My Grandmother Emily "Irene" Yost Jones
Emily Irene Yost
b. 7 Feb 1887 Benton, FishingCreek, Pa.
d. 5 May 1926
W. Pittson, Pa
Emily Irene Yost was Sheldon's first wife. They married 20 March 1909 in Orangeville, Pa. at the Reformed Parsonage, Rev. Houtz officiated.
Sheldon and Irene, as she was known, had less than 20 years of marriage, before she died tragically of a systemic infection, due to an abscessed tooth, an unfortunate and common cause of death when dentistry was unaccessible to many and treatment was rudimentary and painful. Sheldon Jr. (II), her son, was an eyewitness at her death and told me that she died at their Delaware Avenue home in West Pittston, in her bed, and that he remembers her limbs turned black. This must have been a horrifying sight and experience for her young children! Irene was only 39 at the time. It has occurred to me that there could have been another
female" cause, but that this is what the children were told. The reason for this speculation, is that her daughter Adria died of ovarian cancer very close to this age, as did her second daughter Marian die of the same cancer at age 62.
Emily Irene was the daughter of Clarence Wilber Yost (5 September 1859-16 July 1936) and Ida May Dewitt (December 1865-21 June 1923). Both were from Benton in Fishing Creek.
| Child's Name | Birth Date | Death Date | SPOUSE'S NAME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Irene | 7 Feb 1887 | 5 May 1926 | Sheldon Jones |
| Stanley McHenry | 30 Jan 1890 | Dec 1979 | Ella B. ? |
| Lillian | Aug 1891 | 1904 | unmarried |
| Nevin Dewitt | 2 May 1895 | Nov 1976 | Anna Pennington |
| John C. | 1903 | 1970 | unknown |
| David D. | 23 June 1909 | Apr 1975 | unknown |
We also know from court records that Benjamin was being sued in November, 1807 by Elizabeth Eldridge's family: John and Hannah (nÈe Eldridge) Scott, Mary, Sarah, Margaret and Abigail Eldridge for "committing waste, spoil or destruction in houses, woods, lands or gardens." This suit was heard in the New Jersey Supreme Court. We assume that the suit was thrown out as frivolous. We can only guess that all did was clear some land to build a cabin!
It was perhaps this conflict with his ex-inlaws that motivated Benjamin to leave Burlington and move to Fishing Creek Township in then-Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. Fishing Creek was a satellite meeting for the Philadelphia Meeting (Quaker), and perhaps others from the meeting seeded this new meeting as the colonial settlers moved West to seek less populated land. Around 1808, Benjamin Jones and his new wife, Nancy Brown, her father Richard Brown and evidently his family, all packed up their possessions and moved to Pennsylvania, purchasing land from Abraham Dotterer in the area now known as Jonestown, northeast of Bloomsburg.
By 1809 R. Brown and B. Jones had built a sawmill, and by 1811, a grist mill. Benjamin took over the operation of both after Richard Brown (retired?) moved his family to Greenwood Township around 1820. In 1820 Benjamin Jones became the first postmaster of the newly established Jonestown Post Office, and held this post until he became Justice of the Peace. He certainly esbablished himself as the center of this new community in a short amount of time.
Benjamin and Nancy had a fruitful marriage for Nancy gave birth to 7 children, 5 of whom survived into adulthood.
| Child's Name | Birth Date | Death Date | SPOUSE'S NAME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Ann | 14 Sept 1811 | poss. bef. 1870 | Silas Engle Seybert Cyrus Fox? |
| James Newbold | 17 Sept 1813 | 2 Jan 1891 | Caroline Matilda Merrill |
| Richard (Brown?) | 3 Sept 1815 | 13 July 1877 | Sarah "Sallie" Ann Kline |
| Eliza Eldridge | 7 Jan 1818 | 21 Sept 1889 | Benjamin McHenry |
| Benjamin | 23 Dec 1819 | 11 March 1820 | died in infancy |
| Matilda Agnes? | 10 June 1821 | 11 Feb 1896 | Reuben Hess |
| William B. | 19 Aug 1832 | 29 Sept 1832 | died in infancy |
Census Reports for the Benjamin Jones' household in Fishing Creek Township:
- 1790 Census Burlington, New Jersey: census for NJ was lost in fire
- 1800 Census Benjamin Jones would have been living with his family, Hezikiah Jones in Northampton, Burlington, NJ, but this census was destroyed.
- 1810 Census {Fishing Creek, Northumberland, Pennsylvania}: M _ _ 1;F _ _ 1
one male (Benjamin, now 35), one female (Nancy (in household . - 1820 Census Fishing Creek, Columbia County, Pa: (area is now called Columbia Cty);
Jones, Benj 2 _ 1 1 _ 1 2 _ 1 1 _ _ 1
Household at this time: Benjamin 45, James Newbold 7; Richard Brown 5; Benjamin 4 mo.; Nancy 33; Mary Ann 9; Eliza E. 2; 3 people unaccounted for - 1830 Census for Fishing Creek, Columbia, Pa
Benj Jonas _ 1 1 2 _ _ _ 1; F:_ 1 1 2 _ _ 1
Members of household would be: William B.?; Benjamin?, Richard, James, Benj; F: Matilda, Eliza; Mary Ann, & ?, Nancy - 1840 Census: Fishing Creek, Columbia, Pa Benjamin Jones Family: 1M 15-20; 1M 20-30; 1M 50-60 Benjamin; 1F 15-20; 3 F 20-30; 1F 40-50 Nancy
- 1850 Mortality Schedule: Benjamin Jones died of dropsy in June at age 74; had been sick for 8 weeks before his death.(Source: 8-1)
- 1850 Census:widowed June 1849; Fishing Creek, Columbia, Pa: James N. Jones 36; Caroline M. Jones 24; Henry Clay Jones 2; Nancy Jones 60; Eliza A. Seibert 14
- 1860 Census: Jonestown, Forks PO, Fishing Creek, Columbia Cty., PA;
Nancy is living with her daughter-in-law, Caroline's family
Household listed: Caroline Jones 35, Henry C. Jones 13, Estella Jones 9, Ashbel Jones 3, Nancy Jones 72
Some census notes of interest:
- Families of importance to the Jones family already settled in Fishing Creek Township and listed on the 1810 census are: McHenry, Hartman, Kline, Robans (Robbins), Roberts, Hess.
- 150;32; 41; 59; 41; F: 123, 42, 53, 58, 24 totals in Fishing Creek Township in 1810 census.
