God's Finger

The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up our existence can vary widely from individual to individual.  Some have a large number of years to conduct or pass one's time, and some have very few.  For Charley B. Jones, it was not all that many.

Buried in a long forgotten, isolated family cemetery some 139 years ago, Charley Butler Jones had roughly ten of these years.  He was the older brother to my great grandfather Edward Turner Jones who would have been around six when Charley died.  What were his ten years like?  A childhood at "Old Cane-Springs" just where the ferry crossed the Kentucky River at the mouth of Red River.  The Red River road brought folks to the ferry, and it must have been an active place day in and day out.  Much to provide physical and mental stimulus to this life.  Ten years and your gone.  Maybe he filled his days with excitement...knowing what it is to be one of those Jones boys growing in my own world.  He had a bunch of older brother and sisters [nine to be exact] that would have helped keep him out of trouble...or helped lead him into trouble.  Brothers and sisters are like that you know.  On his headstone it reads: "God's finger touched him - and he slept".  What would your brothers and sisters write on yours?

Clouds

A visible mass of particles of water or ice in the form of fog, mist, or haze suspended usually at a considerable height in the air is a cloud.  They often appear as a light filmy, puffy, or billowy mass seeming to float in the air such as the following:

There happens to be all sorts of clouds.  The names vary from such words as cirrus, stratus, cirrostratus, and altostratus.   I believe the ones shown above are called cumulus.

Now cloud may also mean to become troubled, apprehensive, or distressed in appearance.  Let's cloud the issue so as to make it unclear or confused.  These kinds of clouds can make one confused or anxious.  To cast gloom over is often the result.  All sorts of names also tag these cloud as they past through our sky.  For each of us, these names will vary.

Well, the clouds above have blocked the sun.  They certainly appear dark and gloomy on one side.  Such may be many of the days that pass before us.  Yet, one can imagine where the saying "the clouds silver lining" originates.  Given enough time, the cloud will pass away.

Brother and Sister A Century Ago

Brothers and sisters often have a special relationship.  Older bothers especially like to order around their little sisters, and vise visa.  The following picture shows my grandfather [ Joseph Wheeler Jones] and his younger sister [Eliza Mildred Jones] taken around 1903.  He would have been roughly six years old, born July 5, 1898; and Mildred would have been two years old or so, born April 14, 1901.  An older sister [Nona Lee Jones, b. April 27, 1895] was not in this picture, and it is a mystery as to why not.  She had the same birthday month [April] as Mildred, and maybe she was to have her separate photo...being the oldest and all...now nearing the age of ten.  Maybe it was because these two looked almost like twins, having the same round head, eyes, nose, and that horizontal facial smile that seemed to follow "Pap paw" [What I called Joseph Wheeler Jones] in most of his pictures yet to come.  See what you think...

 Now, this does not look like the best way to take a photo?  Pap paw is standing, squeezed into the back side of the chair with his legs pushed against the arm.  It appears that he did not have enough room to place his hands comfortably alongside his body.  There is a large draped, most likely stool, wedged into the fancy wicker chair where Mildred is sitting.  Her body is twisted with almost a 45 degree angle to her feet which reveal a pair of shoes pointing almost 180 degrees.  The cushion shows signs of the weight with the chair tilting slightly toward Pap paw. His laced shirt, high collar, and fluffy sleeves show through.  No wonder Pap paw's face has that "you've got to be kidding me" look about it.  [Now I know why Nona is not in the picture...no more room in this chair!]  Just room for two...a brother and sister a century ago.

Duck and Cover

It was December 1961 when this booklet first appeared.  Just looking forward to my 10th Christmas on this earth it was.  Opening packages, playing with those new toys, eating all those goodies, and seeing all those first cousins only comes around once a year.  A 10th year Christmas present arrived as shown:

Of course this was not for me, it was special reading for all those folks responsible for me.  It states:

"The purpose of this booklet is to help save lives if a nuclear attack should ever come to America."

Are you kidding me!  "Duck and Cover"...was the exercise  we practiced during those school days.  It was kind of fun to have the whole class standing and then trying to get your body under those single metal desks with the straight arm extensions.  Not sure what you were suppose  to cover...there was just room enough for most of the parts of my body... little alone putting your hands over your head.

"There is no panacea for protection from nuclear attack"  the booklet would go on to say.  "In a major attack upon our country, millions of people would be killed." was a wonderful thought on this Christmas. 

Don't recall if it snowed that winter month of December 1961.  "Duck and Cover" was the theme.  For most of us ten year old, we did not realize that no one could survive a nuclear winter. 

A Letter From The President

Most of the family gathered this past Thanksgiving to share, laugh, hug , remember, and eat...not necessarily in that order.  In a box under my Dad's bed was the following letter that had been stored from many years before.  A real addition to this Thanksgiving...

Just Another Day

Life at Granny Ewen's house was always fun.  At any one time, you would have a number of first cousins ready to join in the day's activities.  Such is the picture shown.

Let's see now...on this day there was Stella Ewen to my left who was a couple of years older.  Then my older bother [Henry] is almost directly behind and above my glowing face.  Next is Evelyn Jean who was about two years older, and was the only "girl" who could keep up with me on most of these days. She would wear jeans instead of the usual dress expected.  And finally David Ray, who was just one year older.  [We became best of friends.]  He only had one finger in his mouth, but I had both fingers in mine!

The black and white TV set is above us all.  They were just coming out, and I am not sure if this picture was taken to show this phenomena and we just happened to be in the picture.  The youngest among this group of first cousins I am. [Probably why I had both fingers in facial derangement mode.]

At any rate, here we are.  Our shirts checkered and colorful, the girls in white blouses and dresses...oops except Evelyn, and maybe we were just getting ready to watch this amazing square box called "TV".  At Granny Ewen's, it was just another day.

Another Story

Great grandfathers are usually not known by the folks of this generation.  Getting to know something of their lives may also become a task.   This picture is Edward Turner Jones, my great grandfather.  He was born 10th of August 1873 in Madison Co., KY.  This was just across the Kentucky River from my own Kentucky county called Clark, and I had a special interest in discovering his story.  His name was past down to me.

Edward it is.  Jerry Edward Jones my folks called me at that birth day some years back.  I thought at first the name Edward came from my Dad, Henry Edward Jones.  After some years of tree climbing it became evident that my father was named after his grandfather.  What a deal I thought.  Over a century before my birth certificate was completed, another of the same Y-chromosome carried the name Edward.  His baby of the family [a daughter Jeane Marie Jones born 1919] became my link in the chain to his generation.  She had many stories about her father.  He loved to sing, play the fiddle, and play cards.  He had difficulty with diabetes in his last years, loosing a leg to this disease.  But, the picture shown above was taken in his teens. [before 1893!]  He was married December 20, 1893 to Ellen Dorcas Henderson.  She was a direct descendant of that fellow named Richard Henderson who had something to do with the settlement of Kentucky at that placed called Boonesborough.  But that is another story.