Sophronia Ann Jones is my Great Aunt. She stepped in to raise my Grandmother, Irma Marinda Bywater when Irma's mother Susan (Sophronia's sister) passed away shortly after Irma was born. Sophronia raised Irma as her mother and was know to Irma's children as Grandma Bywater. She married Susan's father-in-law, so she was Sophronia Bywater.
Sophronia's autobiography is attached to her FamilySearch Website and I would recommend reading it to get to know her better.
She was born in Wayne County, North Carolina in 1875. She traveled to Utah in 1900, after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was the oldest Sister of the Jones family that most of who followed her to Utah the following year. Her father, Matthew Mile Jones came to Utah, went back to North Carolina to resolve all his business issues and was planning on returning to his family it Utah, but died in North Carolina before he could return.
Sophronia was an excellent seamstress and used those skills to provide for herself and her family. She wasn't afraid to talk to Church leaders whenever she needed advice. She took her daughter to see President Harold B Lee (Stake President at the time) to ask his advice on marrying my grandfather (Jesse). President Lee asked Irma if she would marry him anyway, despite anything he said. She said yes, so he said that she should marry him.
Sophronia had many dreams that she wrote about and also wrote a lot of poems and other inspirational writings. She was very close to her Mother and sisters. Her twin sisters Ginny and Julie married twin brothers (last name King) and both wrote their own personal histories in which they praised Sophronia as a big sister.
Sophronia was the family member that was the most influential in her mother and the rest of the family joining the Church and immigrating to Utah.
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