Elias Jones

The ancestor I will be telling you about this week is my 4^th great-grandfather on my mother’s side whose name was Elias Jones.  Elias was born in about 1799 in North Carolina and had moved to the White County, Tennessee area before 1821.  I believe Elias was a son of Lazarus Jones, but I have yet to find his mother’s name.   I also believe that Elias may have had siblings named: Amassa Jones ca. 1795 – after 1840; James Jones ca. 1801 – before 1880, married to Ann; Byram Jones ca. 1803 – after 1880, married to Jane Malone; John Jones ca. 1805 – after 1850, married to Lucinda Roberson; Claiborne Jones ca. 1808 – after 1880, married to Frances Keeling; Susannah M. Jones 15 Dec 1810 – after 1860, married to William Billingsley and Nancy Marinda Jones ca. 1812 – after 1880, married to Samuel Johnson.

All of these people lived in the same area of Jackson County, Tennessee and sometimes are on the same land or court records, so I believe there is definitely some kind of relationship between all of them, but as of yet I can’t find anything that says for certain, only circumstantial evidence so far.  Family stories also say that Elias’s father, Lazarus Jones came from Wales to North Carolina and then to Tennessee where he died before 1860.

Elias was married in about 1821 to Parthena Ellis, possibly in the White or Jackson County, Tennessee areas, but again I have not found a marriage record to say for certain when their marriage occurred.  Parthena was a daughter of Elijah Ellis and Margaret Madden.

Elias Jones and Lazarus Jones both purchased land in Jackson County, Tennessee in 1827, 1832 & 1840 for a total of 150 acres each.

Elias and Parthena had at least twelve children together, and they were the following: Three sons, names unknown at this time that were all born before 1830, but with the surname of Jones I don’t know if they died young or if they married and I just haven’t found the right boys yet.  The rest of the children that I know of for certain are: James William Jones 1828-1903, married to Lucinda Billingsley; Thomas Reece Jones 1833-1920, married to Malitia Jane Lemmons; Mary Ann ‘Polly’ Jones 1834-1909, married to Labon Lafayette Loftis (My 3^rd great-grandparents), then to Nathan H. Huff then to a Mr. Keens; William E. Jones 1835 - after 1900, married to Susan J.; Rebecca Isabel Jones ca. 1837 - after 1901, married to Asa Meeks Denson then to R. W. Norton; Elijah Jones ca. 1841 - before 1880, married to Mary A. Swearingain; George Washington Jones 1843-1928, married to Sarah Emmaline Shane then to Sarah Margaret Elizabeth Sheehanee; John Anderson Jones 1845 after 1910, married to Mary J. then to Mary Ann Frances Curnel and Alexander A. Jones 1847-1923, married to Harriet Swearingain.

I do have a couple of pictures of some of the children of Elias and Parthena and they are the following.  The first is of James William Jones, his wife Lucinda Billingsley and some of their grandchildren, possibly.  Next is of my 3^rd great-grandmother Mary Ann ‘Polly’ Jones Loftis and another one of her with her youngest daughter Elvira Huff, son-in-law Robert Pogue and their 3 children: William, Lelia & Melma Pogue. 

I had thought that Elias Jones had died before 1850, because his wife and children were listed on the 1850 census, but he was not listed with them.  I knew he was still alive in 1848 though, because I found him in some court records for that year.   I finally found out that he had died intestate before August of 1852, but still didn’t have a death date for him.   I then received an e-mail from Mitzi Freeman in January of 2000, she had received some microfilm from the Jackson County, Tennessee loose court records in the court case of James Draper vs. James Jones et al.  In the case Carroll A. Jones was deposed and he was asked if he knew whether Elias Jones was dead.  He answered yes that he saw him buried, and he had died in Union County, Illinois on September 24, 1850 but the record did not say what the cause of death may have been or what Elias was doing up there. 

Carroll Anderson Jones was a son of Amassa Jones and if Amassa was indeed Elias Jones brother, then that would mean that Carroll was Elias’ nephew.  I have always wondered what Elias was doing up in Illinois, maybe looking for land for the family to move too, I guess I will never know the answer to that question though.   

So, somewhere in Union County Illinois my 4^th great-grandfather was buried, probably in an unmarked grave and maybe somewhere along an unknown trail.

Elias’ wife, Parthena Ellis Jones continued living there in Jackson County, Tennessee around the Flynn’s Lick area and sometime after the 1860 census she apparently died, because I have not been able to find her on the 1870 census or any record of her leaving the area.

Elias Jones born in about 1799 in North Carolina, married around 1821 or so in Tennessee and died in Union County, Illinois on September 24, 1850 in an unknown grave.  Not a lot is known about this grandfather of mine, but he left a lot of descendants scatter all across the United States today.

If anyone out there reads this and has more to add to the life of this man I would love to hear from you.