Mary JONES, 2nd daughter of Ebenezer, is reported to have been born December 14 1799 at the Forks of the Yadkin in Rowan County, North Carolina. Married 1st to a Dave ELLIS and having two children, moving to Indiana, 2nd marriage to John ALLISON, having six children.

A December 27, 1895, newspaper clipping states:405

A SURPRISE PARTY

A very pleasant surprise occurred Saturday, Dec. 14, at the residence of Squire Wilson, southwest of this city, the occasion of which was the birthday of Mrs. Allison, a very highly respected old lady who makes her home with Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Wilson being her youngest daughter. Mother Allison was born in Gliford county, North Carolina, 1799, which places her at the remarkable age of 96 years. She was a member of a family of eighteen children, most of whom lived to a ripe age.

Her father, Ebenezer Jones, moved west with his family and settled in Indiana in 1811, and there with his family endured a pioneer life. He [---,unreadable] been converted when a boy and became a preacher in the M.E. Church. He lived to see his hundreth year.

Mother Allison really enjoys life in her old age and the family with whom she lives delight in making her comfortable and happy. She has a remarkable memory, strong voice, and walks about without even a cane. She said, "when we located in Indiana we had no house, but built a bark shanty and lived in it till we got our house built, and that had neither floor nor chimney, but we were happy and never worried about anything to eat or wear. Somethimes we had to go to the block house and live there awhile on account of the Indians. One brother was killed by the Indians in the skirmish of Tippecanoe."

"I joined the Methodist church in 1820 and I have never been sorry. My religious experience has helped me through many difficulties in life. I have been a member ever since I joined and expect to be as long as I live. I remember very distinctly of hearing Lorenzo Dow and Bishop Roberts preach. Those were blessed days."

Mrs. Allison is the mother of 12 children 9 of whom lived to be grown, three girls and one son are still living. It is a benediction to talk with this aged lady of Israel. That she is highly appreciate by her neighbors was clearly manifest by their presence and kind regards. A very fine dinner was prepared which was greatly enjoyed by young and old, after which the time was spent to the delight of all present in song, prayer, scripture reading and the relating of experience, truly a day highly enjoyed by all present. As the friends separated they expressed a desire to return a year hence, and hoped Grandma would be permitted to enjoy her good health much longer and thus prove to be a still greater blessing to the community. It was really good to to there. A Guest.

Mary Jones is a genealogical problem. Her name appears in the Jones family list carried down through Hullum Jones. She is listed there as the 10th child, b 14 Dec 1799, married to "? Allison." However, her name does not appear in the Hardy Jones bible.392 In that list, Nancy Jones Allison is listed as the 9th child, b 14 Dec 1799. Mary Jones also does not appear in the transcript of the Ebenezer Jones bible copied by Marie W. McCormick. That list does list 15 children, with Nancy Jones, b 16 ___ 1800 as the 11th child, and Poicy Jones, b 14 Dec 1799, as the 10th child. [Note added 9 June 2015 by CHH. This is probably a simple matter that “Poicy” was really a misreading of “Polly”, which was a common nickname for girls named Mary.]

However, she does appear in the Pleasant L. Jones Family Bible with the birth date 12-6-1799. In this source, she is said to have been married to John Allison and her date of death is said to be unknown.367