Key Facts

Snapshot:	laborer; blacksmith; Confederate volunteer but was promptly discharged due to old age
Parents:	196Stephen Ammons His mother's identity is unknown.
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 father is 196Stephen Ammons.3 Although I have no photos of 98Jesse, at age 53 he was described as "five feet, five inches high, dark complexion, blue eyes, light hair." 2

I don't know when or how 98Jesse migrated from North Carolina to Georgia, but he married 99Lucinda Watson in Bibb County, Georgia on 24 May 1829. This is the earliest record I've found pertaining to him.

1829: 98Jesse's and 99Lucinda's marriage record4

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.5

1830: 98Jesse's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.5

His wife 99Lucinda presumably died at a young age, since 98Jesse remarried to Eliza Cannon on 5 August 1835.8

1835: 98Jesse's and Eliza's marriage record. Full page.8

A Houston County newspaper mentions 98Jesse in 18356 and again in 1842.7 The 1842 newspaper describes him as being from militia district 7697 (map).

The 1850 census shows that he had had lots of children.1 In addition, the 1850 census collected some data about Jesse's farm and the crops/livestock raised there; you can see his farm schedule listing (pages 25 and 26),9 although you may need to use this template or my transcription to help interpret it.

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

A lightning strike killed two of his children in July 1854:10

In 1860 his family was still in Houston County, Georgia.11 There's also an 1860 farm schedule listing (pages 41 and 42)12 along with a corresponding template.

1860: 98Jesse's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.11

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 Infantry and mustered into service in Augusta about a week later.13 However, he was soon dubbed unfit for military service due to "chronic Rheumatism + debility of old age" and was discharged soon thereafter.14

Part of 98Jesse's military discharge paperwork.14

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.15

98Jesse on a Reconstruction-era list of registered voters in Houston County, Georgia.15

The 1870 and 1880 censuses still show 98Jesse in Houston County with numerous children and grandchildren.16,17

1870: 98Jesse's family in Houston County, Georgia. Full page.16
 

1880: 98Jesse's family still in Houston County. Full page.17

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

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 #8 (Certificate of Disability for Discharge). NARA microfilm publication M266, roll 166. National Archives Catalog, <https://catalog.archives.gov/id/163384614>, accessed 14 April 2020. 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: 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.

5: 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>.

6: "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>.

7: "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/>.

8: 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.

9: 1850 U.S. Federal Census (Agriculture Schedule). Houston County, Georgia. Pages 25 and 26, entry 1, Jesse Almonds farm. NARA microfilm publication T1137, roll 2. The NARA provides a helpful template.

10: "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.

11: 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>.

12: 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. The NARA provides a helpful template.

13: Service record, op. cit., image 3.

14: ibid, image 6.

15: 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.

16: 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.

17: 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>.