Even though almost 2,000 miles separated my Georgia family from my Colorado family, I was as close to my Colorado family as I was to my Georgia family.  Mom’s paternal grandparents were James Reagan Jones and Catherine Hart Jones.  They had twelve children.  My Grandfather, Arthur William Jones, was born in 1893.

In 1902, the Great Western Sugar Beet Company paid the Jones family's way to Fort Collins, Colorado to work in the sugar beet fields.  James Reagan Jones made a good living from his built-in labor pool and soon bought his own farm in Wellington, Colorado.  

In 1920 James Reagan Jones and his wife Catherine Hart Jones sold the farm in Wellington and moved back to the Weaverville, North Carolina area.  My grandfather and two of the other children elected to stay in Colorado.  His father put the $22,000 he got for his Wellington farm in the bank.  The bank was eventually closed by President Roosevelt in the '30's (what else would you expect from a Democrat?) and my great grandfather lost all of his money.  

In 1914 Grandpa Jones met Flossie Lula Magnolia Rice and they were married in Boulder, Colorado on April 20, 1914.  They eloped because Dora Rice, grandpa Jones' new mother-in-law couldn't bear the sight of him.

Grandma Jones (Nola) was born in the Asheville, North Carolina area along with four brothers and sisters.  Her parents were Hildred Rice and Dora Rice.

 The “Begats” of Arthur William Jones (b Little Flat Creek, North Carolina) and Flossie Lula Magnolia Rice Jones (b Weaverville area of North Carolina ) – my Grandparents on Mom’s side of the family:

• Viola Jones

• Ruby Jones

• Robert (Buck) Jones

• Eva Jones (Died at age one month)

• Leona Jones

• Rosella Jones

• Arthur William (Buddy) Jones

• Betty Jones

• Roy Jones

• Patty Jones (Died at age fifteen years)

• Catherine Jones (Died at age ten years)

• Dora Ann Jones

These children, in turn, “Begat”:

Aunt Viola (Vi) and Harvey Crockett

• Kenny Crockett

• Juanita Crockett

• Eddie Crockett

• Leslie Crockett

• Sharon Crockett

Aunt Ruby and John Biggs

• Shirley Biggs

• Johnny Biggs

Uncle Buck (Robert) and Mildred Grimm

• Larry Jones

Aunt Leona (Onie) and Earl Halpain

• Garry Halpain

• David Halpain

• Junie Halpain

• Timmy Halpain

Rosella Dorothy Jones (Mom) and Grover Cleveland Deriso, Jr.

• Jerald Lee Deriso

• Thomas David Deriso

• Margie Anne Deriso

Uncle Buddy and Aunt Margie

• Sandy Jones

• Billy Jones

Aunt Betty and Kenneth Karg

• Kenny Karg

• Cathy Karg

Aunt Betty and Bill Crowder

• Karen Crowder

Uncle Corky (Roy) and Lillian (‘Lil)

• Bobby Jones

• Patty Jones

• Bunny Jones

• Valerie Jones

Aunt Dora Ann and Robert Berry

• D’Ann Berry

• Kevin Berry

• Judy Berry

All of that “Begatting” left me with a large number of aunts, uncles, and cousins.  I believe growing up was much more fun with all of these “kin” than it would have been if I had been part of a smaller family. Listed below are the children of Samuel Reagan Jones and Catherine Hart Jones:

• Robert

• Epsy

• Nellie

• Arthur (my grandfather)

• Emma

• Lula

• Sally

• Mae

• Sam

• James

• Catherine

• Margie

Mom’s maternal grandparents were Hildred Rice and Dora Rice.  Hildred was in the cattle business in Colorado.  Dora Rice disliked Grandpa Jones so much that he and Grandma Jones (Nola) were forced to elope to Boulder, where they were married.  Hildred and Dora Rice had five children:

• Flossy Lula Magnolia (my grandmother)

• Cleta

• Hubert

• Flora

• Mac

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