My grandparents on my mother’s side were Joe Carroll Jones
and Ava Ella McNair. They had 5 children, including my mother, Carolita Jones
Quillin. Mother was most interested in helping me gather family information.
Her brother, Martin Franklin Jones, was also interested in helping me
throughout the years. There will be several Jones Family posts of the
information gathered from them.
Recollections of Martin Harmon Jones
by Carolita Jones Quillin
Granddaddy Jones is what Carolita called him (Martin Harmon Jones). He was one of Mother’s favorite people. He loved fishing and would fish with a cane pole. My daddy, Truman, fished often with him. The Jones were the salt of the earth but were considered
“hayseed” country people. All the Jones family would have starved if it had not been
for Joe Carroll Jones, Martin Harmon's son. They survived during the Great Depression with the guidance, love and help from Joe Carroll Jones. Granddaddy Jones did night watch at the cotton gin. His assignment was to make sure that a fire
was not ignited. When the cotton bales
came off the press, they would be so hot they could easily ignite.
Recollections from Martin Frank Jones 2013
Martin remembered that Mattie
Bell made the best tea cakes.
Martin Harman had a cellar…at
first it was a dirt cellar with shiplap top (boards overlapping one
another). Then he had a cellar with
brick sides and a cement top and floor.
Martin Harmon had a brick he loosened and stored his money there. When he died, it caused a split in the family
because all of them except for Pappy wanted to split the money. Martin Harmon had a grocery bill that he had
run up and Pappy wanted to pay off that debt.
This made everyone mad; so eventually, they split the money, but Pappy
wouldn’t have any part of the money because of the problems it had created. Then Pap
went and paid the bill out of his pocket.
Martin Frank remembers not being treated very well by Pappy's sister, Lucy, later in life.
“They were strange people. When I took Mimi to Hale Center for Greta’s
funeral, they all (Lucy, Dono, Lora Lee, etc.) ignored Ava (Mimi). I felt so uncomfortable and wanted to leave,
but Mimi insisted on staying. Another
time, Mimi wanted to go see Lucy Day and Doris (Mimi's daughter) advised against it. Mimi went anyway, and no one answered the
door, yet Mimi could see someone looking out the window."
My thoughts: Strange what/how people react when estates are settled.
Martin Harmon Jones and Mattie Bell Bridges Jones
1946
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