Individual Details

16 Dec 1893 Chase Co, Kansas, Marriage License
John H. Jones of Emporia, age 35 and Bertha V. Ashley, of emporia, age 21. Married the same day at Cottonwood Falls, Chase Co by J. W. Rose, Probate Judge.

1900 Jackson, Lyon Co, Kansas, Hh 109
John S. Jones, b. Aug 1858, age 41, married 7 years, b. WI, parents b. Wales
Bertha M., wife, b. Feb 1873, age 27, 3 ch, b. IL, parents b. KY
Jay O., son, b. Apr 1894, age 6, b. KS
Ralf A., son, b. Oct 1895, age 4, b. KS
Hellen O., dau, b. Feb 1897, age 3, b. KS
Edwin Ashley, bro-in-law, b. Jun 1880, age 19, b. KS

I have never found the Jones family in 1910; Edwin and his parents were back in Kansas City, Ward 4. It is possible they were in Fort Smith by then.

Anna joined Bertha's family in Fort Smith sometime before the summer of 1914. Aden died in February of 1914, but by June, Anna was writing the Commissioner of Pensions in Washington, D. C. from Fort Smith.

1920 Census. Upper Township, Fort Smith, Sebastian Co, AR, Hh 10, 103 Garrison Ave
John H. Jones, age 60, b. Wisconsin, father b. Wales, mother b. Canada. Proprietor, Hotel
Bertha, wife, age 48, b. IL, parents b. KY
Odin, son, age 25, b. KS, father b. WI, mother b. IL, Proprietor, Candy Store
Helene, dau-in-law, age 15, b. AR, father b. PA, mother b. AR
Helen Bentley, dau, age 23, b. KS
Cecil Bentley, son-in-law, age 22, b. KS, baker
Helen May, Grand daughter, age 3, b. AR, parents b. KS
Anna Ashley, mother-in-law, age 69, Widow, b. KY, father b. VA, mother b. IL
after that there are several people listed as "Help" followed by the roomers.

There is a marriage record in Crawford Co: J. O Jones of Ft. Smith, age 23, to Miss Helen Kirschke, also of Ft. Smith, age 18. License dated 12 Dec 1917.
I also found a marriage record in Crawford Co for Ralph A. Jones of Ft. Smith, age 23, to Mrs. Nadine Sapp, also of Ft. Smith, License dated 22 Mar 1919.
Helen Jones married in Sebastian Co. Cecil Loyde Bently of Ft. Smith, age 19, to Miss Helen Olive Jones, also of Ft. Smith age 18. 8 Jun 1915.

The name of John & Bertha's son as "Odin" brings up a curiousity about his grandfather's name Aden and how it was pronounced. In at least one census, the grandfather's given name was recorded as Oddin. Apparently the name was not pronounced with the long "A" but with a short one.

27 May 1924, John H. Jones wrote a lengthy letter to the Commissioner of Pensions trying to obtain an increase in Anna's widow's pension, explaining her blindness and poor health and that she is totally dependant on others for her support. The papers in the pension file give adequate proof that John was extremely interested in helping Anna get as much money from the government as possible. At one point he included a couple of his calling cards with penciled notes on the front and back. There is no date, so it's impossible to determine exactly what year they were included. They are cards encouraging "Vote for John H. Jones For Mayor, Primary, June 12. He does say he's lived in town Twenty Years, so that might indicate the cards were included with the 1924 letter.

Here's the really interesting part. On his vote-for-me card, John H. Jones wrote that he was a son of Jacob Jones, whom the Jacob Jones torpedo destroyed and sunk in English Channel, World War, was named after. This very confusing note refers to Commodore Jacob N. Jones and the first of three ships named for him, which was sunk by a torpedo in the English Channel in World War I. The problem with this is that John H. Jones lied. He most certainly was NOT a son of Commodore Jones. Whatever favor he was trying to incur with the Washington bureaucrats, it's likely they were aware that Com. Jones, born in Delaware 1768, died in Philadelphia in 1850, had no living children by 1905.
Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, by Rev. Roland Ringwalt; Read before the Historical Society, 20 Mar 1905. Google Books.

1928 Ft Smith City Directory
Jones, Jno H (Bertha) restaurant 101 Garrison Av. Residence, 103 1/2 Garrison Av.

1930 Census. Upper Twp, Fort Smith city, Hh 449, 101 Garrison Ave
Jones, John H., head, age 69, b. Wisconsin, parents b. Wales, proprietor of a Cafe
Bertha, wife, age 55, b. IL, parents b. KY
J. O., son, age 35, b. KS, clerk, clothing store
Aline, dau-in-law, age 28, b. Arkansas, parents birth places unknown
E. E. Harris appeared to be the proprietor of the "rooming house" that was nearby - a number of the people on this page, and the page before, were working for a Hotel and many were Lodgers.

FindAGrave shows that Bertha Jones died 4 Sep 1950 - birth unknown. She is buried Forest Park Cemetery, Ft. Smith, AR. Likely John is there, too, because I found a grave for John Hugh Jones, b. unknown, d. 13 Jan 1935. He is also in the Arkansas Death Index online at Ancestry.com with this date of death.

Found in Ancestry Family Tree:
Sarah Ashley lived with her daughter (my grandmother), Bertha Ashley Jones for several years before she died. She died four years before I was born, so -- obviously -- I never knew her. They were quality people. Great grandad Ashley was an inventor and civil engineer. He was a veteran of the Civil War and fought with the Northern Army. Also a Republican. The other side of my family was from the South and were Confederate soldiers. That make for an interesting conversation from both sides. Mom's letter is accurate about the births and moves. She and Dad moved to Osawatomie, Kansas from Coffeyville, Kansas when the Missouri Pacific Railroad moved its Train Dispatchers Office and lengthened the district of r.r. that each had as technology improved. Dad worked for the Missouri Pacific R. R. from the time he was 16 years old until he retired in 1966 and they returned to Fort Smith, Ar. Dad was a telegrapher in the early years, before becoming a train dispatcher. He retired as a Chief Dispatcher. ( He was 64 when he retired and had 48 years seniority with the same railroad!)

Birth	26 Feb 1872	Illinois
Marriage	16 Dec 1893	Cottonwood Falls, Chase County, Kansas - John Hugh Jones
Death	4 Sep 1950	Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas

Spouse	John Hugh Jones (1859 - 1935)
Child	Jay Orlin Jones (1894 - 1957)
Child	Ralph Ashley Jones (1895 - 1961)
Child	Helen Olive Jones (1897 - 2000)

Father	Aden Jones Ashley (1841 - 1914)
Mother	Sarah Anna Campbell (1849 - 1927)
Sibling	John B. Ashley (1869 - )
Sibling	Laura Augusta Ashley (1874 - )
Sibling	Olive Ashley (1876 - 1898)
Sibling	Edwin Mortimer Ashley (1880 - 1957)