Dear Dick,
Thank you for your response and the look-up. With the number of William
Jones listed, I am sure you can understand why I would be a bit
discouraged with the choices. I have not used the IGI with any success
yet. I looked over those 30 listings but was not sure what the next step
would be because it merely gave me the fact that records were found. How
do you suggest it be used? I am more familiar with finding original
records.
As to your other suggestion, I would like to assure you that I have
really tried "working backwards" from the few clues I have from my
mother, who died in 1953, and my own research ever since, "inching along"
with few results, for over 50 years. I have been researching other
family lines very successfully and I am trying to find that proverbial
bridge for this one before I go back to England next fall. Subscribing
to the Welsh lists was another tactic to try. Actually, I have had some
very helpful replies, in spite of the lack of clues.
There was a note by my mother on the flyleaf of the Bible stating that
the book was brought over from Wales in 1805 by her great great
grandfather, Thomas Jones. In that case, Thomas Jones would have been
Mary Jane's grandfather. Unfortunately, New York State did not require
vital records until 1880, which makes it nearly impossible in some cases
to find them. Not like the marvellously preserved records of England!
The federal Census of 1880 listed Mary Jane and her husband, James C.
Blunt, and an Ellis Jones as the father-in-law, which would indicate that
he should be Mary Jane's father. I have wondered if the "Elsade Jones"
might have changed his name to Ellis. Since he was born in 1803, there
is a possibility. I have been following through on any records of him,
as well. It is just difficult to prove it when records are so scarce,
the name so common and the Welsh communities are so full of Jones. I
keep trying. I drive over into the areas where they might have been, and
some others as well, chasing down anything I can find and I plan to do so
again when the weather improves.
Thank you again for your helpful suggestions.
Ruth
On Sun, 14 Jan 2001 15:54:47 +0000 Dick Jones <rcjones(a)rmplc.co.uk>
writes:
Have you tried the IGI at
http://familysearch.org/Search/searchigi.asp for
the births.
Without using exact spelling, there are
30 matches for William JONES b. 1806 in Wales;
0 for Owen JONES b. 1808 in Wales;
39 for Elizabeth JONES b. 1800 in Wales;
40 for John JONES b. 1811 in Wales;
2 for Rebecca Jones b. 1801 in Wales
If any of these match for the same area/county you might have struck
lucky.
But you should really be working backwards from known to unknown in
the
USA, i.e. Mary Jane JONES' father's name, then passenger lists etc.
--
Regards
Dick Jones
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. U.K. <rcjones(a)rmplc.co.uk>
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