Marshall Democrat Daily News, August 21, 1935

BIOGRAPHIES OF DAVID JONES AND JOHN THORNTON, PIONEER SETTLERS IN SALINE COUNTY.

Biographical sketches of David Jones and the Thornton family were given Tuesday at the grave marking ceremonies of the Arrow Rock chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Robert L. Thompson of Arrow Rock and Mrs. J.A. Jaycox of Slater gave the Thornton family history as a part of the program at Concord Cemetery.

David Jones

It is with great pride that I bring to you this afternoon the life of that great pioneer, David Jones, because of close association and connections which my own ancestors, the McMahans and Kincheloes.
I say pioneer for he with his sons-in-law, Stephen Turley and William Reid, with their families were the first white inhabitants in Lamine Township.
David Jones was born at Richmond, Va., January 25, 1761. The first that is known of his early life is that at the age of 17 he enlisted as a soldier of the Revolutionary War and served at two different periods.
The first three months in the spring of 1777 he was a private under Capt. Peter Harston. The second period was the spring of 1781 under Capt. Owen Ruble and Colonels Skipper and Tucker.
He was present at the Yorktown surrender and the sword he carried on that occasion was in the family until taken by vandals in the Civil War.
The records tell us he was married to Jane Ruble February 4, 1790, and their family consisted of two sons and nine daughters. However, it has since been proved and accepted by the Daughters of the Revolution that there was the third son, David. The sons were Robert, Jesse and David.
The daughter Elizabeth married Stephen Turley, Anna became the wife of William Reid, Margaret the wife of Thomas McMahan and her grave, with that of her husband, is on the old Thomas McMahan farm, which is now owned by Mr. Rube Eichman and Mr. Jesse Kincheloe, the graves being on the Eichman land.
Ellen was the wife of James McMahan, Lydia the wife of Thomas Allison, Patsy was married to a man whose surname was Ferrill, Rebecca married a Mr. Thorp and Melvina a Mr. Marquis. (Jane married a Jones)
In 1812 they came from Kentucky to what is now Cooper county and settled south of Arrow Rock.
David Jones and Stephen Turley the latter was a son-in-law, settled a tract of land which was a wilderness and the home was located close to the river on property now owned by Rufus Weekley, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Weekley.
Another son-in-law William Reid, and his wife settled near Arrow Rock and this cemetery is apart of that tract. His son, Horace Reid, being in failing health, told his family he had in mind a spot on which he wished to be buried so he was placed on a sled and he led them to this spot which was afterward set aside as a cemetery. He was the first person buried here but his grave is unmarked.
This was known then as Howard County, and when organized it had an area of twenty-two thousand square miles and extended into what is now a part of Iowa.
Their neighbors were William McMahan, James and William Anderson and the three McMahan brothers, James, Thomas and Samuel, Samuel being the one who was ambushed by the Indians, killed and beheaded.
They built Fort Mahan or Fort McMahan in which they all lived. There were only two forts on this side of the river, Fort McMahan and Cole’s Fort.
William Reid and his wife, Anna, built the first house on this side of the river. Their son, Jesse Reid, was the first white child born in Cooper County. That event took place March t. 1813. Jesse married Margaret Kincheloe and they were the parents of Mrs. Anna Reid McMahan, who in 1866 opened a private school in Arrow Rock.