Submitted by Descendants: Jeffords Donalson Jr., Laura Ruth Jones, and Mary Hannah MILLER
Arial Travis Jones was born October 13, 1854 in an area then known as Madison County, Florida. This area would soon become Lafayette County in 1856. His father and grandfather came from Alabama to this part of Florida before 1850.
Tragedy would soon come to this pioneer family. Arial Travis’ father, Aretus W. Jones, died when Arial Travis was about 5 years old. His father contracted “brain fever” and died after 8 days of illness. His mother, Mary Bush Jones now had five children to support. Mary Jones is listed as a Farmer on the 1860 census. His older brother, Zachariah Jones, would join the Florida Cow Cavalry as a teenager during the Civil War. He would rejoin his family after the war and help with the farming.
Arial Travis Jones married Lucinda Matilda Hutchinson on February 23, 1879. Their license was issued from New Troy in Lafayette County. On the 1885 State census for Lafayette County A.T. (Arial Travis) Jones age 30 is listed as a farmer. With him is listed wife, Matilda, and children. The next listing shows his mother, Mary Jones age 57. On the 1990 census the A.T. Jones family is still living in Lafayette County.
Arial Travis Jones would move his family across the Suwannee River to Branford, Florida to become a merchant of a General Store named A.T. JONES AND SONS. Here Arial Travis Jones died on January 10, 1925 not very far from the place of his birth across the Suwannee River in Lafayette County.
Arial Travis Jones was first submitted as a Florida Pioneer in 2003