Finding Your Folks: Harrison Jones of Fayette County, conclusion

As Anne Westbrook wrote last week, Harrison Jones was captured and imprisoned at Point Lookout, Md., but was later released at the end of the war. He returned to Fayette County and, in 1867, received land from his father. We pick up the story there. Anne writes:

"By deed dated and recorded Feb. 25, 1867, Jesse Jones conveyed real property to his sons, Harrison and Robert (Book I, p. 157). By deed dated Feb. 13, 1870 the brothers conveyed property to their sister, M. Eliza Jones, wife of S.K. Jones for her life and then to the heirs of S.K. Jones. (Book J, p. 180). The same day Harrison conveyed property to Mrs. Elizabeth F. Jones, wife of Robert Jones for her life and then to the heirs of Robert A. Jones. Apparently, Harrison Jones still had some land which he kept until 1902 disposing of it to pay debts and support himself and his wife. I have not examined that deed.

"The 1870 census shows Harrison Jones and his wife along with three children, Ella (actually Louisa Louella), age 9; Emma, age 5, and Lee, age 1. The child Zelitha who was a year old in 1860 had apparently died.

"In 1880, Harrison Jones, shown as age 53, was enumerated with wife R. Jones, daughter Lizzy L. (actually Louisa Louella), age 19, daughter Emma, age 14, and son, Wilson Lee, age 11. The children were all attending school. On Nov. 18 that year a marriage license was issued to J. S. (Jeremiah Solomon) Allen and Miss L. L. (Louisa Louella) Jones by L. B. Griggs, Ordinary of Fayette County. T. (Trustin) Phillips, M. G. (Minister of the Gospel) certified they were married the same day. Trustin Phillips was the maternal great-uncle of Jeremiah Solomon Allen. Likely he was also a kinsman of Louisa Louella's grandfather John Phillips, but the exact relationship has not been proven. The young couple had one child, a son, Henry Arthur Allen, born Dec. 23, 1882, in Campbell County.

"The following March, Jeremiah Solomon Allen died from an infected wound sustained when he cut himself chopping wood. Ella and her son returned to live with her parents, Harrison and Rebecca Jane. When she died August 9, 1891, at the age of 30, her young son continued to live with his grandparents.

"The abstract of Ella's obituary printed in the Christian Index May 12, 1892, reads as follows: 'Allen, Ella, b. 2-12-1861, d. of Harrison Jones, d. 8-9-1891, died at father's residence at age of 30 years, 1 child, member of Antioch (Fayette Co.) Bapt. Church, w. of J. S. Allen.'

"Harrison Jones applied for a Confederate pension March 15, 1905, on the grounds of age and infirmity. He stated that he had owned 50 acres until 1902 when he sold it to pay debts and support himself. Two doctors certified that his physical condition was such that he was unable to perform any work.

"On June 20, 1906, Harrison's grandson, Henry Arthur Allen, married Maud Ann Snead, daughter of William Beasley Snead and Mary Frances Adams of Woolsey, Fayette Co., Ga. The newlyweds went to live with the grandparents. Three weeks later Harrison Jones died. On Aug. 14, 1906, Rebecca J. Jones applied for a widow's pension. She stated that she had been "no good feeble broke down and full of pains” for two or three years. She stated that she had no property and no income and had been staying with her grandson.

"Harrison Jones, his wife and their daughter, Louella Jones Allen, are all buried in the Jones Family Cemetery in Fayette County, along with their son Wilson Lee Jones, and his wife Lena Mae. Robert and Elizabeth Jones and several of their children also are buried there.

"Henry Arthur Allen, the grandson of Harrison and Rebecca Jane Jones, grew up to be a prominent Atlanta trial attorney of the first half of the 20th century. After reading law in the Fayetteville law office of Walter Wise (later a Congressman), he graduated from Mercer Law School.

"He practiced law in Senoia from 1909 until 1914 when he moved his practice to Atlanta and his residence to Hapeville. From the early 1920s until his death in 1946, he handled some of the most newsworthy cases in Atlanta. Many of these were reported in The Atlanta Journal, The Atlanta Constitution and other newspapers of the day. He died in 1946 and is buried at the Bethsaida Cemetery, adjacent to the former Bethsaida Baptist Church building in what is now south Fulton County. It was his choice to be buried beside the father who died when he (H.A. Allen) had been a three-month-old baby."

And so, with the burial of Henry Arthur Allen, we conclude the saga of this Jones family of Fayette County, so beautifully written by descendant Anne Westbrook. I hope that any of you who may be related, or who just want to discuss Joneses, will contact Anne at awwestbrook@bellsouth.net.

I may have a couple more Jones stories waiting in the wings. Bart Jones of Florida wrote a few weeks ago after discovering his ancestors, Seaborn B. and Gena Bridges Jones, mentioned in a previous story about the families buried at Bethany in north Fayette. I had no idea that this couple moved to Alabama and were brought back to Fayette for burial. That's one interesting story. And Nancy Jones Cornell, president of the Old Campbell County Historical Society, has volunteered to write a piece on her Jones family of Fayette-Campbell. We may have a hard time keeping up with our Joneses. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Family histories about your ancestors who lived on Atlanta's south side are always welcome. Send them to jkilgore@thecitizen.com or JodieK444@aol.com. Mail to The Citizen, P.O. Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214. All letters and e-mails I receive are subject to being used in the column.