Brick Walls

Griffin Jones was identified as the father of Nicholas Jones in the Revolutionary War Service record S16169. This record also states that Nicholas Jones was born in Caroline Co., VA 1762, so it was only reasonable to suspect that Griffin Jones was from Caroline Co., VA. On a trip to the Caroline Co., VA courthouse, it was discovered that Griffin Jones first appears in the Order Books [1765-1767, p.297] on 12June 1766, where he was placed "...in the room of, William Taliferro.." for the maintenance of the tobacco rolling road along what is now highway 301. Nicholas would have been 4 years of age. This also places Griffin in the area of the Taliferro family that was to prove a key connecting point to prior generations. The Taliferro and Jones family went a long way back in time which helped settle a number of difficult genealogical questions yet to arise. [Some call these brick walls!]

By 7 April 1785, Griffin had moved to Spotsylvania Co., VA where his wife's name Agnes is given. [Agnes is a good Welsh name.] In Deed Book K - 1782 - 1785, p. 387, Thomas Turner leases to Griffin Jones and Agnes his wife, and Joseph Jones his son, 80 acres of land. This gives the Turner connection, through which Edward Turner Jones received his middle name! I suspect that Griffin followed his son Nicholas who had already moved into Spotsylvania Co., VA. This seems to have be a pattern of family organization, where the elderly father, moved to the home of a son.

With Griffin Jones becoming "legally" active around 1765, and his son Nicholas being born 1762, it would be reasonable to place Griffin's birth sometime around 1740 plus or minus 5 years. I have used this dating method, i.e., taking the oldest know child's birth year, counting back 20 years, and giving 5 years error on each side of this calculated date. This has provided a dating method which has proved solid after 50 years of facing many "brick walls".