Background
A year ago, I was contacted by Sunny Morton, the editor of the Ohio Genealogy News, published quarterly. She had come upon this blog and suggested that I might want to summarize some of the themes into an article for publication. I took her up on the challenge,
The Winter 2018 issue contains the article. In it I attempted to summarize our Jones Family History along the Ohio River from Alexander and Elizabeth's earliest arrival in Cincinnati to the latest generation's ownership of the Rivertowne Marina a few miles upstream.
I hope you enjoy it.
Roots of an Ohio “River Rat”
My father was a “river rat” – an attribution he claimed with
pride.[i]
He was determined to share this accolade with his seven children. He grew up at
2424 Eastern Ave, (now Riverside Drive) in a successful marketing strategy to
redefine this lower, middle-class community into a condo-dominated neighborhood
of desirable riverfront properties. The neighborhood was, and is, called the
East End.
His home was a small frame house located just across the
street from the banks of the Ohio River. The view was partially blocked by
Highlands School, a Cincinnati Public School that he attended in Grades 1-6. My grandfather, “Fred”, could often be
found sitting next to his large dining room window, chewing tobacco as he
watched the river traffic.
I knew my Dad loved the river as he shared pictures of his
youth riding the “rollers” created by steamboats that plied the river. He
reluctantly sold his canoe to buy a sewing machine for my mother after they married.
Johnny
Jones in his canoe on the Ohio River
As children, we were subjected to drives down to the river
every time the river exceeded its banks. I was always terrified that the car brakes
wouldn’t hold and we would get caught up in the river current. I remember a
trip down to see the last operating “wicket
dam”[i]
on the Ohio in 1963 shortly before it was removed to create a 95-mile navigable
pool between the Markland[ii]
and Meldahl[iii]
locks and dams, greatly increasing both the depth and the width of the river.
I had grown up with stories of the river being so dry and
shallow in the summer that my grandfather was able to walk across it. On the
other hand, several Cincinnatians ignored pleas by the authorities to stay off
the ice during the winter of 1977.[iv]
They were able to walk across the now wider and deeper river from Ohio to
Kentucky. My well-bred mother had insisted that “no child of hers was ever
going to swim in that river.” But that promise was broken when my father was
able to invest in a small pleasure boat and water skiing became an essential
summer activity on the river we had all grown to love.
A River Runs Through
Us – My Family’s History Along the River
In the winter of 2000, I found myself laid up with a hip
replacement. My husband suggested that I take the opportunity to organize a
folder containing information on my family’s history that had been left to me.
Before long, I had the genealogy “bug.”
Tracing my family back, the earliest Jones ancestor came to
Cincinnati in the early 1840s to work as a carpenter in the thriving steamboat
industry. Alexander was first listed in the City Directory
in 1843. His occupation was listed as "carpenter," and he was
living on Race between 14th and 15th Streets.[v]
By 1856, the family had relocated to 592 E. Front Street[vi]
(later known as Eastern Ave. and now as Riverside). This was a time when
one of the main occupations in Cincinnati was boatbuilding – in particular,
steamboats. Alexander was drawn to this city where his skills as a carpenter
were in great demand. He and Elizabeth had six children.
 |
| Alexander Jones and Elizabeth Kinley |
Alexander died in 1863, allegedly from “inflammation of the bowels."[i]
Given the reality of the times with drinking water often taken directly from
the Ohio River, this really should come as no surprise. Cholera was an all too
commonplace illness of the time. Elizabeth was widowed at the age of 40.
By 1868, Elizabeth and her children
are living on the banks of the Ohio River.[ii]
The small frame house was on a lot just to the right of St. Rose Church, which
was to play a significant role in the life of my family.
Second Generation
 |
| Charles Henry Jones |
 |
| Rachel Wainright |
Third Generation
My grandfather, Charles “Fred”
Jones, lived with his wife Norine and their five children on Columbia Ave. They
rented space from his Uncle Tom and Aunt Ella. Due to eminent domain, the house
was sold to make way for the construction of Columbia Parkway, one of the main
arteries to the east side of Cincinnati. It is known for its spectacular views
of the Ohio River. This led to the purchase of their home in 1929 at 2424
Eastern Avenue just across the street from the river. The timing of the move coincided
with the crash of the stock market. My grandfather, who worked as a supervisor
for the street car company, proudly never missed a payment. This was the home
where my father, John T. Jones, grew up.
The baby, Margaret Ann, was born in 1928, eight years after my Dad, Johnny, was born in 1920.
 |
| Fred and Norine Jones and children Edith, Charley,Bob and Johnny (oldest to youngest). |
The 1937 Flood
If you are a Cincinnatian, you are
aware of the 1937 flood. My father was seventeen when this flood destroyed much
of Cincinnati, even shutting down the Water Works Pumping Station. The flood
crested at 80 feet, Normal pool stage in Cincinnati today is 26 feet. The river
crested just short of the second-floor attic of my Dad’s house.
When I finished tracing my
Cincinnati Joneses and Wainrights, it became abundantly clear that the river
had played a central role in the life of my family since my gg-grandfather,
Britton was born here in 1819. Each move took the family further east along the
river. In fact, I realized that four generations had lived within about a
one-square mile area of St. Rose Church.
 |
Yellow pins represent four
locations of Jones residences. Click to enlarge.
|
The Fourth Generation
The five children of Fred and Norine were: Edith, Charles (Bud), Bob, Johnny and Margaret Ann. They grew up at 2424 Eastern and spent their whole young adulthoods in the East End. Margaret Ann even married another East Ender, Anthony Scardina.
Together, they had 19 grandchildren. Most still live in the Cincinnati area. In the summer of 2016, we held a cousins reunion.
The Fifth
Generation
The five children of Fred and Norine were: Edith, Charles (Bud), Bob, Johnny and Margaret Ann. They grew up at 2424 Eastern and spent their whole young adulthoods in the East End. Margaret Ann even married another East Ender, Anthony Scardina.
 |
| From left to right, youngest to oldest -- Margaret Ann, Johnny, Bob, "Bud" and Edith |
Together, they had 19 grandchildren. Most still live in the Cincinnati area. In the summer of 2016, we held a cousins reunion.
 |
| From left to right: Top row - Tom, Fred, Ted, Don, Bob, and Tony Middle Row: Peggy, Patty, Sue, Jeanne, Karen, Kath, Dan and Tim Bottom Row: Fred, Gina, Rose |
 |
| John and Virginia Jones with children moving clockwise in the picture: Don, Dan, Ted, Karen, Kath, Tom and Tim (Don is in the red sweater). |
The Sixth and Seventh Generations
My siblings and I now have children who have children. They are being "trained up" in the ways of boating and the joys of the Ohio River. I hope our legacy as "River Rats" continues for several generations.
For additional fun:
My siblings and I now have children who have children. They are being "trained up" in the ways of boating and the joys of the Ohio River. I hope our legacy as "River Rats" continues for several generations.
 |
| Bill, Kath Tom, Linda, Tim. Karen, Ted, Dan, Captain Don |
 |
| Labor Day fireworks on the river |
[i] According
to the Urban Dictionary a “river rat”
is defined as “a community of people that live along a river. Known as tight
knit community that always sticks together and looks out for its children.
Also, spend a lot of leisure time along the river, fishing, boating, etc.
People that live along a river are proud to be called "river
rats!" www.urbandictionary.com
[v] “River Hike Old Stuff to Dad As He, Sons
Tredge Icy Ohio” Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Jan 1977, Fri,
Page 25.
[vi] Cincinnati City Directory for Year 1843, p.
184.
[vii] Williams City Directory, 1856 p. 143.
[viii] Letter
to Edith Jones from her cousin, Lillian Mears, chronicling Jones family
history.
[ix] Cincinnati City Directory, 1868
[x]
Britton Wainright – Parts I and II, https://jonesfamilymatters.blogspot.com/2009/05/britton-wainright-part-i.html
For additional fun:
The 1937 Flood was an
extreme weather event affecting many communities along the Ohio River. Included
are links to pictures of its impact on the East End Community of Cincinnati.
A local Cincinnati
photographer, Tim Jeffries, has unintentionally made a landmark of the “little
red bench” located on the river bank behind St. Rose Church. As my ancestors
lived on a lot just east of the bench, it is a place of special meaning for me.
Links to related posts.
You can read additional
details about my “river rat” ancestors in my blogs, “A River Runs Through Us”
and “Family Matters” http://ohioriverways.blogspot.com and http://jonesfamilymatters.blogspot.com
Blue Room Belch - During World War II, patrons of Pharo's Cafe in the East End compiled stories of local interest into a newspaper that they published and distributed to service men and women from the neighborhood. The newspaper and the articles were loaned to me by Mary Pharo Meldon, deceased, who allowed me to transcribe them and publish them in a blog. A copy of the resulting book is online at Blue Room Belch. An actual copy of the book is in the Rare Books Department of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.
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