General William Edmondson Jones

b. 9 May 1824, d. 5 June 1864
FatherRobert Jones1 b. 13 Mar 1798, d. 30 Oct 1833
MotherCatherine Moffett Edmiston1 b. 12 Mar 1795, d. 10 Jan 1856
Birth9 May 1824 General William Edmondson Jones was born on 9 May 1824 near Glade Spring in Washington County, Virginia.1,2 
Education William was educated at Emory and Henry College in Washington County. In 1844 he entered West Point.2,3 
  While serving in the US Army he spent time in Missouri and Kansas and then in the Oregon and Washington Territories where he remained until 1851.2 
  When William finished his tour of duty he returned to Washington County. However in the intervening years his mother and surviving siblings (brothers Robert and James; sister Sarah) had left Virginia and settled in Crittenden County, Arkansas. 
Marriage15 Jan 1852 William married his distant cousin Eliza Margaret "Pink" Dunn, daughter of Dr. Samuel Dunn and Jane Beattie Ryburn Edmiston, on 15 Jan 1852.4,5 
15 Jan 1852 He was 27 and she was 17. 
26 Mar 1852  Following their marriage the couple left for New Orleans where they boarded a steamship bound for Texas, the location of William's new post. However, while attempting to reach the harbor at Matagorda Bay (Texas) the ship hit a sand bar and took on water. "Pink" was placed in a lifeboat but it capsized and she perished.6 
Anecdote  William wrote his mother-in-law, Jane B.R. Dunn about Eliza's death. Carolyn Ryburn, Eliza's great great niece reports that the beautiful letter reflects a great sadness, almost hopelessness, at Eliza's loss.7 
  William remained in Texas for several years however in the spring of 1855 then Lieutenant Jones traveled to Baltimore, Maryland on official business. During this trip he arranged for Eliza's remains to be brought from Texas to Washington County. He also purchased the marker that stands in her memory at Old Glade Spring Cemetery. Traveling back to Texas he stopped in Arkansas to visit family. While there he purchased the interest in his father's Washington County land held by his mother, Kate, and siblings Robert, James, and Sarah.8 
1857  William left the regular army in 1857 and returned to Washington County.2 
  He traveled to Europe and became interested in the cultivation of grapes. Once back in Virginia William planted a vineyard on his property. 
Cens-18601860  The 1860 census recorded the value of William's farm as $10,000. It also noted that William owned a 10 year old slave. William's adjacent household that year included Louis Authrieth/Authenreath and Frank Murenthen/Muentler, two young men from Germany who were employed as vine dressers. Although no record has been found to connect them to William, it seems probable they played some role in the establishment of William's vineyard.9,10,11 
Military1861  With the secession of Virginia William returned to military life, but this time under the banner of the Confederate States of America. He organized a cavalry company known as the Washington Mounted Rifles which served under J.E.B. Stuart and Gen. J.E. Johnston. The "Rifles" were known for their discipline and William quickly rose to the rank of colonel and then Brigadier-General. Although he distinguished himself as a soldier and leader he was known for a "difficult" personality which earned him the nickname "Grumble."2 
Death5 Jun 1864 William died on 5 Jun 1864 at age 40 during the Battle of Piedmont.12 
Burial He was buried next to Eliza at Old Glade Spring Cemetery in Washington County, Virginia.12 
Probate Recd10 Sep 1864  William's personal property was inventoried and appraised on 10 Sept, 1864 in Washington County. For the most part it reflected his life as a farmer rather than his life as a soldier. He owned several horses including a stallion named "John Red", 16 head of sheep, a sow and 7 pigs and assorted other farm animals and implements. The inventory also included household items such as a large copper kettle, 2 bedsteads, 4 table cloths and a lot of books. The sale of William's personal property was not recorded until 25 April 1870 although the sale intself would have taken place years earlier. Robert Campbell Jones, [William's brother], served as administrator.13,14,15,16 
  In the years following the war the men who served with William returned to civilian life. His brother-in-law Dr. William L. Dunn had served under William as part of the Washington Mounted Rifles, and had then fought with Mosby's Rangers. John Singleton Mosby had also first served in the Washington Mounted Rifles. Dr. Dunn returned to the life of a family physician in Glade Spring, Virginia. Mosby eventually lived in Washington DC where he held several government positions. But in the summer, he would visit his old friend William Dunn, and together they would pay their respects at Gen. Jones gravesite.17 
Land-Sell8 Jan 1877  On Jan. 8, 1877 John A. Buchanan, a commissioner of the Washington Co. Circuit Court, sold 422 acres of land on the waters of the Middle Fork of the Holston River to Robert Craig. The sale was made by court order in a case in which R.C. Jones [William's administrator] sued Hugh C. Moore [one of William's heirs]. The suit was probably a friendly one, necessitated by the fact one or more of the heirs was underage. Although William is not mentioned by name in the deed, a plat created from the boundaries reveals the tract as the same property (with a few acres added) that William owned at the time of his death.18 

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James Ballard has written 3 truly excellent articles on William E. "Grumble" Jones for the Historical Society of Washington Co. Virginia Bulletin. For reprints see the HSWCV Store and look for Series II, #34 ("Death of Eliza Dunn Jones"), #47 ("The Antebellum Years of William E. "Grumble" Jones") and #48 ("The Civil War Years of William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones, Part I, July 1861-April 1862")
Mr. Ballard's research also provides an insight into William's life outside his military activities. During the early days of the war William maintained a correspondence with Adam Rosenbalm who was employed as William's overseer. In a letter dated Jan. 24, 1862 from Manassus Junction William instructed Adam on what crops to plant (in particular where to plant more vines), how to till the soil, and where to plant fruit trees. Later in the war, in fact just a few months before his death, William arranged for an advertisement to be placed in the March 18th, 1864 edition of the Abingdon Virginian. It appears William was offering his prized stallion, "John Red" for stud service. See the attached advertisement
William's headstone
Other interments in Old Glade Spring Cemetery
Last Edited17 Nov 2013

Citations

  1. [S2813] Mabel Tucker and Jane Waller, Lincoln Co., Tennessee Bible Records Vol. II, transcribed records, p. 70-71. Robert Jones Bible; in possession of Mrs. Mary White Hobbs, Fayetteville, TN. Bible was published in 1829 by D. Fanshaw, New York.
  2. [S2247] Confederate Military History Expanded Edition Vol. IV-Virginia, p. 616.
  3. [S2813] Mabel Tucker and Jane Waller, Lincoln Co., Tennessee Bible Records Vol. II, transcribed records, p. 70-71. Robert Jones Bible; in possession of Mrs. Mary White Hobbs, Fayetteville, TN. Bible was published in 1829 by D. Fanshaw, New York. The Bible record is reported to include this entry: "William E. Jones left friends and relations _______ Va (Va was written over another word per the editor) for West Point May 21, 1844 landed at place of destination on the 30 of May 1844."
  4. [S65] Emily Dunn Bible.
  5. [S1601] "Glade Spring Presbyterian Church - Washington County", Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol 15, #4 (Oct. 1977), Ancestry.com (http://www.Ancestry.com : Nov. 2006). This reading, done in 1949 by Mr. Beverley Fleet, reported the writing on Eliza's stone as: "Sacred to the Memory of Mrs. Eliza M. the Wife of Lieut. W.E. Jones, U.S. Mid. Rifles. She was born on the 3rd of May 1834 in Washington County, Virginia, was married on the 15th of Jan. 1852 and was drowned on the 26th of March of the same year when attempting to land from the wreck of the Steam Ship Independence at Pass Caballo, Texas. She was personally beautiful, had a sweet disposition and an intellect uncommonly brilliant. The early death of so hopeful a sister, child & wife left her friends, parents & her husband in unspeakable sorrow."
  6. [S1301] James Buchanan Ballard, "The Death of Eliza Dunn Jones", Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia Bulletin Series II, No. 34 (1997): 3-10. Mr. Ballard cites: Eldridge, Indianola Letter & Indianola Bulletin. Charles Eldridge was a passenger on the Independence. He wrote a personal account of the wreck in a letter to friends (Indianola Letter) which is held by the Univ. of Texas Archives at Austin. His report of the tragedy also appeared in the Indianola Bulletin newspaper account.
  7. [S52] Letter, Carolyn Ryburn to Diana Powell, 15 Nov. 2000.
  8. [S1665] Jim Ballard, "Family of Katherine "Kate" Moffett Edmiston Jones," e-mail to D. Powell, 25 Aug 2011.
  9. [S234] Wm E. Jones household, 1860 U.S. cens, Washington Co., VA, pop. sched., Western District, p. 467 (added script), dwelling 743, family 720, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Apr 2009, image 105 of 361. Wm E. Jones, farmer, 35, owns land valued at $10,000, pers. prop: $1,500, b. VA.
  10. [S1308] W.E. Jones, owner, 1860 U.S. census, Washington Co., Virginia, slave schedule, p. 11 (original script), line 12, viewed online at Ancestry.com. 1 slave (10, male).
  11. [S234] Frank Murenthen household, 1860 U.S. cens, Washington Co., VA, pop. sched., Western District, p. 103 (original script), dwelling 744, family 721, viewed online at Ancestry.com, Nov. 2013. Household includes: Frank Murenthen, 24, vine dresser, owns personal property of $100, b. Wirternburg, Germany; Susan, 20, b. VA; Louis Authenreith, 23, vine dresser, b. Wirternberg, Germany, Mary, 19, b. VA.
  12. [S2] Catherine McConnell, High On A Windy Hill, p. 182. Gen. Wm E. Jones, "killed 5 Jun 1864 in Battle of Piedmont, Va, age 40y 27d."
  13. [S703] W.E. Jones inventory (recorded 1866), Washington Co., Virginia Will Book 17: 11-13.
  14. [S704] W.E. Jones sale (recorded 1870), Washington Co., Virginia Will Book 17: 441.
  15. [S706] W.E. Jones settlement, Washington Co., Virginia Will Book 18: 45.
  16. [S709] W.E. Jones settlement (recorded 1880), Washington Co., Virginia Will Book 20: 282.
  17. [S1354] Mahlon Robinson, An Old Man's Memories, p. 5. Mr. Robinson recited the experience of playing in the cemetery with friends at the age of 10 or 12 when Dr. Dunn and Col. Mosby approached to pay their respects at Gen. Jones's grave. The young boys did not recognize Col. Mosby. Dr. Dunn lined them up and introduced them one by one to the Colonel. Mr. Robinson stated it was an experience he would never forget.
  18. [S3290] Jack Hockett, Washington Co., Virginia Deed Book 33, 1876-1878, abstracting Washington Co., VA Deed Bk 33: 20.