Introduction by Chuck Parsons
Although the name of Jones may be the most common surname in the English language, the Joneses featured as protagonists in this history are anything but common. Whereas the multitudes of men and women named Jones grew up, matured, and lived out their lives in near total obscurity and mundaneness, these Jones brothers lived exciting and dangerous lives. Not satisfied to live out their existence behind a plow tilling the soil, or behind a counter in a small country store selling spools of thread or nails by the pound, these men grabbed their gun belts, checked their weapons, saddled up their horses and rode off to face danger head on, be that danger in the form of Mexican bandidos, war-painted savages or violent-prone Anglo outlaws. They embodied the Texas Ranger tradition, with one rising to the rank of captain.
Candice DuCoin has made a positive contribution to not only Texas Ranger history with this biography of her antecedents, as well as demonstrating a model for other historians and genealogists. Few of us can look back on the family tree and see such notables as this author can. Her research was not limited to family stories, but much further: the Ranger records in the Texas State Archives, contemporary newspaper files, court records, interviews with family members and other knowledgeable of the history of the times and events, as well as other documentation. This work is an accurate and valuable contribution to the history of Texas.