Martin Frank Jones - His Blog Part 2

 His Blog - His Words

GRANDDAD’S ROOTS PART2   Posted on September 12, 2012 by Martin Jones

My great grandfather’s name was Martin E.B. Jones. He was the son of a Martin Jones who was born in 1816, who also was the son of a Martin Jones born sometime in the Late 1700’s. My great grandfather’s mother was Keziah Busby. She was born 1812. My great grandfather was born in 1845. His father died young in his 30’s. I also know that Keziah Jones borrowed money after her husband died. They lived somewhere around Tennessee, Georgia, or Alabama. I do know that he married a woman named Manerva Busby in Tennessee in 1867. I also know that after he married Manerva that they went to Oklahoma to be missionaries to the Indians.

Martin E.B. Jones and his wife Manerva started and raised a fairly large family. My Grandfather, Martin Harmon Jones was born in 1874. There were two more sons. John E. Jones and Burwell Walter Jones. There were also four daughters: Mary Keziah, Martha Catherine, Nancy Jane, and Martha Elizabeth. I think that it is interesting to note that one of their daughters was named after her grandmother, Keziah. I do not know much about my great grandfather, Martin E.B. I was told by my father that my grandfather was born in the area around Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. My dad told me that he someday hoped to carry his father back to where he was born and grew up. That opportunity never developed. I have a feeling that all of the children of Martin E.B. were born in the area mentioned above. This is information that I wish I had gotten from my grandfather when I had the chance. Things of that nature have a tendency not to be important to young ones. One thing that I do know is that my great grandfather came to the area of southern Oklahoma to be a missionary to the Indians there. My dad told me that his wife Minerva was half Indian. Her dad was white.

It is apparent that when Martin E.B. came to Oklahoma that his wife and all his children came with him. Piecing information together that I remember and have been told, I think they were all grown. Most of them settled in the north central part of Texas just across the Red River from Oklahoma. Evidently none of them were married when they came west. At least two sets of brothers and sisters from the Joneses and Bridgeses married. This resulted in a bunch of double cousins with Jones and Bridges last names. I know that Burwell Jones settled and married and raised his family in Oklahoma. He became County Judge for many years there. I wish I knew the county and city. Martin Harmon, my grandfather, and one or two of the sisters ended up in and around Vernon, Hardeman County, Texas. Martin Harmon settled at Thalia, Foard County, Texas, which is about thirty miles west of Vernon. I am not aware of where the others were. except one of the girls that married one of the Bridges ended up at Rotan, Texas.

The main thing that I know about my great grandfather is that he spent several years as missionary to the Indians. I think that the family was fairly close knit as most families were in that time of American History. They kept in contact with each other. Of course, my knowledge of them was in the latter years of their lives. When I began to know them, the automobile had come into wide use. Most of them were still within a radius of what I would estimate 200 miles. I did not learn much about what each family did for a living. But I remember thinking at the time they all seemed to be well off compared to my grandfather. I will discuss my grandfather in more detail later. I will also discuss more about my great grandfather after he was no longer working with the Indians, and lived probably in Vernon, and later around Thalia, with my grandfather. I wish I could remember which great grandparent died first. They are buried in the Crowell, Texas cemetery. Their death dates must be around 1928.
To be continued on the next blog.