William Foote JONES Robert JONES Mildred JONES May JONES Ora JONES Raleigh JONES Sallie Florence MINCE Alexander JONES William Thomas JONES Robert Foote JONES Mary Emily LEVERETT Mini tree diagram
William Foote JONES

William Foote JONES3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,10,9,11

12th Nov 18693,4,5,6,7,8,2,9 - 11th Feb 19295,1,2

Life History

12th Nov 1869

Born in Arkansas County, Arkansas.3,4,5,6,7,8,2,9

5th Dec 1897

Married Sallie Florence MINCE in Prairie County, Arkansas.9

about 1899

Birth of son Robert JONES in Arkansas

20th Sep 1900

Birth of daughter Mildred JONES in Devalls Bluff, Prairie, Arkansas.7,11

about 1902

Birth of daughter May JONES in Arkansas.7

about 1904

Birth of daughter Ora JONES in Arkansas.7

about 1906

Birth of son Raleigh JONES in Arkansas

11th Feb 1929

Died in DeValls Bluff, Prairie, Arkansas.5,1,2

13th Feb 1929

Buried in Oakland Cemetery, DeValls Bluff, Prairie County, Arkansas.1,2

Notes

  • Foote's full name was William Foote Jones, according to Jones researcher Jerry Robnett.  He had a brother also named William.  And another brother seems to have also had the middle name Robert Foote Jones.

    "My husband, Michael L Robnett is descended from William Foote Jones (1860-1929) who resided in DeValls Bluff, AR and is a brother of William Thomas Jones (1875-1948)."
    --  Jerry Lyn Robnett, Ancestry Messaging to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 17 April 2015

    On the other hand Terry Jones, a descendant of Foote who has worked with me on the Jones family, says he was not aware that Foote had a first name of William.

    "Foote is my great grandfather. ... May I ask if you have a formal record which shows Foote as being William Foote Jones.  I have never heard that his first name was William.  He had an older half brother who was William Thomas and of course his dad was William F, but I've never heard William F was William Foote nor that his son Foote was William Foote.  Terry"
    --  Terry Jones, Ancestry Messaging to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 18 January 2019

    1870 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 2 July, Prairie Township, PO St Charles, page 12, Hse/Fam #89
    Jones, William F 61 M W Farmer $320 Real Estate $500 Personal  b Virginia
    Jones, Mary E 28 F W Keeping House born Arkansas cannot read or write
    Jones, Foote 7mos M W born Arkansas November 1869

    Jerry Griffit is one of the family researchers reporting families in the Ethel-DeWitt are, and I have worked with Jerry and others on several families, who are all kin in some way to the Joneses in this small White River community of Ethel, and nearby DeWitt town.  Jerry also reports Foote's full name as William Foote Jones.

    Certain regions and eras have characteristic naming patterns.  There were several generations of William F Joneses, and we know William Foote's son was reported in his first census as Foote Jones.  He then went by Foote during his life.  One of the general cultural tendencies we find in this are in the 1800s was the use of the same first name or middle name for more than one child of the same parents.

    That appears to have been the case here, so raises no flags in that regard, when lined up with other family of that community.  Another common 1800s patterns in the southern USA was multiple children with the same given name, or the same middle name.  Also Foote had a brother also named William.

    Still another common pattern in certain eras or regions is to use only initials or only a middle initial, then the name shows up in full when one child is called by the middle name or chooses to be so called.  Generalization from the general name pattern found in a lineage is often the basis for generalization to a continuing name through generatoins.  The preference for a middle initial gives only the tantalizing clue, and that is what this looks like.

    1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 11 June, (Location & District Unstated), p 17, #115, Fam #118
    William F Jones W M 71    Farmer VA VA VA (b abt 1809)
    Mary E Jones W F 38 Wife Keeping House b AR Mass KY (b abt 1822)
    Foote Jones 10 W M Son On Farm AR VA AR (b abt 1870)

    Foote Jones (whom we and others report as William Foot) also had a brother with the middle name Foot, Robert Foote, reported in the 1880 census as Robert F Jones.  We would conclude from the naming pattern in this family that Foote was Robert's middle name also.  They al;so had a half brother named William Foote Jones, born in 1841.  And another full brother named William Thomas Jones. the names William and Foote abound in this family.

    Here are the members o this family line with the names either William or Foote or both.

    William Foote Jones 1808-1880, & Nancy Uxor, Mary Emily Smith
    William Foote Jones 1841-1916
    William Foote Jones 1869-1929, & Sallie Florence Mince
    Robert Foote Jones 1878-/1920, & Ciscela Ola Holden
    Elmer Foote Jones 1908-1966, & Annie L Marshall

    Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
    Foot Jones
    Gender Male
    Age 28, Birth Year abt 1869
    Residence Vaby, Prairie, Arkansas
    Spouse's Name Florence Miner
    Spouse's Gender Female
    Spouse's Age 18
    Spouse's Residence Vaby, Prairie, Arkansas
    Marriage 5 Dec 1897 Prairie County
    Marriage License Date 4 Dec 1897

    1900 Federal Census, Prairie County, Arkansas, 13 June, Roc Roe Township, District 93, page 9B, Ulm Village, Hse #121, Fam #122
    Jones, Foot Head  W M Nov 1869 30 married 2 years  AR GA IL Farmer Owns
    Jones, Florence Wife W F Dec 1879 20 married 2 yrs 1 child/1 living MS GA GA
    Jones, Thomas R  Son  W M Aug 1898 1  AR AR MS

    This census interestingly reports the birthplace of Foote's mother as Illinois.  She is otherwise reported as born in Arkansas.

    1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 18 April, Prairie Township, District 15, page 2A, Hse/Fam #24
    Jones, Foot Head  M W 40 2nd marriage Married 12 years AR VA AR Farmer, Owns Farm (abt 1870)
    Jones, Florence Wife F W 30 1st Marriage Married 12 years 5 children/5 living TN GA GA (abt 1880)
    Jones, Robert Son M W 11 Single AR AR TN
    Jones, Mildred Dau F W 9 Single AR AR TN
    Jones, May Dau  F W 8 Single AR AR TN
    Jones, Ora Dau F W 6 Single AR AR TN
    Jones, Raleigh Son M W 4 Single AR AR TN

    Mildred's Social Security record gives her exact birth date and reports her father's name as only Foote Jones.

    U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
    Mildred Thomas [Mildred Hedtrich] [Mildred Jones]
    Birth 20 Sep 1900 Devalls Bluff [Prairie County], Arkansas
    Death Apr 1992
    Claim Date 17 Apr 1964
    Father Foote Jones
    Mother Sally F Mince
    SSN 431014257
    Aug 1968 Name listed as MILDRED THOMAS; 15 Apr 1964 Name listed as MILDRED HEDTRICH

    In the 1920 census, Foote and Florence are in El Paso County, Colorado.  I have been able to determine when they moved there.  All the children were born in Arkansas, so with Herbert the youngest at age 3, we can say that they moved to Colorado after 1917.  I have found no clues about when they moved back to Arkansas.

    1920 Federal Census, El Paso County, Colorado, 3 January, Precinct 62, District 156, page 2A, (No town stated) 705 N Main St, Hse #30, Fam #33
    Jones, Foot Head  Owns Farm  M W 50 AR US AR Farmer (abt 1870)
    Jones, Florence S  Wife F W 40 AR GA GA No occupation (abt 1880)
    Jones, May J  Dau F W 17 AR AR AR Waitress
    Jones, Ora B Dau F W 16 AR AR AR Waitress
    Jones, Rollie M  Son M W 13 AR AR AR No occupation
    Jones, Henry W Son M W 8 AR AR AR No occupation
    Jones, Herbert B  Son M W 3 AR AR AR No occupation

    I have not found any documentation indicating how long they lived in Colorado.  Someone posted a photo of Foote and Florence in their café.  No date or location was given for the photo.  This 1920 census helps to locate the photo in Colorado, since the two daughters were working here as waitresses.  However, a family source, Terry Carty, also had this photo and sent it to me separately.

    Terry says the photo is of them in a café they owned in DeValls Bluff (Prairie County), Arkansas.  No date is attached to the photo.  I do note that the 1920 census in Colorado reports Foote himself as a Farmer, not a café owner.  But he is not listed as a café owner in any of the Arkansas censuses either.

    At some point in their life they moved back to Arkansas, and lived for some years in the DeVall's Bluff community in Prairie County.  I found a copy of Foote's obituary posted on the Internet, but the exact date and name of the Newspaper were not included on the clip from the paper.  This obit mentions that they had lived in DeVall's Bluff "for a number of years."

    The posting reports the date of Foote's death as 11 February 1929.  This day was on a Monday in February 1929.  That matches the newspaper obituary stating he died on "Monday night."  The obituary reports that the funeral (and thus the burial) was conducted on Wednesday, which was 13 February 1929.  This would lead us to think that the obit was published in the Thursday paper.

    "Foote Jones, aged 59 years died at his home south of DeVall's Bluff Monday night [11 February 1929] after an illness of more than a year.  Mr Jones had lived in this community for a number of years and was held in high esteem by his neighbors.  He is survived by his widow and four sons, Raleigh, Henry, Robe and Herbert: and three daughters, Misses Ora and Mildred Jones and Mrs Mae Moore.  Funeral Services were conducted at Oaklawn [Oakland] Cemetary [sic] here Wednesday afternoon [13 February 1929]."
    --  Jones Foote Obit, Feb 1929, DeValls Bluff Democrat. (DeValls Bluff, Prairie County, Ark.) newspaper, http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/ViewPhoto.aspx?tid=12951280&oid=0ce733e1-1b41-473b-b861-f3df1f05a0c1

    Find a Grave reports that the name of the cemetery is Oakland, rather than Oaklawn.

    I found a photo of Foote's gravestone, but the resolution made it difficult to read some numbers.  It appeared to read:
    Foote Jones
    Nov 12(?), 1869
    Feb 11, 1929

    Foote''s memorial on Find a Grave reports his birth year as 1860, which may be what the hard-to-discern gravestone seems to say.  But the thing is, in the 1870 census, Foote is reported to be age 7 months, so it had to be in 1869.  Also his obit reports that he was 59 years old, which matches the birth date of November 12, 1869.  Foote died in February and would have been 60 on November 12 of 1929.  When this correciton was submitted, it was not changed, but the manager of the memorial did add the places of birth and death I submitted to the memorial.

    His memorial on Find a Grave has the full name as William Foote Jones, matching the full name reported by Jerry Robnette (see above near the top).  His gravestone has only Foote Jones.

    William Foote Jones
    Birth Nov 12, 1860 [ref age 7 months in the 1870 census] Arkansas County, Arkansas
    Death Feb 11, 1929 De Valls Bluff, Prairie County, Arkansas
    Spouse S Florence Jones (1879 - 1973)
    Burial Oakland Cemetery, DeValls Bluff, Prairie County, Arkansas
    Created by Harmony and Heritage Oct 23, 2012
    --  Find A Grave Memorial #99444680, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99444680

Sources

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