UFN : Alpheus

The letter "A" continues with the first name Alpheus.  Again, I do not remember seeing this as a first name attached to the JONES surname.  The name appears in the marriage records of Wake County, NC.  It gives that on the 7th of November 1848, a Alpheus Jones marries an Elizabeth T. Price.  This record appears to be the only reference to this name.  Anyone know another Alpheus?

Vol. I, p.5, Caroline Cunningham collection.

UFN : Algernon Jones

The Old Free State, Volume II, by Landon C. Bell records this unusual first name.  On p. 342 it reads, Algernon Sidney Jones (born 1807 and died ca. 1857).  He is given as the son of Dorothy Anderson and Branch Jones.  His marriage in 1836 was to Mary Jane Overton.  Their children were Mary Branch, Sidney O., and Joseph Bragg Jones.  The marriage is recorded in Lunenburg Co., VA on the 7th of February 1837.  I believe that there was someone seeking a connection to the Bragg family.  This may be the case.

From the Caroline Cunningham Collection, # 56, Vol. III, p. 6.

UFN : Adolphus Jones

As our unusual first names continues, the name Adolphus is unique.  Only one reference to this name appears researched by Caroline Cunningham.  The Rockingham County, NC, Marriages gives Adolphus D. Jones and Caroline L. Reamey being married on the 18th of February 1843.  This name sounds Greek, but does not appear in the English dictionary.  Anyone know the origin of this unusual name?

From Cunningham's works, Vol.II, p. 2

UFN : Addison Jones

A name not remember among my own tree climbing among the JONES surname branches.  It appears only two time as discovered by Caroline Cunningham.  First is found 1843 tax list of Person County, NC.  He is listed as "1 white poll".  The second is found in Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. III, No.1 (July 1899) p. 85.  He is listed as the son of Sidney Rodes and Powhatan Jones.  It would appear old Addison took his mother's surname, although it is not clear which is father/mother?  At any rate, Addison is stated to have gone to Texas.

Caroline Cunningham: Vol.IV (not numbered), and Vol. III, p.4.

UFN : Aden Jones

In the year 1796, the House of Commons for the NC General Assembly, records that from Carteret Co., an Aden Jones was present.  Not sure that I have seen this as a first name before, but here it is.  There is an "Adin" named in the Bible, and this may be a spelling used in this case?  Anyway, has anyone seen this as a first name? [from Historical Sketches of North Carolina, Vol. II, p. 76.]

This name is listed by Caroline Cunningham, Vol. III, p.4.

UFN : Abridgeton/ Albridgton Jones

Most likely another surname brought forward to be a first name is Abridgeton.  There does not seem to be a geographic location in England or Wales that takes this name?  It occurs 2 September 1746, in Granville County, NC.  It records that a John Wade of Granville County (moving) to Abridgeton Jones Isle of Wight County, VA.  A total of 640 acres are ordered to be registered September 1746.  [Greenville County, NC Deed Book A, 1746 - 1751, p. 2]  In the Wake County, NC Marriages on the 2 March 1785 Albridgton Jones marries Elizabeth Jarvis Cada Barts.  There is also a will of Albridgton Jones 1787 in Warren County, NC whose wife is given as Mary. 

The name also appears among the Virginia Troops in their Continental Line as Lt. Abrideton Jones. [Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. II, No. 3 (January 1895) p. 243.] His military record is given as BLWt. 359-200 and in 1807 he is listed as a resident of Southampton Co., VA. [Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications, p. 610 ]  In the Southampton Co., VA Marriages: on 22 December 1784 (Maj.) Albridgton Jones marries Fanny Calvery (daughter of Christopher Calvert).  On the 27 February 1795 (Col.) Albridgton Jones marries Polly Calvert. [sisters ?]

Name given in Caroline Cunningham, Vol. IV, p. unnumbered but in alphabetical order.  Spelled as Albridgton is found Vol. I, p. 3.

UFN : Abishai Jones

The Bible wins again as the source of this unusual first name.  The name presents itself initially in the  book of  I Samuel, and occurs a fair number of times associated with the life of David.  Used as a first name with the surname JONES it appears in Northumberland County, Virginia Births, 1661 - 1810.  It is recorded that on the 20th February 1772 that "Abishai Jones the son of Winnefrit Hudson A Bastard son was Born".  An interesting account with the mother's maiden name given as Hudson, and the child born is recorded with the surname JONES.  The father of the child is not listed.  According to Meade, in the year 1776, Mr. John Leland and the Rev. Benjamin Sebastion were ministers in the county.  Perhaps, it was one of these fellows who selected the name.

Caroline Cunningham, Vol. III, p. 2.

Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia, by Bishop William Meade, Vol. II, p.132.  This two volume reference was first published in 1857.

UFN : Abington Jones

Often a family surname is taken as a first name.  This is usually from the maternal side of the family tree.  In this case, most likely, the name comes from the geographic location from which this family originated.   The name "Abington Jones" appears in the Southampton County, Virginia marriages.  On the 19th of February 1770, Abington was married to Mary Simmon "widow".

The parish Abington is given in "A Topographical Dictionary of England" by Samuel Lewis, p. 5.  It was located in the county of Northampton.  There was also a "Abington in the Clay", "Abington (GREAT)", and "Abington (LITTLE).  These were all parishes in the county of Cambridge. [Lewis p. 6.]  This would certainly give the genealogist a possible lead to the origins of this name.  Unusual   first names as maternal family surnames...interesting.

Caroline Cunningham, Vol. I, p. 1.

UFN : Abijah Jones

Another name from the Bible is Abijah.  (a-bi-jah)  Interestingly, this name appears more frequently among the books and chapters with some 21 references.  Caroline Cunningham's work gives only one.  His name appears in the deeds of Surry County, NC, 1806.  Here on April 18,  Abijah Jones deeds to Mark Shelton 100 acres on both sides of Millers Creek.  Hum...Shelton, Miller, and Jones connected in some way, all of Surry County, NC, 1806.  These folks must have known how to read, have a Bible to search around for a first name, and some reason to select a name from the Bible.  Perhaps a religious group of folks lived here?  Anyone with additional information please comment.

Caroline Cunningham, Vol. IV, p. 8.          

  [For those who might be interested Abijah first appears in I Kings 14:1]

UFN : Ab(b)igail Jones

Found spelled with a single "b" or two "b", the name Abigail is the next unusual first name.  It is again taken from the Bible. [The story can be found starting I Samuel 25 verse 9, and the name appears verse 14.]  The name seems to mean "joy".

Caroline Cunningham Collection gives only three folks given this name.  The first Abigail is recorded in the 1755 Tax List of Granville County, NC. [Vol. I, p.1]  This appears to be the same individual found in the 1763 Marriages of Granville County, NC.  Here she marries Thomas Cook, 10 August, and she is listed as "widow". [Vol. II, p.1 and Vol. IV,  pages not numbered but arranged alphabetically.]

The second spelled with two "b" is recorded in the 1790 Census, 96 District, Edgefield County, SC.  She must be the head of household since she is listed with 2 males under 16, and 5 females.  Hum...seven kids...which means she would have to be married for roughly 14 years. [Vol. III, p.1]

The third Abigail is found in the Charlotte County, Virginia Marriages where on 12 June 1794 she marries Charles Tate.  Her maiden name is Jones. [Vol. II, p. 1]

UFN : Abi Jones

It would seem that some folks went to great length to find a first name that was from the Bible, but only occurred rarely.  To have occurred only once among the thousands of names found among the pages would certainly be unusual in itself.  Such is the name Abi.

A mother's name it is.  Found in the book written about the kings of Israel and Judah [II Kings 18: 2] it is simply  stated  "His mother's name was Abi....".  According to Strong's extensive work it is a Hebrew name meaning "father (source) of joy".  Having three daughters myself, each are certainly a  source of joy.

The name "Abi Jones" was recorded by Caroline Cummingham [Vol.I p.1] to have appeared in the 1790 Census, Currituck County, NC.  Assuming it was used as a female first name, she would have been the head of household.  The household is listed as  "3 free persons other than white".  This would suggest it was an African-American [most likely freed slaves] living together.   Are there any other folks out there that might be able to shed light on this Abi Jones?

Source: Abingdon's Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible,  Copyright 1890 by James Strong, Madison, NJ.  It was copyrighted by Abingdon Press, 1980, and the "Forty-second Printing " [my copy] was published 1983.

UFN : Abel Jones

During my childhood church going days [1950s early 1960s] the name "Abel" was tossed about fairly frequently.  Every Sunday school class, and every pulpit discussed his name several times a year presenting the eternal question : "Am I my brothers keeper?".  Well...anyway, I do not remember a single individual actually using the name Abel as a first name.  For that matter, even today, recalling a single individual being named Abel escapes my memory.

Caroline Cunningham listed a few with :

               1) an Abel Jones being found in the 1782 tax list, Isle of Wight Co., Virginia.  He is
                    recorded as having "4 whites" and "6 blacks"

               2) an Abel Jones found in the 1800 tax census of Buncombe County, NC

               3) an Abel Jones found in the marriage list of Loudoun County Virginia 1831 when 
                   on February 14 he joined with Julian Vanpelt (Cyrus Burson her guardian) .

So there you have it.  Does anyone recall meeting an individual with the first name Abel?

These folks are recorded in Caroline Cunningham Collection: Vol.I p.1, Vol.II p.1, and Vol.III p.1.

              

UFN : Abbridgston Jones

The first unusual first name [from here abbreviated "UFN"] is Abbridgston.  Suspect it was spoken like Ab-bridgs-ton.  Most likely it came from another surname or maybe from a geographic location.  The name appears in the 1790 Census of Wake County, NC.  He was listed as "head of household" with 1 male over 16, 2 males under 16, 2 females, and 1 slave.  This would place him born around 1770 given his oldest was over 16 , and next two sons were under 16.  [Based upon marriage age was started 18-21 years for males.]  Anyone have this name in their family tree?

Source: Caroline Cunningham was a genealogist very interested in the JONES surname.  Her focus was on JONES families from Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. Her goal was "...to record in print some of the records found in the various archives of the United States in such a way that the tracing of Jones families is made easier."  She published her work from Raleigh, North Carolina, August 1964.  Presently, this work can be found in East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.  It is titled: Caroline Cunningham Collection, Collection No 56.  This first name appears on page 1, Vol.II.  Would like to have thanked her in person, but her work stands alone in the Jones Surname Family Tree.

Unusual First Names

Over the years genealogy has brought before my eyes some very unusual first names.  Different surnames, different geographical areas, different periods of time, and often different religious beliefs have all played some role.  The next series of posts will deal with this subject for the surname JONES.

However, to begin this topic it might be helpful to present the most common first names being used among the JONES surname branches.  The first table shows some work from years past published in my family newsletter.  Of course for my own JONES family, Virginia was the geographic area.  The time period was 1623 - 1666 since this was when my folks began to cross the great pond.  In addition other common surnames like Smith, Williams, Johnson, and Brown were studied to discover if there were any differences in the first names that were being recorded.  The four most common first names were William, Richard, Thomas, and John for the surname JONES.  Other first names that were being used at least 100 times during this period are also shown.  Interestingly, William was the most common first name among our JONES family tree branches.

 The second table shows other first names for JONES compared to the different surnames evaluated.  Only the surname Williams (a Welsh surname) shared any of these first names with JONES.  None of these names were used with Smith, Johnson, and Brown.  This would suggest that JONES and JOHNSON were not of the same tree branches.  It is an interesting list of first names used among the JONES families during the period researched.

 The next series of posts will present the very unusual first names.  Let's go!

L.O.C. for MD/PA/OH/WI (8)

The family genealogies for those listed:

"9440  JONES    Jones, Richardson, Duhamel, and allied families of Maryland.  By Laura Catherine (Jones) Thompson.  (Chicago? 1962)
                                                                                                                 CS71.J76    1962"

"9405   JONES    Genealogy of David Jones.  Comp. by his great-great-granddaughter, Mrs. Ellen M. Beale.  (Reading, Pa., B.F. Owen & co., printers) 1903
                                                                                                                 CS71.J76    1903"

"9424   JONES    A record of the ancestors and descendants of Erasmus Jones and his wife Mary Sellers Jones, compiled by Lee Erasmus Rife....Philadelphia, Pa., 1936  (coat-of-arms)  Contains also the Thomas and Sellers families
                                                                                                                 CS71.J76     1936"

"9435   JONES    Some pioneer Jones families of Adams County, Ohio.  By David Tracy Jones.  Kankakee, Ill., Mimeographed at Oliver Nazarene College, 1960
                                                                                                                 CS71.J76     1960"

"9425   JONES    Youngest son, by Chester Lloyd Jones.  Madison, Wis. (Democrat printing company) 1938  'Story of the family....of Richard Lloyd Jones and of his son, Enos Lloyd Jones.'

                                                                                                                 CS71.J76     1938"