Thomas Verna Jones, or most popularly known as
Sonny, was born in Madisonville across from the First Methodist Church. Sonny
was raised on his grandfathers (Willie Verna Jones) farm until he joined the
U.S. Army. As a boy, Sonny carried out many daily chores that took up most
of his free time. In this free time he would hunt, fish, trap, and just pull
the normal childish stunts. One time, Sonny and his friends sneaked out with
a bottle of Garrett Snuff. They went back into the woods, climbed up a tree
and began to take dips. It was not too long until they all became dizzy and
sick. They were so sick that they could not get out of the tree. On the Willie
Verna Jones' farm were several domestic beehives. One time Willie noticed
a swarm of bees that nested in the hollow of a tree. Sonny was told to gather
honey occasionally from the hive. On one of his trips up the tree, he made
the bees angry. The bees swarmed over and went up his pants legs, stinging
him all over. Excitedly he ran home tripping along the way as he tried to
shed his pants off. During Sonny's school days, he also got into little skirmishes
with fellow schoolmates and sometimes ran into trouble with the principal
on more than one occasion. One incident happened while shooting "craps"
in the boy's restroom. Both the principal and the dean walked in the restroom
while Sonny and two friends were shooting craps. The boys had a choice of
shooting the dice to reduce the punishment or fourteen licks with a razor
strap. Sonny took his chance with the dice and received only seven licks.
The next boy was less fortunate and received nine. The last boy crapped out
and had to take all fourteen. One day he took a snake to school and put it
in the teachers desk. The incident gave Sonny school-wide acclaim and earned
him the nickname, "Snake".
Sonny did not speak much of the Korean War. He was enlisted as an X-Ray Technician performing duties aboard med-evac flights and M*A*S*H units. One story he did tell was that during one of these flights, he was performing an I.V. (intravenous) on a patient as North Korean ground troops were firing upon them. As a mortar round penetrated the fuselage of the plane, he ducked. Upon returning to his patient, he found himself holding onto the remaining limb of his patient. This is probably one of the less gruesome events he experienced and the reason why many were never privy to his stories.
After he was discharged from the military, he was employed by the Madisonville Meteor Newspaper which was then owned by Mr. Crosley. He was a typsetter and created the design for the obituary notices which are displayed on local establishment windows, still in use today. His employment ended in 1955 when he was involved in a major automobile accident at Cottonwood, Texas. The accident left him partially disabled and taking 18 months to recover. He continued his career as an X-Ray Technician in Houston, Conroe, and Madisonville, Texas. He was diagnosed with Cancer in the late 70's and subsequently died from his affliction on January 17, 1981.
Adell (Rogers) Phillips was born in the Connor Community of Madison County,
Texas. Adell was one of nine siblings born to Moore Columbus Rogers and Ellie
Rebecca (Becca) Griffin. Living largely around Madison and Grimes Counties
her whole life, she settled with her husband, Willias "Alfred" Phillips
at the extreme north end of Grimes County in 1945. During her life, she was
an owner of a service station and several resturants, employment at Imperial
Surgar Company in Sugarland, Texas, the Coral Cafe in Madisonville, Texas,
and maintained the small farm with her husband. Weekends were filled when
family and friends would visit and play 42 (Domino's) into the early hours
of the morning. During the last few years of her life, she resided at the
Madisonville Nursing Home were she was still surrounded with people she knew
all her life. She was the last of her siblings to leave this earth.
Willias Alfred Phillips was born in Williamson County, Texas.
He was one of two siblings born to Euen Austin Phillips and Minnie Irene Smith.
Alfred's family settled around Bastrop, Lexington, & Elgin in the early
1800's. His ancestors were among the first settlers and Texas Rangers that
tamed the Texas frontier. During his adolescence, he rode miles to school
with his brother Houghton, on the back of a mule. Alfred moved with some of
his family to Grimes County, Texas in the early 1900's. He settled down with
his wife, Gladys "Adell" Rogers at the extreme north end of Grimes
County in 1945. He had many different jobs during his life as owner of a service
station and several restaurants, Roosevelt's WPA, dump truck driver, carpenter,
farmer, and tended cattle for local ranchers. Alfred was old school, and did
not desire indoor plumbing holding off until the bitter end. He always preferred
to draw his water from the cistern and take his evening constitutionals. Towards
the end of his life, he told friends and family he lived a full life and had
did everything he wanted and seen everything there was he wanted to see. During
the last few years of his life he became afflicted with Senile Dementia, and
resided at the Madisonville Nursing Home until his death.
Amanda was stillborn at full term in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire,
England. Cause of death was Eclampsia. Daughter of Ken & Paula Jones.
Baby Rhea was lost during the last trimester of pregnancy.
Child of Myrle Carlton Rhea and Cindy Ann Jones.