William Reece Jones was born June 6, 1856 in Keg Creek Township, Mills County, Iowa, to Hugh and Hannah (Hughes) Jones, both born in Wales. He obtained schooling in Mills County and finished at the Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa. He came to Buffalo County in the spring of 1882. He lived in a dugout in NW 1/4 Sec. 14 in Sartoria Township spending his summer there and the winter in Iowa teaching. He then moved to Nebraska full time and taught school in Buffalo county.
He was married August 29, 1884 to Frances E. Wright. She was the daughter of Hannah Stone Wright and step-daughter of Robert A. Holmes, who owned land in Sections 1 and 12 of Sartoria Township. She and her son died October 2, 1885, and are buried in Pleasant Valley. Mr. Jones returned to Iowa that winter to teach.
He married Henrietta Jane "Jennie" McCurry on September 25, 1886. Jennie was the only daughter of Frank & Mary (Brown) McCurry, who lived in Section 2. Before her marriage Jennie taught school. After her marriage Jennie substitute taught and was also on the Sartoria school board. W.R. and Jennie were the parents of 7 daughters.
On December 10, 1889 Mr. Jones received Homestead Certificate No. 7399 for the NW 1/4 of Section 24, and on June 30, 1892 received Timber-Culture Certificate No. 711 for the NE 1/4 of Section 24. In the early years the family lived in a sod house near the road that had been built by Job Ward. There the two eldest girls, Pearl and Carrie were born. By the time Mary was born in 1890 Mr. Jones had built a house up on the hill further east of the road. In that house were also born Mabel, Ruth, Alice and Thelma.
He was active in local affairs. He served as Assessor for the township, as well as Town Clerk, and was on the board for School District 73, also serving as the first teacher there in 1883 in the original sod building. He also taught at Sunny Side Dist. 45 and Prairie Bell Dist. 85. He ran for County Clerk in 1893, but was not elected. In 1900 he was Census Enumerator for Harrison and Sartoria Townships. In 1912 he was elected County Supervisor for the 3rd District. He was a member of A.O.U.W.
His daughter, Ruth, died at home at age 16 on December 29, 1914 of Bright's Disease and was buried in Pleasant Valley.
In 1917 Mr. Jones retired from active farming and went into partnership with his son-in-law, Clarence Wing. That June Mr. and Mrs. Jones, with daughters Alice and Thelma, moved to Greeley, Colorado to join daughter Mabel. In 1920 Clarence and Mary Wing moved to their own place in Loup Township and Mr. Jones went into partnership with son-in-law Lester Shafto.
In 1918 Mr. Jones bought a large house in Greeley, which the family ran as a boarding house for college students until 1943. Mr. Jones also worked as a bookkeeper for Twist Transfer and Storage and night bookkeeper for Great Western Sugar.
Mr. Jones died at home in Greeley, Colorado on January 5, 1935. He was survived by his daughters, Pearl Shafto of Sartoria, Carrie Harse of Harrison Township, Mary Wing of Loup Township, Mabel and Alice Jones of Greeley, Colorado, and Thelma Hay of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. Pallbearers were 6 of his grandsons: Leon, Reese, & Wayne Shafto and Ray, Ross & Dean Wing.
Submitted by Glenn W. Hay
Buffalo County NEGenWeb Project