May 17, 1878 - September 17, 1898 Newman "Newey" Potts Jones, son of Benjamin Bryant & Mary Caroline Potts Jones, enlisted with the Goldsboro Rifles for the Spanish-American War as a Private, Co. B, 1. Regiment, North Carolina Volunteers Infantry. The following was his obituary: "The remains of Newman P. Jones, of Saulston Township, who left here with the Goldsboro Rifles, passed through here Tuesday afternoon from Jacksonville, FL, where he died suddenly Saturday morning, on their way to Dudley, where the Interment was made that evening." Goldsboro Headlight - September 22, 1898 Excerpt from "Footsteps in the Sand" by Jennie Jones: "In 1898, there was some excitement in the family, when it became known that Newman Jones, the only child of uncle Ben and aunt Mary, had enlisted in the Army, to fight in the Spanish American War. He was just twenty one, but they tried to get him released because they needed him at home to help them run the farm. They were unsuccessful in their efforts, however, and he was sent to Jacksonville, Florida for his training." "He was double cousin, as uncle Ben was father's brother, and aunt Mary, mother's sister. He visited in our home frequently, he was almost like a brother, so we felt bad to see him go to war. There were some in the family who thought the experience might be good for him, as it was about the first time in his young life that he had taken the initiative in doing anything on his own." "Newey, as we all called him, had been gone only a few weeks, or months, when word was received, saying that he was ill with yellow fever. This news was quickly followed by the message conveying the sad news of his death." "I shall never forget the day his body arrived. We lived, as I have said, within a few hundred yards of the Potts' burying ground, so the family had gathered at our house to wait for the arrival of the funeral cortege. When it arrived, it was accompanied by two soldiers in uniform, who stood guard over the flag draped casket; this proved to be fortunate, for there were one or two in the family who thought the casket should be opened, as aunt Mary, in her deep grief, had expressed her desire to see her boy. When it looked like the Army would lose the battle, and was ready to give in to the request, the soldiers told the women and children to leave the cemetery so that they would not be exposed to the dreaded plague yellow fever. This seemed to be more effective than the orders not to open the casket had been, so it was not opened. Newman Potts Jones was laid to rest to become a family hero of the Spanish American War."
Back to Wayne County Families pages