Our Family's Journey Through Time
David LeRoy Jones, Jr. married Elverda Emma Phillips, daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Emma Carolina Hutt Phillips. David and
Elverda
(Verda) were married March 4, 1919 at the Hope Methodist Church, Streator, Illinois.
They lived for a while in Oglesby, Illinois before moving to Irvington, Iowa. He helped his Father and Brother, Joe with tiling. David LeRoy, Jr. was a farmer, tiler, carpenter, brick layer and factory worker in his lifetime.
Three of their ten children were born here: Vivian Marie, February 26, 1920, Dolores Irene, January 29, 1922, and Thomas David, September 24, 1924. Thomas was stillborn.
From Iowa, they moved back to Deer Park, Illinois to a farm called Matheson South Milk Farm, and then moved to Greer's Place in Morris, Illinois. A daughter, Betty Lou was born May 17, 1926. We lived there two years.
I remember two big houses at Greers and a Delco plant furnished lights. Our house had an open cistern in the basement, with the stairs running beside it. I hated it! Mr. Greer also raised and showed Belgian horses.
A move to Oglesby, Illinois produced Rollan LeRoy, born February 29, 1928, A Leap Year Baby. We lived about two blocks from the cement factory. The houses are still there. Dad (David) worked in a brick factory in Lowell, Illinois. I remember Betty Lou drank ammonia from a bottle Mother was using to clean a stove. We came close to losing Betty. I also remember going to school below a hill and wearing long underwear that left large knobs by your ankle when folded over. Mother made triangle donuts and sold them around the area. We would walk up a long hill that was Oglesby main street, and buying Anice flavored cookies. We lived here eleven months.
After leaving the brick factory, David worked at a gas station, moving to Chin's place formerly called "the Green Fly". It was out in the country on Highway 23. We went to school there, occasionally walking 2 to 3 miles one way.
After four months, we moved to LaSalle, Illinois opening a store featuring candy, pencils and so forth. We lived a block from school and I remember our first indoor toilet with swinging doors such as a saloon would have.
Our next move was to Tonica, Illinois. David was working at Klagg's Chicken farm. We moved to a house not far from Harold Parry's parents. A son, Donald Dean, was born on November 16, 1930. I learned to "cuss" here and also to have my first operatic solo in a school production - big of course.
From Tonica, we moved to Lostant, Illinois where Dad (David) was employed at Lohr's Greenhouse. Actually we lived between Tonica and Lostant, Illinois. I graduated from Eight grade in Tonica: with honors, I might add.
A son, Robert Royal, was born July 12, 1933 at LaSalle, Illinois Hospital. Robert died November 11, 1967 and is interred in Hill Cemetery, Paw Paw, Michigan, with Mother and Dad. He had a brain tumor.
We journeyed on to Long Point, Illinois, then to Custis place at Long Point which was an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of the field. And then on to Schlaugeter's farm. David was a hired man for two years. A daughter, Nancy Lenore, was born February 24, 1936 in Streator, Illinois. She died eleven months later from Spinal Meningitis January 18, 1937. She was buried in Hillcrest Cemetery, Streator, Illinois.
I graduated from high School, Long Point, Illinois, fifth in my class.
We lived there two years and then moved on to Reading, Illinois where the house burned down. We moved to a small house near Streator, Illinois, then back to Long Point, Hayes's place where Elverda Ann was born July 29, 1938.
On to Morris, Illinois for ten days then back to Long Point, Illinois to Minard's house. A son, David Phillip, was born October 3, 1941.
David (Dad) worked at Sanderson and Porter, a munitions plant under construction as World War II was just beginning. He continued working at Sanderson and Porter after our move to Gardner, Illinois.
The next move was to Morris, Illinois along the Illinois River, called the Bottoms, which flooded several times. So we moved to a small communmity called Jugtown.
Dolores and I started working at Sanderson and Porter, Dolores on the line and me in the personnel office. At this stage of my life, I moved into Morris, Illinois to a furnished room.
Mom and Dad (David and Elverda) decided to purchase 25 acres at Lawrence, Michigan and with monetary help from Dolores and I, they were able to do it. They raised strawberries and vegetables and Dad was employed at Welches Grape Juice Plant, Lawton, Michigan.
They lived in Lawrence 15 years before moving to Paw Paw, Michigan where Dad continued working at Welches until his retirement in 1957.
It was here Robert Royal passed away on November 11, 1967, after a long illness. He had surgery at Ann Arbor, Michigan for his brain tumor, but never fully recovered. He worked at Kozy Koach, in Kalamazoo, Michigan for over a year, until his health failed.
David (Dad) was the first in the family to have a pacemaker. He suffered several heart attacks and a stroke before his death on November 6, 1980 at Belding, Michigan hospital.
Elverda (Mother) lost the sight of her right eye due to glaucoma, and suffered three strokes, the fatal one on February 22, 1986. She lived in Belding, Michaigan after Dad's death and then with several of the children, dying at Elverda Ann's home in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She was never happy with any arrangements after leaving Paw Paw, Michigan.
They are both buried in the Hill Cementery, Paw Paw, Michigan with Robert Royal.
My father was not a big man at 5'6", good looking, a moral person, had a great sense of humor with many witty sayings. He enjoyed people, loved his family and wife. He lived to be 85 years old after a hard life of physical labor, starting before he was ten, driving horses for John Sage.
He enjoyed playing euchre with the family, making it the highlight of any family gathering.
Mother was a pretty person with many talents but very independent. She was a beautiful seamstress, crocheter, and has decorated many beautiful eggs. She was an Aftican Violet enthusiast as well as many other plants. She played the piano well in her younger years. She loved traveling and visitng friends and relatives. She lived in Belding, Michigan after selling their home in Paw Paw, after dad's death.
They celebrated 63 years of married life, the 50th Anniversary held in the Paw Paw legion hall and the 60th at the Conservation Club in Paw Paw also.
March 4, 1919 - Maried at the ages of 24 years (David) and 18 years (Elverda), in the Methodist Church in Streator, Illinois. Reverand M.C. Baker officiated and the ceremony was witnessed by William and Emily Guy.
The honeymoon was spent at Emily Guy's house where the happy couple spent the next two weeks.
The following is a list of the places and event in the Jones's sixty years of marriage as told by David and Elverda Jones.
by Vivian Marie Jones Hutchins; Rewritten and slightly edited by her neice Cheryl Jones Cash.
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