My Jones Family Line

My Jones Family Line

My maternal great great grandmother was Sarah Marshall Jones.  She married Spear C. Dean in July 1853 in Red River County, Texas.  They remained in Texas the remainder of their lives and are buried in Weatherford, Parker County, Texas.  The information I have on Sarah's family line indicates that Robert Jones was the ancestor who first immigrated to America, probably in 1635.  He was born about 1608 in Reading, Berkshire, England.  As far as I can tell, he lived his life here in America in Hingham, Plymouth, Massachussets.

Jones Relationship Chart--Sarah to Joseph

The above relationship chart traces the male Jones line from my great great grandmother, Sarah, back as far as I have records.  According to family lore Sarah was related to General George C. Marshall of WW II fame.  George Catlett Marshall, supposedly was the grandson of Erasmus Jones II.  I made a small effort to verify that; but didn't come up with any confirming information.  Sarah did live to within about two and a half months of turning 100.

Sarah Marshall (Jones) Dean

I am not real comfortable with all of the data on the family line, as much of it came from Ancestry.com family trees.  Additionally, I think I am missing a generation between Michael and Erasmus Jones, as Erasmus's mother would have been 58 when he was born.  

I am remiss in not doing more research on this line as, over the past few years, I become fixated on breaking through my Irish brick wall.  I am going to shift focus and try to verify the data on this Jones line.  I welcome any comments from any of you who might have any ties to my Jones line.

Three of Sarah's brothers started the JJ Ranch in Southeastern Colorado.  At one time it reportedly was the largest cattle ranch in the U.S.  In January 1882 the brothers sold the ranch and livestock to the Prairie Cattle Company, a Scottish Company, for $625,000--that is the equivalent of $14.5M today.  My great grandfather was brought from Texas to Colorado by his uncles, James, Stephen and Peyton Jones, to work on the ranch.   

If all of this sounds a lot like the book Centennial by James Michener; it isn't just coincidental.  Michener was married to a woman from my home town of Las Animas and interviewed Marshall Dean about the history of the JJ Ranch, when he was writing Centennial.