Jones is a common surname and variations of it appear in most Western languages. The name is derived from the popular given name John and literally manes "Son of John." The Jones surname is supposed to be most common in Wales. Supposedly, our line of Jones is English in origin.
Michael Jones was born circa 1730. He was probably born in England, or somewhere on the British Isles. He was in Virginia as a young man and married to a woman named Ann. (One source lists her name as Julia Ann Chamberlain.) Michael died in about 1780 to 1781 in Bedford County, Virginia.
Michael Jones was born on July 5, 1750 in Bedford County, Virginia. He was British in decent and moved as a youth to Buckingham County, Virginia in the 1770's. In 1776, Michael enlisted as a private in the 12th Virginia Regiment in Capt. Joseph Mitchel's Company. He served for about one year for he was reportedly missing in 1777. I don't know exactly what that means, but he could have deserted and went home to marry, for he was married to Leanna Dibrell on March 6, 1777 in Buckingham County, Virginia. Leanna was half French and half English by birth, and was descended from the quite prominent Lee family. Michael was very proud of his wife's family, and all his children seem to have been named from her family.
Michael and Leanna lived in Buckingham County, where they had 11 children: Elizabeth, Anthony (see next generation), William, Mary, Michael, Judith, Charles, Sarah, Martha, Margaret, and Katy. Michael probably moved to Kentucky with some of his children. Michael and his wife were farmers and were moderate to wealthy slave owners. Michael died at his home known as "Traveler's Rest" in 1821 in Buckingham County, Virginia. his widow Leanna died probably between 1830 and 1840.
Anthony Dibrell Jones was born on September 2, 1780 in Buckingham County, Virginia. Anthony was the second child in a family of 11 born to a moderately prosperous Virginian family. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Anthony Dibrell. Anthony was married on February 25, 1809 to Martha "Patsy" M. Woodson in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Anthony was 28 years old and Martha was 13 years old.
After the marriage, Anthony and Martha moved to Buckingham County, Virginia where they started raising children. They had 5 known children: Albert, Elizabeth, Emma, Thomas (see next generation), and Joseph. In the year 1816, Anthony and his family moved out west settled in Christian Co., Kentucky. (He came with his sisters Mary and Judith and their families). Anthony died on August 7, 1824 in Christian County, Kentucky, aged 43. He was buried at the Harris-Fletcher Cemetery in Christian County. Afterwards his widow married A. D. Fletcher and died in 1859.
Thomas Anthony Jones was born on April 26, 1822 in Christian County, Kentucky. His middle name was his father's name, and was originally the name of his great-grandfather, Anthony Dibrell. Thomas' father died in 1824, when he was only 2 years of age. Thomas was raised in southern Christian County, Kentucky by his widowed mother, until she was remarried in 1831 to Archibald Fletcher. Thomas' new step-father was only 10 years his senior.
Thomas and his family were quite wealthy and were highly involved with business and civic matters in Kentucky and Tennessee. Apparently in 1844, at the age of 22, Thomas moved to neighboring Montgomery County, Tennessee, where he began managing a large mill site originally owned by his older brother Albert. Thomas was married on September 10, 1846 to Miss Ethalinda Brodie. Thomas and Ethalinda lived at their mill site off of the Little West Fork at the community known as Ringgold. Together they had 5 children: Joseph, Lucy, Etha, Susan, and Thomas.
Thomas was quite successful and wealthy in managing the mill site in Montgomery County, Tennessee. He was a slave owner and in 1850, his estate was valued at $10,000, an impressive sum for the times. Sadly, on September 11, 1857, Thomas died, more than likely at his home at Ringgold, Tennessee. He was 35 years old and his death was probably an accident of some sort as there is records of him being active in business just a month before his death. Thomas left no will and all of his property, which was considerable was left to his widow, Etha Jones. Etha was remarried three years later to an older man named Thomas Ogburn who helped to raise Thomas Jones' children. In 1860, the estate of Thomas Ogburn (which would have included the estate of Thomas A. Jones) had real estate valued at $20,000 and personal estate valued at $35,085. It seems though that after the Civil War, this family lost most of their fortune. Etha Brodie Jones Ogburn died in 1912.
Thomas Anthony Jones, Jr., was born on November 15, 1856 in Montgomery County, Tennessee, near present community of Ringgold. Thomas’ father died when he was just under a year old. Thomas was raised by his mother Etha, and her second husband Thomas Ogburn. Thomas was called Tom, and appears to have been a mischevious child. He left Montgomery County as a youth and went just over the state border to Christian County, Kentucky. There he was married to Lee Parrish Whitlock on June 8, 1892 in Kennedy, Christian County, Kentucky. Thomas appears to have been of a squandering nature, and lost any chance of getting any part of his family fortune. His mother wrote in her will in 1898 that Thomas was not to have any part of her estate when she died, because she wished that his debts owed to her would be forgotten instead.
In 1893, his wife Lee inherited 205 acres in Christian County from her father. Tom and Lee lived on this land where they had two daughters: Louetha (see next generation) and Bertha. Lee died in 1919, and Tom was married on April 21, 1921 to Iona Smith. Very soon afterwards, Tom and his family sold his deceased wife’s land. Tom had 1 child by his second marriage: Thomas Jr.. Afterwards Tom lived with Iona in Christian County, Kentucky, and they are said to have been divorced. He died in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on May 4, 1928 of heart disease. He was buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
3rd Generation:Louetha Jones was born on April 20, 1894 in Christian County, Kentucky, near Hopkinsville. Louetha probably was named after both of her grandmother’s, whose names were combined to get Louetha (They were Lou Whitlock and Etha Ogburn). Louetha grew up in Christian County. Sometime in her teens, Louetha left her family and went north to Louisville, Kentucky, intent on becoming a nurse. In 1914, Louetha received her nursing certificate from St. Thomas Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. Louetha then moved south to Nashville, Tennessee, with some of her family. She was there married to Manlius S. Hosse on January 26, 1920. Manlius was a gangster and died soon after the marriage.
In 1921, Louetha participated in the sale of her deceased mother’s land and got a part of the money. She then went back to Louisville, Kentucky, where she married Newell B. Brown on March 14, 1922. She and Newell had one daughter: Bettye. Louetha and Newell lived many places in their early marriage. These included: Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois and finally settled down in Indianapolis, IN, in about 1938. Louetha was a member of the Third Christian Church in Indianapolis. During World War II, she was an active member of the Red Cross. Louetha had in old age what is now known as Alzheimer’s Disease. She died of cerebral hemorrhage on May 22, 1963 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. Her husband Newell died 12 days later and both were cremated and buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, IN.