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Eastman Isham Jones
Eastman Isham Jones
was born circa 1820 in Richmond, Virginia.
On July 11, 1864 in Vicksburg, he enlisted in the Co J 3rd US Colored Calvary (USCT) as Isham Jones to fight in the Civil War. He was working as a farm hand at the time. The enlistment document records his age as 34. However, census records and the birth dates of his children suggest he would have been closer to 44.
The family eventually came to live in the Reservation community. It is possible that Isham moved to the area following the Civil War given that the government was redistributing land from abandoned plantations at the time.
Isham Jones' Civil War Enlistment records, 1864
Courtesy: Bernie Vaughan
Source: The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States Colored Troops: 1st through 5th United States Colored Cavalry, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored). Accessed via: Ancestry.com
Isham Jones was married four times.
His first wife was Margaret "Peggy" Parsons (b. circa 1833). According to family history compiled by Rosa Lee, Peggy Parsons, "was the daughter of Zizzy Parsons a free Black woman of Williamsburg who had some means. She lived in what is now the Richard Crump House in Williamsburg, Va. Her mother was brought to Williamsburg in 1770. She was listed as a free Black."
Isham was later married to: Ella Jones (b. 1853), Winney/Winnie Jones, and Dilcy Jones (b. 1830).
Isham Jones had five known children: James Edward "Ned" Parsons (b 1840), Anna Jones (b 1841), Cyrus Jones (1852-July 14, 1930), Henry Jones, and Peyton Jones (born circa 1852-1855 - died August 8, 1921).
Eastman Isham Jones' Children
James Edward "Ned" Parsons
James Edward "Ned" Parsons was born to Isham Jones and Peggy Parsons circa 1940. He used his mother's surname throughout his life.
Ned Parsons married Josephine Lightfoot on Februrary 18, 1868 in York County, VA. Josephine was born circa 1840 to William and Amelia Lightfoot in James City County, VA.
Ned and Josephine Parsons had eleven children, five boys and six girls:
Eastwick Parsons
George W. Parsons
James F. Parsons
John S. Parsons
William Abram/Abraham Parsons
Alzena Parsons
Geneva (Parsons) Hundley
Josephine (Parsons) Smith
Lucy Ann (Parsons) Byrd
Sophie (Parsons) Purdie
Mary E. Parsons
Edward and Josephine (Lightfoot) Parsons Family Tree
Courtesy: Julia Wallace, daughter of Fannie Lee Dixon
Josephine Parsons and children recorded on the 1900 Federal Census
Courtesy: Bernie Vaughan
Source: Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Ned Parsons appears to have passed away before the turn of the century. On the 1900 Federal Census, Josephine is recorded as the head of the household alongside five of her children. She reported her occupation as a farmer.
Anna Jones
Anna Jones was the daughter of Isham Jones. She was born in 1841. Anna married twice, first to Joseph Fleming on Auguest 13, 1868 in Williamsburg VA, and later to a Mr. Dudley.
Cyrus Jones
Cyrus Jones was born in 1852. He married Nellie Orange (born 1855) on October 22, 1875. The couple had one daughter together, Louisa Jones, who was born in 1894.
Upon hearing that the U.S. government planned to displace them from the Reservation, Cyrus Jones was the first person to sign the Prayer Petition, calling for more time to relocate.
Source: Roberts, John A., Moses Lee, Annie E. Roberts, Cyrus Jones, and L. Redcross. 1918. Petition submitted to Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, by residents of York County threatened with eviction by Presidential Proclamation #1492 dated November 15, 1918. General Correspondence, Records of the Bureau of Ordinance 1818-1967; Record Group 74; National Archives Building, Washington D.C.
Cyrus Jones further provided testimony to the U.S. Government's Board of Valuation on Commandeered property regarding the value of land that he had purchased in 1916. Below is an abstract of that testimony.
Source: Board of Valuation on Commandeered Property. 1920. Abstract of Testimony In Vols. 1 and 2 of Hearings Before Board On Valuation of Commandeered Property at Yorktown, VA. Box 42, Records of the Board on Valuation of Commandeered Property 1918-1922, Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Navy) 1799-1950, Record Group 125; National Archives Building, Washington D.C.
Shortly after being displaced from the Reservation, the family experienced heartbreak. Their daughter, Louisa, died in 1925. Her father, Cyrus, passed away five years later on July 14, 1930.
Henry Jones
Henry Jones was the son of Isham Jones. He married Mary Harrond. They had one son, John Hartman Jones (1877-1942). John married Mary Sussie Bartlett (1881 - 1977) and together appear to have had 9 children.
Peyton Jones
Peyton Jones was born circa 1852-1855 to Isham and Winney Jones.
Peyton Jones was married four times:
Peyton first married Adaline Jones (born 1850) and had one son, Eastman Jones (born 1869).
On February 28, 1878, Peyton was remarried to Lucy Ann Taylor (born 1858) in Gloucester County, VA.
On March 1, 1880, he married Lucinda Parker on 1 March 1880 in James City County, VA.
On May 8, 1884, Peyton married Sarah Jones (1865 - 1930), daughter of William and Lylia Jones, in York County, VA. At least one of Peyton's previous wives passed away, as he was listed as a widower on his marriage certificate to Sarah.
These records dated February 2, 1867 and February 7, 1867 suggest that Peyton Jones filed a grievance with the Freedmen's Bureau, requesting reimbursement for a stolen horse. This demonstrates that Peyton Jones had the ability to use the institutional mechanisms available to seek justice for wrongdoing, despite barriers to literacy and racist attitudes in these institutions that may have discouraged their use.
Freedmen's Bureau Records discussing a horse stolen from Peyton Jones
Courtesy: Bernie Vaughan
Source: Freedmen's Bureau Records, Ancestry.com
Peyton and Sarah Jones family recorded on the 1900 Federal Census
Courtesy: Bernie Vaughan
Source: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Peyton was a farmer in the Reservation. According to 1900 and 1910 Federal Census records, Peyton had a mortgage on his farm in 1900 but by 1910 he had paid his mortgage and owned the property outright.
On the 1900 Census, Peyton and Sarah are listed as having eight children:
Robert (born circa 1876), who was working as a farm laborer in 1900. Robert was 9 years older than William and born before Peyton and Sarah's marriage, suggesting he was likely the son of one of Peyton's earlier wives. Sarah reported having given birth to 9 children at this time, only seven of whom were living.
William (born circa 1885-1890-1955), who later married Florence Jones (1894-1949).
Eudora (born 1887),
Maggie (born 1889-1930), who later married Warren D. Beebe.
Cyrus (1891-1962), who later married Pearl Cook (1898-1987).
Israel (1894-1973), who later married Nannie Washington.
Peyton Jr. (1896), who later married Blanche Burrell (1897).
Esaura (1896).
Allen (1897), who later married Annie Bell Brown (1887-1970), daughter of Fleming Brown Jr. and Bettie Brown.
Another daughter, Lucy, was born in 1888 and died at five years old in 1893.
William, Eudora, Maggie, Cyrus, and Israel were attending school in 1900.
Peyton Jones died on August 8, 1921 from cardiovascular disease, just as families were being displaced from the Reservation by the U.S. government.
Death Certificate for Peyton Jones
Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Two of Peyton's sons, Allen and Israel Jones, made a claim to the U.S. government regarding Peyton's land in the Reservation that was being commandeered.
Source: Board of Valuation on Commandeered Property. 1920. Abstract of Testimony In Vols. 1 and 2 of Hearings Before Board On Valuation of Commandeered Property at Yorktown, VA. Box 42, Records of the Board on Valuation of Commandeered Property 1918-1922, Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Navy) 1799-1950, Record Group 125; National Archives Building, Washington D.C.
One of Peyton and Sarah's sons, Israel Jones, married Nannie Washington, daughter of Walter and Nannie Washington. Together, Israel and Nannie (Washington) Jones had five children:
Robert Lee Jones (1920-1960) who married Reidell Haskins (1925-1957)
Alexander W. Jones (1922-2004) who married Ruth Griffin
Lawrence F. Jones (1926-)
Willie Mae Jones (1932-1985) who married Elmer Richard Phoenix
Carithia Jones who married Mr. Winbush
Israel Jones, son of Peyton and Sarah Jones, with his wife, Nannie (Washington) Jones, and likely one of their children
Courtesy: The Lee Family
Another son of Peyton and Sarah, Cyrus Jones, married Pearl Cook (1898-1987). Cyrus worked as a laborer. He passed away on January 14, 1962.
Death Certificate for Cyrus Jones
Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Sources
Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Ancestry.com. Virginia, U.S., Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2014.
Board of Valuation on Commandeered Property. 1920. Abstract of Testimony In Vols. 1 and 2 of Hearings Before Board On Valuation of Commandeered Property at Yorktown, VA. Box 42, Records of the Board on Valuation of Commandeered Property 1918-1922, Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Navy) 1799-1950, Record Group 125; National Archives Building, Washington D.C.
Lee, Rosa E. 2022. The Family Tree of the Parsons: Edward "Ned" Parsons and Josephine Lightfoot Parsons. Prepared November 12.
The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States Colored Troops: 1st through 5th United States Colored Cavalry, 5th Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored). Accessed via: Ancestry.com
Parsons Family History Reunion Booklet, compiled by Julia Parsons Wallace.
Roberts, John A., Moses Lee, Annie E. Roberts, Cyrus Jones, and L. Redcross. 1918. Petition submitted to Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, by residents of York County threatened with eviction by Presidential Proclamation #1492 dated November 15, 1918. General Correspondence, Records of the Bureau of Ordinance 1818-1967; Record Group 74; National Archives Building, Washington D.C.
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