Robert Jones was born around 1800 in England. He married Mary Mannings, and they had at least eight children: Ann, born around 1829; Robert, born around 1831; William, born around 1835; Lucy, born around 1836; Kisiah, born on June 26, 1839; Jacob, born around 1841; Thomas, born around 1845; and Theron, born around 1848. The family emigrated to America in the early 1830s and settled in Westfield, New York. Jones worked as a laborer, and by 1850, he owned $500 of real estate. They moved to Ripley, New York, and Jones worked as a farmer there. By 1860, he owned $400 of real estate and $400 of personal property. A decade later, he owned $1,000 of real estate and $400 of personal property. He died in 1875.