JONES INFORMATION
In my research for information on my Jones heritage I have come up against some very hard brick walls. The story that we were told when we were growing up is that our grandfather Lewis Jones came from Canada, was a Matawa indian and that when he crossed the border he picked up the last name of Jones. In the research that I have been able to accomplish I have found that this may not be true for Lewis, but for his father James Jones. I have found that my grandfather Lewis was married two times and that his first marriage was in New Hampshire where he was born. On his marriage record to his first wife his father is listed as James Jones and his mother was Sarah Bunker, also from New Hampshire. On the marriage record to my grandmother Ellen Matava it is listed that his father is James Jones and his mother as Susan Bunker. As of now I have not been able to locate any birth records for either James or Sarah/ Susan, but I am not giving up.
The information that I have been able to gather on my grandfather Lewis is that he was a Surveyor, either land or lumber. He lost one arm at a lumber mill, and that he became involved in gambling and drinking. Again this is based on family lore and I have not been able to verify it, other than the fact that he was a surveyor.
Our grandmother did not agree with Lewis's life style and left him going to Vermont and raising their three children by herself. There is no information on Lewis after Grandma leaving him.
I have spoken to an Indian woman who lives close to me and she states that there is an Indian tribe by the name of Matawa and that the indian elders changed the name so that others could not trace their history. She stated that it is possible that our ancestor could of come across the Canadian-American border with the trappers and blended in with the local people. This was common in the states of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
MATAVA INFORMATION
My father's mother was Ellen Matava, whom I believe was a very strong willed woman. She left her husband with two small children and one due in a matter of weeks. She did not agree with what my grandfather was involved in and chose to raise her children on her own. She was one of seven children born to Isaac & Ellen Woodhouse Matava. I have been very fortunate in the last month of being able to locate some of my Matava cousins and gather more information on this line. Isaac Matava was the son of Charles Matava and Jeanette Legay, both from Canada, and here is where my brickwall hits again. I do not know where in Canada they were, whether Charles came with Jeannete or if she stayed in Canada. We are also told that the spelling of the name Matava was changed when Charles came to Vermont, but have not found the correct spelling , yet.
So now I am off to search more....................................... |
