The First Jones "River Rats" in Cincinnati - Alexander and Elizabeth



Alexander Jones

Elizabeth Kinley Jones

As mentioned in the previous post, our family is lucky to have in its possession a letter describing our family's history.  It was written by Lillian Mears who was the granddaughter of Alexander and Elizabeth.  From this letter, we know the following:

• Alexander and Elizabeth were married on July 6, 1840.
• Alexander and Elizabeth were the parents of six children:  William, Martha, Charles Henry, Johnny, Tom and Elizabeth.
• Alexander was about 20 years old and Elizabeth was 16 1/2 when they were married in Aberdeen, Ohio.

Lillian's mother, also named Elizabeth, was only two years old when when her father, Alexander, died at the age of 43.  Her mother was now a 40-year old widow, illiterate, and the mother of six. So what do we know about their lives in Cincinnati?  Lillian's letter provides us with some clues:

When Elizabeth Kinley was 16 or 17 years old, she always wore a sunbonnet.  She was blonde, and I suppose sunburned easily.  Alex Jones said, "I think I'd like to go with that Miss Kinley, but I never get a chance to see her face under the bonnet."  Evidently he finally got a peek at her and liked what he saw.  He was very dark, according to his picture.  With his beard, he looked like Lincoln.

 What brought them to Cincinnati?  The letter goes on to say:

I think Alexander Jones worked on boats that sailed down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, but what his job was, I forgot to ask mother.  She was only two when he died.

And there we have it -- the first Jones in Cincinnati connected to the river.  But the evidence gets even better.  Check out the next post to see what I discovered.