RootsChat.Com

UPDATE to my earlier 28 February 10 posting.

Just two months ago, I located the death certificate, coroner's report, Chicago Tribune report of his disappearance and death, and Chicago Daily News death notice for Benjamin F Jones who died 31Oct1903.  This is a summary of the relevant newly uncovered facts.

 Chicago Daily News Death Notice - lists him as a 55 yo Widower, with 4 children (Evan, Elizabeth, Maria, Thomas) - eldest to youngest.  Since his second wife was not listed, Sarah presumably died between 1900 census (where they had been married 2 years) and his 1903 death.

Chicago Tribune report said he'd disappeared around the 23th of October, after leaving his street car conductor coat, vest, pocket watch, and cap in La Grange (western Cook county suburb).  His body was found adjacent to RR tracks in neighboring DuPage county (Warrenville township).
My suspicion is that he was depressed, and stepped in front of a freight train which carried him into DuPage county and threw his body off when it slowed for a curve.

The DuPage county coroner's report listed cause of death as "unknown, possibly exposure". (The DuPage county death certificate only added the funeral home that handled his remains, but they don't have records back to 1903 now.)

Based on the US censuses ages or DoB assigned to each of the children, it is presumed that he might have had the kids in the follow order, all with first wife Annie (Ann E.)
Evan (1871) in Illinois; Elizabeth (1872) in Ohio; Maria (1878) in Illinois; Thomas (1879) in Illinois.

I'm stuck -- I cannot uncover when/where/who each daughter married or the name of Evan's bride (just her nickname of Birdie).

Chicago-Jones

Some other reason why someone is not enumerated where they usually live (might apply in any UK or US census - I've seen examples in both).
1) If a person was Visiting someone else, they'd be enumerated with the person being visited as a Visitor.
2) If someone was living at a college, they'd be enumerated as part of the college student body.
3) If someone was at work (night shift, actor in theatre, ....) they'd be enumerated at that address since they were not at home when an enumerator appeared.  (I seldom located performers/artistes in censuses - they might have been traveling between engagements.  Or they were enumerated under a professiona/stage name rather than birth name (or their info was given by a colleague while performing on-stage or family member who did not know all the specifics).
I've also seen a college student enumerated twice - once at the college, and also with his parents (as "away at school").


Enumerators were often impatient, and did not talk directly to everyone in a household, relying on the "head" to provide all the info.  So sometimes the spouse or kids provided the wrong info (such as age, birthplace, ....) because they did not know, or deliberately lied (such as about real age if they looked younger).  I had one relative in Chicago whose age was never 10 years apart between censuses.

Chicago-Jones

Unfortunately there were several men, all born in Scotland, who used Benjamin Franklin JONES (or Benjamin F JONES) - the most famous one being the co-founder of JONES & LAUGHLIN Steel company.

Mine was a streetcar motorman in Chicago, where he was "found dead" at a railroad crossing in 1903, cause of death uncertain.

Benjamin Franklin JONES (1847 Scotland) was the eldest son of Thomas Price JONES (Glamorgan) and Phoebe Maria JONES (Hereford).  Family lore (a JONES family narrative prepared by my grandfather's eldest brother) says he had 2 children (Maria and Evan) but I found more - and possibly 2 wives.

1880 Illinois - Benjam (33, Scot, par Scot) laborer, wife#1 wife Annie (26, Can, par Can), Elizabeth (8, Ohio), Moraia (4, Illinois) - assuming Moraia was a corruption of Maria

On familysearch.org the following was found (but not proved):
a) "Record submitted after 1991 by LDS member"  + an extracted record suggest that
Elizabeth born 12Nov1871, Cuyahoga, Ohio to Benjamin Jones + Ann E.)
(Birth record has not yet been ordered.)

b) extracted IGI marriage record suggests
a Benjamin JONES married Ann JONES on 01Jun1873 in Medina, OH
(Marriage record not yet ordered.)

c) "Record submitted after 1991 by LDS member" suggests a son
Thomas JONES (1879, Ill) to Benjamin F JONES and Annie
(Birth record has not yet been ordered.)

No Birth info yet uncovered for Moraia/Maria (born Cook county?, Illinois 1876)

First wife Annie may have died 1884-1888 (there are several in this range according to Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916) but her burial location is unknown!  There was no mention of her in the JONES narrative.
There is also a "Annie JONES (3 month, 7 days) who died 4Nov1878", several unnamed stillborn JONES children (24Jun1874, 18Aug1879) whose parentage is unknown buried in the JONES family plot at Rosehill cemetery, Chicago, where Ben is buried with his parents, younger siblings, several children (some of which are presumed to be Benjamin's).  (Unfortunately death records in Illinois do not list spouses or parents before 1910 so it would not pay to order them.) 

1900 Illinois (Chicago): JONES, Benjamin (Oct 1847, 52, Scot) – Motorman RR, wife Sarah (Jun 1867, 31, Eng), Thomas (Jun 1879, 20, Ill), Evan (Aug 1871, 28, Ill)
* This entry raises several questions yet to be answered:
A) why were sons Thomas (1879) and Evan (1871) not listed on 1880 Illinois census?

B) Or how could Evan (Aug) and Elizabeth (Nov) be both born in 1871 in two different states?

c) Is it because the Benjamin JONES in 1880 census (laborer) and the one in 1900 (motorman) are two different persons?

--------------------
Nothing is known about Elizabeth or Maria/Moiria or Thomas.
Little is known about son Evan - except he was rumored to have
*  married a "French War bride" named "Birdie",
* worked for Rockwell Barnes (a paper manufacturer) and
* lived near Wilson Ave on Chicago's northside.  (My late aunt recalls visiting them once.)

I'll post Evan JONES separately at a future time - after I research further.

Chicago-Jones

Author comment 1: Original thread to Benjamin's mother, "Phoebe Maria JONES" in England/Hereford is found here -
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,439136.msg3025324.html#msg3025324

Author comment 2: Original thread to Benjamin's father "Thomas Price JONES" in Wales/Glamorgan is found here -
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=439148.msg3025876

Author comment 3: Thread to Ben's parents “Thomas Price JONES + Phoebe Maria  JONES family in Chicago”  in the United States is found here -
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,440838.msg3040504.html#msg3040504

I am going to write a book on my family history.  This is not for publication, just for the benefit of myself, my siblings and our families.  I would like it to be factual but also an interesting book to read.  I expect it will take some years. As I learn more about my family I will build on each person and each generation's stories.  ....... Can anyone make suggestions as to how to approach the various generations?  what structure would you suggest I adopt? ......
 Any comments would be welcomed.  Thank you. Ann

I'll make a public comment through the Board, and a private comment to Anniebelle through a PM.

First, let me say I have never written a "narrative" or "book" but always thought one day I might.  I was involved in researching my US JONES extended family with a co-researcher and several contributors; my co-researcher composed "The Descendants of Thomas Price JONES" in the usual fashion (one chapter per generation, with short sentences describing each fact with a citation as to the source).  All chapters were distributed to all descendants of our common JONES ancestor "Lizzy" and selected chapters only to those who contributed their ancestor's info.

Second, I read somewhere that a better way to compose a good family history "book" is to include perspective and context.  That is, what world (or local or neighborhood) events defined each generation in the book, and how did world history determine their decisions or actions (to emigrate, pick a location, pick an occupation, etc.).  It is not merely a collection of names and dates, statistics and citations, maps and photos.  (The avid family historian researcher will read it, but the average child or grandchild may not - unless it has a good "story line" - and a good title, especially if you plan to donate a copy to a local historical or genealogy society along with all your neatly organized research.)

To illustrate:  the current generation (my nephew) is being defined by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and 9-11-2001; my generation was defined by the Vietnam War and JF Kennedy's assassination, and the "Baby Boom"; my father's by World War 2, the Depression and the interstate highway system (shopping centers or offices in the suburbs); my grandfather's by World War 1; etc.  So do a little background research on world history and try to fit your ancestor's decisions within the context of national or local events going on around them.

For example, why did one's Irish immigrants come to the US  - was it to escape  Potato Famine starvation, or to escape the police (such as during "the Troubles")? Why did one's Prussian ancestors come to the US - because as youngest son he did not inherit the farm, to escape a bad marriage, or to avoid the draft?  Why did one's Australian ancestor emigrate - was it voluntarily for a better opportunity (or to strike it rich in the Gold Rush), or involuntarily (as a convict)?  Why did my Danish or Norwegian ancestors come to the US (and why did they pick the US over Canada)?  I think you see my point - that including some background (some of which may already be in family stories you plan to include) changes a family history collection of names, dates, places, photos, maps (and don't forget those footnotes or source citations)... into a narrative that is fun to read.

Chicago-JONES

Hello SASSY21 - here are today's suggestions .......

CHECK ALL NAME VARIATIONS, even "&" vs "and"
Name variations are very important - because newspaper reporters often took liberties with spellings, sometimes using two different spellings in the same article  (as I discovered).

In my case, I was tracing "Lilian TUCKER", a Chicago-born actress of Norwegian parentage.  But I quickly spotted her being credited as well under "Lillian TUCKER".  (An older English-born repertory actress also performed or was credited under the same two spellings, so I kept finding references to her.)  The New York Public Library even lumped their credits and clippings together in ONE folder in their theatre collection, so I spend two years just collecting and sorting through both of their credits and clippings after finally ordering (at great expense for their researcher to photocopy) all the content of their shared file in the NYPL theatrical collection.

ORGANIZE FINDINGS - into a TIMELINE
I would suggest organizing your findings into a Timeline - summarize every piece of information - by date, publication where found, type (clipping, travel document, bill, photo, ....), name used (including spelling variations found), country/province/city,  every theatre name, etc.  A Timeline will help you discern where they toured, as well as in what years/decades nothing was found - for example, did they retire, stop touring, take another profession, have a child.... or just cannot be found.  And show you what you know, and where you might have to look next.

I originally used a Word Table format (4 columns) because I could print it on 8x11 paper, but today might find Excel format easier to use (even if I have to print it on 8x14 page).  Lilian TUCKER's Timeline summarizes US Census entries, US passport applications, newspaper clipping or display adv bylines found (+ name publication), names of plays or movies, city/state/theatre where performing (or where silent film playing), death date, passenger list entries (she performed in Australia and traveled to Europe)...  I quickly spotted the bulk of info was from 1908-1921 (her performance years) but also spotted other newspaper references in unexpected places (society parties, bankruptcy, reading poetry on the radio, Hollywood gossip column slipped that she was working the night shift in a bomber plant during WW2 when she was almost 60).  I did the same for the "other" Lillian TUCKER too.  (And I have yet to update it with the newer Googled findings I recently discovered.)

So the key to tracking anyone who performed for a living, in any country, is to organize what you know or found in a Timeline and look for patterns (did their troupe tour the same towns/cities in the same order year after year) that may suggest new things to investigate.

TRACE THE TROUPE OR THEATRE COMPANY, not just the performers
Another suggestion is to look for the name of their troupe if known, and trace its movement.  (They may have been recruited for a few shows, released to do something else, then rejoined ..... and lived somewhere during the inevitable summer heat). 

For example, in summer when the US theatres became unbearably hot (no windows, no ventilation), most performers either performed in "roof top" mini-theatres (physically on the flat roofs of buildings to use the cooling evening breezes) or at water-side performance pavilions (cooled by off-shore breezes) in vacation communities to where city dwellers escaped.  Some performers took the summers off to rest (especially the constantly touring vaudevillians) or to return home (especially those UK variety artistes performing on US vaudeville stage).  Broadway actors might have joined touring companies that took their shows on the road to smaller US cities and larger towns.

I've run out of ideas today, and don't have time to "Google" your names.

I hope you'll report new discoveries soon (when you can devote more time or money to your quest).

Chicago-JONES