Sunday's Obituary - Keith DeWitt Jones

Keith DeWitt Jones, 92, passed away on Thursday, 25 April 2013 at the Indiana Masonic Home in Franklin, Indiana. He was the son of Edgar and Alma Oyler Jones, born in Thorntown, Indiana on September 29, 1920. Keith was a third-generation member of the Masons, following his father and grandfather Thomas Robert Jones.
 

Keith lived a long, well-traveled life, growing from farm life in Boone County to taking a road trip to California at the age of 17, to later cross-country drives via RV and visits to Canada. During World War II through the 1950s, he worked at the US Naval Avionics Facility in Indianapolis. He later moved to Houston and also lived for many years in Canyon Lake, Texas before returning to Indiana. Keith managed a petrochemical cleaning business in Houston (working at NASA and with the oil industry). Keith had a passion for art and collecting stories, and was noted for his model boat building in later years. One of his hand-built boats is now on display at the Indiana Masonic Home.

Keith was preceded in death by his first wife Blanche O'Brien Jones in 1960, second wife Betty Jeanne Reynolds Jones in 2008, and older brother Robert P. Jones in 2011.

He is survived by son Keith Douglas Jones (Barbara), grandchildren Patrick Jones (Allison) and Laura Jones, and great-grandchildren Sophia Jones and Silas Jones.
 

Contributions may be made in his name to the Indiana Masonic Home Foundation, Inc., 525 N. Illinois St., Box 44210 46244-0210.

Wedding Photo for Ura and Emma Heaton Allman

The photo below shows Ura James Allman, younger brother of my 2nd-great-grandmother, Agnes Lydia Allman, with his wife Emma Heaton Allman. Ura and Emma were married on 13 May 1896 in Boone County, Indiana. This was most likely their wedding photo.

Ura was born on 5 May 1872 in Fairmount, Vermilion County, Illinois (the 1900 US Census lists his birth month as July 1872). In 1900, Ura is listed as a "dairyman" in Sugar Creek, Boone County, Indiana. One of the photos in the set from cousin Robert states that Ura was an ice cream maker.

I'll have more on Ura, Emma, and their children in the coming days.

Photo of Davis Sisters

This photo shows my third-great-grandmother, Emily Rachel Davis Allman, and her older sister, Mary Ruth Davis Smoot.

Mary Ruth Davis Smoot was born on 10 July 1838 in Vermilion County, Illinois. She married James H. Smoot on 13 November 1856 in Vermilion County, and the couple later moved to Wayne County, Missouri. Mary Ruth passed away on 11 December 1908, she is buried in the Smoot Cemetery in Greenville, Missouri. She and James had a large family, so there may be many distant cousins interested in this photo.

The photo above was in the series provided by Robert from Illinois. There is a matching photo to this one on several Ancestry trees, but without the writing at the bottom.

Sepia Saturday - Alice Davis Allman and Maude

The photo below shows Alice Davis Allman with daughter Maude Allman, wife and daughter of Ephraim Allman. Ephraim was a younger brother of my 3rd-great-grandfather, William Allman.

From the 1900 US Census, it shows Alice Allman as born in April 1849, while Maude was born in July 1886. Maude looks about 2-4 years old in this picture, as a best guess I place the date for the photo between 1890 & 1892. This puts Alice about 41 to 43 years old in the photo.

The map below shows the distance between Barry County, Missouri (B on the map), home of several of the Allman siblings, and Vermilion County, Illinois (shown as A on the map). I've included Stone County, Missouri as C on the map (home of Eli Allman).

Ephraim Allman
Ephraim was born on 18 March 1848 in Carroll County, Ohio. This information comes from the Barnes and Flint research provided to the First Families of Ohio (see my post from 6 November 2012). He appears in the 1860 US Census in Wood County, Ohio, with his father James Allman, James' second wife Sarah, his brother Robert and step-brothers Rinaldo and Willie.

Ephraim married Alice Davis on 24 December 1870 in Barry County, Missouri. Ephraim died in 1901 and is buried in Rocky Comfort, Missouri.

I really have not done much research on Ephraim or Alice Davis Allman. It does look like Maude Allman married a Monroe Davidson and appears in the 1930 US Census. Perhaps some of her descendants may be interested in the photo here.

This is part of the collection I received from Robert in Illinois, he found this, with the other photos, in papers that had been saved by his father.

New Pro Soccer Team Using History in its Branding

Yesterday the new North American Soccer League franchise based in Indianapolis announced its logo and branding. In a rarity for professional sports teams, the new Indy Eleven chose a historic military connection and kicked off the new look on Monument Circle in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The team says the name is a nod to the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

Source: IndyEleven Instagram

The 11th was commanded by Lew Wallace, who later wrote Ben-Hur and became one of Crawfordsville, Indiana's most famous residents. The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum has a blog and website.

The team will begin play in 2014 at Carroll Stadium on the campus of IUPUI in Downtown Indy. Back in 1997, I saw the then Dallas Burn beat DC United on penalty kicks to win the US Open Cup. It was a great atmosphere for soccer and I hope the city embraces the Indy Eleven and this new effort to make pro soccer a success in Indiana.

Friday Photo - Eli Allman and Dog

Continuing with the set of Allman photographs sent by cousin Robert, here is another of Eli Allman.

R.I.P.

This evening we received the call that Gumpy, my grandfather, Keith D. Jones has passed in Indiana. 92 years is a long time to be on this Earth. He lived his time well. I'll have a longer post coming up in the near future. He's been an inspiring person for me, and I'm sure for others.

We knew this day was coming, which does not make it easier to put into words. I am glad he took time to share his stories, and create wonderful art. Rest in peace.  

Postcard of Eli Allman

The postcard below shows Eli "Red" Allman in front of the Short home, in Galena, Missouri. The postmark is 23 June 1911. Eli died on 15 October 1911, he was the brother of my 2nd-great-grandmother Agnes Lydia Allman. The card was addressed to Eli Runyan in Danville, Illinois. Eli was married to Dora Jane Allman, Eli Allman's sister.

The postcard was part of a set of Allman family photos sent by cousin Robert from Illinois. I have had them scanned, and will be posting them here so others who may be researching the Allman and related families can find them. Agnes, Eli, Dora, Ada Malissa and Ura James Allman were the children of my 3rd-great-grandparents, William Allman and Emily Rachel Davis.

Eli Allman
Eli was born on 18 February 1874 in Fairmount, Vermilion County, Illinois. He was the last child of William and Emily Rachel Allman. He married Bess Short of Stone County, Missouri, about 1906. In the 1910 US Census, Eli and Bess were living in the household of Bess' parents, Jackson and Permelia Short, in Galena, Missouri. Jackson Short was postmaster of Galena.

I don't know the specifics of Eli Allman's early death. His Findagrave entry states that he worked as a brakemaster for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He is buried in Galena Cemetery, Galena, Stone County, Missouri.

A Marriage Announcement

Back in February 2012, I posted a photo of my 2nd-great-grandparents, Agnes Lydia Allman and Charles John Oyler, showing them as a young couple. Earlier in the week, a distant cousin in Illinois sent me a packet of old photos, along with something special - the actual marriage announcement from 1882. I had it scanned, see below.

This is a cool find, and I'm impressed it was saved for 131 years.

Wordless Wednesday - The Wall for Peace, Paris

Photo by Patrick Jones - Wall for Peace, Paris, 21 Sept 2011

Looking Closer at Early Tennessee Records

At the beginning of the month, I wrote about finding a 1 August 1796 reference to Thomas Jones in the Jefferson County Court Minutes. As a single piece of information, there's not really enough to link this Thomas Jones to my line (although I'm pretty certain this is the same person I'm tracking in early Jefferson County records). To remedy this, I've ordered two sets of microfilm through FamilySearch.

I'll report back after reviewing the contents of the microfilm. The first set contains the following:
1. Quorum minutes, 1792-1802, Jefferson County
2. Grant Books, 1792-1794, Jefferson County
3. Tombstone records of Jefferson County
4. Church and family records of Jefferson County (including White Pine and French Broad Baptist)
5. Marriage records, 1792-1870, Jefferson County (I believe the marriage records set has already been digitized)

The second set contains:
1. Record of monies received by County Court Clerk, 1827-1860, Jefferson County
2. Scholastic Population, 1841-1861, Jefferson County
3. Tax List, 1822-1830, Jefferson County

In total, this is a big set of records, but given the range of information and the period of time covered by the set, I think this will produce some good results. This is also a test run for other potential orders of microfilm. My budget for this type of research is limited, so I'm interested to see what can be found with targeted use of FamilySearch' microfilm options.

Wordless Wednesday - The Great Wall at Mutianyu

Photo by Patrick Jones - Mutianyu, China, 6 April 2013

Travel Tuesday - Vintage Travel Posters from the Boston Library

I saw this on Hipmunk's Facebook page (originally posted on their blog in May 2012), on a great set of vintage travel posters from the Boston Public Library (see their Flickr set here).

Source: Boston Public Library

Source: Boston Public Library

According to the source information, the Visit Palestine poster was issued between 1930-1939.

Early Tennessee Tax Lists

Yesterday the Tennessee Secretary of State's Office announced that early Tennessee tax records, covering the period from 1783-1895, are available on Ancestry.com (the direct link can be accessed at http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=2883). This has already yielded some useful information on my Jones and Thornhill ancestors in Jefferson County, Tennessee. The Secretary of State's announcement notes that the database contains 262,784 records and 7,720 images.

My first find in the set was my 4th-great-grandfather, Robert Jones. He was living in District 9, Jefferson County, Tennessee in 1836.

In District 1, on the same page as Hugh Henry, is William Jones. On the next page, is a Stephen Jones. I've noted before how William Jones was a son of my 5th-great-grandfather Thomas Jones.

District 2 had John G. Jones, Thomas Jones and Miles Jones.

The end of the District 2 pages also contained Joseph Thornhill. I don't yet know if this entry is for Joseph Thornhill, father of Elizabeth Thornhill Jones, or her brother Joseph Thornhill.

District 5 showed another Thomas Jones.

District 8 showed a third Thomas Jones, and Conway Jones.

The summary page for Jefferson County in 1836 is pretty interesting too:

There are many more records in this database that appear to be useful for my research. More finds to follow.

Antonio Campuzano in the News

I previously wrote in August about Antonio Campuzano, a barber in Tempe, Arizona. A recent search from the Arizona Digital Newspaper Program uncovered a surprising bit of news on Antonio and his involvement in defending a home from a drunken intruder. The first article appeared in the Arizona Republican on 1 February 1910:

Source: Arizona Republican, 1 February 1910

An update appeared in the Arizona Republican on the next day, 2 February 1910:

A variation of the second article appeared in the Bisbee Daily Review on 6 February 1910:

According to a search of the Arizona State Board of Health records, Salinas survived the gunshot wound. He died six years later, on 23 December 1916. I did not find another article on Antonio Campuzano's case.

Forbidden City

I'm adjusting from a week of meetings in Beijing, bringing my body clock back 12 hours to Eastern time. It's been a fascinating month to experience the world. Dubai, Addis Ababa, Florida's Gulf Coast, Beijing. Once again, I'm very lucky to have had the chance to see one of the wonders of the world - on this trip, the Great Wall of China - and to have walked through Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the park at the Temple of Heaven. Sightseeing is not the primary focus of these trips, but in small windows of opportunity it is possible to see some great things.

Patrick L Jones - The Forbidden City, Beijing

Patrick L Jones - The Forbidden City, Beijing

Patrick L Jones - Tiananmen Square, outside the Forbidden City

Wordless Wednesday - Great Wall Tapestry

Photo by Patrick Jones - Great Wall Tapestry at UN HQ, New York

First Families of Tennessee Update

Back in November and December I was scouring through early Tennessee records, trying to find at least one qualifying document that would show my Jones line was in Tennessee prior to 31 December 1796. When I was Salt Lake City for RootsTech, a brief research visit to the Family History Library turned up such a document. The book Jefferson County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, 1792-1795, by James L. Douthat and Roberta Hatcher (Signal Mountain Press, 1985), Page 40, included an entry from 1 August 1796, showing Thomas Jones. A photo is below:

Page 120
At a Court of Pleas and quarter sessions held for Jefferson County in Dandridge on Monday the first day of August A. D. 1796. Present: Garrett Fitchgerald, Samuel Jack, and William Lillard Esquires.
...
The Court appoint Thomas Jones Overseer of the road from Seehorn's ferry to Miller's Mill and until it intersects with the road to Dandridge.
--
John Sehorn was a Revolutionary War veteran from Virginia. His home was Sehorn's Ferry on the south side of the French Broad River (today near the bridge where US-40 crosses Douglas Lake, up the river to the west of Taylors Bend (see this Rootsweb post from 2001, http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/TN-UPPER-CUMBERLAND/2001-03/0983904238).

Dandridge is across the river from Sehorn's Ferry. I don't know the location of Miller's Mill, so there's more research to determine the length of the road that Thomas was appointed to oversee.

In any case, I think this counts for meeting First Families of Tennessee status for the Jones line. The next step is to submit the package to the East Tennessee Historical Society. I'm aiming to do that later this month, and will report back on the response I receive.

Travel Tuesday - China Coming Up

After traveling in March through Dubai to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a day at RootsTech in Salt Lake City, then Siesta Key, Florida, I'm preparing for meetings in Beijing, China. This will be my first visit to China, but I'm not the first person in the family to travel there. My Granny visited China in 1998. I hoping to get time to see some of the same places she saw in Beijing.

Blogging will continue to be slow through the middle of the month.

April Already

Last week was a much deserved vacation on Florida's Gulf Coast. My parents met us there. Although the week began a bit cold, by Thursday and Friday we had warmer weather for a couple of classic beach days. I didn't know until we all arrived that the area had a special significance for my Dad, who had spent some summers in the '50s at a vacation home owned by my great-grandfather Harry O'Brien. Now I have something new to look up in Florida property records.

Patrick L Jones - Siesta Key, Florida

I am hoping the spring weather has followed us back from the south to DC.

Bentonville
 
On yesterday's long drive back, we made a stop at a rest area north of Fayetteville, North Carolina. The rest area had a large marker for the Battle of Bentonville from the Civil War. On 2 April 1865, Levi Allman died from wounds sustained at that battle. I took a photo of the marker, and post it here for Levi and others who died at Bentonville.

Photo by Patrick L Jones, at rest area north of Fayetteville