Jones/Swann/Vail/Whiting Mystery (NC)
I've got a mystery on my hands. Frederick Jones (died abt 1722) married Sarah Swann (daughter of Samuel Swann and Elizabeth Lillington) in NC. Frederick, a lawyer and judge (the NC history books refer to him as NC Chief Justice Frederick Jones), is the son of Roger Jones and Dorothy Walker. I've got (possibly) another Frederick Jones in NC who married a Mary Vail and had a son named Harding Jones (b. abt 1736), who married Mary Whiting. Jones/Whiting had a daughter, Mary Whiting Jones (b. abt 1757), who married my ancestor, Abner Nash, former Governor of NC. The Whiting tree, which goes back to the Mayflower's William Bradford, has been well-researched (not only because of Bradford, but because William Whiting was one of the founding fathers of Hartford, CT). The Whitings I've contacted don't have a clue about the identity or origins of this Frederick Jones. Could these two Frederick Jones be the same person? According to The Dictionary of NC Biography, the Frederick Jones that married Sarah Swann, had a previous wife named Jane Harding, who died in 1719 (this could be the origin of the fist name "Harding"). I have family bible notes that say Mary Whiting Jones is the Grandaughter of "King" Roger Moore's third wife, Mary Vail, who was also married to a Frederick Jones. My notes also refer to Mary Whiting Jones as the grandaughter of Frederick Jones. According to The Dictionary of NC Biography, Chief Justice Frederick Jones lived in Chowan County, the home of Mary Whiting Jones. His three sons are listed in his will as William Harding, Frederick, and Thomas. His grandsons were Harding and Frederick. His will mentions daughters Jane (m John Cotton), Martha, and Rebecca. This all tends to indicate that Mary Whiting Jones was Frederick's grandaughter. The DNCB says Chief Justice Frederick's political power base includes the Vail, Moore and Lillington Families. DNCB says born during 1800s and died June (?), 1722." To complicate matters, The Dictionary of NC biography insists that Sarah Swann married Thomas Jones, an attorney. It says that many have erred by listing NC Chief Justice Frederick Jones as Sarah's husband(I point out that many many people must have erred). So, it looks like we've got two mysteries: (1) Who married Sarah Swann (Frederick or Thomas), and (2) Are my two Frederick Jones the same person. This would appear to a sure thing, but how could such a prominent husband escape the Whiting genealogists?