Dillard Ewing Jones Family history 1800-1922
The following is the
family history written by John Newton Jones, son of Malinda Ann Ewing Jones and
Robert Jones. It apparently was a type written version of the letter and typed
by a grandson of Robert Jones. The name at the bottom is J.G.Gubage from
Oklahoma City, OK.
These are the words
of John Newton Jones, Texas Ranger at one time. One can never dismiss the words
of a person who lived back in that time…but…this history was gleaned from and
acquaintance of John Newton Jones, old man McDay who was 80 years old at the
time. This is not my direct line but certainly gives credence to the daughter
Malinda Ewing Jones and her husband, Robert Jones. They are the ones that
settled our James Ewing, Jr.’s estate many years after his death. I will not
edit the typos.
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"Well, according to request, I will write what I know of the
early hisptory of the Jones Family. I came to Texas in the Fall of 1853 and
stayed till the summer of 1857, and while in Texas, in Bastrop Cpounty, I got
acquainted with an old man by the name of McDay that was the rise of 80 years
old that claimed to be raised by my Grandfahter. He said he was bound to him
when he was 8 years old and stayed with him till he was 21. He told me more
than I ever heard about the Jones Family, and when I got back to Arkansas
Grandmother was alive and she said he had given me a true history of the
Family.
He said my Great-Grandfather was a Welshman and a military
man under the English Governenment and was put over a portion of the Irish that
was about to rebel and was so lenient with them there was charges preferred
against him, and he deserted and came to America some time before the
Revolutionary War. When the War came up my Great-grandfather (John Jones,1st)
was living in Charleston, S.C., where my Grandfather (Andrew Jones) was born.
Fearing that he would fall into the hands of the English, Great-grandfather
went into the mountains of North Carolina and died there. When Daniel Boone
moved his family to Kentucky, my Grandfather came with him, and my father
(Robert Jones) was born there--somewhere in Kentucky.
Grandfather was in several Indain fights with Boone. He
lived there a few years--till 1811--then moved to Alabama and settled where the
town of Tuscaloosa is now, and cleared out a farm there. There were eight
families of them. It was forty miles to the nearest white settlement. He fought
the Indians all up and down the Black Warrior River and was Captain of the
Militia. He then moved to West Tennessee then to Mississippi (1831), and died
there before the Chickasaw Indians left there (1837).
Grandfahter and 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls. The boys
were Elijah, John A., Robert (my father), Willis, Abraham and Jolly. Uncle John
once represented Tippah County, (Mississippi) in the Legislature. He died on
the Saline River in Arkansas (near Benton) on a return trip from Mississippi to
his home near Alpine, Arkansas. Uncle Willie represented Pike, Polk, and
Montgomery counties in the Arkansas Stat Senate. (This seems to be an error as
the Report of the Arkansas Secretary of State shows Willis Jones as a
Representative from Pike County, but not as Senator- - -J.G.C) He died at
Little Rock, Ark. while a Major in the 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment.
I don't think my father (Robert Jones) ever held any office.
He had very little education. He had ten children, 5 boys and 5 girls. The boys
were Alfred, Willis C., John N. Joseph and Robert.
My grandmother on my father's side was a Box (Rebecca) and
several years younger than Grandfather. McDay said he lived with Grandfather
several years before he married, and that Grandmother was of a very
aristocratic and wealthy family and the family was opposed to Grandfather.
My mother was a Ewing. They were English (probably
Scotch-Irish)), settled first in Virginia, then went to Middle Tennessee. Her
father was a first cousin to Finis Ewing, the founder of the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church. Mother had four half-brothers-John, Reuben, James and
William Ewing, and one own brother, Alfred Ewing. They fought through the war
of 1812. Reuben once ran for Governor of Illinois, but was beaten. James died
at the Alamo, in Texas, with Crockett. Uncle William Ewing died in Arkansas,
near Curtis.
Alfre Ewing died near Elm, Arkansa. My Mother lived to be
very old. She only lacked from 5th of March to the 10th of May of being 96
years old. (Born May 10, 1806). Died March 5, 11902. She was buried at Dallas,
Polk County, Arkansas.
I will state here that brother Alfred was on of the most
moral boys I ever saw in my life. His great aim was to do right and learn all
he could. He got every book on history he could and idled no time away. A many
a load of pine knots have I helped to carry up for him to study by while the
rest of us were romping around fooling off our time. I have often wished I was
a sgood a man as he and had the same control over my temper and had that
forgiving spirit.
I will give a brief sketch of my up ans downs-- and down a
heap oftener than up. I ran away from home, came to Texas in 1851, when I was
only 16 years old, stayed one year, then went home-Point Cedar, Ark., then came
back to Texas, stayed three years. Went into Ranger Service. Went on to the
frontier and was in company with the wildest men in the Nation. When mustered
out I traveled with Gen. Sam Houston when he ran for Governor of Texas in 1857.
While in the United States Senate he had voted against the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise. He said this was the best vote he ever cast in his life,
for the repeal of it made war inevitable between the states at no distant day,
and he would go on and tell us what would be the final issue of the war. The
South would be subjugated and the Negroes would be free. I heard him make seven
speeches, and as I regaed him as the smartest man I ever had seen, when
Secession came up I did evrything I could against it. I tell this to show why I
opposed the war.
I have been married three times. I first married Miss Jane
Box. We had two children. One died in infancy. The girl lived to be grown and
married a man by the name of Swanner. They have four boys living, all born in
Texas. Two are farming, one in the cattle business in Arizona. Two are
unmarried.
I next Married Mrs. Mary Dedwiley. No children by her. She
only lived seven months--got a fall from a horse that caused her death. She was
buried in St. John's Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
I next married Miss Ann Campnell in Pike County, Arkansas.
We had seven children living to be grwon. The oldest is Joseph Wilson Jones,
born in Pike County, Arkansas, Dec. 23, 1866. The next a girl born in Pike
Copunty, Ark.m Jan. 15, 1868. Malinda was born Oct. 30, 1870 in Texas. Jolly
was born in July 1874. Josie was born in Texas, Sept. 9, 1876. Angeline was
born in Texas, August 19, 1879. Wilson never married. He lives near Goliad,
Texas. Owns a farm. Elida Ledufan married R. M. Parrish. They have nine children,
six boys and three girls all grown but one. Oldest boy, 30 years old, is a
farmer, owns a good farm. Next, a girl, married a man by the name of Garrett.
They own a farm. A girl named Atoka lives in Florida. Chester and Omer are
farmers, owns good farms. Otto, Joe and Creed are school boys. The youngest is
a girl named Berlin, 12 yrears old. All were born in Texas.
Mainda married J.C. Garrett. They have five childre, two
boys and three girls. James, 30, and WAl;ter, 28 are farmers in New Mexico.
Annie, 33, married a man named Stephens. Maimie married a man named Martem, a
farmer. Lila is teaching school, owns land in New Mexico. Jolly has three girls
and a boy, Henry Jones. He lives in Calahan County, opwns a farm. The three
girls live here -(Cone, Tex._ Angeline had two boys and one girl. James Alonzo
Campbell, 25 served with the Military two years. One year in France. He now
owns a farm near Carlsbad New Meico. He married Mittie Smith last June. Samuel
Augustus Campbell is a bookkeeper in Duncan, Olka. Madccan is attending the
Christian University at Enid, Okla.
This leaves me in tolerable health. I m expecting to go to
Goliad in October. So with best regards, I wil close.
(Signed) J. N. Jones
P.S.
At the proper place I forgot to tell about my Grandfather's
(Andrew Jones) brothers. He had two brothers, John & Jolly. John never
married. (This is probably the John Jones who died near Smithland, KY. in 1811
(J.G.G.) Jolly went with Grandfather to Alabama and stayed there. He
represented his country in the Legislature. He held some office all his life.
As for my brothers and sisters, they areknown to you people there better than
to me. I wrote a sketch of my life and my war record but have never had it published.
With my best compiments to all ,
I will close,
J. N. Jones
Comment: It had been supposed that the original John Jones
died in KY in 1811. From this letter it would appear this was the son of the
first John Jones. Daniel Boon's family came to KY. in 1775 and again in 1780/
Jones probably came on the first trip. J. G. G.
NOTE: apparently this was a type written version of the
letter and was typed by
J. G. Gubage 508 E. Park Place Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
(grandson of Robert Jones)
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