The Research Process

1910 U.S. Federal Census - Joneses boarding with John and Caroline Zins, 2416 Eastern Ave.

As noted in previous posts, I am fortunate to have records that were written by ancestors who took the time to write down my family's history.  Without this information, my task would have been so much more daunting.  However, lineage groups such as Settlers and Builders of Hamilton County require "proof" of the claims made when trying to get your family certified.  The process has taught me a lot.  To demonstrate the process, I made a chart comparing what my Aunt's documentation said vs. what the research indicated. I also included the sources of this documentation.

Clues from Margaret Ann	Results of Research	Sources of Evidence
Norine’s Name Norine Augusta Cronin Jones	Norine L. Dailey Cronin Jones I believe that Norine’s name at birth was Norine Lucy Cronin.  Since her mother’s name was Lucy, I think that’s what the “L” represented.  Lucy Probert Cronin was always a Cronin following her marriage to John Cronin.  However, extensive research shows that John Cronin died two years before Norine’s birth.  See related documentation in Jones Family Matters Blog.  http://jonesfamilymatters.blogspot.com	Norine, was in fact called Augustine and is listed that way in the 1910 Census when she was living with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in northern Kentucky.  She was given the name “Augustine” when she was baptized, apparently in honor of her Godfather whose name was August.  See baptismal record in Jones Family Matters. Norine gave her name as “Norine Dailey Cronin” on her marriage license application.  Norine listed her father as “William Dailey.”
Norine was born in Mt. Sterling, Ky, moved to Lexington, Ky and later to Cincinnati where her brothers owned a saloon and grocery.	Norine was born in Mt. Sterling.  Lexington City Directories list Lucy Cronin, widow of John living in Lexington in 1890.  Norine is listed in Cincinnati City Directories by 1903. Listings in Cincinnati City Directories 1903 326 E. 6th St. (with siblings Addie and Albert) 1904 – Living at 711 Main St. 1905 – Living at 711 Main St. (brother, Joseph, listed as having a grocery at 711 Main St. but rooming at 625 Main St.) 1906 – 3641 Floral Ave., Norwood 1907 and 1908 – check clerk at 17 W.  5th Street, res Norwood 1909 – 2953 Gilbert Ave. 1910 – Married – 2416 Eastern Ave. Renting from Zins family.	Lexington City Directory – 1900, Cincinnati City Directories  – 1903-1909. U.S. Federal Census 1900 Copy of Baptismal Record from Archives for Diocese of Covington, Kentucky.

Married Charles Frederick Jones in 1909 at St. Xavier Church.	Margaret Ann’s initial notation listed marriage location as St. Rose Church.  This was accurate.	Copy of Marriage License on file with Hamilton County. Copy of marriage record at St. Rose Church.  See blog.
Lived for a while on Dandridge, then moved into Zins home.	First lived with Zins family and then moved to Dandridge.	Cincinnati City Directories and birth records for Edith and Charles.
Rachel Wainright Jones buried in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky.	Rachel Wainright Jones buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Newport (Southgate) Kentucky	Evergreen Cemetery Record. Picture of gravesite in Jones Family Matters blog.

If an item is not included in this table, then I have not been able to find any evidence to contradict what is stated in the letter.  What I've learned over the last 11 years is that most records I inherited are based on the "truth" as the writer understood it.  However, there are usually some facts that need clarification. Should a descendant of mine choose to continue my research, remember not to accept everything as presented.  After all -- that is both the challenge and the fun of genealogy.  Make that family your own.

Margaret Ann's Records

There is NOTHING that excites someone attempting to understand her family history more than a document written by someone who may have first-hand knowledge of the family. This document contains notes about my grandparents, Norine and Fred Jones. It was written by their youngest daughter, Margaret Ann. For years I've worked to prove or disprove the contents. Much of it has been supported by the research, with a few exceptions.  For readability, I have taken the liberty to add some punctuation and other minor changes to the transcription of her notes. Thanks, Aunt Margaret Ann.  You've been a big help.


Transcription:
Norine Augusta Cronin Jones
Born 1854 - Mt. Sterling, KY moved to Lexington then to Cincinnati where her brothers owned a saloon and grocery at 711 Main St. Later after working at the Manhattan Restaurant in the Mabley and Carew Tower married Charles Frederick Jones 1909 St. Rose Xavier Church.  Lived for a while on Dandridge St. (I think weeks) then moved to Zins home, a local saloon keeper and his wife who had been a friend to Dad when he ran away from home about age 13 and swam out to a river boat and worked as a cabin boy the reason for leaving his mother (Rachel Wainright)  had died when he was Leo (6) Dad (8) Edith (10).

Stepmother (Alwilda) laid to rest beside Dad's father in Walnut Hill Cemetery.  Rachel was buried in Ky -- Ft. Mitchell I think.



Later Mom and Dad rented from Tom and Ella Jones at 2269 Columbia Ave. moving to 2424 Eastern in 1929. The stock market crash came after the move but my faithful father made his payments.  Home cost $5500 and sold for $7500  -- What good years for us children.  We had love, support and fun.  Mom died in 1964 and Dad lived at 2424 until he moved in with Sis in 1966 at 3106 Kinmont.









If you become involved in a genealogical society such as the Hamilton County Genealogical Society and want to submit your family for various lineage groups, documentation such as that presented by Margaret Ann can be used to support your findings, but is not considered PROOF.In the next post, I will show how the proof differed in some ways from this GREAT source of information.

A Step Back

Mary Elizabeth Darby Wainright pictured with her six grandchildren.
Clockwise from the lower left are:  Mary Olive Hutchinson, Charles "Fred" Jones, Mary "Edith" Jones, Leslie T. Hutchinson, Thomas Harvey Hutchinson, and Leo Wainright Jones.

In Jones Family Matters, I have discussed in detail research that I did on Charles H., Rachel, and Charles' second wife, Alwilda Collins.  I've linked some of the posts. You can search by their names on the Jones Family Matters blog for more information.  But I did not fully understand the role of Rachel's mother, Mary Elizabeth Wainright Darby, my gg-grandmother. (More information is available in Jones Family Matters).

I knew that Mary Elizabeth lived with Charles, her daughter Rachel and their three children on Gladstone.  Since Rachel had consumption (tuberculosis), I'm sure that she played a major role in raising the three children. What I didn't realize was that after Rachel's death in 1892, Mary Elizabeth continued living with the children until Charles remarried Alwilda, 16 years his junior, on December 26, 1898.  Since the household wasn't big enough for two women to run, Mary Elizabeth moved out.  However, she didn't move far.

By reviewing the Cincinnati City Directories, I discovered that Mary Elizabeth moved around the corner into her own home at 405 Collins.  She continued to live there for about eight years until about 1906.  The City Directory for 1908 has her listed as 432 Shillito.  By the 1910 Census, she was living with her granddaughter, Edith Jones Hodges, in Clermont Co.

I searched out the location of Mary Elizabeth's home located at 405 Collins.  As seems to be my luck, the property was purchased for green space as part of the Columbia Towers Condos located up the hill from what had been her property.  The house on either side are still standing. Here is a picture of the front steps:

Front Steps of 405 Collins Ave.

Barge Traffic on the Ohio River from Collins Ave.
 Note railroad tracks just behind the "arrow" sign.  Gladstone Ave. is off to the left.

Since my Aunt Margaret Ann's notes mention that my grandfather (Charles Fred Jones) ran away to be a cabin boy on a boat at the age of about 14, I can't help but think about the impact that his father's remarriage had on him.  Thankfully, his grandmother was never far away.

What Can Be Learned from a House

Remains of the 2316 Gladstone Ave. Home

I've been researching our family history for eleven years now.  I never knew how much information I could get from researching a HOUSE!  My geneabuddy, Liz Stratton, has tried to convince me that property records can contain valuable clues related to your family's history.  Taking her at her word, I decided to see what I could learn from this one house.  As it ended up, the property records did not disappoint.

The two-family that became known as 2314/2316 Gladstone was originally 632 Gladstone before the streets of Cincinnati were renumbered.  I traced it back to 1878 when the house was owned by George C. Spiegel. Here is what the records showed:

December 25, 1878, William Adelmann filed suit against George C. Spiegel for the mortgage + 8% interest totaling $1356.65.  Judge ordered the house sold.

Ownership of home transferred to William Adelmann and his wife on May 15, 1881.

Charles H. and Rachel Jones purchase the home for $1100.00 on June 16, 1882.

Rachel dies in 1892.  Charles continues to live in the 2-family with his three children and mother-in-law.

Charles marries Alwilda Collins December 26, 1898.  Mother-in-law moves out to a house around the corner at 405 Collins.

Charles dies on September 9, 1909.  Property is to be divided as follows:  one-half to Alwilda (wife) and the other half to be divided equally among three children (Edith, Fred and Leo).

And this is where it gets interesting -- on February 7th, 1910, the oldest daughter, Edith Jones Hodges, filed suit against everyone who has a claim on the property in order to get her share. Defendants include:  Emery Hodges, Charles F. Jones, Norine Jones, Leo W. Jones, Melissa Jones and Alwilda Collins and the Columbia Bank and Savings Co. asking the Common Pleas Court for "partition."  It was decided that the "premises could not be divided without manifest injury." The property was then appraised and assigned a value of $2750.00 and ordered sold by the sheriff. On September 1, 1910 the house was sold for $1850.00 to Charles Ulrich.  At the time of the sale, Fred and Norine and Leo and Melissa were sharing one part of the house and Alwilda was living in the other.  Based on Cincinnati City Directories, the new owners must have allowed Alwilda to rent her part for the next couple of years, as this continued to be her residence.

The house was owned by Charles Ulrich and his wife, Elizabeth, following her husband's death in 1922 for 44 years.  In 1930, the City of Cincinnati purchased part of the back of the property from Elizabeth for Columbia Parkway.  She received $9000 in this transaction.  The house was sold in 1954 to Ben Simkin for $1.00 and other considerations. Three other owners purchased the home in 1975, 1985 and 1991.  In 1984, the value of the home and property for tax purposes was $12,915.

To our knowledge, the home was torn down in 1996. My brother Tim was working for a company that was asked to bid on the demolition.  All that remains now is overgrown brush, a stone wall and front steps, railroad tracks, and a great view of the Ohio River.

Dusty and Tim at the top of the front steps

What I Know

I know that my great-grandparents, Charles H. and Rachel Jones, married at Emanuel Protestant Episcopal Church on January 25, 1882.  On June 16, 1882, Charles and Rachel purchased the two-family duplex that would eventually be known as 2314 and 2316 Gladstone.  This was probably a good move because Rachel was pregnant with Mary Edith who would be born on October 29, 1882.  Charles was 32 and Rachel was 31 when Edith was born.

I've written extensively about Rachel because I've found her story to be so fascinating.  She was the daughter of Britton Wainright and Mary Elizabeth Darby.  You can read all about the challenges her family faced following the death of her father while marching to confront John Hunt Morgan of Morgan's Raiders here and here.

Lillian's letter described Rachel this way:

Rachel was a very refined, intelligent woman who was slightly crippled, I think, walking with a little limp. Her health was delicate and she died early. Charles Jones remarried, but his second wife was not a good mother to her stepchildren, mother said. Charles was a kind man, very easy-going, but the children needed Rachel's guidance. Had she lived she would have insisted on a good education for Fred, Leo, and Edith.

Rachel developed what was then described as "consumption," now known as tuberculosis.  From Census documents I know that Rachel's mother, Mary Elizabeth Darby Wainright, lived with the family and assisted in the raising of the children.

 Cincinnati Birth and Death Records, 1865 -1912

It had to be a difficult time for the entire family.  In the ten years that Charles and Rachel were married they had three children, she was suffering from tuberculosis and Charles was trying to support a family of five plus his mother-in-law.  I wonder if Rachel was consoled at all by the view of the Ohio River from their home.  

Mary Edith, Leo, and Fred

Since Edith was 10, Fred was 8 and Leo was 5 at the time of their mother's death, I have to assume that this picture was taken close to the time of their mother's death.  Recent research has enabled me to get a much better picture of how this family was able to move forward after Rachel's death.

Note:  I want to acknowledge the contribution of Betty Arnett, granddaughter of Edith pictured above.  Although we've never met, Betty had these and other PRECIOUS pictures in her possession and graciously shared them with me.  Her mother had saved them in a box. Fortunately for all of us, they were labeled.  I will be forever grateful.  You can read about "Betty's Box" by searching for it in http://Jonesfamilymatters.blogspot.com

Emanuel Protestant Episcopal Church

As discussed in the previous post, Charles Henry and Rachel Adela were married at Emanuel Protestant Episcopal Church.  Highlighted above is the two-family home on Gladstone where the family lived and the church on Eastern Ave.  It would have been a short walk down Collins Ave. to reach the church.

The Church first appears in the Cincinnati City Directories in 1876.  Several of the City Directory listings are included below:

 1876

 1878

 1880

 1882

The History of Cincinnati and Hamilton County published in 1894 by S.B. Nelson in 1894 listed the following Protestant Episcopal Churches in Cincinnati:

Not only did Charles and Rachel get married in this church, but all three of their children were baptized there.  I contacted the Episcopal Diocese to see if there were any records for the Joneses in this church.  Following a search, the archivist sent me this message:

We have one record book for the 1910-1920 period listing members, baptisms and confirmations. It included a note from an archivist in the 1940s that most of the parish records are lost.

The church was torn down not long after 1920.  This should be a surprise to no one, as its location on the banks of the Ohio River made it prone to yearly flooding.

Current location of LeBlond Park with Highland School and St. Rose Church in the background.
The church would have been in the approximate location of the soccer field.  The river is just off to the right.

My grandfather, Charles Fred Jones, was a life-long Episcopalian buried from the Christ Church Cathedral at the time of his death.

Marriage of Charles H. and Rachel A. Jones

With a surname like Jones, someone new to genealogy could have more than his or her share of difficulty sorting through the available information.  Fortunately for all of us, I am not the first "Jones" to be interested in our family's history.  Were it not for the records provided by Lillian Mears, granddaughter of Alexander and Elizabeth, and additional records kept by my Aunts, Edith and Margaret Ann, my task would have been much more difficult.

In 1978, Lillian wrote a letter to Edith summarizing what she knew about the family.  She included information about the marriage of Charles and Rachel and the baptismal information for their three children.  Here are scanned copies of parts of her letter:

Mr. Charles Henry Jones and Rachel Wainright were married at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church by the Rev. H. O. Waller 1-25-1882.  


Children:
Mary Edith born 10-29-1882 Sunday P.M. in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Baptized in spring of 1884 by Rev. 
Waller.  


Charles Fredrick Jones born October 15, 1884 Thursday A.M. in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Baptized March 1885 by Rev. James Foster.  Died August 19, 1968 buried at Walnut Hills Cemetery (Victory Parkway).

Leo Wainright Jones born February 28, 1887
Baptized 5-6-1888 by Rev. Leo Bendit.




We are so lucky that Lillian kept these records because the original marriage record was lost in the Court House fire of 1884. There was only one published announcement of their marriage published in the Cincinnati Freie Press on January 26, 1882, p. 4.  This announcement was also noted in Volume 2 of the Restored Hamilton Co. Marriages, 1870-1884.  This book was compiled by Jeff Herbert and is published by Heritage Press.  Note that the announcement was in the German newspaper of the time.

Since so much of the family history of this generation seemed to revolve around Emanuel Episcopal Church, I just had to see what I could find out.  The next post will discuss my discoveries.