The Clinton County, Ohio Connection

James Stapleton Lewis' first wife was Anna Jones.  Her father and mother were John Jones and Sarah Sumpter.  JSL himself is the source for this fact.  He was personally acquainted with John Jones and variously referred to him as father-in-law, reverend, Baptist minister, and esquire.  I've spent more than 30 years looking for more information about them and their families.  My grandmother (JSL's great granddaughter) was looking for much the same information as early as the late 1930s.  The problem is not finding genealogical references to John Jones; the problem is trying to figure out which John Jones is the correct one because the name is so common. 


Here are some of the facts that have been verified about this couple.  I'll post copies of some of these documents below.


1.  John Jones and Sarah Sumpter were married in Franklin Co., Virginia on August 12, 1790.  The marriage bond was dated July 5, 1790 with the surety posted by Solomon Jones.  Some family records list the bond date as the marriage date.  We are uncertain how (or if) Solomon Jones was related to John.  The page that lists this marriage has 3 other John Jones entries.  I'll write more about the Sumpters in a later blog.

FHL Film # 31523, Marriage Bonds - Franklin County, Virginia, #1233 [2233]

2.  John Jones left a will in Randolph Co., Indiana.  I have a photocopy of that will that my grandmother obtained in 1947.  (You didn't know there were photocopies then, did you?  I don't know what the technology was.)  The will was dated March 7, 1847 and was filed and recorded March 31, 1847 so presumably John died between those two dates.  As wills go, this is a great one for family history research because John lists his children and heirs along with their spouses. My transcription of the will is given at the end of this blog.

So where was the Jones family between 1790 in Virginia and 1847 in Indiana? 

Anna Jones always gave her birthplace as "Kentucky."  I've never seen any reference where she listed even a county.  Some sources list her birth as 1809 and some as 1810.  So the family was in Kentucky around that time.  The Wilderness Trail, by which many intrepid pioneers left Virginia and North Carolina led through Kentucky on the way to Ohio.  It may be that Anna was born as the family traveled; perhaps they weren't even sure in what county they were when she was born.

However, by 1817 the family was in Clinton Co., Ohio.  Most of the children were married there:

Elizabeth Jones and Henry Jackson - January 23, 1817.
Frankey (Frances) Jones and Samuel Poff - May 1, 1817
Sarah (Sally) Jones and Jacob Barrett - August 5, 1818
Solomon Jones and Elizabeth Barrett - January 13, 1820
Lucy Jones and Henry Poff - April 12, 1821
Abigail Jones and Matthew Poff - May 11, 1823

FHL film 568,595 vol 2 pg 19

 FHL film 568,595 vol 2 pg 39

FHL film 568,595 vol 2 p 54

FHL film 568,595 vol 2 p 95

John's will refers to "my dear and beloved wife Sally Jones."  The logical assumption would be that this is Sarah Sumpter since Sally was often a nickname for Sarah.  However, in a letter JSL wrote from Utah to his brother Joel who was still living in Randolph, Indiana, he wrote that his wife [Anna] wanted to know if her stepmother was still alive. 

Sarah Sumpter Jones must have died, but where and when.  While looking through some papers of my grandmother's I found a family group sheet on which she had written that Sarah's death place was Clinton Co., Ohio.  No death date is given.  I don't know what her source of information was.  In his family history information, JSL refers to a brother-in-law George Jones born in Ohio. This George is not listed in John's will and is presumed to have died young. Still, if he was born in Ohio it could be assumed that Sarah Sumpter Jones (who presumably was his mother) was still alive when the family lived in Ohio. 

I have looked through online sources and Clinton County information in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City for verification of Sarah Sumpter Jones' death but have been unsuccessful.  I've also tried to figure out exactly who John's "beloved wife Sally" from the will is.  I've found four marriages between men named John Jones and women named Sarah/Sally that could fit geographically and chronologically as John's second marriage.  But I can't pinpoint any of them as our John Jones.

Next week, I'm leaving for research in libraries in Ohio and Indiana.  I hope I'll know more about some of these questions when I return.  At the very least, I will walk the area that the Jones family helped settle in the very early days of Ohio history.

Transcript of John Jones' Will

In the name of God, Amen.

I John Jones of the county of Randolph and State of Indiana being weak in body but sound in mind and knowing the uncerty of life and the cerenty of Death and for the final disposel of my estate after my Death I now make this my last will and testament, witch is as follows to wit: First my dear and beloved wife Sally Jones to have the one third part of all my estate both real and personal moneys and effects. I also will and bequeath to my daughter Sally wife of Jacob Barnett four dollars. I also will and bequeth to my daughter Frankey Poff, wife of Samuel Poff fifteen dollars. I also will and bequeth to the heayers of Elizabeth Jackson late the wife of Henry Jackson one dollar each. Also I will and bequeath to the heayers of my daughter Lucy Poff late wife of Henry Poff the sum of eighty dollars to be equally divided among said heayers. Also I will and bequeath to my granddaughter Julyann Redpath daughter of Solomon Jones the sum of ten dollars. Also I will and bequeath to my grandson Jacob Jones son of Solomon Jones the sum of fifteen dollars, and further will and bequeath that after paying off my doctor bill, funeral expenses and all other legal demands against my estate that the balance of my estate be equally divided between my other four daughters, Namely Abigail Poff wife of Matthew Poff, Sinthea Simmons wife of Charles Simmons, Ally Sutton wife of Amos Sutton, Anny Lewis wife of James Lewis, and I also apoint and request George Debolt and John Buff to act as my executors to the above will and also I request that the said George Debolt and John Buff to sell all my property both real and personal at public sale and pay to my wife the one third part of what all of my estate shall be worth, and the

balance to be paid out as above stated, in testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and this seventh day of March A.D. 1847.

John Jones - his mark

in presence of
James Simmons
Israel Lorton (his mark)
Henry Warrick (his mark)