Actually I am unable to discover the connection of Elizabeth Varner with any of the Varners in our family. So, why am I even posting this? I think I may be part bloodhound. A woman, initials are FHJ, who has been researching her family for years found out about my interest in the Varners of Athens County in the Athens County Historical Society newsletter and emailed me to see if I could add anything to her knowledge. After a brief period of emails flying back and forth, I decided to dig a little deeper into this couple's history. Here is a synopsis of what I discovered:
Gilbert was born in NY state abt 1786 (1850 Federal Census, Washington Twp, Delaware Co, IN)
Elizabeth was born in PA abt 1792 (1850 Federal Census, Washington Twp, Delaware Co, IN)
They were married 7/14/1814 (FHJ stated that this information was in Gilbert's War of 1812 pension application. The application also states that they were married in Athens Co, OH but no known marriage records of Athens Co back up this assertion)
Gilbert leased 80.6 acres in Athens Twp, Athens Co, OH from Ohio University from 12/4/1815 to 8/31/1816 (Athens Co Recorders Office, Records of Deeds, Book 10, page 509)
Gilbert and Elizabeth were farming in Concord Twp, Ross Co, OH at the time of the 1820 Federal Census and had 2 sons and 1 daughter under the age of 10.
Although I have not found Census Data to verify their residence in 1830, FHJ put me onto the scent of the First Presbyterian Church Records which are archived in Alden Library on the Ohio University Campus in Athens, OH. I discovered the following facts concerning this family from early Athens First Presbyterian Church Session Records:
1. 9/14/1829 Gilbert A. Jones subscribed to "purchase" a pew to support the salary of the minister.
2. 5/23/1830, 4 of Gilbert A. Jones children were baptized: Mary Margarett, Jacob Lindly, Morris and William Wallace. The record specifies that their baptism was an "infant baptism."
3. 4/17/1831 Lewis Jones was baptized as an infant (The 1850 Athens (Town of), Athens Co, OH Census shows that Lewis was 19 and living with his mother, which verifies that the Lewis that was baptized in 1831 was their son, although the baptismal record itself does not list the parents of the child)
4. 10/4/1831 Gilbert A. and Elizabeth Jones are listed on the List of Members
5. 8/22/1832 "Mr.Gilbert A. Jones met with the Session by request on account of his having absented himself from the common and special ordinances of the Gospel--and after some time spent in conversation which appeared to have a salutary effect the subject was postponed for the present. . . ."
6. 1/26/1833 Gilbert A. Jones is on a list of men who voted in a meeting held for the purpose of electing two men to serve as ruling elders.
At the time of the 1840 Federal Census, they were residing in the town of Athens. At that time, only the head of the household's name was listed but the sex and relative age of all the members of that household were included. Thus, I ascertained that they had 5 boys between the ages of 5 and 30 years and 2 girls between the ages of 5 and 20 living at home. By comparing this census and that which I discovered in the Session Records with the 1850 Federal Census (which lists the names of all residents of a household) it appears that the oldest boy listed in this 1840 census may have been hired help rather than one of their children.
At the time of the 1850 census, they were residing in Athens Twp, Athens Co, OH. Their sons, Jacob and Morris are listed separately, but living in the two residences immediately following their parents' listing in the census. The following is the pertinent information given for these three listings:
House 350--Gilbert A. Jones, age 59, farmer, real estate valued at $1300, born in NY; Elizabeth Jones, age 56, born in PA; Lewis Jones, age 19, farmer, born in OH, attended school within the year; Harriet L. Jones, age 17, born in OH
House 351--Jacob L. Jones, age 26, farmer, real estate valued at $600, born in OH; Nancy E. Jones, age 24, born in VA; Hannah N. Jones, age 4, born in OH
House 352--Morris Jones, age 23, born in OH; Mary Jones, age 24, born in OH; Francis E. Jones, female, age 8 months, born in OH
At the time of the 1860 census, Elizabeth Jones was living with her son Jacob and his family in the town of Athens. Gilbert is conspicuously absent. They are listed as follows:
Jacob Jones, age 35, merchant, value of real estate $1200, value of personal estate $2400, born in OH; Nancy E. Jones, age 36, born in OH; Hannah Jones, age 13, born in OH; Herbert Jones, age 5, born in OH; Elizabeth Jones, age 66, born in OH [place of birth is incorrect, as it is listed as PA in every other instance]. Also in the household was Jane Graham, age 21, domestic, born in OH; William Jewell, age 38, shoemaker, born in NJ. (FHJ discovered a Gilbert A. Jones, age 72, born in NY, laborer, residing in the home of D. Tyler and Polly J. Smith in Castile, Wyoming Co, NY at the time of the 1860 census. This could be "our" Gilbert A. Jones, but it should be noted that there is a 2 year age discrepancy and no known relationship between "our" Gilbert and the Smiths.
Interestingly, in the 1870 Census, Gilbert A. and Elizabeth Jones appear in Washington Twp, Delaware Co, IN, in the residence immediately following that of their son Morris. Their listing appears as follows:
House 115--Morris Jones, age 43, Dry Goods Merchant, Value of Real Estate $5300, Value of Personal Estate $1600, born in OH; Ada Jones, age 45, keeping house, born in OH; Sarah Jones, 19, born in OH, idiotic; Harriet Jones, 18, born in OH; George W. Jones, 6, born in OH; Charles Jones, 4, born in OH [It appears that this is a wife and four children of a second marriage as the 1850 Census 20 years earlier had his wife as Mary and only child as Francis E.]
House 116--Gilbert Jones, age 84, farmer, value of personal estate $200, born NY; Elizabeth Jones, age 78, keeping house, born in PA
Elizabeth Varner Jones died in 1874 and is buried in Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie, Delaware Co, IN. (Find A Grave Memorial# 52042551, Findagrave.com which lists her birth as 1796, PA and death as 1874, Delaware Co, IN)
Gilbert Jones died in Indiana 10/21/1883 and is buried in Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie, Delaware Co, IN (Find A Grave Memorial# 29056354, Findagrave.com which also adds the following information: "Born, 1792 in New York. . . Soldier in the War of 1812 in Capt. Ledyard's Company,12th Reg. 4th Brigade at Schenectady, N.Y. Honoorably discharged Sackett's Harbor, N.Y. Feb. 1813." There is also a photo of his War of 1812 Memorial in Beech Grove Cemetery)
Morris Jones and family appear in the Muncie, Delaware Co, IN Census of 1880 (details not included here)
Morris died 8/15/1881 in Kansas, and is buried in Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie, Delaware Co, IN (Find A Grave Memorial# 29056394, Findagrave.com adds "Morris Jones, born 1827 in Ohio", and has a photo of his grave which gives his age at his death as "54 years, 7 months and 15 days" which would make his birth right at 1/1/1827)
Of interest to me is that Elizabeth (Varner) Jones spent her last days in Washington Twp, Delaware Co IN during the same period of time that one of the daughters of our Samuel Varner, Rebecca (Varner) Gandy also lived in the same township with her daughter Hortensia and her family, the William W. Dunlaps. (1880 Census)
In summary, while the connection between Elizabeth Varner Jones and our kindred is not clear, it is intriguing that both families followed basically the same migration route from PA to Athens Co, OH and finally migrate to the same township during the same period of time in Washington Twp, Delaware Co, IN. Perhaps the next blog will deal with Rebecca (Varner) Gandy and thus get back to those we know to be our own kinfolk.
