Grave and Last Home Sites: Jesse and Minnie Blackford

Orientation: Jesse and Minnie Blackford are the parents of Raymond Blackford and his siblings.

This is the grave site of Jesse Smith Blackford, born July 5, 1892 in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, died February 29, 1976 in Clyde, Texas and Minnie Lee Jones Blackford, born November 1, 1890 in Gorman, Texas, died August 8, 1961 in Abilene, Texas. It is located in Baird, Texas, on Hwy. 283 just north of Interstate 20 on the east side of highway 283 in the northeast corner of the cemetery.


Jesse and Minnie's last home was just outside of Clyde, Texas on Harkrider Lane. We drove by and walked around on the property on July 3, 2006. The home they lived in is no longer there, but the cellar and barn that Jesse built are still on the property. The circular drive at the front, left of where the house stood is also there. The following pictures are ones we took there that day. Rita and I are standing in the same location as the family picture of Jesse, Minnie and all nine of their children taken about 1956 or '57 at a family reunion. The date you see on the old photo, Nov 1, 2005, is the day we took the picture on our digital camera from the original.

The Jones Family, Alameda Cemetery, Eastland County, Texas

Orientation: These pictures have to do with William Joseph and Sarah Jones, parents of Jeptha Lorenzo Dow Jones, father of Minnie Lee Jones Blackford, mother of Raymond Blackford and his siblings.

On the Fourth of July weekend, 2006, Aunt Rita, Chester's wife, Jim, my husband and I took a trip from San Antonio to Eastland County, Clyde, Abilene, Midland, and Stanton, Texas.


Rita and I standing at the gate of the Alameda Cemetery. Many of the Jones family are buried in this beautiful, well kept cemetery. This cemetery is located about ten miles south of Ranger, Texas on FM571. A sign on the west side of the highway reads, Alameda Cemetery. It is located about two miles down the dirt lane.


Historical marker inside gate at Alameda Cemetery


Open air structure at the Alameda Cemetery where funerals are held.


Grave of William Joseph Jones, born January 17, 1820 in Chester District, South Carolina, died November 23, 1894 in Alameda area, Eastland County, Texas


Grave of Sarah Daniel Jones, born June 10, 1833, died July 24, 1888 in Alameda area, Eastland County, Texas.

“Impetuous Gallantry” - William Jones in the Civil War

Orientation: Starting with Raymond Blackford, son of Minnie Lee Jones Blackford, daughter of Jeptha Lorenzo Dow Jones, son of William Joseph Jones (January 17, 1820-November 23, 1894)

William Jones, Jonathan Jones’ son, fought in the Civil War. On Ancestry.com there is a William J. Jones listed in Company I of the 57th Unit of the Georgia Infantry. It shows his rank at both induction and discharge as private and his allegiance as Confederate. At another spot on the internet I found Jones, William enlisted as a private on March 4, 1862 on the “Muster Roll of: Company I, 41st Regiment Georgia Volunteer Infantry Army of Tennessee, Confederate States of America, Heard County, Georgia, Heard County Rangers.”

As a side note: I wondered why William, from Georgia, would have been fighting in the “Army of Tennessee”. A genealogy librarian explained to me that different sections of both the Union and the Confederacy called their troops by different names. Here is quote from an interesting link that describes it further.

“To the non-military buff, the organization and terminology used for Civil War armies can be very confusing. The "Army of the Potomac" was the main Union army in the eastern theater of the war and the "Army of Northern Virginia" was the main Confederate force. Remarkably, both of the armies that fought the Battle of Gettysburg were organized in a similar fashion including a structure of corps, divisions, and brigades.”

The link goes on to describe the differences between terms such as regiments, brigades, divisions, etc. in an Army organization chart. Understanding these terms will help you better understand the entries about the 41st Regiment further in this section. http://www.nps.gov/gett/getttour/armorg.htm

I visited the San Antonio Public Library and spent the better part of one day researching the 41st Regiment of Georgia. The most helpful source to which the librarian directed me was the War of the Rebellion – Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies – Series I . The index of this set of reference books led me to a number of different volumes that spanned April 1862 to March 1864. Here are several entries found that specifically regard the activities of that 41st Regiment.

From What I’ve Read and Heard

Having established an email correspondence with the Heard County Historical Center coordinator, I decided to call upon her knowledge of the area and history of the county to possibly provide a fuller picture of Jonathan Jones life and times. I sent the email below to her to which she responded.

Dear Ms. B.,
Many thanks for the pictures you sent of the Jones' graves! It was most kind of you to go to that effort. Seeing them means very much to my family and me.

I am trying to piece together a picture of Jonathan and Elizabeth's lives. Here are some facts I can pull together from your help and other various sources: They lived in the St. Cloud District. In the 1860 US Federal Census Jonathan's occupation is listed as farmer. The value of his real estate is shown as $2,700 and the value of his personal estate, $14,650. The Slave Schedules in 1860 indicate he had 19 slaves. Using that information and what you know of the history of Heard County, what would you say was his economic status? That is, was he a man of wealth, a well situated man, or a middle class man? What would your educated guess be that he grew on his land? Do you know of any old homes in the old St. Cloud district still standing that might have been his? Do you know of any old churches that were in that area in the 1840's, 50's or 60's?

I know that you have given a great deal of help to me already for which I am highly appreciative. If the above questions are asking too much, I will certainly understand.
Thank you for the wonderful help you have provided.

Sincerely,
Nancy H.
3rd Great Granddaughter of
Jonathan Jones (1804 - 1873)

Dear Nancy,
Sorry to be late in writing, too busy this spring!
In my opinion, your Jones family were very "well off" as we say in the South. He could have gotten a land grant, have you checked? I would guess his main crop was cotton and then corn. With the number of slaves he had I am sure he had lots of acreage and that would mean a large plantation. To know where he lived we would need to know from deed records a land lot and district number. As our records burned in 1894 that might be hard to locate unless someone re-recorded after the fire. Many did record their property in the early 1900's that had been burned. I will keep my eyes open for their property when I am researching in the early 1900's.
I was so thrilled when we found the cemetery. It had been "lost" for many, many years.
Good hunting---
Always,
Selmah B.

As was true for so many in the South, the height of Jonathan Jones’ wealth was prior to the Civil War. In the 1870 census the value of Jonathan’s real estate had dropped to $1,600 as compared to $2,700 in 1860 and his personal estate had dropped from $14, 650 to $600 in those same ten years. I have no idea what monetary value was placed on the nineteen slaves he had owned in 1860, but for sure, they were gone by 1870. Additionally, he was 66 years old in 1870 and may have begun to live off his estate and or given parts of it to his family.

There’s a good chance that many of you reading this blog have also read a good deal about the American Civil War. You have probably heard or read about Sherman’s March to the Sea. In the late summer of 1864 Union General Sherman brought his forces into Atlanta and burned it to the ground. Then he proceeded to march from Atlanta to “the Sea”, namely to Savannah, Ga.

Below is a link to an article written about Sherman’s March to the Sea by Dr. Frank Oliver Clark. The following is a quote from that article:
“No other campaign in the entire war has contributed more to keeping alive sectional feeling than Sherman's march through Georgia and South Carolina. The march began in November, after the crops had been gathered. The "bummers" found the barns bursting with grain, fodder, and peas, the outhouses full of cotton, the yards crowded with hogs, chickens, and turkeys. The soldiers in the Southern armies were starving, not because there was no food, but because the rail roads had been destroyed and it was impossible to send supplies to the front. Sherman was not content simply to use what food and supplies he needed, but boasted that he would "smash things to the sea" and make Georgia howl. His men entered dwellings, taking everything of value that could be moved, such as silver plate and jewelry; and killed and left dead in the pens thousands of hogs, sheep and poultry. Many dwellings were burned without any justification. Sherman in his own Memoirs testifies to the conduct of his men, estimating that he had destroyed $80,000,000 worth of property of which he could make no use. This he describes as "simple waste and destruction." One of the most serious aspects of his work was the destruction of the railroads; the Central from Macon to Savannah, for instance, was almost totally ruined.”
The following link has an excellent map and discussion of that march. It looks as though that march missed the land of Jonathan Jones by about fifty miles to the East, although one group of Union soldiers passed as close as twenty miles to the South of the Franklin, Ga. area. I highly recommend you check the following link to get a “feel for” what took place in that march. It has an excellent map and narrative. http://sciway3.net/clark/civilwar/marchingthruGA.html

Hearing from Heard Part 2

These three pictures are Jonathan Jones Grave Site (1804-1873, Age 69 Years). The dates on the cemetery page say he died in 1875, but the 1873 looks very clear on the grave stone and the fact that it says Age 69 seems to reconfirm 1873. You should be able to make the pictures larger by clicking on them.

Hearing from Heard

Heard County, Georgia is where the next couple of generations of our Jones family lived after leaving Chester County, South Carolina. Johnathan Jones of Chester County, South Carolina, had, among his ten children a son he also named Johnathan. That son, Johnathan(sometimes spelled Jonathan), born 1804, left South Carolina and moved to Heard County, Georgia. I think he probably moved there after his father died in 1835 because he appears in the 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 Heard County Census, living in St. Cloud District(In 1880 that district was renamed Cooksville). He would be Minnie Lee Jones Blackford's great grandfather. His wife was named Elizabeth Logans Jones (born 1793, died 1863).

When we were in Heard County, Georgia on Thursday, March 30, 2006, we visited the Heard County Historical Center and Museum in the town of Franklin which is about 30 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta, GA. We got there about three in the afternoon and they closed at five. The museum coordinator spent the entire time with us (we were also the only persons there) and I looked through cemetery records and censuses while Jim looked through the museum. The coordinator and I talked a good deal about topics such as the Chattahoochee River that runs through Heard County, the "Gone to Texas" mentality that pervaded the area after the Civil War, and the past and present influence of the Ku Klux Klan in the area. I asked about the KKK because our Aunt Sally had told our cousin Jeanette information that related. Sally had heard old family stories that had to do with the Jones family's perception that the KKK had gotten "really bad" there in the Franklin area after the Civil War. She felt that was part of the reason they chose to leave and go to Texas. The following is a site that provides more information about the Ku Klux Klan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan Oddly enough, upstairs in the museum, tucked away in a corner, is an exhibit that describes a lynching incident for which the KKK took credit. It had taken place in the Franklin area shortly after the Civil War.

The “Gone to Texas” phenomenon must have swept the area in those turbulent, economically depressed times following the fall of the Confederacy. The museum coordinator told me that people would paint “GTT” on their houses or barns to let their neighbors know what happened to them. In a fun side note I might add that I was given a related tee shirt by my daughter a couple or years ago. One of the tasks in her job is helping organize and present orientations for incoming freshmen at the University of Texas at Austin. The tee shirt was left over from the orientation and had written on the front of it “Gone to Texas”.

About a week or so after we returned home to San Antonio, I received a letter from the museum coordinator with whom I visited at the Heard County Historical Society. I had left my name and address at her request in case she “turned up” more information. She wrote that she and the other lady (Selmah B.) who works at the museum had found what she thought might be our Jones family listed in the new Heard County cemetery book in a newly “found” old cemetery. She gave me the email address of the Selmah and suggested that I contact her to get further information. I did so immediately and she sent me a page from their book, a map showing the location of the cemetery and later mailed pictures of the grave sites.

The following is the entry regarding the Jones/Bruce family.
Cemetery located at the end of Judy Court, west of driveway leading to house #120. The area is fenced, with large trees and undergrowth. It appears to have once been a large cemetery. There are many ground depressions and broken stones. Several of the graves appear to have been dug into. A Broken concrete wall surrounds a portion of the cemetery. There are at least 16 unmarked graves.
Jones, Margaret W. 1804 1841
Bruce, S.G. (Samuel G.)
Born South Carolina 03/17/1837 07/28/1884
(It is my thought that Margaret was a sister of Jonathan’s who came from S.C. with the Jones family. Jonathan had a daughter, also named Margaret, listed as “deaf and dumb” on a couple of the censuses who was born in 1841. The younger Margaret was married to the Samuel Bruce listed above. She and Samuel are shown on the 1850 census with a baby, Francis, living in the same household with Jonathan Jones.)
In 1860 Heard County Census, Samuel appears in household of Johnathan Jones and wife Elizabeth. He marries Margaret T. Jones, and, by 1870, is living with her and five children in the St. Cloud District.
Jones, Elizabeth Born in GA 1793 1863
Jones, Johnathan 1804 1875
Johnathan appears in the 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870 Heard County Census, living in the St. Cloud District."

Source:Cemeteries of Heard County, Georgia 1977-1999, Surveyed and Compiled By: Heard County Historical Society. First Edition, Volume I. Distributed By: Heard County Historical Society, P.O.Box 990, Franklin, Georgia, 30217. Printed in the United States of America, 2006.

It was very disturbing to me to read that “several of the graves appear to have been dug into”. I emailed the museum coordinator telling her of my concerns. I asked her if there was a county office that kept up the cemeteries, if she knew of any Jones families still in the area that might want to work on the cemetery or if perhaps we could hire someone in the area to work on restoring the cemetery. Here is her reply:

Nancy,
I am so thrilled to know you have connection to this family. This young man and I probably would not have found, it except the area has been developed since 1977 when Mrs. Eller did her survey.
I will send you copies of the graves by mail, as the photos will be much better.There is not a county office to help with the restoration. It is family and their decendants responsibility in this county. Meanwhile, I will try find out who owns the property, as the graves are located within a fenced area.An elderly lady that lived in back of the cemetery kept her eye on the graves, so I hope no one takes advantage of the fact that she died a few months ago. With undergrowth coming out, this will be some protection for them.I will see what I can find on your other family members.About the cemetery again--the ground depressions looked like someone had dug the entire casket up. Maybe if you left them as is, it would help to keep people out also. Just a thought.
So good to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Selmah B.


In the pictures, it looks as though it was Elizabeth (Logans) Jones’ grave that was dug up. It also looks as though an attempt was made on Jonathan’s grave, but that it was not completed. I expect it is the work of grave robbers looking for jewelry. Who knows how long ago this may have happened. I am very saddened by this information as I know you must be too. My only consolation is believing that the souls of those two do not reside in their graves.

Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan - Who's on First, What's on Second ...and Third

I have found a mistake that I made earlier on Family Matters. I feel confident that it is only one of many, but it is one that I've discovered. In an earlier posting I gave a will of Jonathan Jones (the one that was in the American Revolution). On reading it again, I realized it was probated in 1804 and the name of his wife seemed incorrect. Finally, I have drawn a chart of the men named Jonathan Jones and I can see that the 1835 will we copied should be "Revolutionary Jonathan's" and the one I published was that of his father who died in 1804. I have removed the 1804 will and put the correct will in Family Matters for Revolutionary Jonathan. I had also said that the line goes Minnie Lee Jones, Jeptha L.D. Jones, William Jones, Jonathan, and Jonathan. Now I believe we should add a third Jonathan. That is the Jonathan that died in 1804. If you think you're confused, consider my current headache and eye twitch!


If that's not enough, I've suddenly begun to question what documentation I have that proves William Jones (Jeptha's father) is the son of the Jonathan Jones who lived in Heard County, Georgia. I would really like for what I publish on the Family Matters site to be correct, so I've decided that I need to review the proofs I have gathered that indicate William is the son of the third Jonathan. I have not seen a census that shows William living in the same household as Jonathan. The records (wills, etc.) in Heard County from the time of the third Jonathan's death were burned in a fire there in Heard County (as per museum coordinator in Heard County Historical Center and Museum). The censuses done during the years William was a boy living at home list only the head of household's name.
Here is some of the information that does document William being Jonathan's son. In the 1850 census from Heard County, Georgia, William Joseph Jones, age 20, is the very next entry after Jonathan Jones(45), born in South Carolina, wife Elizabeth(55). Being the very next entry connotes that William lived next to Jonathan or maybe even had another dwelling on Jonathan's land. Because William was given a separate entry, however, I do not think he lived in the house with Jonathan. In the 1870 census, William's birthplace is listed as South Carolina, like Jonathan's.
Another clue is that William named his children the same as at least two persons in Jonathan's family. That is, among William's children are the following names, Jonathan and Margaret. It is interesting to note here that Margaret was listed as deaf on several censuses. She must have been greatly loved by the family because not only did William name one of his children Margaret, but the name was repeated by Jeptha L.D. who also named a daughter Margaret, a.k.a. Maggie, Minnie's sister.
If any persons who read this have other documentation regarding William's link to Jonathan, I would greatly appreciate hearing. You could post it in the comments section. I do, personally, believe William is Jonathan's son.

Monument for American Revolutionary War

Between the Old Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church and the cemetery of the same name are two monuments. One is to the men from that area who took part in the American Revolutionary War and the other is to Rev. John Simpson, minister there during the war.

Old Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church

These two pictures give you a couple of views of the church. Of course, this is not the original building, but you get an idea of its size and location.

Pictures of Jonathan Jones' Grave

Jonathan's grave is on the fifth row starting from the East. As is Christian tradition, his grave faces East waiting for the Second Coming he mentioned in his will.

Jonathan Jones (1757 - 1835) U.S. Army Revolutionary War

Orientation: Start with any of the nine Blackford children of Jessie Smith Blackford and Minnie Lee Jones (1890 – 1961),
Minnie’s father Jeptha Lorenzo Dow Jones (1861-1921),
Jeptha’s father, William Joseph Jones (1830-1894),
William’s father, Jonathan Jones (1805-1875),
Jonathan’s father, also Jonathan Jones (1757-1835)

This entry concerns Jonathan Jones (1757-1835). If you didn’t know it already, you are a daughter or son of the American Revolution! That means one of your ancestors fought in the American Revolutionary War. In this case, it’s Jonathan Jones. What makes this news even more exciting is that we have found information that brings more life to the facts. In the Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution by Bobby Gilmer Moss, Jonathan Jones is listed on page 511. The entry shows his name, date of death, date of marriage and wife’s name. His date of marriage was March 8, 1787 to Elizabeth Downing. The entry says, “While residing in Chester District, he served during 1780 and 1781 under Capts. Alexander Pagan, John Wills, John McClure, William Smith, Cols. Patton and John Thomas, Jr. and General Sumter. He was in the battle at Blackstock’s Plantation. Salley, Doc., p. 99. A.A. 4109; M473; X2023.

In a second entry of his name in the same book, the following information is printed. “While residing in Chester District, he served one hundred thirty-four days in the militia during 1780 and 1781 under Capts. Alexander Pagan , John Mills and ___ Cooper. He was in the battles at Huck’s Defeat, Orangeburg, Congaree Fort, Fishing Creek and Blackstock’s Plantation. A.A. 4109; 1320.”

Information about an incident at Fishing Creek is engraved on a memorial to Rev. John Simpson at the Old Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Chester County, S.C. It reads, “During this period Rev. Simpson was very outspoken for the American causes of liberty encouraging his congregations to fight for their freedom from Britain. Due to this Scotch-Irish Presbyterian Minister’s actions at Alexander’s Old Field and Mobley’s, the British Commander Christian Huck June 11, 1780 came to capture Rev. Simpson at Fishing Creek Church. Finding no one there he burned the church and killed William Strong then burned Simpson’s home and library leaving Mrs. Simpson and children homeless. These events of June 11, 1780 led to the Battle of Huck’s Defeat.”

Jonathan was a participant in the Battle of Fishing Creek, but I think the incident described above was not that battle. I think the incident had much to do with inciting the Battle of Huck’s Defeat which happened at the Williamson’s Plantation, South Carolina on July 12, 1780. In it patriot forces of Thomas Sumter’s command defeated Loyalist Christian Huck and his forces. Huck was killed.
The Battle of Fishing Creek happened after Huck’s Defeat on August 18, 1780. Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton surprised Thomas Sumter’s (referred to in other places as “The Gamecock”) command and defeated it. In one reference I found on the internet the Battle of Fishing Creek was described as an American defeat that opened the door to North Carolina for the British. Another reference indicated that it was a “surprise night attack”.
However, using a timeline of Jonathan’s service, it looks as though Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton should have left well enough alone. On November 20, 1780, at the Battle of Blackstocks Plantation, Tarleton pushed his cavalry in pursuit of Thomas Sumter and attacked. The British were beaten back with heavy casualties.
In the battle of Orangeburg, SC, on May 11, 1781, General Thomas Sumter took Orangeburg. I’ve found several references regarding Fort Congaree, but I have not been able to find information about an Am. Rev. battle at Fort Congaree.

If you’d enjoy reading more about General Thomas Sumter, here’s a good site: http://www.sumter-sc.com/AboutSumter/History_GenSumter.aspx

Jonathan was pensioned by the State of South Carolina at $60 per annum from 1826 and he died in Chester District, South Carolina. His wife, Elizabeth Downing was allowed pension by the United States on her application executed December 4, 1843, while living in Carroll County, Tennessee, age 78 years.
The following picture was taken of Jonathan's grave cite in the Old Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Chester County, South Carolina.

Keeping Up With the Joneses - Part 2

This picture taken about 1897 shows Jeptha Lorenzo Dow Jones with his wife Amanda Caroline Simpson and children. The boy is James(Jim Dee)born in 1887, the tallest daughter on the right is Edna born in 1884, the youngest daughter standing in front of Edna is Maggie born in 1892, the daughter standing between her parents is Minnie Lee, my grandmother, born in 1890, and the baby is Samuel T. born in Nov. of 1896. This is one of my favorite family pictures! The children look so dear and the smiles on the parents faces are beautiful. I think this photo radiates a warmth that came from a loving family. I can tell you, for a fact, that my "Granny Blackford" (Minnie) was, hands down, the most gentle, sweet person I ever have known.