New York native traces family roots to Jones Co.

     You never know who you’re related to…

     About 15 years ago, Tom Myles from New York made his first trip to Jones County, Iowa, in an effort to discover his maternal family roots. He now has an electronic database that contains the names of 360,000 individuals with family connections to Jones County.

     “From a young age, family history intrigued me,” Myles shared.

     Growing up, his paternal grandmother lived with his family until Myles’ father passed away in 1960. “So I heard family stories,” said Myles. One such story his grandmother Lizzie Booth Myles shared involved the newly built Brooklyn Bridge in New York, which connects Manhattan to Brooklyn. “She walked (or was pushed) across the bridge as a 4-year-old when it was built in 1883,” Myles said.

     After his father’s passing, Myles’ mother stayed in touch with her in-laws. One of his cousins on his father’s side researched the Myles family line back to 1820 in Ireland, and coming to New York in 1848.

     That’s when Myles, himself, start researching family history, roughly 20 years ago. “Back then, much of the research was done through microfilm records,” he said. “Times have changed!”

     Now, all of Myles’ family research as it relates to Jones County is available for public use through the Jones County Genealogical Society, housed in the Anamosa Public Library. The information is utilized on site through Family History software.

     Myles first donated his research to the Genealogical Society two years ago. He provides annual updates as he continues to do more and more research, discovering more and more about his Jones County roots.

     Myles’ maternal grandmother is Mae Soper Healy.

     “We were told that our ancestors may have come on the Mayflower,” he said.

     Through his research on the Soper family, Myles found out that his great grandfather arrived in Long Island, N.Y., in 1660. “I was able to trace the Soper clan to various areas within a few hours’ ride of my home,” he said.

     In 1847, Myles’ ancestors traveled by covered wagon from New York to Iowa (Iowa became a state in 1846). They ended up settling in Jones County.

     “I began to notice that everyone was a farmer,” Myles said of his research. “Being a native New Yorker, I know nothing about farming. Curiosity got the best of me.”

     So, Myles drove across country to see Jones County, Iowa, for himself.

     “I fell in love with the area,” he said. “Bucolic Iowa is a respite from bustling New York.”

     In wanting to track down living Soper family members, Myles looked in a local phone book. He was quite hesitant to start randomly phoning complete strangers. It wasn’t until his third visit in a little over a year that he got the nerve. Myles made contact with a Glen Soper in Monticello, who has since passed away. Myles’ research contained a Glen Soper as a relation.

     Myles ended up visiting Glen and his wife Leona in person at their home and spent several hours getting to know them.

     “We became great friends and a loving part of our families,” he said.

     Myles and Glen Soper share a common ancestor who was born in Huntington, Long Island, in 1670.

     Myles’ family history in Jones County is mainly concentrated in the Martelle area. In fact, there is a monument in the Norwich Cemetery in Martelle dedicated to the Sopers.

     Over the past 15 years, Myles has returned numerous times to Jones County, about 25 visits in all.

     “I often take my laptop and a stool and visit rural cemeteries,” he said. “It is so peaceful.”

     Myles as also met “many nice people” in his travels here. “To me, it’s not the sights I have seen, but it’s the people who I have met that make my journeys memorable. It’s another reason I continue to return to Jones County.”

     Myles said many might be surprised by the connections they find through his genealogy database. “Virtually every family who has spent a generation in Jones County is represented in my database,” he said. “Ninety-seven present of the 1650 families listed in the 1988 Jones County Pictorial Atlas are in my database.”

     The database, which does contain personal information, offers such information as: names; parents, spouses, children; date and location of birth; date and location of death; education; occupation; date and location of marriage/divorce; and obituaries. There are also photographs of tombstones and his ancestors themselves (if available).

     “Genealogy is my hobby,” said Myles. “Some may say it’s my passion.”

     He updates the database on an annual basis because, as he said, “Family history is always changing. People are born and die and get married.”

     Myles also encourages corrections to his research, if errors are found.

     One nice feature of his database allows users to create and print their own family trees stemming from his own research.

     “I enjoy helping others researching their family history, and I do not ask for compensation,” Myles said. “My hope is that I can help people discover their roots. I am cognizant that not everyone is interested in their past, but to me it is history made personal.”

     Myles encourages people conducting their own family research to make use of what the Jones County Genealogical Society provides free of charge at http://iowajones.org.

     “It is a treasure trove for a genealogist,” praised Myles. “I am very grateful for their voluminous records. I know of no other local collection of records that even comes close to what is provided by the Society. It has given me many hours of research and enjoyment.”

     Myles has also used such sites as findagrave.com and ancestry.com, as well as local funeral home websites and online newspaper archives.

     You can find the entire Monticello Express online since its first issue 1865 by visiting the Monticello Public Library website (www.monticello.lib.ia.us).