Because I had so much trouble tracking my grandmother, Eunice Sarah Franklin, I decided to see if I could locate any of her mother’s family and perhaps I could track back.
My great-grandmother, Julia Ann Smith was said to have had four sisters. To date I’ve only found three. One of the sisters, Rosa Smith, was born July, 1887 in (possibly) Shreveport, Louisiana, died October 1975 in Shreveport. She married Ulysses Jones Sr. and this is where the Jones journey begins!
Ulysses was born June 28, 1886 in Homer, Louisiana which is a town in the Parish of Claiborne. He married Rosa Smith November 24, 1906. On a trip to Shreveport I was able to obtain a copy of a deposition/affidavit that was was given in 1954 by Rosa’s aunt, Lula Jackson attesting to the marriage.
This union bore nine children, Sarah, Aretha, (which was spelled Ireca in the 1930 census), Buelha, Ulysses, Douglas, Malcolm, Sam, Harvey and Evelyn. That’s a lot of Jones’ to keep up with!
The 1900 census shows Ulysses Sr. 18 years old living with his mother Rosa Jones, (yes, another Rosa) and siblings. In this census his name is spelled “Vlis” (had fun time with that one!) It also shows his birth information as December 1886. But his World War I Draft Registration card shows D.O.B. as June 28, 1884 – presumably filled out by him, which is why I chose to use that information.
I noticed that Ulysses stated that his present occupation was farming and that his employer was Neyoh/Neaoh Smith. Could this be “Noah” and could this person be related to his wife’s family? Another mystery to investigate!
I was unable to locate Ulysses or Rosa in the 1920 census but I did find them in U.S. City Directory, 1821-1989 living at 1307 Royal St. On my trip to Shreveport, I found that their home was no longer there.
Moving into 1930, we find Ulysses and Rosa living at 1305 Royal St with all of their children. His occupation is listed as Watchman for a Cotton Mill. For the question of Age At First Marriage there’s 24 for him and 14 for her! Doing the math I think there’s some ‘splaning to do!
In the 1900 census Ulysses is listed as 13, D.O.B. December 1886.
In the 1900 census Rosa is listed as 12, D.O.B. July 1887.
Ulysses and Rosa married in November 1906.
Daughter Sarah was born in 1906/1907.
In the 1910 census Ulysses is 26, Rosa is 24. It’s magic – now 2 years apart!
In 1918 Ulysses filled out a Draft Card stating he was 33 D.O.B. June 28, 1884.
No 1920 census.
In 1930 Ulysses is 48, Rosa is 38. More magic, 10 years apart!
In 1940 Ulysses is 48, Rosa is 44. He hasn’t aged one single day! But she, on the other hand, has by 6 years! Sarah is now 31..Mmm..
On the death certificate dated June 3, 1954 for Ulysses, his age is listed as 67, D.O.B. June 28, 1886, Rosa is listed as 64!
Are you keeping up with the Jones’?
I will probably never know the reason for the discrepancies. Were the date of births different because they really were unsure what year they were born? But you would think that Ulysses’ mother would know if he was born when it was cold, December or warm, June! Was the marriage date fudged a little to account for a child, Sarah, born out of wedlock? Did the census taker talk to someone other than the family? The information for the Death Certificate was more than likely provided by someone other than Rosa. These and other questions may never have answers but it’s kinda fun trying to keep up with the Jones’ of Bossier and Caddo Louisiana!
And just think, I have nine other Jones’ to track down!
Gathering Family Untangling Roots 
Beautiful documentation of your family genealogy Donna! Make sure to check with Felicia Mathis & Mark Tyson. I believe both have Caddo Parish roots!:)
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Thank you so much Luckie! I will do just that thanks for the advice!
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I do remember Julia
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You remember my mother??!!
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Duh…lol I mean my Great-grandmother! My mother was named after her! I’m on Facebook perhaps we can connect there…
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Great post, great blog!
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This is awsome. I am the daughter of Harvey and in touch with cousins/children of my dads other siblings. Thank you so much I am so happy to locate this. Most of us were born there with Mama Rosa and Papa. Yep you look like a lot of us. Bless you !! Jeanetta
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Hi there cousin!! I am thrilled to hear from you! I would love for us to connect, I’m sure you have stories to share and I would love to hear them! Meeting more of my family would be so great! I can be reached at untanglingroots@yahoo.com
Looking forward to hearing from you
Donna
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And i believe you will find those Jones too!!
Great story!!
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Thanks Paula! I certainly hope so!
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Your blog,is looking great!
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Thanks! I’m still tweaking it…
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Wow that’s a lot of Jone’s to keep up with for sure..Nice work on your research. The Jone’s should keep you busy for a while…
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It is! And of course the Jones’ had little Jones’ LOL Fun times!
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I’ve found that back in those censuses the dates are all different, on everything. I know that one of my grandfathers didn’t know when he was born and chose to celebrate on Christmas. If they didn’t know, the rest of the family wouldn’t either, I’m guessing. Good luck with those other Jones!
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LOL That’s funny! Thanks the fun continues!
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Excellent story and research! You got to love those Jones’! I am a Jones descendant they Great-Grandma Henrietta Jones-Eubanks from Craig, Yazoo County, Mississippi. There is nothing like trying to track down common names like Jones, Smith and Williams! Awesome documentation and your sight is amazing! Thank you for sharing!
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Hey Dante! Thank you! Yes ya gotta just love those common names..OMG I have Smith’s on both sides! Whatca gonna do? LOL
While writing this I kept hearing the song in my head, “don’t let the Jones’ get you down” smh lol
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Hey cousin … good job!! It takes a really determined person to “deal” with our Jones’ even without the confused dates. I tend to give up and go to another branch “til nuther day” so I won’t get ballistic … LOL Keep up the good work!!!
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LOL Hey cousin! I leave the Smith’s to go search the Jones’ it’s like po-ta-to or po-tay-to! Either way I could lose my mind at any time! LOL
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I enjoyed your post. When it comes to birth dates on Census Records and all other records…sometimes all we have a birth ranges. Since the records are second hand information…the only accurate would be the birth index, and most likely there was none.
If they were Catholic, then you might find the record in the baptismal record. My father being born in 1927..born on a farm…only record of birth would be his earliest school record. So keep searching.
Thank you for sharing the Joneses with us.
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Thank you Yvette! For pretty much all of my folks all I have is the census 😦 From what I have been able to find out is that everybody was Baptist!
The hunt continues!
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Really enjoyed reading your story. You definitely kept up with the Jones, with your research and documentation. I have the same issues with date on the census forms and even some death records. It really depends on who gave the information. You are doing a great job.
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Really enjoyed the post! Can’t wait to hear more about the Jones’!
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