Friends, You may find the story below about the intersection of the Jessee and Jones family of interest. If you can be of help to Stuart Jones, please email him directly, as he is not a member of our lists. Jim -----Original Message----- From: STUART JONES [mailto:dopc67@comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2009 3:58 AM To: 'Jim Jessee' Subject: RE: Lona Jessee genealogy Jim, By all means feel free to share my post. Thanks for the response. Stuart PS: Hermie Lee is safely deceased. -----Original Message----- From: Jim Jessee [mailto:jim@jessee.org] Sent: Friday, October 16, 2009 11:37 PM To: 'STUART JONES' Subject: RE: Lona Jessee genealogy Stuart, Thank you for writing and sharing this story. May I share it in the Jessee Newsletter and List, and post this note on their record? I find this all very interesting, if not tragic. I get contacted from time to time by adoptees looking for a Jessee or other biological root, and hear stories like this, too. I do not have additional information, but I think if we shared this more widely, we might get some interest and additional information. Jim -----Original Message----- From: STUART JONES [mailto:dopc67@comcast.net] Sent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 5:40 PM To: Jim@Jessee.org Subject: Lona Jessee genealogy Dear Mr. Jessee, I am a Jones descendant but I think one of your people married one of our more notorious Jones people. I am curious what you might know. I note that some info was supplied by a Jessee--who I think is now deceased per the obit I have seen--that links Herman Lee Jones and Lona Bernice Jessee. A book has recently been published about Hermie Lee Jones (you can google "Hermie Lee Jones" in quotes to get the info) who participated in a notorious double murder in 1949 (Sevier Co, TN - though he lived in Fall Branch in Wash Co, TN). He was released about 1965 and I gather he lived with or married a woman within a few years whom I would deduce from the info of your Jessee source is Lona Jessee. The children listed in your Jessee's contribution were Steven Allen Jones and Amy Marie Jones. These are the same names I copied from a makeshift mailbox that included Hermie Lee's name about 20 yrs ago when I drove past what I presume was his place in Fall Branch, TN. I suppose I could have stopped to meet him (he was my Dad's cousin) but his reputation was such that I did not relish meeting him (What do I talk about? "So, did you kill anyone lately?"). Interestingly and tragically a Steven Allen Jones was convicted of a murder in Elizabethton, TN in 2004 and again, I would reckon we are talking about the same person. I sort of have the feeling that Hermie's wife (the book says Hermie Lee divorced and had two children and one grandchild) had already left him by the time I drove by the home in the late 1980's. I seemed curious to me that the kids would have been. I notice that Lona's death was given as Feb 1997. I wonder if this was from an obit or tombstone (where?) or whatever. You may not know much about Lona. I suspect life with Hermie separated her a bit from her kin but I know so little I cannot say. Maybe she would have reattached after leaving him if she is the one who married him--which seems probable to me. She would have been fairly young compared to Hermie (abt 25 yrs younger) when she had Steven Allen since I think he was probably born about 1970 judging from the age given to him in the Elizabethon Star (I think about April 15 or so of 2004). I don't really know anything about Amy Marie Jones. Some internet searches have made me wonder if she is the Amy Jones who married Clayton Goad and is mentioned in two obits as a granddaughter of a Scott family (adopted? foster child?) from Carter Co. It's hard to figure with a name as common as Jones. Anyway, I am curious if you have any info. I notice there are some Joneses in your tree from Ohio but I don't think they are the same bunch. Well I trust this is interesting but I hope not too depressing. Best Regards, Stuart Jones Rosedale, MD