Evan Allen Jones - Emma Melissa Carl Bio - Hand County, South Dakota
EVAN ALLEN JONES

Evan Allen Jones, the eldest son of Richard and Catherine Evans Jones was born in Holywell, Wales on August 15th, 1869.

In 1883 his family migrated to America and came directly to Gilbert Township landing in Wessington, South Dakota, then Siding No. 2 on May 26th.  He was then nearly fourteen years of age.

He went to school in Holywell and finished his 8th grade in the St. Lawrence school.

Allen helped his father with farming, but needed some extra cash so went to Sioux Falls and drove a hackney in the summer time, and the following winter was fireman at the Cataract Hotel. Having a touch of the wonderlust and reading about the great opportunities of the West, he boarded the train for Colfax, Washington.


His experiences were many; one was he loaned or bet someone on the train $5.00 and lost that. He said that was lesson number one.

Colfax was in the heart of the wheat country and they sowed this by hand. He worked out there for two years, came back to South Dakota and settled on a farm south of St. Lawrence.

When he was 21 years of age he bought twelve acres of land at $3.00 per acre with a house. On January 3, 1897 he married Emma Melissa Carl. He then bought a quarter of land 1/2 mile south of this place for $4.00 an acre. Here is where they lived and eight of their ten children were born in this house. In 1909 a large barn was built and also in 1916, a 2 � story house, 30 x 36 with full basement and a forty foot chimney. It was a five bedroom home, large dining room and parlor and modern kitchen and complete bathroom facilities. The farm had its own electric light plant. He continued to buy land until he owned 1600 acres of grass and agriculture land. He had a lot of cattle, horses, mules and shetland ponies, maintaining a milking herd of 25 cows the year
round.

Allen was active in the civic affairs of the community serving on the township board, was assessor, and bank and school board director. During World War I, he sold Liberty Bonds.

He was the father of six sons and four daughters. Raymond deceased in 1966, Lloyd in 1976 and Estella Thompson in 1977. Myrtle Smith resides at Prescott, Wisconsin; Genevieve Johnson at Watertown; Esther Prestrude at Estelline; Wilbur at Miller; Joseph at Rapid City; Eben at Clear Lake, and Chester at St. Lawrence.
Allen spent his retiring years in Miller, he passed away November 27, 1956 and was laid to rest in the Miller Cemetery, beside his wife Emma, who passed away September 20, 1946.

Allen was one of a family of five sons and two daughters.

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EMMA MELISSA CARL JONES

Emma Melissa Carl was born in What Cheer, Iowa on February 23rd, 1878 to George and Melissa Greene Carl. She was the wife of Allen Jones and came from a family of six, four brothers and one sister. She was a devoted mother of ten children. She departed this life on September 20, 1946. Her family lived in the town of St. Lawrence, South Dakota.

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Evan Allen Jones & Emma Melissa Carl Jones
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