Gas mask at museum comes from the family of Dr. R. T. Jones in McCook

There’s a gas mask from World War I at the museum whose provenance appears to be linked to Dr. R. T. Jones who lived and practiced in McCook long after that war was in the history books.

Robert Turner Jones was born in Steuben, Indiana to Robert Perry Jones and Elizabeth (Turner) Jones on January 31, 1877. While his early history is somewhat of a mystery, we do know that he had a brother, John Turner Jones, born in 1879.

Martha Rempp and Robert were married on Christmas Day, 1901. They would have 4 sons, two during Robert’s education years: Raymond Rempp Jones, 1904, and Harold in 1905. Notice how the first son’s middle name is Martha’s maiden name. This family repeats a naming sequence throughout. Their third son, Robert Perry Jones was born in 1911 and the final son, Warren Allen Jones, in 1917.

Robert set out to be a physician and after 4 years of college (according to his reply on the census sheets asking how many years of schooling attained after high school) he graduated from Creighton Medical School as a doctor specializing in eye, ear, nose and throat medicine. It appears according to the 1910 census that he and Martha were innkeepers while he attended school in Omaha and had 7 boarders living in the same residence at 111 North 17th street.

Sounds like an idyllic life does it not? Physician and wife, 4 sons, what more could one hope for? Perhaps a daughter, but we will never know. What we do know is that tragedy strikes at all levels of society and the Jones family was not exempt. Their second son, Harold, died the same year that their third son, Robert was born. Harold was 6 years old when he passed. Robert was born two months later in Merna, Nebraska.

Six years later, their fourth son, Warren, was born in Edgar, Nebraska and World War I was on the horizon. Dr. Jones joined the Army (Rank of Captain) in August 1917 and left for service on May 16, 1919, in Brest, France. Martha would remain in Edgar with her boys who were 15, 8, and 2 years old.

Brest France was the site of a U.S. Naval operating base with the French Navy to engage German submarines. It became where U.S. Army troops serving with the American Expeditionary Forces gathered upon arrival. This may be the link to the gas mask on display under Dr. R.T. Jones’s name.

Dr. Jones returned safely to his family in June 1919 and sometime between 1920 and 1930 the family relocated to Gibbon and then he had a practice in Kearney. Tragedy would once again strike them in Buffalo County when their third son, Robert Perry Jones was found dead in his vehicle from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot wound on July 5, 1936. Raymond, his oldest son, had just gotten married a month before and that left the youngest, Warren, at home graduating from Kearney High School.

Two years later finds Dr. and Mrs. R.T. Jones moving to McCook and renting an apartment in the Kelley building. Dr. Jones opened his practice in the Penny building just down the block.

They were empty nesters as their son Warren had joined the Navy and was assigned to the U.S.S. Arizona. Warren, at that time stationed in San Diego as a navy radio operator, wrote of witnessing the rescue attempts following a fatal crash of two huge bombers doing battle maneuvers over the Pacific. Fourteen men were on the two planes and eleven perished in February 1938.

Dr. Jones had returned from WWI unscathed, his son, Warren, was assigned to that fateful ship, the U.S.S. Arizona, which on December 7th, 1941, was hit by an armor-piercing bomb which penetrated the ship’s decks igniting the ship’s forward ammunition magazine resulting in an explosion that killed 1,177 sailors and Marines. Warren was among the ones lost. He left behind a wife and young son.

Dr. Jones had returned that spring from serving in the CCC as a doctor. He had already removed his practice from McCook to Haigler prior to being in the CCC but had in November 1941, moved again locating in Culbertson. His wife, daughter-in-law and grandson (Warren’s son) were to have joined him there that December.

Dr. and Mrs. Jones returned again to McCook in the ensuing years. Martha passed away in 1966. Dr. Jones was laid to rest in Ft. McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Nebraska, on November 2, 1971, having lived out the rest of his life in McCook. His only surviving son, Raymond, was gone two years later at the age of 68.

SWNGS is having a membership drive for our 2022 year. If you are interested in supporting our genealogy library by being a member, you can mail a check to PO Box 156, McCook, NE 69001.