I’ve been trying to find the parents of my fifth great-grandfather Reuben Owens. To help out, I turned to Ancestry DNA. My grandmother has passed away, so I tested her brother instead. Reuben is their third great-grandfather. This is tricky once you get back this far with DNA, but with shared matches I came across a family that I think Reuben might belong to. However, while researching them on Ancestry, I have found numerous mistakes in family trees. I like to let the records speak for themselves. What I have found is descendants from two Owens brothers in our DNA results (Jabez Owens and Thomas Owens). Ancestry trees do not always list them as brothers, but when we examine records we can establish they likely were. There is third brother I have included, John, as it’s clear to me he was also their brother.

Jabez, John and Thomas Owens
Records Timeline

*All records can be found on Ancestry.com.

December 20, 1829 – Hall County, Georgia – Thomas Owens marries Mary Golding.

1840 – Mossy Creek District, Habersham County, Georgia – Thomas is on the census record with wife, Mary, and three daughters. (Age ranges listed with no names.) He is listed as between 30 – 39.
[Habersham is beside Hall County.]

St. Clair County, Alabama – Jabez Owens is on the census, age listed as between 20 and 29. Living with wife and children.

September 19, 1841 – Hall County, Georgia – John W. Owens marries Louisa M. Williams.

1850 – District 39, St Clair County, Alabama – On the census record, Thomas lists his place of birth as Georgia. He is living with wife, Mary, and children. He is listed as 32, born 1818. (This is incorrect. I doubt he was 11 in 1829 when he married.)

District 40, St. Clair County, Alabama – Jabez Owens, listed as “Gabes Owens” is living with wife, Lydia, and nine children. His birth place is Georgia, age is 36, birth year is 1814.
[These brothers both moved from Georgia to St. Clair County, Alabama.]

1853 – John has a son named Jabez Owens. (Note, his brother’s name.)

Between 1850 – 1860 – Likely after 1856, Mary Golding Owens, Thomas’s wife, dies. Their last child was probably Nathan A Owens, born 1857.

1860 – Griffin, Pope County, Arkansas – Post Office: Glass Village – Thomas is on the census with his second wife, Winny, and children. His place of birth is listed as Georgia. Age 50, birth year 1810.

Griffin, Pope County, Arkansas – Post Office: Glass Village – Next door to Thomas is John W Owens, wife Louisa, and children. Birth place is Georgia. John is listed as 30, Louisa as 37. I think 30 might be 39 instead. He was married in 1841; I doubt he was 11 at time of marriage.

Griffin, Pope County, Arkansas – Post Office: Glass Village – Jabez, age 46, born 1814 in Georgia, is also living in the same community with his wife, Lydia, and children.
[Jabez and Thomas moved from Georgia to St. Clair County, Alabama now to Griffin, Arkansas.]

1 May 1861 – Pope County, Arkansas – Thomas gets 80 acres.

1870 – Moreland, Pope County, Arkansas – Thomas is on the census, birth listed as Georgia, living with wife, Winnie, and children. His age is 64, born about 1806. (Note the change in birth years on each census.)

Wilson, Pope County, Arkansas – Jabez, age 56, birth year 1814, is living with wife, Lydia, and son, William.

1880 – Griffin, Pope County, Arkansas – Jabez or “James Baz” says he’s 64, birth year 1816, living with wife, Lydia, and some grandchildren. He says he was born in Georgia and that his parents are from South Carolina.

NOTES

1. I can’t find Jabez Owens’s marriage record to Lydia. Ancestry trees list her as Lydia Carter, but I have found no proof.
2. The most common parents listed for these three brothers are Mosby Owens and Elizabeth Gooch. That needs much more research.
3. From record dates of the three, Thomas was the oldest, followed by Jabez, then John.

I hope this has been useful for a descendant of Jabez, John or Thomas.

Last updated 1/18/2018
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If you are an Owens family descendant or are trying to find your Owens roots, you can email me at downhomegenealogy@gmail.com. I would love to talk to you!