OUR JONES FAMILY OF NORTH CAROLINA
|
Family of William Jones of Tyrrell and Martin County
William Jones = Mrs. Jones
b |
|
m |
|
|
wd 4 Dec 1773 |
Tyrrell/ |
Martin NC |
__________________________________|________________________________________
| | | | |
John Jones Stephen Jones Frances Jones Phereby? Jones Elizabeth Jones
b
source: Will of William Jones.
In the Name of God Amen. The fourth December one thousand seven Hundred & seventy three. I William Jones of Tyrrell county in the province of North Carolina being very sick and weak in Body but of perfect mind and memory Thanks be given God therefore calling in to mind the mortality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men to die do make and ordain this my last will and Testament that is to say principly and first of all I give and Recommend my Sole into the Hands of God that Give it and for my Body I Recommend it to the Earth to be Burried in a Christian like and decent manner at the discretion of my Executor nothing doubting but that the Grate Resurrection I shall recieve the same again by the mighty power of God, and touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hast pleased God to bless me in this life I give devise and Dispose of the same in the following manner and form Inprimise it is my will and do Ordain in the first place all my Just Debts and Funeral Charges be paid and Satisfied Item. I Give to my Son John Jones the Plantation whereon I now live and all the Land between my first and second Brown Reddicks line and if he dies without ______ to my sons ? Item I give to my Son Stephen Jones Item I give to my son Frances Jones my best Bed and Furnatiure Item I give to my Daughter ?Phereby?[?Sherely?] Jones a Looking glass a Bos Iron and Heaters Item I Give to my Daughter Elizabeth Jones one Case of Bottles and one Large Dish and half a Dozen Deep Plates my will and pleasure is that my wife should posses and Enjoy the children Estate already mentione tell Elizabeth arrives to the age of six years I make and Ordain John Reddick my whole and sole Executor of this my last will and testament and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disanull all and any other testament wills Legacies Executions ____ any may before this time a_______ willes and Bequeaths satisfying this and no other to be my last will and testament In witness hereof I have ______ set my hand and seal this day and date above written.
Signed sealed __________
Martin County __ April Court 1774
|
| Now whether John Jones is living on that plantation left him by his father William Jones would be for a matter of research which may go to prove the relationship. I have transcribed John's will from its hand written copy as best as I could when I did it and it follows below. It establishes his family, including Atherilla [Scinderilla] his daughter, one of my second great grandmothers. This would make John and Fanny Jones one set of my third great grandparents. Presently the maiden name of Fanny is not know and as one may come to find her, they should keep in the back of their mind that Fanny can be a 'nick-name' for Frances, though not all 'nick-names' follow true per standard traditions. |
Family of John Jones of Martin County, North Carolina
John Jones = Fanny
b |
|
m |
|
d |
|
wd 1837 |
Martin NC |
_____________________________________|_________________________
| | | |
Lurey Jones Atherilla (Scinderilla) Jones Polly Jones Sally Jones
b b b b
m m m
= Godward = Thomas L. Swanner = Lilley
sources: Will of John Jones dated January 18th 1837
April Term 1837
January 18th 1837 I John Jones unto forth that I being in a low State of health but of perfect mind and memory thanks be to God for the same and calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament, that is to say princibably and first of all I give and recommend my body to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executor and my Soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it - And as touching on my worldly estate with which It has been pleased God to bless me It is my last will & desire to dispose of the same in the following manner to with - 1st I Lend to my beloved wife Fanny Jones my Houses and Land whereon I now live and all of my stock of every discription and as much of my household and kitchen furniture as will be sufficent for her use and benefit. Also three Negroes namely ?Jude ?Jues and Lyndia during her life for her use and benefit - Also I lend unto my elder daughter Lurey Godward? one Negro Girl named Joni and one feather Bed & furniture One Cow and Calf One Ewe & Lamb and one wooden wheel these articles mentioned she has already had in possesion and is hers during her life and at her death to her Heirs lawfully begotten for ever - 2ndly I also lend unto my next oldest daughter Atherilla [Scinderilla] Swanner One negro Girl named Mourning and one feather Bed and furniture One Cow and Calf the negro Girl and Bedn and furniture has been delivered the Cow & Calf & Ewe & Lamb has not but it is my wish and desire that she should have them or their value during her life and at her death I lend the before named property to her children lawfully begotten if any forever; but if she should die without any lawful Heir that the property should be equally divided amongst the rest of my Children. 3rdly I Also lend unto my next oldest daughter Polly Lilby? One feather Bed and furniture that she has had in possession already and must have one Cow and Calf and one Ewe & Lamb or its value And one ?Beauful? at my wifes death and at the death of my beloved wife one negro Girl named Linda, and issue and if any during her life and after her death I lend the same to her Heirs lawfully begotten if any forever. And if she the said Polly Lilly? should die without any child lawfully begotten the afore named property then equally divided amongst the rest of my Children or Heirs at Law. 4thly and Lastly I also lend to my Youngest daughter Sally Jones One feather Bed and furniture One Cow and Calf one Ewe and Lamb or its value and one Burrow and ?Jin? stool setting Chairs the House and Land whereon I now live and one negro man named Jude? also and negro Boy named ?lenns? after the death of my wife Fanny Jones, during her life and if the said Sally Jones should die without any Child or Children lawfully begotten of her body the aboved named property shall be equally divided between my two daughters Atherilla Swanner and Polly Lilby? but if the said Sally Jones should have any Child lawfully begotten I lend to that or them the above named property forever ________ to our mans debts whatever-- And it is further my wish and desire that after my just debts being paid out of my Estate the balance if any I wish to be equally divided amongst all of Children their names afore mentioned-- Given under my hand and Seal the day and dat also mentioned. And for the executing of the same I do appoint my beloved wife Fanny Jones and friend Rudem? Robason? disallowing all other but this to be my last will and Testament.
Signed Sealed & acknowledged |
|
Now the will of John Jones likely lists
his daughter Atherilla under her proper 'given-name'. So the question
becomes just how do we know that beyond the rhyming 'nick-name' of
[S]cinderilla that they are one and the same person? There are records
enough which demonstrate 'supporting' evidence in that in her father's
will she apparently has married a 'Swanner', that being Thomas L Swanner,
but there is one particular property deed which seems to remove any doubt
whatsoever as it precisely deal with the negro slave Morning which her
father's will did give unto her. my hopefully worthy transcription of that
property deed now follows: |
|
North Carolina Martin County} Know all men by these present that I John W. Swanner for and in Consideration of the sum of Four Hundred and fifty Dollars to me paid by Zepheniah Bateman have this day bargained sold and delivered to said Bateman an individed such of the following Negro slaves to wit Mourning and Children Alvin, Sarah, Levi, Abel, Indy and Friley? now in the possesion Cindrilla Swanner which woman Mourning was bequeathed by the last Will and testament of John Jones to said Cindrilla for life & them to her children and all other Negros named are children of said Mourning born Scindrella execution of said Jones Will. In testimony of which I have hereunto Set My hand & seal this 22 of April 1859.
[witness] D Simmons to X his mark}
John [his X Mark] W Swanner (seal)
|
|
Now John W. Swanner was the eldest son of [S]Cinderilla/Atherilla Jones and Thomas L Swanner. As to the exact circumstance that this transaction was made it is not known, whether John W. Swanner being a 'male' acting for his 'female' mother or just what is beside the matter at hand. What is proved here in absolute terms is that Atherilla Swanner, daughter stated in John Jones' will is indeed also known by the name of [S]Cinderilla, to whom John Jones bequeathed said Mourning to her as of his will dated January 1837. And since that date in 1837, by the time of the transaction of April 1859, Mourning had had such 6 children born of her to be included in this later transaction under the hand of John W. Swanner, son of [S]Cinderilla/Atherilla Swanner [Jones] and Thomas L. Swanner. |
Perhaps after Smith, Jones is one of the
most common of last names in English America. And so our Swanner family not
only marries into a Smith family but a Jones family as well. Here I'll
begin with what seems to be a consistant Jones Family Pedigree from which
our Jones family descends. There are two wills, one of William Jones and
one of John Jones of 'Tyrrell-Martin' county. Remember that Martin county
was in part created from the western end of the old Tyrrell 'county'
Precinct and an eastern portion of Halifax in 1774. So when William Jones'
will begins as written 4 December 1773, he indeed was of the east end of
Tyrrell county. But by the time that his will was proved in April 1774,
without his family and residence having moved itself, his will was proved in
what had just became Martin county of that western portion of Tyrrell County.