Rose Mary Yankulic Jones – Author Bio: Revised 24 Jul 2025
I grew up in Masontown in Fayette County in Southwestern Pennsylvania. After I graduated from Waynesburg College (now Waynesburg University) in 1981, I relocated to Bucks County in Southeastern Pennsylvania. I’ve been married forty-one years as of June 30, 2025. My husband, Dave, the perpetual wisecracker, often reminds me that he is the best thing that ever happened to me. But he knows he has to share top billing with our son and daughter. So, currently I am a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and “grandmother” to two dogs, six cats, five chickens, and one turtle.
I feel very lucky to have spent the past half century, exploring history with my best friend. Dave and I pack each day to the fullest extent possible when we get the chance to travel. Our focus so far has been on visiting historic sites; national, state, and local parks; and museums, zoos, and aquariums in the Eastern Half of the United States.
Really, I only have had the time and technology to pursue family research since 2010. Out of the dark cloud caused by corporate downsizing in 2011 and then disability in 2012, I found a “silver lining” in genealogy. While I have had to adapt to limited mobility, I truly enjoy reading and writing. I follow the example of lifelong learning from my Grandmother, Myrtle Mae Miller King, who took swimming lessons at age 75. I carry the family history nuggets my Mother, Bessie Lee King Yankulic, dropped during my childhood as I continue to dive passionately into genealogy.
Since I started using Ancestry to do research back in 2011, in the pursuit of my family history, I have reconnected online with some long- lost cousins and friends. I have gotten to know quite a few others I have not yet had the chance to meet, and I have also made many new friends along the way. I have enjoyed dozens of conversations with friends and relatives. Like my cousin, Brenda King, I have a desire to document our family stories and history to pass down to future generations of our extended family. I have been sharing discoveries with my family since 2013.
I have also been creating materials since 2014 to share with members of the various groups I have been able to join through my genealogy research. In tribute, especially to my Grandmother, Myrtle Mae Miller King, I am very proud and humbled to represent our family in various lineage societies and genealogy groups. The plan is for the list to grow as time and finances permit.
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, member since 2014. My four times great- grandfather, John Arundell (1757-1822), from Truro Parish, Fairfax County, Virginia enlisted as a Private in the 5th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company A from 1776 to 1778. He was chosen at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to be a member of General George Washington’s “Life Guard”, also known as the Commander In Chief’s Guard, in which he served for the remainder of the war from 1778 – 1783.
The United States Daughters of 1812, member since 2015. Also connected via my four times great-grandfather, John Arundell (1757-1822), who lived long enough to serve in the Revolutionary War and then in the 4th Virginia Militia before the War of 1812 ended.
The Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, member since 2015. My two times great-grandfather, Corporal Benjamin Franklin Miller (1841-1905), 3rd Maryland, Company A, USA served from 1861 to 1864.
Bucks County Genealogy Society, member since 2016. In addition to the Eastern Pennsylvania connections in my family tree, the search continues for information about my husband, Dave’s, ancestors who hail from Bucks County, PA and the surrounding areas.
Friend Family Association of America, member since 2017. William Henry King (1896-1956), my maternal grandfather, descends from my three times great grandparents, John Green King (1796-1861) and Sarah Friend (1798 -1835). Sarah is the daughter of Joseph Friend and granddaughter of John Friend, who settled in Maryland. Friendsville, Maryland is the home of many of these relatives to this day. Following the Friend line farther back in time takes us to the New Sweden colony in today’s southeastern PA, northern Delaware, and southwestern NJ. Nils Larson Friend is the ancestor we would connect to in order to join some of our cousins in The Swedish Colonial Society.
Virtual Genealogical Society, member since 2018. I joined this group as one of multiple ways to keep improving my research skills.
Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International, member since 2022. My nephew and I independently began searching via Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Bohemian, and Ukrainian sources to try to expand what we know about my father’s family. Eastern European connections make up a big percentage of my DNA. Seeing the faces in Ukraine on the television remind me vividly also of aunts and uncles who have passed away.
Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, member since 2024.
Historical Society of Bucks County, member since 2024.
Since starting genealogy research in 2011 with just a birth certificate and marriage certificate, I have embarked on a fantastic journey which continues to this day. I have also been compiling a library of genealogical materials connected to the family, which now exceeds fifty documents. My plan is to share pictures, stories, and experiences along the way. When I think about it, I have already been sharing my writing for several years, so this seems like the next step in the evolution of writing.
From 2014 to 2015, I was lucky to be asked to contribute research to two Miller Family History Articles (George Miller and Abraham Miller) at the webpage of the C&O Canal National Historic Site. http://candocanal.org/histdocs/G-A-Miller-Family-History.pdf http://candocanal.org/histdocs/Abraham-Miller-Family-History.pdf
From 2015 on, I have been compiling a list of descendants of William Henry King and Myrtle Mae Miller. That work continues as I track updates on Social Media and seek updates from the family also.
In 2015, I created a combination cookbook and family memories book in collaboration with many family members — Mom’s Recipes, Family Time Feeds the Soul. (A 2020 update was completed. At some point, there should also be post-covid observations added to the book).
Since 2016, I have been contributing to Our King Family History Of The Past And Present. Authors are Brenda King and Rose Mary Jones. Because each generation produced a lot of relatives, this work has grown to multiple volumes. This history includes the descendants back several generations to John King and Elizabeth Green, and relatives from her second marriage to Andrew Johnson. Our King line certainly goes back farther than that but, for now, we do not know more about it.
Fall 2016 brought my introduction to DNA research from my 2xcousin, Laura Schaffner. There are lots of contacts to explore in the future who are listed as matches on Ancestry DNA. It seems like I get messages about once a month from relatives on all sides of Dave’s and my families. Several people have contacted me with more confidence that we are related because of DNA matches at Ancestry.com.
For Christmas 2016, I created a family history album of pictures with memories for Dave’s Mom. Nana’s Photos- Vol I, II, and III grouped the pictures and stories by generations of Bernadette Jones’ Ancestors, Siblings, and Descendants.
In Summer 2017, my family tree research was included on pp. 35-36 in Stories Beneath the Stones. This is a book about Richmond National Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The story of our relatives, John W. Mayhugh and his brothers (Richard W., James Edward, and Zachariah) is found in the section about Brother Against Brother in the Civil War. The author JoAnn Meaker says she tells the story of John W. Mayhugh when she gives tours of the Richmond National Cemetery.
In 2017, a DNA match related story is how I started talking to Laura Moss White, our cousin via the King/Friend family lines. Many years ago, I heard the story that we had relatives who were kidnapped by the Indians. I also heard there was a book written by a relative that included the story. More recently, I found out that the book was written in 1967 by Evelyn Guard Olsen and then updated in 2014 by cousin, Patrick Smith. I purchased a copy from the Friend Family Association Website. After I had read the book, I saw Laura Moss White was a match on Ancestry DNA. When I looked closely at our trees, I saw the name I recognized, Evelyn Guard Olsen. I sent a note to Laura as the Ancestry program encourages one to do. I just let her know I had enjoyed reading the book written by her grandmother. Laura wrote back and told me she had memories of her Grandmother writing the book. She also told me how her Mom, Dad, Aunt, and Uncle all helped when the book was being written. We shared some emails and then had some lovely telephone conversations, which is amazing since Laura lives in California, and I live in Pennsylvania. I look forward to our friendship growing over the years. All of this inspired me to suggest writing a Companion Guide to Indian Blood, in which Laura and I could collaborate, and she could use in her lesson plans as a teacher.
I had the wonderful opportunity to help create and participate in a Flag Day program on June 10, 2018, at the historic Moland House in Warwick Township, PA. The History of the US Flag from 1775 to 1959 was very well received, and I have been encouraged to share that program in different venues. For June 11, 2023, I helped once again to create a Flag Day Presentation for the Flag Day Program at the Moland House in Warwick Township, PA. Shelly Bell and Beverly Schaefer presented the program. This presentation was about the Flags of the American Revolution. In 2024, I helped prepare a DAR Flag Day program of US Flag Trivia that was shared by Beverly Schaefer. In 2025, after a long absence, I presented the Flag Day program once again with Beverly Schaefer. This program was the History of the US Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance.
There is a gap in my writing timeline from 2020 – 2023. Activity stopped and the world really changed due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19). At some point when we are further removed in time from 2020, I think I will be ready to talk about my Covid experiences.
After being hospitalized in October 2020, having surgery on both feet, having acute kidney failure, and various other systemic issues, I needed skilled nursing care. I was sent to a nursing home during the time of mass covid infections. Every Friday infected people were sent to the nursing homes from the local hospitals. We were quarantined repeatedly for months.
After spending time at two different nursing homes, and having two different surgeries within a year, it took me over a year to get back home again. I did not stop fighting to reach that goal. I was so lucky that I had family who wanted me back home and a place to go. Many people at the nursing home were there simply because they had nowhere else to go. To this day I am working on recovery from the permanent physical changes caused by Covid. I am making what some would call slow progress. I persist. I don’t often get discouraged because it is progress. Maybe, at this point, I would say it is more of an adaptation to living with more physical impairments than a recovery.
When I look over my list of things I want to write about, I should not be surprised that I have up to 40 topics. I still have lots to say. As I move farther away from a full invalid existence to a more normal daily life, I am sure I will start writing more frequently.
I am not special or unique. Everyone has issues in their life. Some days your focus may be one second at a time, then one minute, and then one hour. Soon enough days are passing by without special notice. My note to everyone is just to keep going and do the best you can each day.
Until next time……
Rose's Reflections and Ruminations 