Sarah Ellen (Smith) JONES

SMITH, JONES, BROCK

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 3/23/2011 at 11:16:57

July 10, 1852 --- February 21, 1947

Sarah Ellen Smith was born July 10, 1852, near Serena, Ill. She died February 21, 1947, being 94 years, 7 months and 11 days old. She traced her ancestry back to the Mayflower. She was of a family of eight children, all of whom have preceded her. She spent her childhood and grew to womanhood in the state of Illinois. Her father owned and operated a sawmill on Indian creek. She and a sister and one of her brothers carried lunch each day to the mill. One day during a heavy rain three Indian braves came into the mill and took out their hunting knives and scraped the water from their deer skin clothing. She was so frightened she never forgot it. Mrs. Jones recalled helping her mother fill candle molds with tallow for their lights, making lye of wood ashes to use for soap making, watching her mother spin yarn, cure all their own meat and smoke it for the family use. She remembered very well when the young men went to enlist in the Civil war. Her oldest brother left home with a team and wagon for the California gold fields, but never got there. Later he came back without team, wagon and gold. Her mother died when she was 16 years of age. She kept house for her father and took care of her two younger sisters and two brothers.

She was married to William T. Jones at Ottawa, Ill., October 11, 1873. To this union were born seven children, three of whom have preceded her in death. They were William, Nettie B. and Sadie L. In the spring of 1881 they came with three children to Iowa and made their home in Woolstock. Mr. Jones had come to Iowa in the fall of 1880 and built a hardware store with living rooms in the back of the buildings. He opened the first hardware and implement store in Woolstock. This business is still the Jones Hardware and Implement, now operated under the name of George L. Jones & Son. In October, 1909, the first buildings and store stock burned and were later rebuilt.

She was a real pioneer and could relate many events of the early days in Iowa. At first the mail came to the hardware store and when the roads and country were snowbound some letters remained six weeks before being called for. She served coffee and food to people who came in to trade. Mrs. Jones was a charter member of the Methodist church. She taught Sunday school classes in the depot, the old creamery and the first town hall. Then when the church was built in 1890 she carried on for many more years as a teacher. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and a charter member of the Rebekah lodge. She belonged to the W.R.C., Eagle Grove chapter, and W.S.C.S. of the Methodist church of Woolstock. The second world war was hard for Mrs. Jones in her advanced years with her three grandsons and one grandson by marriage being in the service. She wrote to all of them and was very grateful that they all returned. In her life span she had seen four wars.

Mrs. Jones and her husband celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Oct. 11, 1923. Mrs. Jones was a friend to everyone and will be missed by her neighbors. She leaves to mourn her passing, three sons: R. R. Jones of Goldfield, George and Fred of Woolstock, and one daughter, Mrs. Ed Brock of Jewell. Eight grandchildren: Richard and Roger Brock and Mrs. F. Gaylord Jones of Woolstock; Miss Frances and Victor Brock of Des Moines, and E. Dale Jones of El Monte, Calif. Also eight great grandchildren: Sherry, Dean and Gloria Block, and Kathryn Ann Jones of Woolstock; Don and Dal Jones of Des Moines; Janet and Susan Jones of El Monte, Calif. She also has many nieces and nephews and other relatives in this vicinity and in Illinois. Mrs. Jones was laid to rest in the family lot beside her husband in the Woolstock cemetery. The Rev. Zabelkia of the Methodist church officiated at the services, and Miss Betty Donaldson was soloist. Her grandsons and Max Smith were bearers.