Ted and Mae (Lemmon) Jones

JONES, LEMMON, WRIGHT, BARRATT, RUTHERFORD, JENSEN

Posted By: Jennifer J. Jensen (email)
Date: 5/9/2004 at 12:22:36

Ted and Mae (Lemmon) Jones

Ted Jones, son of an Iowa Civil War veteran, was born near Guthrie Center, Iowa, on December 21, 1894. He was the son of Henry and Anna (Segrist) Jones. The Jones family moved to Guthrie Center from Shellsburg, Iowa, in 1872. Ted lived the first years of his life on the Guthrie County Farm where his father was superintendent.

Henry Jones was born in Peoria County, Illinois, on May 7, 1844. He was the son of Elias and Jane Hootman Jones. After arriving in Iowa in 1862, he enlisted with Company A of the 28th Iowa Infantry, and on October 10, 1862, went into service for his country. Henry saw three years of the Civil War’s horrors and hardships, and was mustered out in March, 1865, at Savannah, Georgia.

Anna Carolyn Segrist came to America from her native Switzerland in 1852. The Joneses were married on April 4th, 1866, in Benton County, Iowa. Eight children were born to the Joneses including James H., Marion, May, Fred, Byrd, and Ted. Elmer, a son five years old, and Nettie, a daughter fourteen, preceded their parents in death. The Joneses are buried in Union Cemetery in Guthrie Center, Iowa.

Ted did chores each morning and then rode a horse from the County Farm to attend school in Guthrie Center. He was baptized and confirmed in the Presbyterian Church. As a young man, he moved to Montana to work on a ranch and herd sheep. He served as a corporal in the U.S. Army in France during World War I. During his tour of duty there, he was poisoned by mustard gas.

On December 27, 1916, Ted married Mae Lemmon at Roundup, Montana.

Margaret Mae Lemmon, daughter of George H. and Sarah (Wright) Lemmon, was born in a sod house on October 18, 1893, at Cozad, Nebraska. At age four, she moved with her parents to Iowa, living first near Audubon and later at Guthrie Center. As a young woman, she homesteaded in Musselshell County, Montana. She was baptized in the Baptist faith in 1937. SEE ALSO: George H. and Sarah (Wright) Lemmon

Mae’s family can be traced to the 1750’s in Ireland and includes numerous Revolutionary War veterans from Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Her grandparents, Isaac W. and Eunice Lavina (Zion) Wright, were pioneer settlers east of Audubon. In 1878, the Wrights purchased the land from the railroad; Mae later raised her family there. SEE ALSO: Isaac W. and Eunice Lavina (Zion) Wright

Ted and Mae were the parents of six children: Floyd(May 11, 1918 -April 19, 2004); Bernice Barratt (Duane) of Irwin, Iowa (November 19, 1920); Boyd (Ina McCoy) of Pendleton, Oregon (May 13, 1922); Fauntella Rutherford (Donald) of Elgin, Oregon (May 31, 1927); and Audrey Jensen (Leo C.) also of the Friendship Home (February 9,1929). Another daughter, Doris Bonnalyn, died of diphtheria, in 1927 at age two and a half. She was born June 7, 1924, and is buried in City Cemetery in Roundup, Montana.

Both Floyd and Boyd served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Floyd was drafted in July, 1942, and was a private first class in the 95th Division. He went through basic training at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, then served as an ammunitions handler in Northern France, the Rhineland, and Central Europe.

Boyd was drafted in 1945 and served stateside from 1945 – 1946.

The Jones family lived in Montana until 1930 when they moved to Audubon where they farmed for 36 years. After returning from World War II in 1945, Floyd farmed with his father until the family moved to Audubon in 1966.

Ted and Mae celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at their new home in 1966. After Mae’s death on January 26, 1968, Ted continued to make his home with his son, Floyd, until Ted’s death on April 20, 1985.

Ted was a member of the Audubon Christian Church, American Legion and the World War I Barracks. He enjoyed attending the Guthrie County Fair and the Pendleton Roundup in Pendleton, Oregon, each year. In 1978, Ted accepted the Century Farm Award for his family at the Audubon County Fair.

The Joneses are buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.