History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 671

                                
HIS TOJY OF 7'EXAJi.671

Hancock in that office. The campaign was
interesting and exceptional in the fact that it
was perhaps the only canvass for Congress in
Texas since the late war in which a Denmocrat
and Republican canvassed together and
spoke from the same stump. Judge Rector
has been twice elected as a delegate-at-large
to  Republican  National Conventions to
nominate President and Vice-Presideint. In
1888 he was Chairman of the Texas delegation
at the Chicago convention. From 1886
to 1888 he was Chairman of the Republican
State Executive Coimmittee of Texas.
QOLONEL G. W. JONES, a lawyer of
Bastrop, Texas, is of Welsh extraction.
The family located in this country in
Colonial days, in King and Queen county,
Virginia, where the great-grandfather of our
subject, James Jones, died at the opening of
the Revolutiouary war, leaving one son, also
named James. The latter married, and in
early years of the present century, with a
family of children, moved to Giles county, Tenniessee,
where he afterward died. In 1820 the
children settled in different parts of the
country, but in 1872, after having been separated
fifty-two years, held a reunion in Tennessee,
at which time the group was photographed.
One of the pictures still hangs in Colonel
Jones' home, and is a much prized relic. The
father of our subject, William D. C. Jones,
the eldest of the children, was born in 1799.
He was married in Marion county, Alabama,
in 1822, to Rachel Burleson a member of the
family of that name so intimately connected
with early Texas history. She was a cousin
of General Edward Burleson, in honor of
whom Barleson county was named. Her
father, Joseph Burleson, came to Texas in

1833, participating ill the " runaway scrape."
and located in Bastrop county. After spending
eight years in AMarion county, Alabama,
Mr. and Mrs. Jones located in Tipton county,
Tennessee.   The fame of Texas spread
rapidly throughout the East after the return
of tle armies that carried the Mexican war
to a successful close, and long lines of wagons
wended their way toward the Lone Star
State. Among the emigrants of 1848 was
the Jones family, who located in Bastrop
county, on the Colorado river, ten miles lelow
the city of that name, where members of the
family have 'ever since lived. The mother
died here February 19, 1866, and the father
died April 13, 1893, aged ninety-three years
and fourimonths. Mr. and fMrs. Jones were the
parents of ten children, viz.: Nancy J., who
died at Woodville, Texas, in 1881, was the
wife of Dr. S. B. Johnson; James, deceased
in 1868, was a prominent and respected resident
of Bastrop county, where he served as
Justice of the Peace and County Comnmissioner
a number of years; Elizabeth, deceased
inl 1867, was the wife of Louis Hancock; G.
W., the subject of this sketch; Maria M.,
wife of Joseph Rogers, of Hays county,
Texas; Charles H., who located in Tyler
county, served his State during the late war
as Captain of a company in Burnet's Regiinent,
was a member of the first Legislature
after the close of the hostilities, and died in
1880; William H. studied law, was admitted
to the bar in Bastrop county, represented his
county in two Legislatures, and has followed
farming all his life; Benjamin F., who remained
until death, in 1887, on the old homestead,
represented Bastrop county in the
Legislature in 1880, and was a popular and
respected gentleman; Patsy, deceased in 1869,
was the wife of John S. Wilson; and Joseph
B., deceased at the age of four years.

671

IM TOR Y OF TEXAS.J~