As genealogists, we often encounter people with the same name. Many times, it's father and son or uncle and nephew or some relation or the other. We learn, sometimes the hard way, that 'senior' and 'junior' don't always mean 'father' and 'son'. There can be two people with the same name in the community, and they are just designated as the older and younger.
But sometimes we encounter people with the same name in totally different places, with no relationship between them at all. Jones is one of the most common names, but encountering two different men named Moses Jones was fun!
THE FIRST MOSES JONES
Moses Jones is my 5th great-grandfather. He is my DAR patriot. Moses was born about September 1762 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. He married twice -- first to Hester Thomas in 1791 in Gates County, North Carolina, and second to Elizabeth Allen Thomas in 1806 in Wilson County, Tennessee. I descend through Moses and Elizabeth.
Moses was a private in the Revolutionary War, serving from North Carolina. He served first in a Regiment commanded by Captain Walton. After the war, he moved to Wilson County, Tennessee, where he served again in the War of 1812.
Moses Jones moved his family to Illinois in 1819, a year after Illinois became a state. He settled in Franklin County, Illinois. He applied for a pension in 1831, which is how we learned more about his life. He died in April of 1851 at the age of 89, having survived two wars, multiple moves, and the rigors of frontier life. He is definitely a man that I am proud to call an ancestor.
THE SECOND MOSES JONES
The other Moses Jones I've encountered is not my ancestor. He is the 3rd great-grandfather of my friend Steve. Steve's family was heavily involved in the American Revolution, living on Long Island during the war, serving in various military units, and having involvement in Washington's Culper Spy Ring.
His Moses Jones was born too late to be involved in the war. And I know little about him. It's possible his father served, but that hasn't been confirmed yet. But this Moses Jones was born in 1773 in New Jersey. He married Elizabeth Van Sickle at the Old Clove Dutch Reformed Church in Wantage, New Jersey, in 1793. He and Elizabeth had eight children before he died in 1813 at the age of 40. I haven't found any record of him serving in the War of 1812, but that is a possibility.
Two men named Moses Jones - one from the south who lived a long life despite fighting in two wars. A second in the north, who was not as fortunate. Both left a legacy that lives on today.
This week's #52 Ancestors prompt is "Names the Same."
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