I am looking for more information on Willis Mason Jones of Coon Creek, Jackson County, Alabama. He was born about 1822, probably in Virginia, and I believe he had several children who lived somewhere around Coon Creek. His daughter Mary Elizabeth Jones, commonly known as Elizabeth, married Andrew Lindsey Wheeler in 1866. Does anyone know about this family?

From the census his correct name is Willis Benjamin or Benjamin Willis Jones and he was b. AL.

1850 Dist. 19 Jackson Co. AL
Willes Jones Farmer 28 AL
Eliza 26 AL
George 8 AL
Mary 6 AL
Elvira 4 AL
Ellen 2 AL

The following seems to be the same family.

1860 Div 1 (Stevenson PO) JC AL
Benjamin W. Jones 36 Farmer AL
Eliza 35 AL
George 17 AL
Lizzie 15 AL
Ellen 11 AL
Melvina 6 AL
Julia 3 AL
John Wheeler 15 AL

1870 Dist. 11 Sub.Div 1 (Bellefonte PO) JC AL
Benj. W. Jones 47 Farmer AL
Eliza J. 45 Keeping House AL
Avis E. 17 School Teacher AL (Ellen)
Levina C. 15 At School AL (Melvina)
Julia A. 12 At School AL

Benjamin W. Jones patented 4 parcels of 40/41 acres each in Township 3 Range 8 Sections 29, 30 and 31. The parcel in Sect. 31 was patented 5 Nov 1884, the other three in 1859/60.

Coon Creek flows off Sand Mountain into Gunersville Lake/Tennessee River. Most of the land in Sections 29 and 30 is under water.

I could not find them on the 1880 or any cemetery list.

There are both Jones and Wheeler family researchers at
jacksongenealgoy-subscribe@yahoogroups.com you might try posting your request there to see if you can contact one of them.

I did find some marriages of some of the listed children but I did not find one for Mary Elizabeth.

Clay Gullatt
Moderator
jacksongenealogy@yahoogroups.com

Where did you find the marriages? I was looking for them yesterday and did not find them.

Here is my problem. My mother is absolutely adamant that the name Willis Mason Jones is correct and she has written information from her mother and grandmother to support that. When I raised the possibility of Benjamin Willis Jones as the right name, she about had a fit. There are other connections to the family of Benjamin Willis Jones, so I think that is probably the right one. What a mess!

I looked at the Jackson Co. Marriages at ancestry.com they are also at this website: usgenweb archives project jackson county alabama vital records, just google that and they should come up.

Benjamin W. Smith is the only Smith who patented land around Coon Creek. The only other land patents for Jones within Township 3 Range 8 were John W. Jones Sect. 19 1849 and Smith Jones Sect. 6 1831 (the earliest year for patents in Jackson Co.).

Jackson Co. Marriages

These maybe some of the girls.

I. M. Cotnan m. A. E. Jones 11 Dec 1873 MOG P. Brown OS Page 275

James S. Glasgow m. Julia Jones 5 May 1876 G. J. Hall OS Page 245

Martin Manning m. Lennie Jones 17 Dec 1879 OS Page 431 (this maybe Malvina/Levina)

I found nothing for the son George Jones beyond 1860, he may have died in the Civil War though I could find no record for a George Jones from Jackson Co.

I think you should post at the jacksongenealoy yahoo group as there are almot 500 people who belong. It is probably the biggest group in AL so you should get a reply.

Clay
blackcloud27030@yahoo.com