The Elias D. Jones household was enumerated in Liberty Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana in the 1850 U.S. census and looked like this:
- Elias D. Jones, farmer, age 31, born N. York, owned real estate valued at $200
- Annis Jones, age 29, born N. York
- Emma Jane Jones, age 6, born Ind.
- Frances M. Jones, age 3, born Ind.
- Caroline A. Jones, age 2 mos., born Ind.
In 1860 the family was still living in Liberty Township and had grown:
- Elias Jones, farmer, age 41, born NY, owned real estate valued at $500 and a personal estate of $150.
- Annis Jones, age 39, born NY
- Emma Jones, age 16, born Ind.
- Frances Jones, age 13, born Ind.
- Caroline Jones, age 10, born Ind.
- Rodger Jones, age 7, born Ind.
- Benjamine Jones, age 5, born Ind.
The image of this 1860 census page in Family Search is very hard to read. If you have an Ancestry subscription, the image there is much better. You can find it here. Both Family Search and Ancestry transcribed the last name as Janes, so initially it was not included in searches for Jones. That is still the case with Family Search. And Ancestry indexed Rodger as Kadgen. If only all census takers had perfect handwriting!
A History of St. Joseph County Indiana, by Timothy Edward Howard (1907) mentions Elias. "Except the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka, (Walkerton) is the largest and most important municipal corporation in St. Joseph County. The town, as it now stands, is a combination of different towns and additions, all united under the name and government of Walkerton. The first of these corporations was that of West Troy, laid out by Elias D. Jones in the southeast part of the northeast quarter of section twenty-three, township thirty-five north, range one west. This town was platted by Mr. Jones December 14, 1854." It seems Elias was a real estate developer.
An 1863 map of St. Joseph County, Indiana, at the Library of Congress shows landowners. The land described above is labeled E. D. Jones. West Troy and Walkerton are in the lower left corner of the map. A. H. Cole owns land adjacent to E. D. Jones. (Annis had a brother Alvah H. Cole.)
By 1870 Elias and his family were living in Lincoln Township (Walkerton Post Office). I don't see Lincoln Twp. on the 1863 map. It may have been formed after 1863. Maybe Elias didn't actually move at all. Maybe only the township boundaries changed. This is how his household appears in 1870:
- Elias D. Jones, farming, age 52, born New York, owned real estate valued at $5000, and a personal estate of $391.
- Anice Jones, keeping house, age 49, born New York
- Roger S. Jones, works on farm, age 18, born Indiana
- Benjamine Jones, age 15, born Indiana
- Amanda C. Jones, age 19, born Indiana
Hmmm. Where was Amanda in 1860? Could Amanda C. be the Caroline A. from 1850 and Caroline from 1860? Her age fits. Apparently Emma Jane and Frances M. have left home, perhaps married.
Annis' obituary states as early as 1873 the family settled on Pleasant Ridge, Merrick County (Nebraska).
And in 1880 Elias and Annis are living in Midland Precinct, Merrick County, Nebraska with son, Roger, head of the household:
- Roger S. Jones, (single) farmer, age 27, born Indiana
- Elias D. Jones, "at home", age 61, father, born New York
- Annis Jones, keeping house, age 59, mother, born New York
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| Roger Sherman Jones Central City, Nebraska |
Living nearby are Benjamin Jones and his family, also in Midland Precinct in 1880:
- Benjamin Jones, farmer, age 25, born Indiana
- Mary E. Jones, wife, age 20, keeping house, born Penn.
- Charles M. Jones, son, age 1, born Nebraska
And living not far from Benjamin and Mary are David J. and Elizabeth J. Lehr.
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| Benjamin Franklin Jones Central City, Nebraska |
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| Mary Jones |
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| Charlie Jones Central City, Nebraska |
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| Mr. and Mrs. D. J. Lehr |
In 1885 we get a "bonus" because in that year Nebraska, as well as a few other states, took an additional census. An interesting article by the National Archives regarding "The Forgotten Federal Census of 1885" can be viewed here. Thank you, Nebraska, for participating! Because in 1885 in Midland Township, Merrick County, Nebraska, we see this:
- E. D. Jones, farmer, age 66, born New York
- Annis Jones, wife, age 64, keeps house, born New York
- Ida Andrews, niece, age 19, at school, born Indiana
At last, Ida with the Jones family! I could barely contain my excitement....but wait... niece? What?? I didn't know what to think. It was supposed to say granddaughter. Of course, it is often not that nice and neat. It had taken me years to get this far. It was going to take a few more.
