson County. In this record, there is one male of 15 and under 20, one 20 and under 30, and Thomas shown of 60 and under 70. There are also 2 females of 15 and under 20, and Nancy shown of 60 and under 70. Thomas Jones is residing near William Caldwell, John Kerr, Hugh Henry, and Duke Kimbrough (pastor at Dumplin Creek Baptist, who had married Robert Thomas Jones Sr and Elizabeth Thornhill).
By 1850, Thomas Jones is in District 13 of Jefferson County. He is shown as 72 years old, a farmer, with value of real estate worth $600, and from North Carolina. Nancy is on the next page, with daughter Malinda Jones (age 24).
I have an unsourced death date for Thomas Jones in 1857. Nancy does not appear in the 1860 Census in Jefferson County, so I also assume that she died sometime between 1850 and 1860.

Other Records
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In the Jefferson County Will Book No. 1 1792-1810, Thomas Jones appears in an inventory of the estate of Jesse Walker:
            Page 331-333 Richard Hix Admr.
            An inventory of the estate of Jesse Walker dec’d taken this 21st day of October 1807.
Sale of said estate at twelve months credit to wit, November 3, 1807: Sold to Richard Hix, James Simpson, Polly Walker, John Hays, John Henderson, Miss Walker, Thos. Jones, Jacob Layman, Elizabeth Walker, Lewis Ellis, Michael Banner, Andrew Henderson, Alex. Shadden, Jas. Doherty, Hugh Keys, John Hix, Hammond McCullough, Robt. Armstrong, and James Nelson. Judgement against Chas. Carter in the amount of $11.64.
                                                Richard Hix      January 23, 1808
In the book MISCELLANEOUS BONDS: ADMINISTRATION 1806-1814, CONSTABLES 1806-1857, MAINTENANCE (BASTARDY) 1807-1857, INDENTURES 1807-1828 JEFFERSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE, transcribed by Billie R. McNamara, Thomas Jones appears as a surety in several bond cases. 
Page 28- “BOND NO. 15  DATE  14 Dec 1830  MOTHER  Mary Gass BOUND PARTY  Joseph Thornhill SURETIES  John Baker; Thomas Jones CHARGE  Joseph Thornhill hath been charged with being the reputed father of a Base begotten Child a Boy of the body of Mary Gass SIGNATURES  Joseph X Thornbill; John Baker; Thomas X Jones”

Joseph Thornhill was the brother of Elizabeth Thornhill Jones. Joseph Thornhill married Mary Gass (b. 1805 in Jefferson County) on 31 August 1830 in Jefferson County. Her father was Samuel Gass (b. 1764, Ireland, d. 1839), mother Rebecca Kerr (http://www.harringtons.org/documents/gedcoms/John-E-Harrington/d0000/g0000064.html#I2140). The child described in this bond was Thomas W Thornhill, born Mar 1829.

Elizabeth’s mother, Sarah Westall [Restall] Thornhill, remained in the Jefferson County/Hamblen County area and appears in the 1860 Census.

John Baker was the son of James Baker, a prominent land owner in Jefferson County in the late 1790s & early 1800s (see http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/COATES/2003-07/1059627825).

“BOND NO. 83      DATE   10 Sep 1821    BOND AMOUNT  $500 CONSTABLE  Robert M. Newman  SURETY  John Douglas; Tho Jones SIGNATURES  Rob' M. Newman; John Dugless; Thos Jones”

Robert M. Newman was the son of Sara Irwin and Isaac Newman, born 15 Mar 1796 in Jefferson County, TN. Sara Irwin & Isaac Newman were from Guilford County, North Carolina (1753 & 1755), see http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2041456&id=I99711775.

In the Jefferson County Will Book 3 1826-1833, Thomas Jones is listed in the Sale of Estate of James Campbell. It reads:

Taken Nov. 1, 1826, due Nov. 18, 1827 to Jane Campbell: Purchasers; William Caldwell, Elliott Peck, John Hays, Margaret Fain, Robert Miller, Thomas Jones, Alex. Newman, John Baker, Newman Caldwell, Henry H. Peck, one note of hand of 30 dollars on David Ashmore due three or four years ago, due from Nathan Sellars 12, Dec, R. F. Campbell, Joseph Hamilton Ck.

Caldwell Will located at http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/th/read/CAMPBELL/2006-09/1158356825. Jane Campbell’s maiden name was Peck, her brothers were Elliott and Henry Peck. The Peck family came to Tennessee from Virginia and Maryland (see http://jefferson.tngenealogy.net/research-aids/17-families/328-bible-and-records-of-wiley-peck). 

Thomas Jones and Samuel Jones (a son?) are referenced in the will of Samuel Lane in Jefferson County in 1847 (see http://ladytuffie.tripod.com/LaneFamilyTree/id4.html). Lane was the son of Tidence Lane (1724-1805), first Baptist minister in Tennessee. 

Children of Thomas Jones and Nancy Tucker
 
Based on a combination of the Census records, the Tennessee Marriage records for 1780-2002, and other resources on Ancestry.com, it my belief that Thomas Jones and Nancy Tucker had the following children:
1.     Joshua Jones, born about 1799 in Jefferson County. Joshua Jones married Margaret Dick in Jefferson County on 14 July 1827. Joshua Jones appears in the 1830 Census in Jefferson County near Thomas Jones.
2.     Robert Jones, born about 1806 in Jefferson County. Robert married Betsy (Elizabeth) Thornhill on 20 October 1824 in Jefferson County. Robert Jones appears in the 1830 Census next door to Betsy’s mother Sarah Westall [Restall] Thornhill.
3.    William Jones, born 1801; moved to Marion County, Arkansas
4.     Elizabeth Jones, born about 1810-1820, married Hugh Henry on 20 Sept 1831 in Jefferson County, Tennessee
5.     Conway Jones, born about 1812, married Ruth Biggs on 10 Nov 1840 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Moved to Hamilton County, Tennessee, then to Logan County, Arkansas
6.     Unknown Male [possibly Samuel] Jones, born about 1820-1825
7.     Unknown Female Jones, born about 1820-1825
8.     Unknown Female Jones, born about 1820-1825
            9.     Malinda Jones, born about 1826 in Jefferson County. Malinda married Joel Pruett on 20 July 1852 in Jefferson County.  
I will test this theory in upcoming posts but would welcome input from other researchers of the Jones family in East Tennessee.