Pauline Jones Gandrud


 Historian, Genealogist

Born:May 9, 1904, Huntsville, Alabama
Died:Sept. 29, 1980
Buried:Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

Notes:

•  Her father was George Walter (G. W.) Jones (born in Huntsville in 1866) who founded the firm of G. W. Jones & Sons, Consulting Engineers in 1886 (located at 307 Franklin Street). Her mother was Evalena Moore the granddaughter of Isaac Criner, the first white settler in Madison County. Mr. and Mrs. Jones had six children, Howard, Raymond, Walter, Edwin, Carl and Mrs. Pauline Gandrud. - Sesquicentennial

•  She married Bennie William (B. W.) Gandrud, a mining engineer, November 29, 1930. They had one child named William B. Gandrud. - New Market

•  Education: Studied at Peabody Conservatory, 1922-1924. - Alabama Authors

•  Kathleen Pauline Jones began compiling a genealogy at seventeen. After her marriage, continued compiling and indexing the Alabama marriage, cemetery, court, and other records comprising the 245 volumes which were sold in typescript for years before their publication. - Alabama Authors

•  Brother to Carl T. Jones and Edwin W. Jones. - Sesquicentennial

•  "Carolyn Callahan's Ex Libris weekly articles in The Huntsville Times were worthy of emulation and quotation. The article she wrote on March 24,1968 would lose much of its value if it were only paraphrased, so it shall be quoted in full because it captured the spirit of the dedicated genealogist:
     'Library Acquiring Mass of Material For Genealogy. The funeral was hardly over when Bessie Russell set out to acquire the 'most extensive collection of genealogical papers in existence' from the estate of Mrs. Howard Jones of Huntsville for the local history room of the Huntsville Public Library.
     Mrs. Jones and her sister, Mrs. Pauline Gandrud, had spent years scouring county records, tombstones, letters and newspapers and recording the data. They has amassed nearly 300 volumes of records, many of them the only ones in existence.
     This treasure trove has tongues hanging out as far east as Virginia, as news of Mrs. Russell's coup spreads among those whose passion is climbing their ancestral tree.
     The local genealogical buffs are so thrilled at the prospect of having this material available at the public library, that they have quietly gone about raising $772.78 to date, to help the library pay for the papers.
     However, according to library director, Richard Covey, the papers as yet do not belong to the library and therefore are not available to anyone. Probate proceeding must be completed before the sale can take place. In the meantime, the papers are being housed at the library under Mrs. Russell's fiercely protective gaze.
     Even after completion of the sale, it may be some time before the papers are ready for public perusal.
     A number of them may require retyping or being put in some more lasting form. They are currently typewritten papers in Manila folders separated according to counties. Some of the pages are copies and are readily legible.
     Still and all, Mrs. Russell calls it, 'A feather in our cap! This is the sort of collection one generally finds only in large libraries.' Judging by the letters of congratulations pouring into the library, there are plenty of others who think so, too. More than one person has ruefully admitted that he wishes he had gotten there first, and if the library (heaven forbid) should decide not to purchase the papers after all, let him know.'"
     >Editor's note: The article says Kathleen Paul Jones is a sister to Pauline Jones Gandrud. She is the sister-in-law of Pauline Jones Gandrud and the wife of Howard Jones. - Hays


Related Links:

•  Alabama Authors - University of Alabama, Alabama Authors, lists her contributions.

•  Amazon - List of books. Most of them are not currently available.

•  Find A Grave - Page created by Chiquita Richison Thompson.

•  Gandrud Papers - Guide to the Pauline Jones Gandrud Papers, The University of Alabama.

•  Hays - From Carnegie to Fort Book: The History of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, by Paul A. Hays, 2005, page 105.

•  Heritage - The Heritage of Madison County, Alabama, by The Madison County Heritage Book Committee, John P. Rankin, Chairman, pages 154, 155, 180, 197, 198, 267, 374, 403, 409, 414, 454, 484.

•  J&W Enterprises - This company specializes in Southern State Source Materials and one can order Mrs. Gandrud's reprinted (print on demand) materials including marriage information, Alabama Records, and Alabama Soldiers information. There are 245 volumes in her Alabama Records collection and 68 of them focus on Madison County, Alabama. The volume numbers for Madison County are: 1,4,6,12,15,35,38,42,48,54,55,59,60,64, 71,76,80,82,85,86,97,100,103,110,111, 113,115,119,122,124,127,129,130,131,133, 134,136,137,138,141,145,147,149,151,153, 155,157,159,161,163,165,169,171,173,175, 177,179,181,183,185,189,191,193,195,201, 203,207,235.

•  New Market - Memories and History of New Market, AL, by Volunteer Fire Department.

•  Sesquicentennial - Commemorative Album, Celebrating our City's Sesquicentennial of Progress, Huntsville, Alabama, by James E. Taylor, General Chairman, 1955.


The Following Pages Link to this Page:
•  Hays
•  Sesquicentennial