James Burell Jones better known as Jim Buck Jones is the first person from the left in this photo. Second is Banner Thomas, third is Martha Mizell Thomas Crews, wife of Hardy Crews and forth is Mary Elizabeth Thomas Crews who married Hamp Crews. Martha and Mary Elizabeth were sisters who married Crews brothers. Jim Buck Jones and Banner Thomas are their grandfathers.
Sketch of the life of James Burell Jones
(The sketch was transcribed 2 years after this picture was taken)
From The Files Of Folks Huxford
James Burell Jones was born in Wayne County, Georgia which is now called Brantley County, May 16, 1842. There I spent my boyhood days. My father owned two slaves and a good stock of cattle and hogs. We had a good range for our stock and there was plenty of wild game in the forest. We owned a small farm and raised most of our supplies. My job was mostly taking care of the stock.
It was about fifteen miles to the nearest store and we only went to town about twice a year.
My mother spun and weaved all of our clothes.
I was married September 9, 1858. I was sixteen years, three months and twenty four days of age, when we were married. My wife was from the sixteenth day of May until the eleventh day of June younger than I. We gave birth to our first child November 20th 1859. Our second son was born the night before I left to go to the war, July 30, 1861. I left July 31, 1861. We went to Lulaton and formed our company and elected our officers. Capt. J. C, Nickles was elected Captain and Harley Jones, my brother was elected first lieutenant. James knox, my wife's uncle was elected Second Lieutenant, John F. Highsmith, my wife's brother was elected third Lieutenant and I was elected sargent.
As there was no train on the Brunswick road we had to march to Brunswick the distance of 30 miles. Not being used to walking such a long distance we were pretty well worn out when we landed at Brunswick, there we joined in with twenty six (26th) Georgia Infantry and there we formed a regiment and Carry W. Stile was our Col. and William McDonald was our Lieutenant Col.
I had not been used to camp life and I was taken sick and was sent to the hospital. The Physician of our regiment who was in charge of the hospital was W. B. Folks from Waycross.
He gave me a discharge in disability from service, I left the command and returned home I stayed and home until 1862.
I re-enlisted in the Fourth Georgia Batallian, 1862 and Captain Turner came from, Thomas County with a squad of men. The companies had more men than they needed, myself and four others from Kings Co. volunteered and went into Turner's Company. So there was enough men transferred from other companies to fill out Turner's Company. Then we fromed the Fourth Georgia Calvary. Clinch was our Col. and John L. Harris was out Lieutenant Co. I helped to form two companies and two regiments. I remained on the regiment. Then came a message for us to meet the enemies at Olustee, Florida. There we gained the victory of that fight and after the battle we stayed in Florida some time, doing picket duty (watching) at different points in Florida. They sent a squad of our men to Ft. Gates and the Yankees came out and captured the whole picket and carried them away.
Sometime after that we returned back to Screven Georgia where we had been stationed. We soon received orders to go to a place near Savannah, then we dismounted and was sent to Johns Island in South Carolina to meet the enemies there. Then we put the enemies to flight again. They charged their work just before day light. They elevated their guns too high and shot above our heads, only a few of our men were killed. But when they got back to the gun boat, we got behind the bankment where they were stationed. They shelled us with grape and canister. When they hit the bankment they would knock the dirt all over us. We were careful enough not to put our heads above the bank. We was behind the bank to keep the shells from hitting us. We returned back to Savannah and stopped at Macon awhile. Then we were sent to different parts of Georgia to meet our enemies.
This is only a small sketch of my service. After I returned home I farmed and timbered twelve years. After that I went in the turpentine business six years. Since that time I have been engaged in different occupations.
Now I will say something about my family.
During the war my wife who was left on my little farm in Wayne County, did all the farming, plowed, hoed and everything that has to be done on a farm. She also spun and weaved and all of the clothes for herself and three children and took care of all the cows and hogs.
She became the mother of fourteen children and five of them are living now, I have been married four times and the father of twenty children, only seven now are living. I have about sixty grand children near one hundred great grand children and six great great grand children. I could say a good many other things but time and space want admit.
Spiritual Record
More than fifty years ago I was desirious to know the plan of salvation. I lay down on my bed one night with the same desire, there came a light from the East going toward the East Coast. When it got near me it made a quick change and went right into my breast. In a few minutes there came a second light in the same place and the same change, about the same time came a third. When I roused up I was in a prostrate conditiion, I had no power, no weight, no strength and I was a light body within.
Now this showed me that I had no power within myself to gain the influence of God myself, righteousness was all done away with. It was some little time before that feeling vanished away.
Now I don't know what those lights were unless it was the Father, Son and Holy Ghosts. Now I have fone(?) from time to time, it seems, as far away from God as I could but when I go to church and hear a gospel sermon preached those lights appear to me as same as ever, I could not get rid of them, I finally went to the Primitive Baptist Church and offered myself and was received. There were two ladies who joined the same time I did.
When I related what I had to the church, there was a precious sister came next to answer her questions, when they asked her what she had to say in reguards to her feeling she said I had told her feelings better than she could. It gave me great satisfaction that somebody else had witnessed as same as I had.
Some few years ago I had a vision. I thought I was standing on a narrow walk with my back to the east and my face to the west. Ther was a burning furnace on my right and a sea on the left all made up close to my walk. I thought when I saw the sea I said to myself that is the buring ground. I looked down to see what I was standing on, I was standing on a strong unmovable foundation. The walk led out in the westward direction as far as I could see. ther was nobody on that walk but me. I could not understand why there was no one on it but me. I was thinking over the matter a few days afterwards, it was as open to me as my hands are before my face, when some one said unto me that is your walk, this proved to me that this walk was a walk of obedience. That I can't walk your walk, and you can't walk mine, I'll leave it for you to judge what this burning furnance and this sea was.
In a short time after that I had another vision. Ther was a man living in the settlement who claimed to be a Lord. I thought I went to his house and in this light there stood a woman and she was fair, neat and complete, the light was shrinking on her from both directions. I thought I said to myself that is Zion.
Now my dear people that shows me that the bride, the lambs wife will be full neat and complete and not a one left out at the end of time. Those people lying over yonder will be in the same condition that we saw them in.
My dear people there is many things that I could say in my experience, but I will leave this for your consideration.
Hoping that you may read this with a careful understanding, I am near eighty-five years old and those things has strengthened me up to this day..
Note::::
This was copied from the record as it was transcribed by Maud Crews, a great grand daughter, to who James Burell Jones dictated it about 1927.
Parents of James Burrell Jones, Click Here
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