William Jones and Catherine Simpson
Husband William Jones
Born: Bef 1740 Christened: Died: Bef Sep 1811 - Chester Co., South Carolina Buried:
Father: William Jones (Abt 1704-1771) Mother: Azubah (Abt 1714-1740)
Marriage:
Wife Catherine Simpson
Born: Christened: Died: After Sep 1811 - (Chester Co., South Carolina) Buried:
Children
1 M Jonathan Jones
Born: Jan 1756 Christened: Died: 4 Aug 1835 1 Buried: - Fishing Creek Presbyterian Cem., Chester Co., SCSpouse: Elizabeth Downing (Abt 1765-1855) Marr: 8 Mar 1787 - Chester Co., South Carolina
2 F Katherine Jones
Born: 6 Jun 1758 - Chester Co., South Carolina Christened: Died: Buried:
3 M William Jones
Born: 10 Oct 1760 - Chester Co., South Carolina Christened: Died: Buried:
4 F Mary Jones
Born: 29 Jan 1764 - Chester Co., South Carolina Christened: Died: Buried:
5 F Fransey Jones
Born: 15 Feb 1767 - Chester Co., South Carolina Christened: Died: Buried:
6 M John Jones
Born: 6 Jul 1769 - Chester Co., South Carolina Christened: Died: Buried:
7 F Elizabeth Jones 2 3
Born: 14 Apr 1772 Christened: Died: 12 Mar 1847 4 Buried: - Mt. Hebron Cem., Houston, Wayne Co., TennesseeSpouse: Andrew Downing (1771-1844) 2 3 Marr: Abt 1790 - (Chester Co., South Carolina)
General Notes: Husband - William Jones
The following inscription is on the tombstone (new, 2004) of his daughter Elizabeth married to Andrew Downing.
ELIZABETH JONES DOWNING
APRIL 14, 1772 -- MARCH 12, 1847
BORN IN CHESTER CO. SC
DAU OF WM. &
CATHERINE SIMPSON JONES
CENSUS:
<pre>1790 Chester Co., South Carolina; pg 180
William Jones 114; no slaves
males >= 16 1
males < 16 1
females 4 </pre>
William Jones (114) is in the sequence William Whiteside, John Downing, Andrew Downing, x, Hugh Whiteside, 2x, Jesse Hinkle, William Jones. William Jones is the father of Andrew Downing's wife Elizabeth Jones. Andrew's daughter Ann married a son of Jesse Hinkle. John Downing is Andrew's father. William Jones's niece Mary (daughter of Jonathan) married a Whiteside (probably William).
This William Jones, who died in 1811, appears not to be in the 1800 census. The only entry for a William Jones in Chester Co. in 1800 is 26-44 and has 4 children under 10.
<pre>1810 Chester Co., South Carolina; pg 517
Wm Jones 00001 -- 01001; no slaves
male female
<10
10-15 1
16-25
26-44
1 >45 1 </pre>
He is in the sequence Mary Downing, 2x, John Downing, 2x, Bersheba Jones, Nancy Jones, 6x, Leonard Jones, Wm Jones.
BIRTH YEAR:
William sold a tract of land to his son Jonathan in 1786. We can assume that Jonathan was at least 21 in 1786 and that his father was at least 20 when he was born. Thus William was born no later than 1745. He was probably born several years before that. Since his mother died in 1740, we can say that he was born before 1740. He died in 1811.
BROTHERS?
and are probably brothers although they might be cousins. They act like brothers. They lived near each other; they died at about the same time, indicating that they were about the same age; and Jonathan named one of his sons William and William named one of his sons Jonathan. If they are brothers, they have a common father.
At this time (6/2024) the most probable common father is married to Hephzibah . They are buried in Lamington, New Jersey, a town in the NW corner of Somerset Co. William was born 20 Feb 1771 and died in the 67th year of his age. His wife is buried as "AZUBAH Wife of William Jones", and she died in 1740 (probably June 10) in the 26th year of her age. They are the right age to be the parents of and Jones.
, the wife of this William Jones, is the sister of . The article in Wikipedia about him indicates that he graduated from Princeton College in 1763 and that he was licensed to preach by the Presbitery of New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1770. He preached there for 2 years. Princeton is in the northern part of Mercer Co., which is immediately south of Somerset Co., and New Brunswick is in the western part of Middlesex Co., which is immediately east of Somerset Co. Thus, the wife of this William Jones and William's purported parents are both associated with a relatively small area in central New Jersey.
William and Catherine Jones had a daughter , who married . In 1843 Catherine Knox applied for a widow's pension. In her application she states that she was married by her uncle John Simpson, a Presbyterian minister. A Bible record submitted with her application indicates that one of her children was named Azubah. That child would have had the same name as her (the child's) great-grandmother.
LAND:
There is a record of land grants in South Carolina at https://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/ (South Carolina Department of Archives and History). I could not find any grant to this William Jones.
On July 26, 1774 the Honorable William Bull, Esquire, Lt. Governor of the Province of South Carolina, granted unto John Brown a plantation of 150 acres on the south side of the South Fork of Fishing Creek in Cravin County, South Carolina, and on March 9, 1779 John Brown conveyed this tract to William Jones. On May 5, 1786 William Jones, blacksmith, of Chester Co., South Carolina and his wife Catharine sell to their son Jonathan Jones of the same place for and in consideration of 50 pounds sterling of the state of South Carolina this tract of 150 acres.
Witnesses: John Hays, Dan'l Knox
(Chester Co., South Carolina Deed Records A181, image 109/631 at FamilySearch)
PROBATE:
Chester Co., South Carolina Probate Records, Book E100, image 63/626, film #23309 at FamilySearch:
George Gill and Jonathan Jones have asked to be granted letters of administration on the estate of William Jones, dec'd, and they are cited to appear in the Court of Ordinary of Chester Co. September 1, 1811. They were made administrators of the estate on September 6.
Package 31/489, images 229-236/614 in "File nos. 31-33; Package nos. 468-526", film #361714 in "Probate files, 1785-late1800s" at FamilySearch:
At a sale conducted 25 Sep 1811 Catherine Jones (12 items), Jonathan Jones (4 items), Leonard Jones (5 items), and William Jones (5 items) were among the buyers. Several items were set aside for the use of the widow.
See also image 93/614, which was misfiled under Joseph Jones.
CHILDREN:
The Family Bible of Andrew Downing contains the birth dates of his wife Elizabeth Jones and her siblings. A transcription can be seen at https://www.biblerecords.com/downing.html.
Page 1
Jonathan Jones was born on the ____ January 1756
Katherine Jones was born on June the 6 1758
William Jones was born on October the 10 [or 19] 1760/3
Mary Jones was born on January the 29, 1764
Fransey Jones was born February the 15 1767
Page 2
John Jones was born July the 6 1769
Elizabeth Jones was born April the 14 1772 Departed this life March 12, 1847
Andrew Downing was Born on Monday, April the 15th 1771 ? Departed this life April the 21, 1844
General Notes: Wife - Catherine Simpson
The following inscription is on the tombstone (new, 2004) of her daughter Elizabeth married to Andrew Downing:
ELIZABETH JONES DOWNING
APRIL 14, 1772 -- MARCH 12, 1847
BORN IN CHESTER CO. SC
DAU OF WM. &
CATHERINE SIMPSON JONES
MAIDEN NAME:
A 1786 deed establishes that William Jones's wife was named Catherine at that time. After William's death in 1811, Catherine Jones bought numerous items at the sale of his estate. She was presumably his widow. One of their daughters was named Catherine. She was born June 6, 1758, and she married Samuel Knox. The documents associated with Catherine Knox's application for a widow's pension establish that the maiden name of William Jones's wife was Simpson and that she (Catherine Simpson) was a sister of Rev. John Simpson. A transcription of the application and supporting depositions can be seen at https://revwarapps.org/w302.pdf.
On 23 Oct 1843 Margaret Eoff, formerly Margaret Knox and sister of Samuel Knox, gave a deposition in Coffee Co., Tennessee. She stated that she was present at the wedding of Samuel Knox and Catherine Jones, which took place at the house of William Jones, Catherine's father, in the last years of the Revolutionary War. She thought the wedding occurred about 1.5 years before the birth of the first child, Elizabeth Knox. They were married by "preacher Simpson". Margaret stated that she had known Catherine Knox since childhood and that they had been raised together in Chester District, South Carolina.
On October 28, 1843, Catherine Knox, 82, filed in Rutherford County, Tennessee for a widows pension under the 1838 act stating that she is the widow of Samuel Knox, a revolutionary war pensioner at the rate of $73.33 per annum under certificate number 7499; that she married him in the latter part of the year 1781 or first part of the year 1782; that she was married by her uncle John Simpson, a Presbyterian minister; that her husband Samuel Knox died in Rutherford County on the 7th day of July 1843; and that she remains his widow.
DEATH DATE:
Catharine was alive 25 Sep 1811, when she bought various items at the estate sale of her deceased husband. She died sometime after that.
1 "Find-a-Grave," Memorial # 47382808.
2 "Downing Bible," http://www.biblerecords.com/downing.html.
3 http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com db: jdamewood.
4
"Find-a-Grave," Memorial # 58712546.
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