This blog relates to an earlier one, "Sophronia" (November). I published the Horace Jones inquiry in the AHS newsletter and a member contacted me - being a descendant of Horace! Through this descendant I have learned there were, in fact, two Horace Jones living in the area and both had mothers named Sophronia, but these women were not the same person.
It seems unlikely nowadays, since "Horace" and "Sophronia" are odd names to us, but it is not an uncommon occurance in genealogical research. Families and ethnic groups or nationalities often use certain names over and over again, making it hard to follow the family lines.
Our "insider" was able to tell us that the two Horace's were not directly related. Horace W.B. Jones, son of Milon, served in the Civil War, as did his father. After coming home, Horace married Elizabeth Whitney, widow of Carlton Whitney. All three are buried in Arcade Rural Cemetery, Elizabeth in between Horace and Carlton.
Both Horace and Carlton died under clouded cricumstances. A local newspaper article from January 1900 printed that Horace fell off a bridge and into a freezing Cattaraugus Creek on January 24, 1900. Some say he was drunk and fell in, but those who knew him said he was a teetotaler and never drank a day in his life. Carlton's fate also had a watery end. He had enlisted for the Civil War on December 3, 1861, but died in Buffalo on April 9, 1862. His body was found floating in the canal; his head severed from his body. Carlton's information was found in the NYS Military Museum and Veteran Research Center's roster of Civil War infantry soldiers.
