Elizabeth (Unknown) Jones (abt. 1785 - abt. 1855)

Born about 1785 in Delaware, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1855 at about age 70 in Wilcox, Alabama, United States [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gordon Jones [send private message]

Biography

The Last Will and Testament of Stephen Jones ^[1]leaves some of his possessions to his wife, Elizabeth. The maiden name is not given. The U.S. Census of 1850 of Wilcox County, Alabama^[2] gives the birthday of Elizabeth as 1785 and her place of birth as Delaware. (In 1850 Elizabeth was living at age 65 in Alabama with one of her sons, William Jefferson Jones.) We do not have reliable information regarding the date and place of death of Elizabeth. We can infer that she died between 1850 and 1860 only because she was no longer living with William at the time of the 1860 U.S. Census.^[3]

We would like to have stronger evidence that Stephen's wife, Elizabeth, was born close to the location of Stephen's life as a young man. Another Wikitree researcher has informed me that there is evidence that there was a Gideon Green who lived his whole life in Anson County, North Carolina and had a daughter named Elizabeth at this time.. We know from our evidence of Stephen's family that the couple's first son, Jonathan (see Jonathan's birth record), was born to them in North Carolina during a time when this young couple, was farming and living briefly in this area while moving through North Carolina to Georgia and eventually to Alabama. It is consistent therefore that Stephen could have met and married Elizabeth, the daughter of Gideon Green, long term resident of North Carolina.

Sources

1. ↑ Stephen Jones in the Alabama, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999, Wilcox County, Alabama, 1 May 1835,page 252 Image 446
2. ↑ U.S. Census of 1850, Wilcox CO, Alabama, William Jefferson Jones
3. ↑ U.S. Census of 1860 Wilcox County, Alabama, Record for William Jefferson Jones

• "U.S. Census, 1850," https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/16836022:8054.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (modified 30 Aug 2021), entry for Elizabeth McKnight (PID https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LC26-RD8); contributed by various users.

See Also:

• Records of Wilcox County Alabama 1988 ISBN 0-89308-06360-3, Page 252. LW&T pf Stephen Jones.

Research Notes

The U.S. Census of 1850 gives the birth of William Jefferson Jones’ mother, Elizabeth, to be in Delaware in 1785. The will of Stephen clearly states that the name of his wife is Elizabeth.

We know that the Webster Family Tree (at Ancestry.com) is at least partly correct, as it states that Stephen Jones married Elizabeth and that they had a son, William Jefferson Jones, in 1815. We know this to be true from the 1850 U.S. Census of Wilcox County, Alabama. However, this tree is talking about Stephen Thomas Jones, and its "Elizabeth" is a different person (Elizabeth McKnight). It is not surprising that researchers frequently mix the children of the two men, as they have almost the same name, their wives have the same first name, and both families lived in the same county at the same time.

A child of Stephen and Elizabeth of the age of William Jefferson Jones is consistent with the wording in Stephen’s will. Absent further documentation, we infer that the Webster Family Tree may also be correct in giving the surname Green to Stephen’s wife. This would be consistent with the name (Green) chosen by Stephen and Elizabeth for their first child. The stipulation by the Websters that Elizabeth is from Delaware is consistent with the information from the 1850 U.S. Census mentioned above.

The 1830 Census lists one white male living in the Stephen Jones household; that would be Stephen, between 50 and 59 years old, putting his birthday between 1771 and 1780. One white female between 40 and 49 years of age resides in the household at the time of the 1830 US Census. This is Elizabeth, putting her birthday between 1781 and 1790. The 1850 census, when Elizabeth is living with her son, William Jefferson Jones, narrows the range by giving her age as 65, fixing the birth date at 1785 (+/- 1 yr). The 1830 census lists one male between 20 and 29 (That would be JPM with a birth date about 1805 This is in agreement with the wording of Stephen’s will, which suggests that Green Ervin and JPM are the only children 21 years old or older. The only girl in the family in 1830 is Emily, age between 10 and 14. In addition, there is one boy between 10 and 14, two between 5 and 9, and two more under 5. Aside from William, we have discovered no names for other possible male children.