Friday, December 30, 2016

Harshbarger line: Rice Jones died 1666 or later

I don't know much about Rice Jones.  He is reported to have come from Wales, or at least his father was from Wales.  If true, than most likely the name would have been written Rhys ap Jones, or something similar.  However, by the time he arrived in Virginia he was Rice Jones. 

We don't know when he arrived in Virginia.  Some say he arrived in 1650, and it certainly seems that he did, yet there are references to a Rice Jones in Virginia as early as 1628. Probably the 1637 birthdate I had listed for him is too late, but was he born as early as 1607?  That would make him old enough to be a landowner in 1628. 

He is shown as a planter with land around Elizabeth City, and later is listed in Lancaster County records.  His will is apparently recorded in Lower Norfolk and Norfolk County records, if this is the same Rice Jones.  He mentions his wife Ann.  Our Rice Jones was married to Jane Cocke, so it's a little bit confusing.  The only child I know of, from Rice's marriage to Jane, was Anna Keen Jones, who married  John Wyatt. 

It seems almost too little information to even write a post about Rice Jones, but as usual I am cousin baiting and hoping someone will know more about Rice and contact me.  And even if this is all we know, it's a reminder that the Harshbarger line has many divergent branches and not all led back to Germany or Switzerland.  Rice was most likely Welsh, or at least lived very near Wales, and that makes him interesting to me.

The line of descent is:

Rice Jones-Jane Cocke
Anna Keen Jones-John Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt-Susanna "Sukey" Edmondson
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants






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