Who Were They?

Recently, site reader Ray Jackson shared this photo with us and our good friend Iggy and I found that there were two Horace Joneses living in Arcade NY, both born in 1840, both serving in the Civil War, both with mothers named Sophrona/Sophronia. It was quite a mystery and I contacted the Arcade Historical Society to see if they knew anything more. Well, just today we heard back from the AHS with some more information about *this* Horace Jones.

I am with the Arcade Historical Society and have been in contact with a descendant of the Horace W. B. Jones in this photograph. I published this “mystery” in our newsletter and a descendant, one of our members, contacted me with her side of the story. She is not online, so I am conveying what I learned.This descendant can verify this is Milan’s and Sophronia’s son as she has several photographs of this, her great Uncle Horace. This Horace and his father both served in the Civil War and both were wounded in the knee at different battles. Milan was wounded July 3rd @ Gettysburg and sent to a York, PA hospital. He finished his war service working in hospitals. Horace did not like that his father joined the service. He felt he should have stayed home to mind the family. Horace’s buddy, Carleton Whitney, died in the Civil War and so Horace married his widow, Elizabeth Whitney, when he came home. Elizabeth’s grave is between Horace and Carlton at the Arcade Rural Cemetary. This family member can also confirm there was another Horace, son of Levi, with a mother Sophronia, but this family was no direct relation to her line of Jones.

I couldn’t be more delighted to have a firm identification of Ray’s photograph and clarification on the Horace Jones lineage as well.

For all the original details we uncovered, click over to the original post linked above, and you will see why we were so very confused!

UPDATE: Ray Jackson was doing some additional research about Carleton Whitney and found the following in the military reports: “Whitney, Carlton. – Age, 37 years. Enlisted, December 3, 1861, at Eagle, to serve three years; mustered in as a private, Co. G, December 11, 1861; died, April 9, 1862, at Buffalo, N.Y; supposed to have been murdered; body found in the canal, the head severed from the body.” If that’s not an O. M. G. I don’t know quite how to describe it! Click over to the original post for more in the comments.