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Family
Marriage:
Sources
1. Title:   Marriage Certificate from DeKalb Co

Notes
a. Note:   H25
Note:   1924 - Tom is born in Jacksonville, FL. Legend has it that Pop (Tom's dad, Thomas, Sr.) fled Jacksonville to avoid hospital charges. But Tom once recollected that he has early memories of living in a small white house in Tampa, Florida where Pop worked at a ship yard loading ships. His mother's Bible recorded that Tom was baptised in the Baptist on Moreland Ave., Atlanta on his birthday (but did not state year).
  1928 -Brother Robert is born in Atlanta.
  According to Tom's recollections as told to daughter, _____: In Atlanta, they lived in a quadplex apartment house on Woodland Avenue while Tom, Jr. attended grammar thru junior high. In the depression he remembers living in a "shack" on Shelby Place. Pop raised rabbits. Tom, Jr. had to feed them in the morning before school. Later they moved to Memorial Drive, S.E. From recollections of Thomas A. Jones, Jr.: "Pop" was an ambulance driver; worked at (or owned) Crane Auto parts (junk yard); had a battery charging business; in Avondale he owned Jones Garage and Auto parts. [ After the war Tom, Jr. worked with Pop there. The shop caught fire and burned up. Pop then went to work at Truck Place as a mechanic and was there the rest of his life.]
  1930 - The 1930 census finds Tom, age 6 (born in Florida) living with his parents, Thomas, Sr. and Helen, at 1102 Shelby Place, Atlanta, Fulton Co., GA. Tom, Sr. is 25 and his job is "battery man" at "wrecking house" Robert is age 1-1/2, born in GA.
  1943 - Enlists in the Army. (See Enlistment Record below)
  1943 - Marries Dorothy Holder in DeKalb Co., GA during one of his weekend offs from the Army.
  Tom served in WWII in the 106th Infantry Division. He was captured at the Battle of the Bulge, and became a POW in Dresden. He was awarded the Purple Heart, and later received the Bronze Star, after he learned he was eligible and applied for it years later.
  See Kurt Vonnegutt's book "Fates Worse Than Death" for reference to Thomas Jones - his role in Vonnegutt's experience as a Prisoner of War in Dresden, Germany during the fire-bombing - WWII, the subject of his novel "Slaughterhouse Five." Vonnegutt attended the funeral of Tom Jones at Arlington Cemetery in May 1998. Vonnegutt had written that Tom was the bunkmate, in the POW camp, of the fellow who was the model for the character "Billy Pilgrim" in "Slaughterhouse Five."
  1946 - Son _____ born in Atlanta, GA
  Tom and Dorothy move to 128 Ellington Street, Decatur - a few blocks from his parents on Memorial Drive, Atlanta
  1949 - Daughter _____ is born in Atlanta, GA
  At some point in time, Tom began work at the Southern Freight Tariff Bureau in Atlanta, GA as a Tariff Examiner; he stayed for many years until he accepted offer to work in Washington, D.C. in 1962.
  Daughter ______'s recollections of her dad during the 1950's in Georgia: Dad went to work and kept his lawn perfectly manicured faithfully. He loved his yard -- and spent lots of hours and money on landscaping -- first the house on Ellington, and then on our new house at 136 Pinehill Drive, Decatur, GA. In honor of the street name Pinehill Drive, Dad planted about 100 small pine trees on the corner of our lot which was the "hill" of the neighborhood. Dad also loved photography -- he went into freelance business, taking photos of the local little league teams, dance schools, etc. -- and teamed up with mom to take photos illustrating her various magazine articles. He created a photo lab in our basement where he spent hours with all the funny smelling chemicals in the dark. I loved going in there and watching pictures magically appear on the paper after being soaked in the trays of liquid. Dad also loved animals. We had a wide variety of pets: tiny goats, skunks, flying squirrels, snakes, crows, and the usual collection of stray cats and dogs. He also took care of his cars. Although we were not rich, he made sure we had the "cutting edge" new thing - within reason - we had the first Volkswagen on the block; an Opel, etc. Also, for a couple of years, we had a small motor boat, which we took to Lake Sidney Lanier west of town. Those were some of my fondest memories of our family -- we didn't know a thing about boating, but Dad figured it out and we taught ourselves to water ski. But for some reason we had to give up the boat -- that was probably because he knew we would be moving away soon.
  1962 - Tom accepts a job with the Civil Aeronautics Board in Washington, D.C. -- doing what he did for Southern freight -- examining tariffs - only now it would be for the airline industry and not trains. Tom drives to the Washington area and finds us a run down cheap house in the city of Falls Church. My mother cried when we pulled up to it. But it turns out the neighborhood was thrilled with us moving there and tacking the needed remodeling and maintenance needed on the abandoned house. Dad made it a beautiful little home over the years -- and now it is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. That home was at 1300 Tracy Place, Falls Church. In his new job, Tom no longer had to work lots of overtime to make ends meet. But he had to leave behind his freelance work of photography as well. However, the years are spent fixing up the house inside and out, and taking weekend trips to discover the regional attractions.
  1964 - His dad dies of cancer in Atlanta. He and [son______] travel there for funeral.
  1967 - Daughter ______ graduates from high school and takes a job at the Civil Aeronautics Board. She and Dad carpool together with two other co-workers for two years. They have lunch together now and then.
  1971 - Tom and Dorothy move to 6237 Cheryl Drive, Falls Church. A whole new house to remodel - a new yard to landscape. He starts digging in the back yard and creates several terraces with rock walls, plus fills in a large area and builds patio.
  At some point in the seventies, Dorothy moves her CS practitioner's office to the National Press Building in Washington, D.C. so Tom has company in his morning drive to work -- he drops her off and picks her up in afternoon. When Mom later stops going there, Tom buys a BMW motorcycle and drives that to work daily!
  1979 - Despite his fear of flying, Tom accompanies Dorothy on her travels around the country to give her CS public lecture. By now, he has joined the local CS church and The Mother Church -- but the fear and stress of travelling lead him back to his old smoking habit, which had left him 20 years earlier.
  1982 - Not sure of the exact year, but Tom retires from the CAB (now part of the Dept of Transportation) in order to care for Dorothy who is having health problems.
  1984 - Tom spends the next few years learning to take care of himself and Dorothy -- cooking and cleaning, etc., as Dorothy battles her heart ailments - and is in and out of hospital or bed rest. This is very stressful time for him, but he handles it about as well as he can. [Daughter] returns from California to be near Mom.
  A new talent is discovered about this time: woodcarving. Tom starts small, but soon joins the Northern Virginia Woodcaring Association. He goes to meetings and learns more. He enters his work in their shows and soon earns ribbons. He is pretty good at it. It was a wonderful discovery for him, and he continued to carve for many years.
  1988 - Tom and Dorothy become grandparents, finally!
  1991 - Dorothy dies. Tom later moves out to the Manassas area.
  1998 - Tom dies of cancer at Annaburg Manor nursing home in May. His mother Helen is also staying at Annaburg at that time and she is able to kiss him goodbye shortly before his last day.
  Tom is buried in Arlington Cemetery. His old C.A.B. office mate and friend Dick Clusman drives down from Pennsylvania, and novelist Kurt Vonnegutt flies in from New York. There is no memorial service, just brief remarks by the military chaplain. But Tom -- the former P.O.W. -- gets a 21 gun salute!
  U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 about Thomas A Jones Jr
 Name: Thomas A Jones Jr
 Birth Year: 1924
 Race: White, citizen (White)
 Nativity State or Country: Florida
 State of Residence: Georgia
 County or City: De Kalb
  Enlistment Date: 6 Feb 1943
 Enlistment State: Georgia
 Enlistment City: Fort McPherson Atlanta
 Branch: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
 Branch Code: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
 Grade: Private
 Grade Code: Private
 Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
 Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
 Source: Civil Life
  Education: 4 years of high school
 Civil Occupation: Stenographers and typists
 Marital Status: Single, without dependents
 Height: 69
 Weight: 152



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