Key Facts

Snapshot:	laborer; blacksmith; Confederate volunteer but was promptly discharged due to old age
Parents:	196Stephen Ammons 197Talitha Grantham
Born:	circa 1810 Robeson County, North Carolina
Last known record:	1880 census Houston County, Georgia
Buried:	unknown

98Jesse Ammons was born circa 18101 in Robeson County, North Carolina.2 His parents are 196Stephen Ammons3 and 197Talitha Grantham.* I have no photo of 98Jesse, but at age 53 he was described as "five feet, five inches high, dark complexion, blue eyes, light hair." 2

The 1810 census tallied 98Jesse as part of his father's household in Robeson County, North Carolina; I've highlighted the tally mark that reflects him. The other marks represent, respectively, his father 196Stephen, sister Hannah, and lastly his mother 197Talitha.4

1810: 98Jesse's household in Robeson County, North Carolina. Full page.4

He married 99Lucinda Watson in Bibb County, Georgia on 24 May 1829.5

1829: 98Jesse marries 99Lucinda Watson.5

The 1830 census shows that the newlyweds had had one son, and that they were living very close to 98Jesse's father in Houston County, Georgia.6

1830: 98Jesse's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.6

His wife 99Lucinda presumably died at a young age, since 98Jesse remarried to Eliza Cannon on 5 August 1835.7

1835: 98Jesse's and Eliza's marriage record. Full page.7

A Houston County newspaper mentions 98Jesse in 18358 and again in 1842.9 The 1842 newspaper describes him as being from militia district 7699 (map).

The 1850 census shows that he had had lots of children.1 You may also be interested in his 1850 agricultural schedule entry.10

1850: 98Jesse's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.1

A lightning strike killed two of his children in July 1854:11

In 1860 his family was still in Houston County, Georgia.12 You may also be interested in his 1860 agricultural schedule entry.13

1860: 98Jesse's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.12

The American Civil War began the following year. On 27 April 1861 he enlisted at Fort Valley under Captain J. R. Griffins in Company E, 3rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry14 and mustered into service in Augusta about a week later.2 However, he was soon dubbed unfit for military service due to "chronic Rheumatism + debility of old age" and was discharged soon thereafter.15

Part of 98Jesse's military discharge paperwork.15

After the Civil War, in 1867 the U.S. Congress passed several Reconstruction Acts. These Acts divided the former Confederacy into several military occupation zones, which were ruled by Union military commanders. The Acts also directed the commanding officers to register Southerners who wanted to vote in upcoming elections. One registration requirement was to swear an oath of loyalty to the United States; the obvious intent was to disfranchise any lingering Confederate resistance. The original copy of 98Jesse's signed oath is lost, but he undoubtably signed since he shows up on a subsequent list of Bibb County registered voters.16

98Jesse on a Reconstruction-era list of registered voters in Houston County, Georgia.16

The 1870 and 1880 censuses still show 98Jesse in Houston County with numerous children and grandchildren.17,18

1870: 98Jesse's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.17
 

1880: 98Jesse's family still in Houston County. Full page.18

I don't know when 98Jesse died. I found no mention of him in:

•	Houston County's 1890 tax digest
•	the index to Houston County's Will Book B (1855-1896)
•	the index to Houston County's Will Book C (1896-1926)
•	the index to Houston County's Appraisements & Sales Book E (1874-1893)
•	the index to Houston County's Appraisements & Sales Book F (1893-1919)
•	the index to Houston County's Annual Returns & Vouchers Book V (1878-1883)
•	the index to Houston County's Annual Returns & Vouchers Book W (1883-1887)
•	the index to Houston County's Annual Returns & Vouchers Book X (1887-1891)
•	the index to Houston County's Annual Returns & Vouchers Book Y (1891-1896)
•	the index to Houston County's Annual Returns & Vouchers Book Z (1895-1901)
•	Virgil D. White's book Index to Georgia Civil War Confederate Pension Files

Footnote:

*

No record explicitly states that 197Talitha Grantham is 98Jesse's mother. However, since we know that his father is 196Stephen Ammons; that in 1810 196Stephen was married to a young wife (age 16-25) and lived very close to 197Talitha's brother Joshua Grantham4 when 98Jesse was very young, perhaps even still an infant; and that 197Talitha's and Joshua's father Richard Grantham named "my daughter Talitha ammons" as an heir in 1813;19 it's therefore overwhelmingly likely 197Talitha Grantham is 98Jesse's mother. This evidence is presented a bit more thoroughly on 196Stephen's page.

Sources Cited:

1: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Houston County, Georgia. Page 342A, dwelling 521, family 521, Jessee Almons household. NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 74. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6DM9-9R7?cc=1401638&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZYR-ZVM>.

2: Compiled Confederate service record of Private Jesse Ammons of Company E, 3rd Georgia Infantry, image #5 (Certificate of Disability for Discharge). NARA microfilm publication M266, roll 166. National Archives Catalog, <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/163384614?objectPage=5>, accessed 19 October 2025. Hereafter cited as "Service record."

3: 198Stephen Ammons' will. Houston County, Georgia. Wills Book A (1827-1955), pages 276-280. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSWZ-139L-3?i=336&cat=2739191> et seq.

4: 1810 U.S. Federal Census. page 160 (handwritten) or 239 left side (stamped), Stepon Amons household. NARA microfilm publication M252, roll 38. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YY6-SYSS>, accessed 19 October 2025. The county name (Robeson) and column headers are back on page 120 (handwritten).

5: Bibb County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1828-1839), page 46, marriage of Jesse Ammons and Lucinda Watson, who married 24 May 1829. I obtained a copy of the marriage record from the Probate Court office in the Bibb County Courthouse on 9 November 2011. Strangely, the microfilm copy of marriage book A is missing page 46; I suspect that whoever originally scanned the book simply skipped page 46 by mistake.

6: 1830 U.S. Federal Census. Houston County, Georgia. Page 296, Jesse Ammons household. NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 18. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB7-NH6?i=79&cc=1803958&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXHPL-KX5>.

7: Bibb County, Georgia. Marriage book A (1828-1839), page 199, marriage of Jesse Ammons and Eliza Cannon. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-8BZJ-78W?cc=1927197&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AKXVH-BLK>, accessed April 2020.

8: "POST OFFICE Perry, Ga, December 31, 1835: A LIST of the names of persons for whom there are letters remaining in this office [...]," Macon Georgia Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), 14 January 1836, page 3, column 5. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn86053163/1836-01-14/ed-1/seq-3>.

9: "GEORGIA, Houston County.--Jesse Ammons [...]," Macon Georgia Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), 7 June 1842, page 3, column 6 (the last column), halfway down the page. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn86053163/1842-06-07/ed-1/seq-3/>.

10: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Lower 5th district, Houston County, Georgia. Pages 25 and 26, entry 1, Jesse Almonds farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 2. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-R3LG-7N9B?lang=en&i=466>, accessed 29 January 2025. The NARA provides a helpful template.

11: "Killed by Lightning," Georgia Journal and Messenger (Macon, Georgia), 12 July 1854, page 2, column 3, about 2/5 of the way down the page. Georgia Historic Newspapers, <https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85038491/1854-07-12/ed-1/seq-2/>, accessed April 2020.

12: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Fifth district, Houston County, Georgia. Page 1070, dwelling 852, Jesse Ammons household. NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 127. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBB-SL9Y?i=23&cc=1473181&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMZMD-1K1>.

13: 1860 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Houston County, Georgia. Pages 41 and 42, entry 18, Jesse Amons farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 5. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-R3L2-XDM?lang=en&i=333>, accessed 29 January 2025. The NARA provides a helpful template.

14: Service record, op. cit., image 9.

15: ibid, image 5.

16: Georgia's 1867-1868 Returns of Qualified Voters. Volume 71 (Bibb County), page 20, entry 161, Jesse Ammons. Copied from Georgia Archives microfilm 297/19. You can see the relevant portion of the page here.

17: 1870 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Subdivision 167, Houston County, Georgia. Pages 233B and 234A, dwelling 224, family 226, Jesse Ammons household. NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 158. Internet Archive, <https://archive.org/details/populationschedu0158unit/page/n468/mode/1up> et seq.

18: 1880 U.S. Federal Census (Population Schedule). Militia district 527, Houston County, Georgia. Enumeration district [blank], page 301A, dwelling 91, family 91, Jessie Ammons household. NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 152. FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBH-6P1?cc=1417683&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM8G4-6TW>.

19: Robeson County, North Carolina. Original wills from the years 1663-1978, microfilm reel for Neill Brown through Alexander McBryde, folder labeled "GRANTHAM, Richard   1817." FamilySearch, <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9G4-3954-7>, accessed 27 October 2025.