Submitted by Descendants: Jeffords Donalson Jr., Laura Ruth Jones, and Mary Hannah MILLER
Aretus W. Jones was born in Alabama about 1827. Prior to 1850 he moved with other family members to the Madison County area of Florida. This area where he settled would be cut out to form Lafayette County in 1856.
He was a young farmer. He and his wife, Mary Bush, had a growing family. Aretus and Mary had five children here.
In 1859 William K. Jones, a brother of Aretus Jones, had a sad task. William K. Jones as Ass’t Marshal would be the enumerator for the 1860 Lafayette County Mortality Table. Here he listed the death of A.W. (Aretus W.) Jones who died October 6, 1859 from brain fever. A.W. Jones is listed as a married man age 32. His place of birth is listed as Alabama.
On the 1860 Lafayette County census Aretus Jones is not found, but his wife and family are. Here his brother William K. Jones is the census enumerator and his lists Mary (Bush) Jones as Farmer age 33. The children living in the household are: Zachariah age 11, Zilphia J., Lawrence S. age 8, Maryann age 6, and Arial Travis age 5.
Aretus W. Jones’ life was cut short when he became ill and died at age 32. In he pioneering days of Lafayette County his wife and children would continue to make it their home. Hi son, Zachariah Jones, would become the Lafayette County School Superintendent in 1877. Most of his children were farmers. Aretus W. Jones, like many other pioneers who lived in remote area, died at a young age, but their contributions are very real and paved the way for others.
Aretus W. Jones was first submitted as a Florida Pioneer in 2003