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Page content last modified: November 27, 2009, updated Julia's date of birth.
June 11, 2009, revised text regarding Julia's death.
May 15, 2005, added information on Gilbert and Julia's first child.
April 11, 2005, added marriage license.

HANCOCK  COUNTY, ILLINOIS
FAMILIES         NEWS         MEMORABILIA

 

JULIA ETTA MORT 1864-1897
JOSEPH GILBERT JONES 1867-1957

 

Thanks to Loretta Maxwell, great-granddaughter of Joseph Gilbert Jones and Julia Etta Mort, for this wonderful portrait and for making it possible to further trace this branch of the family.

A cabinet card photograph of Gilbert and Julia. FOR DISPLAY ON THIS WEBSITE ONLY.
Julia Etta Mort was born in Hancock County, Illinois, on January 15, 1864.  She was the daughter of Jacob B. and Jane Oakman Mort.

Julia was a youngster when the family moved to Chautauqua County, Kansas, and was in her teens when they returned to Illinois.

Julia married Joseph Gilbert Jones on April 21, 1889, in Monroe County, Iowa.
Marriage license

This portrait was probably taken at the time of their marriage.  Click on the image to view an enlargement.

The big piece missing from this particular puzzle is: how and when did they happen to meet?

Known as Gilbert, he was born May 30, 1867, in Iowa, probably in Urbana Township, Monroe County.  He was the 9th of 10 children born to Charles Leonard Jones, born in Kentucky, and Martha Ann Bullington, born in Illinois (perhaps McDonough County).

An outline map of counties in the southeast corner of Iowa, illustrating the location of Monroe and Muscatine Counties, and the proximity of Hancock County, Illinois.When the Morts returned from Kansas, we have surmised they immediately took up residence again near Joetta, in Hancock Township, Hancock County, Illinois, but we don't know that for a fact.  Julia's sister, Christiana Mort Pierce, and her family (also having left Kansas) were living in Muscatine County, Iowa, by 1900.  One of the Pierce daughters had married a man originally from Hancock County, Illinois, about 1892.  We're left in a haze regarding the precise locations and time frames of their movements.

Julia died March 5, 1897, and was buried in Eslinger Cemetery, Urbana Township, Monroe County.  When Gilbert's father died the following year, he was buried in the same cemetery, as was Martha Bullington Jones in 1925.

According to Loretta Maxwell, passed down through the family is the information that three children were born to Gilbert and Julia, but we have hard evidence of only two.  The first piece is the birth certificate of Valva Jones, who did not survive childhood, and the second is the birth certificate of Leonard Guy Jones.  Loretta advises this was a delayed birth registration made by Gilbert in 1941. Leonard was listed as the second child in birth order.

i. Valva M. Jones, born April 27, 1890, in Urbana Township, Monroe County, Iowa.  Her date of death and burial location are undetermined.
 
ii. Leonard Guy Jones, born July 11, 1891, in Iowa, probably Monroe County.  He died August 16, 1945, in Sheridan, Wyoming, and was buried there at Sheridan Municipal Cemetery.
 
iii. Tentative third child, born between 1892 and 1897.
 

It appears that Gilbert moved to Fountain Green Township in Hancock County, shortly after Julia died.  Perhaps one of Julia's surviving sisters or sisters-in-law offered to help Gilbert care for young Leonard, just over six years old.

The following year, on June 12, 1898, Gilbert married Florence Ardella George in Fountain Green Township.  They enjoyed many years of married life in Hancock County, then Wall Lake, Sac County, Iowa, and later, Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas.  Florence died in 1956; Gilbert died in 1957.  They were buried at Friendship Cemetery, McDonough County, Illinois.  Follow this link for additional information on Gilbert and Florence.

1870 Illinois Census, Hancock County, Fountain Green Township, page 127B
enumerated June 6, 1870, dwelling #137

Mort, Jacob, 52, male, white, farmer, value of personal estate 1000, born PA, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
[continued on next page]
Mort Jane, 45, female, white, keeping house, born PA, mother foreign born
John, 24, male, white, farm laborer, born PA, male citizen of the U.S. aged 21 or more
Bigler, 17, male, white, farm laborer, born PA
Charles, 15, male, white, born PA, attended school within the year
Oliver, 13, male, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Susan, 11, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Frances, 9, female, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Thomas, 7, male, white, born IL, attended school within the year
Julia, 5, female, white, born IL
Jennie, 3, female, white, born IL
Jacob, 10/12, male, white, born IL, born Aug

1880 Kansas Census, Chautauqua County, Jefferson Township, page 346D
enumerated June 3, 1880, dwelling #67
[immediately following the household of son-in-law William Pierce]

Mort, Jacob, white, male, 60, married, farmer, born PA, both parents born PA
Jane, white, female, 53, wife, married, keeping house, born PA, father born CT, mother born England
Julieta, white, female, 15, daughter, single, unoccupied, born IL, both parents born PA
Harriet, white, female, 12, daughter, single, attends school, attended school within the year, born IL, both parents born PA
Jacob F, white, male, 10, son, single, attends school, attended school within the year, born IL, both parents born PA

 

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