William C. Jones I

2nd Lt William C. Jones of 66th Illinois Sharpshooters Co

Born in 1830 in Bath, N.Y., little is known of William C. until he joins the Union army in 1861. I had searched the New York records for his enlistment but it wasn't untill I found his grave in Montana, that I discovered he was in the 66th Illinois. A search of the National Archives reveals that he had originally joined co. B of the 14th Regiment Missouri Infantry, Western Sharp Shooters. He mustered in at Benton Barracks on December 1, 1861. In 1862 he is promoted to acting wagon master and then wagon master. He was promoted to 2nd Lieut. June 11, 1862. He was transferred to co. K, 66th Illinois Sharp Shooters on July 20, 1862. He resigned his commission on Feb. 29, 1863. According to the records in the Colubia Falls, Montana soldiers home where he died, he was discharged in 1864 because of rheumatism. He mustered out in Springfield, Illinois and was given transportation to Missouri where he had enlisted.

Exactly how William C met his wife Catherine Hayward is unknown. His brother Stephen was living not far from the Hayward's in Michigan and that may be the connection. He enlisted in Misouri and he may have been visiting his brother George in Fort Scott, Kansas when he enlisted. According to family tradition, William's wife Catherine followed him throughout the war. My sister, Kay Thyr has a large salad chopping bowl that the troops carved for Catherine. At some point Catherine moved in with her family in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The military provided William with transportation to Missouri when he mustered out.

In 1865 William continued on from Missouri to Virginia City, Montana where he took up prsopecting. At some point William's brother in law, Sam McQuade moved his and William's family to Fox River, north of Duluth. Sam took on the burden of providing for for William's family, his wife's parents, as well as his own family.

Elkhorn ghost town 20 miles from Boulder


Boulder, Montana 2005
Census records at Helena, MT, show that he was in Virginia City, MT in 1870, Basin, MT in 1880 and seven miles east of there in Boulder, MT in 1890. He lists himself as being single. Deeds filed in the late 1880s in Boulder declare him to be unmarried. I have four deeds registered, the largest being 60 acres on the northeast slope above Boulder. The others were quartz claims with exploratory shafts in the same area. It appears that he never did make his big strike. He filed numerous claims only to sell them a few years later. In the 1890s he got $100 for the sale of the three mines that he staked out only two years earlier. I doubt that he was able to send any money back to Catherine and the kids.

In 1898 when he was 66 he was admitted to the soldiers home in Columbia Falls, MT. It shows that he was discharged in1864 in Springfield, Illinois because of rheumatism. When died at 68 in 1900, he not only had rheumatism, but also asthma, bronchitus and dropsey. At this time I am sitting on a mountain side in Boulder near where his last stake was. At 64 I am grateful for my relative health as the spring storms tear at me, and I have a nice warm trailer to retreat to. I can imagine how bad it was trying to survive on his own here over a hundred years ago in the condition he was in.

Catherine Hayward Jones, Mrs. William C. Jones


grave marker in Forest Hills Cemetary, Duluth, MN

Consider what this woman had gone through. She followed her husband through the Civil War with her three small children. He was discharged for disability in 1864. It appears that when he wanted to go to Montana in 1865, she put her foot down. She apparantly stayed with her parents in Ypsilanti, Michigan until she moved to Duluth, MN, with them them to live with her brother in law, Sam McQuade.

By 1876 her son Charles Edward was working at Fort Abraham Lincoln. In June, 2000 I drove out to Montana and stopped at Fort Abraham Lincoln, North Dakota on the way. I got a better feel of what life was about when Charles Edward worked as a store clerk at Fort Abraham Lincoln in 1876. He joined the 7th cavalry as a dispatch rider and indian scout when he was 22, soon after Custer was killed. The 1895 Minnesota census shows her other son Milo and wife Jeannie with their three sons, living in the basement of 614 E. 5th St. in Duluth. It also shows that he had moved to Minnesota 15 years earlier, or 1880. Her daughter Catherine married John Howard who at the time was known as the richest man in Duluth.

At the Historical Society in Helena Mt., I found William C. listed as a prospector in the 1870 census at Virginia City, and the 1880 census at Cataract Basin creek in Jefferson County., and in 1890 he was staking claims in Boulder Montana. Most of the 1890 census records were destroyed in a fire but he was listed in the 1900 census as living at the Montana Soldiers Home in Columbia Falls, Montana. Some of the records from the home were at the home and some in the Montana Historical Society. I have copies of these records.

MILITARY RECORDS

In May 1861 William C. enlisted as a 2nd Leutenant in company K of the 66th Illinois Sharpshooters Infantry. It appears that in 1865 when released from service he traveled to Boulder, Montana to look for gold. From these records we find that he was 5' 8" tall, had a dark complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. When he died he had Rheumatism, asthma, bronchitis, and dropsey. He entered the home in December 18, 1898 and died September 12, 1900 at 8:40 P.M. He is buried on the grounds in row 1, grave 16. See the photo below. His mother Abiah Raple, died four days after giving birth to him in 1830.

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A brief history of the 66th Illinois Sharpshooters
List of battles/sieges by date

December 1861 - Silver Creek Mo, Columbia Mo, Mt. Zion Mo

1862 - Fort Donaldson, Pittsburg Landing, Phillips Creek, Corinth, Booneville Ms., Iuka, 2nd Corinth, Hatchie River Bridge, Hatchie Bottoms, Tuscumbia Bridge., Danville Ms., 2nd Hatchie Bridge

1863 - 2nd Danville Ms., Whitesides Farm Ms., Ripley Cross Roads, Glendale Ala., Jumper Town Ms., Kossuth Ms., Cartersville Ms., Yellow Creek Ms., Seward House Ms., Jancito Ms., Rienzi Ms., Bluff Creek Ala.,

1864 - Snake Creek Gap Ga., Balls Knob Ga., Resacca Ga., Lays Ferry Ga., Rome Cross Roads Ga., Adairsville Ga., Dallas Ga., Loan/Lost Mountain Ga., New Hope Church Ga., Big Shanty Ga., Kenesaw Mountain Ga., Marietta Ga., Ruffs Mill Ga., Howes Ferry Ga., Chattahoochee River Crossing Ga., Decatur Ga., Bald Hill Ga., Howard House Ga., Ezra Church Ga., Proctors Creek Ga., Rome Ga., Battle of Atlanta Ga.

July 22, 1864, Siege of Atlanta Ga., Jonesboro Ga., Lovejoy Station Ga., Burned Rome Ga., Helped burn Atlanta Ga.,

MARCH TO THE SEA, Wrightsboro Ga., Ogeechee River crossing Ga., Eden Crossroads Ga., Big Salt Creek Ga., Congree Creek Ga., Occupied Savannah Ga.

1865 - Rivers Bridge S.C., Columbia S.C., Camden S.C., South River S.C. Cheraw S.C., Bentonville N.C., Kingston N.C.

Final Action - April 12, 1865 Capture of Raleigh N.C.

Descendents of Milo Jones
..... +Jane Elizabeth Hills - 1939
.... 5 Howard V. Jones 1887 -
...... 6 Howard Jones
....... 7 Phillip Jones
....... 7 David Jones
....... 7 Dianne Jones
.... 5 William Cornelius Jones 1889 - 1965
....... +Julia Dorothy Finster 1907 - 1983
...... 6 Kay Janet Dorothy Jones 1938 -
......... +Roger Thyr
....... 7 Brian Thyr
.......... +Danita Jo Carlson 1966
......... 8 Nicholas James Thyr 1994 -
......... 8 Ingrid Caroline Thyr 1997 -
....... 7 Lisa Thyr 1962 -
.......... +Scott James Barker 1962 -
......... 8 Charles James Barker 1985 -
......... 8 Natalia Lynn Barker 1987 -
...... 6 Cornel Robert Finster Jones 1939 -
....... +MerryAlice Maki
...... 7 David Jones
........ +Ann Summerville Kelly 1964 -
....... 8 Seamus Dylan Summerville Jones 1995 -
....... 8 Isobel Alina Kelly Jones 1998 -
...... 7 Corey Jones
...... 7 Sarah Kay Louise Jones (adopt) 1969 -
........ + John William Clapp 1960 -
........ 8 Ashley Elizabeth Clapp - 2000
...... 6 Dale Chester Westbrook Jones 1940 -
......... +Jeanne Adelle Finkelstein 1936 - 1985
....... 7 Tod Simeon Hayward Jones 1976 -
....... 7 Terrence Flom Jones 1972 -
........ +Autumn Hickenbotham
........ 8 Yrick Jones (adopt) 1995
........ 8 Zayde Tatania Jones 2001 -
.... 5 Percy Milo Jones 1894 -
....... +Dorothy Phillips - Aft 1968
...... 6 Jane Jones
......... +Jack Quigley
....... 7 John Quigley
....... 7 David Quigley
....... 7 Daniel Quigley
.. 4 Charles Edward Jones 1854 - 1906
Descendents of Charles Edward Jones
..... +Ellen Banks
.... 5 Unknown Jones
.... 5 Joseph Rosslyn Jones 1882 - 1956
....... +Grace Irene Muller 1881 - 1960
...... 6 Noel Paul Jones 1913 -
......... +Doris Ellen Wishart 1915 - 1979
....... 7 Noel Jones
.. 4 Kittie Jones "Catherine" 1864 -
..... +John Howard
.... 5 Julius Howard
*2nd Wife of William B. Jones:
.. +Elizabeth Bailey
. 3 Sarah M. Bailey Jones 1823 -
. 3 George Jones 1832 -
. 3 Isabel (Beth) Jones 1837 -
. 3 Alonzo Jones 1841 - 1865
*3rd Wife of William B. Jones:
.. +Saran Anna Fenton Dunlop
. 3 Mary Ann Dunlop Jones 1846 -
. 3 Anna Laura Jones 1857 -
2 Milia Jones 1808 -
2 Samuel Jones Jones 1810 -
2 Nancy Jones 1813 -
2 Phebe Riley 1813 -
2 Stephen R. Jones 1826 -