Henry Allen Jones

Henry Allen Jones, son of Henry Clayborn Jones Jr. and Martha B. McCarty, was born in Between, Walton County, Georgia on April 25, 1884. He was the oldest child of six—Henry Allen Jones, James Marshall Jones, William “Troy” Jones, Pearl Elizabeth Jones, Charles “Charley” Wesley Jones, and Mary Etta Jones. He is my 1st cousin 2x removed with our nearest common relatives being Henry Clayborn Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth Tuck, my 2nd great grandparents. 

Henry and his third wife Lena

On June 21, 1900, Henry and his family lived in Between, a town in the Vinegar Hill District of Walton County. His parents had been married for 17 years and his mother enumerated as having had five children, all of which were living. Henry and his brother Troy worked as farm laborers; his father was a farmer.

A Jones family reunion was held in Walton County about 1908 and the photo below was taken that day. I believe Henry is number 39 in the back row. My grandmother, Floria Mae Burnette, is number 17.

Jones family reunion photo, ca. 1908 (click to enlarge)

On July 20, 1902 when Henry was 18, he married Vallie Dee Evans, daughter of Charles Thomas Evans and Judith Harden Locklin, in Walton County. 

Marriage license for Henry and Vallie (click to enlarge)

Henry and Vallie had two daughters together, Eula born in 1904 and Clara born in 1908. After discovering that Vallie had been having an affair for two months with a man named Otis E. Ogletree, the couple separated on August 4, 1909. Henry was granted custody of the children. I have been unable to find a divorce decree, but it probably occurred in 1910. 

Walton County Court minutes (click to enlarge)

On April 15, 1910, I found Henry and daughters Eula and Clara living in Between, next door to his parents and siblings Troy, Pearl, and Charles. Henry was enumerated as Allen H. Jones. The census enumerator recorded him as married once (M1) for seven years. This leads me to believe the divorce took place after April 15. I was unable to find Vallie in the census records. Henry worked as a farmer on a general farm, which he rented. Eula was attending school but not her sister Clara.

Henry married Bessie Imogene Geiger, daughter of John Louis Geiger and Mary Hargrove, in Walton County, on November 5, 1911. 

Marriage certificate for Henry and Bessie (click to enlarge)

Their son John Ralph Jones was born on January 9, 1913. Sadly, Bessie died on March 15, 1915, most likely in Loganville, Walton County, Georgia. She was buried at Bay Creek Cemetery in Loganville, Walton County, Georgia.

Henry married Lena Emiline Cook, daughter of Benjamin Cook and Margaret Webb, about 1918, most likely in Walton County. Together they had two children—Louise Jones born about 1919, and Gladys Evelyn Jones born about 1923. 

When Henry registered for the World War I draft in Walton County on September 12, 1918, he lived at RFD #6 in Monroe. He worked as a farmer for his father, H. C. Jones, of the same address. Henry’s wife Lena was listed as his nearest relative. He was described as having brown eyes and black hair; he was of medium height and build.

On January 2, 1920, the Jones family lived on Federal Highway in the town of Between. Henry worked as a farmer on a general farm and Lena was a housekeeper. Henry, Lena, and Clara were able to read and write. Ralph, age 6, was not attending school yet. Daughter Louise, whose age was enumerated as 1/52, was a newborn at one week old. On a side note, I can track all of Henry’s children except for Louise so wonder if perhaps she died in infancy. The Jones family lived next door to Henry’s parents and siblings Troy, Pearl, Charley, and Mary.

Henry’s father died at home in Between on February 9, 1921 of acute indigestion, contributed by gall stones. His sister Pearl died on August 30, 1921 of pellagra, a “disease caused by a lack of the vitamin niacin (vitamin B3)” according to Wikipedia and appendicitis. Both were buried at New Hope Methodist Church in Between.

By April 16, 1930, Henry, wife Lena, and children Clara, John, and Gladys had moved to Panthersville, DeKalb County, Georgia where they lived on Orphans Home Road. The home, a rented farm, did not have a radio. The census record shows that Henry was 32 and Lena 23 when they married. Henry, Lena, Clara, and John were all able to read and write. Henry worked as a truck driver and Clara a laborer, both in the laundry industry. Henry’s son John worked as a laborer on a general farm. Sometime after the 1930 census was taken and before 1935, the family moved to a farm on Glenwood Road in Panthersville. 

On April 2, 1940, Henry and his family still lived on Glenwood Road. The farm, which he owned, was valued at $2500. He was enumerated as H. Allen Jones, age 54, and had an 8th grade education. Henry worked as a truck driver and had worked 48 hours the week prior to the census being taken. He had an income of $1000. His 28-year-old son John lived in the home. John, enumerated as Ralph, worked as a helper in an auto garage. Henry’s 17-year-old daughter Gladys still lived at home as well and was attending school. Two males, one named Earl L. Knight (age 19), and the other Charles R. Knight (age 17), lived in the home and were enumerated as Henry’s grandsons. Both were sons of Henry’s daughter Eula and her first husband, Earl Lester Knight Sr., who died in 1928. Eula remarried and moved to Monroe, Union, North Carolina with her new husband Herman L. Brooks. Earl and Charles had both been living in the home since 1935. Henry was listed as the person who would always know his address when his son John registered for the World War II draft in 1945. The registration card shows that Henry lived at #1 Decatur in DeKalb County at the time. 

Henry died on September 3, 1946 at the age of 62 at his Glenwood Road home in Decatur. He was buried at Hardeman Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Decatur. Henry was survived by his wife Lena; daughters Eula, Clara, and Gladys; son John; mother Martha; sister Mary; brothers James, Charles, and Troy; and four grandchildren.

Photo used with permission of Tony Sills, Find A Grave member 47008815

Based on the tombstone engraving, he may have gone by his middle name, Allen.

References

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27903041/lena-emiline-jones: accessed 01 April 2023), memorial page for Lena Emiline Cook Jones (6 Aug 1895–7 May 1969), Find a Grave Memorial ID 27903041, citing Hardeman Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Tony Sills (contributor 47008815).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89104725/vallie-dee-jones_wimberly_huguley: accessed 02 April 2023), memorial page for Vallie Dee Evans Jones Wimberly Huguley (17 Jun 1887–Jun 1964), Find a Grave Memorial ID 89104725; Burial Details Unknown; maintained by Sarah Locklin Taylor (contributor 46921363).
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27903213/henry-allen-jones: accessed 02 April 2023), memorial page for Henry Allen Jones (25 Apr 1884–3 Sep 1946), Find a Grave Memorial ID 27903213, citing Hardeman Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, USA; maintained by Tony Sills (contributor 47008815).
• H. C. Jones, Standard Certificate of Death no. 5161, Georgia State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1921.
• Henry Allen Jones, 62, Succumbs in Decatur, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, September 4, 1946.
• Henry Allen Jones, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918.
• Henry Allen Jones and Vallie Dee Evans, Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Henry Jones and Bessie Imogene Geiger, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828–1978.
• Henry Allen Jones, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007.
• John R. Jones, U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014.
• John Ralph Jones, U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940–1947.
• Lena Cook Jones, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 8, 1969.
• Pearl Jones, Standard Certificate of Death no. 24245, Georgia State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1921.
• Pellagra; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pellagra. 
• Personal visit to New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery, Between, Walton County, Georgia.
• Superior Court Minutes, Walton County, Georgia, 1909.
• U.S. Federal Census, Between, Walton County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Panthersville, DeKalb County, Georgia, 1930, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Vinegar Hill, Walton County, Georgia, 1900, 1910.