Despite being Welsh, Major Thomas Jones joined the Irish army to fight for James the Second against King William the Third of England. Unfortunately for him, the Irish lost the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and he was exiled to Ireland.

A short while later, when England had successfully stamped her authority on the Irish and the Scottish, King William had the opportunity to take the offensive against France instead. This act also gave Thomas Jones an opportunity. He offered to serve against the French and was duly given Letters of Marques which gave him the authority to steal from the French or other sworn enemies of England. The King benefited from this as he was able to use many such men, who were not completely loyal to him, to inflict damage against his new enemy.

Jones arrived in Jamaica in 1692. Not much is known about his activities over the following few years but, ultimately, he ended up with a small fortune which allowed him to buy a large estate on Long island.

Despite the dubious origin of his fortune, Thomas Jones was accepted into Society and his daughters all married well and into influential families.

After the American Revolution, Congress passed the Act of Attainder which allowed the seizure of goods and property owned by Loyalists. This included the Joneses who had, as ever, chosen the wrong side during a conflict. To avoid this new Act, most of the family fled back to England or travelled to Novia Scotia. One section, however, stayed behind and married into the influential Floyd family. With William Floyd’s political connections (he was a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the Jones’ money, they managed to lobby Congress and gain an exemption for the newly formed Floyd-Jones alliance.

Despite the Joneses new found position in High Society, rumours still circulate to this day about buried treasure on their Long Island estate, now part of the National Park.

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