Alford edward jones 1827-1915

Picture taken after Nov. 1886 Alford Edward and Kitty Colvin Jones
Thank YOU! Ed. Jones of Mississippi for this picture!

I have seen Alfred/Alford’s name spelled both ways.  I think people have assumed his name is misspelled and have corrected it to “Alfred”.  I lean towards his real name being Alford mostly because it is on his tombstone and from time to time I found Alford families in close proximity to the Joneses…

1827     Alfred/Alford was born November 9, 1827 in Leasburg, Franklin County, North Carolina to Edmund J. Jones and his wife Mildred (Milley) Murphey Jones.

1850     Alfred shows up in Greene County, Alabama on the 1850 census, page 353A line #41, with his father, mother and some siblings. (See separate article about Edmund J. Jones.)

1852     In November Alfred married the widow Mrs. Harriet Strickland, maiden name Baines. Harriet was born about 1834 the daughter of Elizabeth Baines (a landowner on the 1856 and 1858 Snedecor maps.) We like Redmond Baines as Harriet’s father, but have zero proof.  Harriet names a son George Redmond, and there are origingal land patents for Redmond Baines in Greene County.

Harriet married Sampson Strickland in January and was widowed and remarried to Alfred all before Christmas of 1852. She is the only wife with which Alfred had children. Census entries for Harriet are: 1850 Greene County with her mother and sisters, age 17; 1860 in Arkansas with Aflred, age 25; 1870 Greene County age 37.

1853     First child, John A. Jones is born. (See separate article on John A. Jones 1853-1917)

1855     Snedecor’s 1855 Greene County Directory shows Alfred as a planter (page 25). I cannot find Alfred on any land in Greene County on the Snedecor 1856 or 1858 maps. His father is in T23, R1W, S9.

1856     Alfred is mentioned in his father’s will (Edmund J. Jones) probated March 15, 1856 and states “all living in Greene County” for his wife Milley and children.  (See separate article about Edmund J. Jones whose will is included in that article.)

Two daughters were born: Elizabeth 1855  and Cornelia 1857 in Greene County, before Alfred made his way to Jefferson County, Arkansas and is found on the 1860 census in that state.

            After March 1856 Aftred, his wife and children, his brothers John A. Jones and Leonard Ellis Jones, along with Leonard’s family, moved to Jefferson County, Arkansas. (See separate article on Leonard Jones and son John Thomas Jones whose tombstone in Pleasant Hill Cemetery is incorrect.)

1860     Census for Jefferson County,  Arkansas, Baraque Township.

1861     April of 1861 George Redmond Jones was born. He is the only child to list his birth state as Arkansas.

1862     James Webster Jones (James Washington Jones on his marriage certificate in the Greene County courthouse to Susmira Crump) (Jim) is born in June in Greene County, Alabama. It is around this time that we believe Alfred, Leonard and their brother John A. Jones left to join the Civil War.

1863     Alfred served the Confederate States of America during the Civil War in the Alabama 7^th Calvary Regiment, Company B until the end of the war in 1865.  Alfred and his brother Leonard returned to Greene County, but we have found no other records of their brother John A. Jones after the Civil War. He is not the John A. Jones that married Martha Mitchell and settled in Greensboro which later became a part of Hale County.

Civil War Records for Alfred Edward Jones: (blank fields have been omitted):

Last Name: Jones , First Name: Alfred    MI: E

Branch: Cavalry, Regimental Unit: 7th Alabama Regiment, Company Unit: B

Authority: Compiled roll by Jesse Hamilton, Montgomery, Alabama, filed 1910/07/05.

Remarks: Rank: Private. (Jesse Hamilton, Montgomery, Alabama, states that he does not remember Private Alfred E. Jones)

Last Name: Jones, First Name: Alfred    MI: Edward

Enlistment Date: 1863/07/00, Enlistment Information: Alabama, Newbern.

Discharge Date: 1865/00/00

Regimental Unit: 7th Alabama Regiment, Company Unit: B

Authority: Personal Statement, Census, Tax Assessor, Pickens County, 1907.

Remarks: Rank: Private. Served until the close of the war.

1866     December 12, 1866 Alfred and Harriet’s son William Murphy Jasper Jones is born in Greene County, AL.

1870     Greene County, Alabama census shows Alfred age 44, living close to his brother Leonard. In January Harriet Veronica (Hattie) is born in Greene County.  

1872     February 20th Sally F. Jones is born and Harriet dies (see separate article on James C. Gilmer, Sr., Sally’s husband and family). 

December 17th 1872 Alfred married Jane Hurst, born Margaret Jane Jones, the daughter of Marshall Spears Jones and Elizabeth (Hill). Not only was Jane the step-mother to Alfred’s children, she was mother-in-law of Alfred and Harriet’s sons John A. Jones, and James W. Jones. Jane’s daughter Ellen Crump married John and her daughter Susmira Crump married James Jones. (See separate article on Jane Jones who married Richard D. Crump, died in the Civil War; and subsequently married Billington Sanders Hurst who died around 1870.) 

            We have not been able to link Alfred and Jane as cousins or distant cousins, but we have found lots of back-and-forth business between St. Clair County and Greene County between these two Jones families, up to and including our grandparents who married in St. Clair County. John’s daughter Ella Jane Jones of Greene County married Enoch Ross Crump, of  St. Clair County. Jane and Richard D. Crump’s son George F. Crump married Nancy M. Hamilton in Greene County, only to sell off their inheritances and move to St. Clair County where they remained until death. Both are buried in the Steele City Cemetery in St. Clair County. It may well be that these Crump kids are returning to their roots in St. Clair County, where their Crump and Jones cousins live.

1880     Greene County census shows Alfred’s age as 51 and occupation as Farmer. Between 1880 and 1903 Alfred and his family moved from Greene County to Reform in Pickens County, where you will find him on the 1910 census. His brother Leonard also moved to Pickens County at about the same time. (See separate article on Leonard and his son John Thomas Jones.)  However, Alfred’s son John remained in Greene County.  

1886     In Pickens County on November 06, 1886 Alfred married “Molly Colvin” (Mary V. Colvin, nicknamed “Kitty.”)  The service was performed by a Justice of the Peace, J. R. Brandon. Carol Philips, a resident of Knoxville in Greene County March 2007, gave me a copy of a picture of Alfred, Kitty, her parents, Leonard and his wife Mary, along with some of their kids, at church in the late 1800’s. Carol descends from George Redmond Jones one of Alfred’s sons. THANK YOU CAROL!  

1915     Alfred died in Pickens County June 01, 1915 according to his tombstone. He is buried alone at Bethel Cemetery just north of Carrollton. His original tombstone was supplemented with a new CSA stone that was placed in front of the old stone and is inscribed with the CSA emblem and information.  We did not see any of his wives' graves in 2003 and we know his third wife, Kitty Colvin, is buried with her parents at Unity Cemetery.  The cemetery is out in the open and very well-kept.  

Alfred’s death certificate states that he lived in Reform, Pickens Co, Alabama for 12 years prior to his death. This may or may not be true, since his death certificate was filled out a full month after he died and has numerous errors and omissions on it. We know that two of his brothers served CSA: Leonard is buried at Salem Cemetery, Gordo, in Pickens County and his CSA information is on his stone, and John A. Jones - but we have not found his burial location.  

1925     Molly/Kitty Colvin died September 20, 1925 and was buried at Unity Cemetery with her parents, in Pickens County.  Kitty Colvin was the daughter of J. B. and Sarah Jane Colvin. She was born April 11, 1848 in Pickens County, Alabama, and died “at the home of her brother J. B. Colvin.”  Kitty Colvin is shown as the mother of John A. Jones on John’s death certificate, however Kitty never had children of her own. Her death certificate shows her mother as Sarah Jane Colvin and father as “unknown.”

If Alfred Edward Jones had a will we could not locate it at the Greene or Pickens county courthouses.  Although the Pickens County Courthouse burned to the ground three times: 1865 by  the Union army, 1876 and 1897, that still left time for Alfred to leave a will before his death 1915.

MORE ABOUT HARRIET BAINES STRICKLAND JONES (see also separate article on Elizabeth Baines)

Sampson STRICKLAND, born about 1800 died 1852 shortly after marrying Harriet.

The Strickland family lived next door to Elizabeth Baines and her four daughters per the 1850 Greene County census: house #933 family #933
line 4 Strickland Sampson 53 Male Farmer 120 born in NC
line 5 Strickland Clary 52 Female born in NC
line 6 Strickland Samuel 10 Male born in AL
line 7 Strickland Elizabeth 18 Female born in AL

Greene County Marriages:
STRICKLAND, Sampson to TAYLOR, Clary Oct 30 1828
STRICKLAND, S. to BANES, H. Jan 08 1852 (Copy of marriage certificate on file. Shown as S. Strickland to H. Banes, Book C, Marriage Records, Greene Co., AL) Harriet married Alfred in November as MRS. Harriet Strickland.

MORE ABOUT ALFRED E. JONES:

You can read an article about Alfred E. Jones in the Greene County Heritage, page 144, by Mattie Columbus-Jones Lowe, great-granddaughter of Alfred Edward Jones. She descends from William Murphy Jasper Jones, another son of Alfred, born in Greene County 12/12/1866 and died in Pickens County, Alabama 7/16/1930. He was the husband of  Mary Melissa Hollingsworth (12/18/1869 - 10/25/1915), and they were parents of  seven children.

While in Greene County March 2007 we met with a great granddaughter of George Redmond Jones, son of Alfred and Harriet. This distant cousin told us that family rumor was Alfred kept to himself and did not socialize with family. However, he was known to be a “man about town.” 

CENSUS ENTRIES:

January 4, 1851 Greene County page 353, house/family: 1707/1707

Edmund Jones age 67 Farmer worth $320 NC

Mildred Jones age 65 female NC

Ellen Jones age 20 female NC

Alford Jones age 21 male NC Farmer

Rebecca Jones age 16 female NC

Lenard Jones age 13 male NC

next door to LAWRENCE WILLIAMS

Sept. 14, 1860 page 31, house/family: 206/206

Leonard Jones age 22 male Farmer $150 born NC

Mary Jones age 28 female born AL

Joseph Jones age 3 male born AL

Thomas Jones male age 1 born AL

207/207 John A. Jones age 38 male overseer $170 born NC

208/208 Alfred Jones age 33 male Farmer $3200 born NC

Harriet Jones age 25 female born AL

John Jones age 7 male born AL

Elizabeth Jones age 5 female born AL

Cornelia Jones age 3/12 female born AL

George Jones 3/12 male born ARKANSAS

June 29, 1870, Greene County, CLINTON, page 653, house/family: 3/3

E. Banes 66 female Farming $1000 born NC (mother of Harriet Jones & Mary Jones)

C age 32 female at home born AL

F age 42 female at home born AL

HOLT, W. F. age 23 male School Teacher born AL

4/4  A. E. Jones age 44 male farming $500 NC

Harriet age 27 Female keeping house born AL

John age 17 male at school born AL

George age 10 male at school born AL

James age 8 male at school born AL

William age 4 male born AL

Harriet age 6/12 born in December

6/6 L. E. Jones age 32 male Farmer $1000 born NC

Mary age 40 female keeping house born AL

Joseph age 12 male labor on farm born AL

Thomas age 11 male born AL

M. F. age 8 female born AL

E. E. age 5 female born AL

Samuel age 1 male born AL

(near Charity Williams JONES, wife of Woodson)

June 5, 1880, Greene County, Pleasant Ridge page 6, house/family: 57/57

Alf E. male age 51 born farmer NC NC NC

Jane female wife age 46 born at home AL SC SC

George male son age 21 farmer AL NC AL

James male son age 18 farmer AL NC AL

William male son age 14 at school AL NC AL

Harriet female daughter age 11 at school AL NC AL

Sallie female daughter age 7 at school AL NC AL

CRUMP, George male son age 24 farmer AL AL AL

Crump, Susmira female daughter age 20 at home AL AL AL

June 13, 1900 Pickens County, Raleigh, sheet 7, house/family: 109/109

Alfred A. Jones (Albert on ancestry.com) Nov. 1822 age 77 married 15 years NC NC NC

Mary V. wife female Feb. 1854 age 46 married 15 years mother of ZERO with ZERO living AL AL AL

113/113 George Jones 1860 age 40 married 16 years ARK NC mother born unknown

Kattie wife female Oct. 1863 age 36 married 16 years mother of 9 with 9 living AL ARK AL

Nancy M. dau. Jan. 1885 age 15 AL ARK AL

Veronia L. dau. Oct. 1886 age 13 AL ARK AL

Neadam M. son Mar 1887 12 AL ARK AL

George E. son June 1890 age 9 AL ARK AL

Sarah V. dau. Feb. 1893 age 8 AL ARK AL

James C. son June 1896 age 4 AL ARK AL

Bertha B. dau. Dec. 1897 age 2 AL ARK AL

Willie M. dau. Feb. 1900 3/12 AL ARK AL

Mary A. Colman mother female Jan. 1920 age 80 widow mother of 15 with 8 living SC SC SC

April 15, 1910 Pickens County, Gordo, Second Avenue, sheet 3

Alfred E. Jones age 82 m:3 23 years NC NC NC

Mary P. wife age 62 M:1 23 years AL AL AL

Jones, Adam D. head age 65 m:2 married 18 years AL SC TN

Martha S. wife age 60 m:1 married 18 years SC SC SC

One street over: Columbus Street

Jones, Leonard E. head age 74 m:4 married 7 years NC NC NC

Julia wife age 59 m:1 married 7 years AL SC AL

April 15, 1910 CLINTON, Greene County at North and East Eutaw and Pleasant Ridge Road

on Neighborhood Road (John, son of Alfred and Harriet)

John Jones age 56 M:2 married 15 years AL AL AL (married first: Selecia Ellen Crump)

Kate Jones age 66 M:2 married 15 years AL AL AL (married first: Madison M. Eatman)

Newton C. son age 20 single (Christopher Newton Jones)

Gilmer, Gelina Velma niece age 13 (see James C. Gilmer, Sr., article)

Gilmer, Bessie neice age 11

Gilmer, Sallie neice age 9

Gilmer, James nephew age 6

MORE ABOUT JANE JONES

Married Richard D. Crump  January 20, 1855 in St. Clair Co., Alabama, died in the Civil War CSA

Married Billington Sanders Hurst November 15, 1866, Jefferson Co., AL (UNION army, while his sons served CSA)

Married Alfred E. Jones 1872

Jane died before 1886 (which is when Alfred married Kitty Colvin.)

We have not found her burial location.