Jacob Jones was born July 1, 1740 noted in the Shrewsbury Parish records of Kent County MD.  They are held in the Maryland Historical Society. He was the son of Peter Jones, and Mary last name unknown.. Peter Jones and Mrs. Mary Bellas were noted in those same records as wed in 1739.  She had been widowed by Francis Bellas Jr. with two children in 1737.

The parentage of Peter Jones is confirmed by The Cecil County Maryland Deed Book 7, page 254 valuation of  "land, plantation, houses, out houses and orchards belonging to Jacob Jones, orphan and heir at law of Peter Jones late of Cecil County, deceased.  The plantation was 308 acres called None so Good in Finland, on the north side of the Sassafras River on a neck between the river and Back Creek. 

Jacob Jones was the first of three children born to Peter and Mary.  Peter Jones purchased None so Good in Finland in two lots, the first in 1740, the second in 1744.  It is not known exactly when the family moved there from Kent County.  We believe they were there by mid 1740s.  Unfortunately Peter Jones did not get to enjoy it for long.  No will has been found for him, but Mary Jones provided an accounting of his estate on Feb 1, 1747  Cecil County Liber DD-12, Book 24, page 306.

It is believed that Mary remarried within the year to Joseph Redgrave.  She had a son by Mr. Redgrave, Joseph Redgrave Jr/ born Feb. 1, 1749.  However, the final accounting of Peter Jones estate was presented on March 14, 1750 by Joseph Redgrave, who noted Peter's widow, Mary Redgrave, was dead.  she likely died shortly after Joseph's birth.

So Jacob Jones was 10 years old in 1750, had been living on the family estate for only 4-5 years with 2 younger brother and half brother baby, and probably 2 older half borther.  He had lost his father, and mother.  He was the inheritor of None so Good in Finland.  Mr. Redgrave, his guardian remarried Elizabeth Corse and they had six more children.   Probably this large, complex family all lived on Jacob's estate at least for a while.  Tracking all the family members would give more depth to his story.  
 
The Jones name is found in both  Kent County Delaware and Cecil County Maryland and they may all  be related in various ways. The line between Delaware and Maryland is purely a surveyors line. If there were not markers, you could not tell when you crossed from one state to the other. The line was not clearly stated until Mason and Dixon drew it c 1765. 

Inhabitants of Cecil County 1649 - 1774 by Henry C. Peden lists  Jacob Jones a number of times.
        1.  Jacob Jones Sr. listed on Tax list of 1761 with negroes Marget and Cuff in West Sassafras Hundred.
        2.  Jacob Jones Jr. owned court costs in 1767 and 1771 - no reason given
        3.  Jacob Jones Sr. was paid for squirrel scalp 1761.   Too many squirrels then also?
        4.  Jacob Jones was in the debt book for   Happy Harbour, Jones Addition   1766.  I don't know what the Debt Book was..
        5.  Jacob Jones Jr. in the debt book for   None So Good, in Finland   1766
              They could all refer to our Jacob Jones and we are sure #5 does.

Jacob Jones  married Augustine Currer Dec 10, 1759 at St. Mary Anne's church, N. Elk Parish in North East, Cecil County, Maryland.  This is stated over and over but is not in the local available church records.  However,  a will written by William Currer, Cecil County MD, dated 4/7/1783 says "I leave and bequeath unto the two daughters of Jacob Jones that he had by his wife Augustine Currer......" unfortunately the daughters are not named, but he had only two daughters.

The  N. Sassafras Parish   lists births of at least 3 of their children.  North Sassafras parish is St. Stephens church found near Earleville between the Sassafrass and Bohemia Rivers. It is a lovely old church sitting in the middle of cornfields on the Eastern shore of Maryland. – It was just a few miles from their plantation.  Early Anglican Church Records of Cecil County Maryland page 42 by Henry C. Peden Jr. has a compilation of the records of St. Stephen's and St. Mary Anne's Churches
John Currier Jones, born March 20, 1761
Milliscent Jones   born Aug. 14, 1762
Martha Jones born 1764.
    In each case the parents are listed as Jacob and Teney Jones

In the Cecil County Historical Society library Surname File on Currier there is a letter from Mrs. Oliver M. Currier of Havre de Grace, Maryland dated 1975.  In it she describes a Sermon Book given to  Mrs. Loreen Buffum Robinson of Long Beach CA.  The Sermon Book was given to Mrs. Robinson by a 95 year old cousin.  “The Sermon Book is the remains of a book of sermons preached by a Currier preacher in England at the time of Cromwell.  Augustine Currier Jones used this book as a family bible. The birth, death and wedding dates noted above and those of the children of Jacob and Augustine are all found in the Sermon Book. Mrs. Robinson had already sent the genealogical sheets and sermons to the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore in 1975. Cecil CountyHistorical Society has copies of the family notes made in the Sermon Book.

Children of Jacob and Augustine Jones were:
1.  John Currer Jones born March 30, 1761,
2.. Millicent Currer Jones August 14, 1762, she married Robert Holliday of Duck Creek Delaware
3.  Martha Jones, is in the Sermon Book but date is unreadable.  It is written just after Millicent so assume the 1764.  She married Joseph Greenwood of Kent County Delaware.  They moved to North Carolina about 1785
4.  Jacob Jones   an unconfirmed source says his birth is recorded in the St. Stephen's Parish records as May 26, 1766 and that he married Isabella       McKewen at St. Mary Anne's in North East MD,  and moved to Illinois, and died there after a second marriage  in 1861.
5.  James Jones
6.  Samuel Jones
7.  Enoch Jones born Oct. 24, 1770 "about 1 o"clock in the afternoon"  The Sermon Book.

Jacob Jones was an active farmer of his plantation until his wife died a few days after the birth of Enoch.  The Sermon Book states that Augustine Currier Jones died Nov. 4, 1770.   She was not yet 30 and left seven children at home.  A devastation for the family.

In 5/25/1767 Joseph Bennett of Kent Co. Del atty at law and Margaret his wife for 600 pounds sold to Jacob Jones of Kent Co. Maryland yeoman a tract of land in Duck Creek Hundred near the town called Salisbury or Duck Creek previously owned by Henry Jaffray and before him, Mary Empson, widow of Thomas Empson. 190 acres. There is no longer a Salisbury, but the old map shows it to be just west of the current Smyrna Municipal Park at the intersection of Duck Creek Rd and Rt. 65.  from Kent Co. Delaware Land Records  Vol 8 1764-1768.  There are so many Jacob's in this story we cannot be sure it is our Jacob, son of Peter of None so Good.  However, if it is our Jacob, he may have had plans to move his family to Delaware. With his wife's sudden death, Jacob's plans for the Delaware property was  put on hold for a time, but then we see him take action.

Jacob mortgaged None So Good in 1771. Vol 12, p. 152 11/15/1771 Jacob Jones of Cecil Co. farmer to Isaac Freeman of Kent Co. for 900 pounds     current money of Maryland two parts or parcels of land being parts of a tract of land lying in Sassafras Neck in Cecil County and on a creek called      Back Creek issuing out of Sassafras River called and known by the name of None So Good in Finland which two tracts were conveyed by John        Campbell and Rachel Crocker unto a certain Peter Jones, deceased, father to the said Jacob Jones, party to these presents, the one by deed bearing     date of 3/24/1740 and the other by deed bearing date 10/22/1744 containing in the whole 308 acres, more or less. Jacob Jones.
 witnessed by Ed. Mitchell, John Veazey Junr.

The Cecil County Land Records Vol 13, pg 153 contains an agreement to rent for one year None So Fine in Finland to Alphonso Comegys. It is dated March 9, 1773.  Comegys "shall and will provide at his own expense keep maintain and provide for the said Jacob Jones his seven children and will give them a genteel education suitable to their condition and ages and will send his Eldest son John Jones to the freeschool of Cecil County until he shall be master of the Latin language so far as he or they can during the term of the lease."

And our Jacob leaves!   We don't know where, or what he did?  We can only speculate.  Perhaps to set up the property in Delaware?   Or it is possible that Jacob Jones and his children became involved with the very active Methodist movement happening in Delaware about this time.  The Sermon Book was a collection of John Wesley's sermons.  Francis Asbury was a very magnetic circuit rider who visited Cecil County, Kent County and stayed in the home of Augustine's brother. Their son John had many children, one named Wesley and another Asbury.  Perhaps this is why Jacob moved to Duck Creek. At this time we just don't know. 

In a year and half he returns.  Jacob Jones sells the plantation to Comegys on Dec. 6, 1774 and moves his family to Duck Creek, Kent county Delaware.  The sale is in Cecil County Land Records Vol 14, p. 41. 

Rachel becomes the next woman in Jacob's life.   We believe she was born Rachel Moore,  with brother Robert Moore who shows up on a number of legal documents.   In 1774 she was married to John Fields.  She was his second wife.  His first wife had died leaving him with 4 children to raise.  In early 1774 Rachel Fields had her second child by John.  Then he died either late that same year, or Jan 1775 and she now has 6 children to care for. Robert Moore was co-administrator with Rachel on John Fields estate

This is about the same time that Jacob Jones moves to Delaware.  We do not know where they met, but he has soon married Rachel and his family moves into the Fields estate.  There are now 13 children in the family.   There is a document in Kent County regarding the guardianship of Fields children by his first wife, a Denny, that state the widow of John Fields is now married to Jacob Jones - it is dated Nov. 30 1775.

That document has a map showing Rachel's portion, 63 acres, of the Duck Creek Hundred land.  The new home for our large family is on Dawson' creek, near the western edge of what is now Bombay Hook, very near the Abraham Allee's house.  The Allee House still stands in the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Preserve.

Jacob and Rachel Jones  had one son Joseph Jones by the end of 1776. This brings the total to 14 children.   Martha Jones takes over the care of the newest infant and becomes his main care giver. She is 12 years old.  Martha marries Joseph Greenwood by March of 1777  and possibly before Joseph was born.  The baby became a part of the Greenwood family. 

Jacob Jones died in Duck Creek, Delaware in March of 1777.  It is not known where he is buried.  Jacob's will is filed in Delaware, Kent Count.  Calendar of Kent County Delaware Probate Records 1680 - 1800  page 311
        Jones, Jacob. Duck Creek Hd. Admin.  Rachael Jones & Robert Moore. March 28, 1777. Arch. vol. A27, pages 192-194. Reg. of Wills,         Liber L, folio 189. Note:—Arch. vol. A27, page 192 mentions  heirs, John, Jacob, James, Samuel, Enoch,  Joseph  & Millesant Jones & Martha Greenwood, wife of Joseph Greenwood;    page 193 shows  that Rachel Jones married Solomon Barnet.

We don't know when Solomon Barnett died but in 1794 there was a suit against Rachel and her then husband Nicholas Lynch, wanting them to be so-security on Jacob's estate.  Don't know the reason for the suit. It had been 17 years since his death, but with so many children one of them may have been the reason.  That was her last husband as one of the Fields children, Elizabeth Fields Harris inherited a piece of the Dawson Creek Property after "the death of Rachel Lynch..." dated Sept 13, 1814.   Kent County Deed Book Q, Vol 2, page 234,

I have a copy of a remarkable will that gives relationships of those named, including most of Jacob Jones hiers. Be aware that in Cecil County most land, called Patents were given names.  From Cecil Ct. Will Book EE-5, page 277 the will of John Currer is dated June 28, 1792.  In his will be makes bequests to:
    "niece Martha Greenwood, wife of Joseph Greenwood in Kent County some pounds" I can't read the amount,
    "to niece Millicent Holiday of Duck Creek my four volumes of John Wesley Sermons" Duck Creek is in Kent County Delaware,  This sermon book was very important in the story.
    "to Jacob Jones the whole track of land where I now live called Hukill's Purchase"   I believe this is our Jacob's son born 1760.
    "to Enoch Jones  brother to Jacob Jones and his wife.....give Currier Addition"  30 odd acres
    he directed that Currier's Lot be sold for debt and then
    "I give and bequeat unto Jacob Jones the remainder of my personal property...including Harry Meadows containing 230 odd acres.The meadows next to the river below the big road that leads from the head of North East to Elk Ferry."
    "the rest to be sold and the income to be divided between John Jones brother to Jacob"
        "and Samuel of Enoch Jones"   I think Samuel is Enoch's son, but if so, what happened to our Jacob's son Samuel
        "and James Jones"

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 Duck Creek Delaware had the name of the town changed in the 19th century to Smyrna.   Milliscent Jones married a Holliday.  We found a Robert Holliday who was a prominent citizen of Duck Creek at that time.  In fact the Smyrna Museum is located in the Barracks.  It is a substantial brick 3 story house built by Robert Holliday in late 18th century.  There was an Enoch Jones in Duck Creek, but he was older, married to Lydia with 5 children in 1790.  I do not believe this was the youngest son of Jacob.  However, the name and place implies a relationship. unknown at this time.

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Doc; gxjon020
Date created: 3/15/2009
Date updated 9/12/2014
Date updated 2/5/2022
Date edited 11/7/2024