William Whitson Jones

Type Value
Name William Whitson Jones
Born 1871 Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales
Gender M
Died
Buried
Type Value
Father John Jones b. (1833, Ynysnedd Farm, Neath, Wales, United Kingdom) d. (1911)
Mother Margaret Jones b. (1841, Bryncaws, Neath, Wales) d. (1905)
Type Value
Family Clara Paddison b. (1870-03-12, Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales) d. (1966-10-18, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California)
Children 2 John William Jones b. (c. 1900, Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales) d. (1988-10-25, Orange, Orange County, California)
1 Margaretta House Jones b. (1900, Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales)

Photos

Type Value
William Whitson Jones - Biography

William Whitson Jones - Biography
Also, see letter written by William Whitson Jones daughter, Margarette, to her aunts, Mable and Maud
William Whitson Jones
William Whitson Jones
circa 1895
Margaret Van Matre née Jones Letter
Letter about William Whitson Jones and other information
April 1947 1947-04

Notes

1 NOTE John Jones went to Africa without his family. He had to leave the US due to a lawsuit with the US Gov. post office.

On the 1908 ships manifest, John and Clara Jones listed uncle, Mr. J. Paddison, Norwalk, Los Angeles, CA as their destination. This would have been John Paddison, b. 1848. John was Edward Paddison’s father.

First Name: William Last Name: Jones Ethnicity: England, Welsh Last Place of Residence: London, England Date of Arrival: Oct 08, 1908 Age at Arrival: 35y Gender: M Marital Status: M Ship of Travel: Majestic (1890) Port of Departure: Southampton Manifest Line Number: 0002

WILLIAM WHITSON

William was trained as a carpenter and built the roofs of Cyd Terrace, Clyne. His wander lust started in 1895 when he went to South Africa and worked in the building trade whilst resident in Johannesburg. He stayed there for four years and on returning to Britain married Clara Paddison, a cousin of the Tynyrheol Paddisons. Clara was a granddaughter of George Paddison who had farmed at Blaen Baglan, Port Talbot and, at the time of her marriage in May 1899, she was living at Harold Villa, 7 Stone Road, Forest Gate, London. Her father, William had moved to DeKalb County, Illinois in 1870 when Clara was one year old but they returned to England about ten years later.

William went into partnership with his father-in-law who was a corn merchant at Upton Park, Essex.

By 1908 he had tired of this and “decided he would like to lead an open air life”. He left the country with his wife and two children and emigrated to California where he took over a cattle ranch. He must have returned to Wales on a holiday sometime before the war as his daughter, Margaret, born in 1900, could remember the visit.

From 1913 onwards very little was heard from William. He seems to have squandered his money and travelled a great deal.

In October 1919 a letter arrived at Ynysnedd addressed from the Visitors Waiting Room, American Express Company, London. William was evidently in Britain and he expressed a wish to return to America. He asked his kin to pay his way. In spite of the shock of hearing from him after such a long interval his brother, Jenkin, went to London but failed to find him. William wrote again and this time money was forwarded for his passage. This was the last that was heard of him.

In 1921 Clara obtained a divorce in California, based on his absence for more than seven years.

When his brothers Ivor and Jenkin died in 1936 he was a beneficiary and an effort was made to trace him by placing a notice in the “News of the World” and other newspapers but there was no response:

“ JONES – William Whitson Jones (builder), aged 66, son of the late John Jones and Margaret Jones, of Ynisnedd, Clyne, near Neath, Glamorganshire, last heard of in London in 1919, formerly resident in Los Angeles, California, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Will any person able to furnish information as to whereabouts please communicate with Messrs. L.C.Thomas, Son and Morris, solicitors and notaries public, No. 42 Queen Street, Neath, Glamorgan. “