Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
| Name | Richard Cogburn JONES [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14] | |
| Prefix | Cadet | |
| Suffix | Jr. | |
| Gender | Male | |
| Education | he graduated from Wilson Hall (High School), Sumter, South Carolina, Class of 2006; he attends The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina [2, 3, 4, 15] | |
| HIST | Date Published: April 14, 2009 Citadel’s Jones hits 3 HRs vs. Wildcats DAVIDSON, N.C. – Richard Jones tied a school record by hitting three home runs in The Citadel’s 12-5 Southern Conference baseball victory over Davidson on Sunday at Wilson Field. Jones, the former Wilson Hall and Sumter American Legion P-15’s standout, matched the record performance of three home runs Garrick Haltiwanger notched against Coastal Carolina on March 3, 1994. Jones, who now has 10 homers on the season, ended the game with a 3-for-5 performance with six runs batted in and three runs scored. The Citadel, which is 20-13 on the season and 9-6 in conference play, jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first as Nick Orvin led off with a double down the left field line. Bryan followed with the exact same hit, driving in Orvin from second. After an out, Jones hit the first pitch thrown to him by Davidson starting and losing pitcher Ian Horkley over the right field fence to make it 3-0. With the Bulldogs clinging to a 3-2 lead, Sonny Meade led off the top of the sixth with a base hit up. Jones followed with his second home run, this one off of reliever Mac Hunter. That started a five-run inning that helped The Citadel open an 8-2 lead. Davidson, which is 13-16 and 8-7, scored three in the bottom of the eighth off of left-hander Matt Talley to make it 8-5. However, The Citadel cushioned their lead in the ninth. Orvin led off with a double and Meade looped a one-out double to right to score Orvin. Jones followed with his third home run of the game to right, this one off of Matt Sliwiak. Chris McGuiness followed with a homer to make it 12-5. Date Published: April 22, 2009 Bulldogs' Jones shakes off 'slump' By DENNIS BRUNSON Item Sports Editor dennisb@theitem.com Richard Jones had the kind of season that freshmen college baseball players dream of in 2007 with The Citadel, only to suffer through something of a sophomore slump in ‘08. The big left-handed hitter has put that behind him this season, returning to the form that earned him a slew of honors as a freshman. Jones is batting .359 this season with 11 home runs, 12 doubles and 45 runs batted in for the Bulldogs, who are 22-16 entering today’s game against Winthrop. Jones has already equaled his ‘08 production in homers and doubles and surpassed his RBI total (45-44) in 53 less at-bats. Jones batted .281 last season. “My sophomore year I did feel a lot of pressure,” said Jones, the former Wilson Hall and Sumter American Legion P-15’s standout who is catching and serving as a designated hitter for the Bulldogs. “I found out not everybody wanted to pitch to me. They knew I was a free swinger and they didn’t give me as many good pitches as they did the year before.” It didn’t matter what the opposition tossed at Jones as a freshman. If he connected, he usually ripped it. He batted .335 with a school freshman record and tied for a team high 15 homers, a team high 61 RBI, 11 doubles and three triples. Jones was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team chosen by Collegiate Baseball magazine, was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and was named to the SoCon All-Tournament team. Jones insists that he didn’t have any grand revelation while working in the batting cages to get back on track at the plate. Instead, he said it has to do with the players batting in front of him and behind him. “We’ve just got the lineup set up in such a way that it’s good for everybody,” Jones said. Bryan Altman and Sonny Meade bat in the two spots in the order in front of Jones, who bats cleanup. Altman is batting .405 with 16 doubles, three triples, five homers and 37 RBI, while Meade is hitting .403 with 14 doubles, four homers and 44 RBI. Chris McGuinness is hitting fifth with a .420 average and a ridiculous .576 on-base percentage to go along with 12 doubles, nine dingers and 44 RBI. “I’d like to say I’m a more disciplined (than in the past two years),” said Jones, who has only 34 strikeouts (still a team high) after having 58 and 60 in his first two years, respectively. “I’ve just got people around me who are hitting it. I think a lot of times it’s a case of they’d rather pitch to me than the other guys.” Jones probably is seeing better pitches to hit since he is coming to the plate with runners on the bases on a regular basis and has McGuinness behind him. However, Jones is probably doing his part in allowing his teammates to see better pitches as well. In a 12-5 victory over Davidson on April 12, the Wildcat pitchers had to be cringing when Jones came to the plate. He jacked three two-run homers off of three different pitchers, driving in six runs in the process. “Our hitting coach tells us to just try and take the best swings that we can,” Jones said. “Chris McGuinness takes quality swings all of the time. It just happens that all three of mine (on the homers) were quality swings.” Jones hit a shot off of starter Ian Horkley in the first inning and one off of reliever Mac Hunter in the sixth. When he came to the plate in the ninth against reliever Matt Sliwiak, Jones said he had to work to maintain his focus. “You go up there knowing you’ve hit two already, so you have nothing to lose — at least that’s what’s in your mind,” he said. “But then you don’t want to overdo it either. I didn’t try to do that, instead I just tried to make sure I took another quality swing.” Jones did just that and McGuinness followed him up with a solo shot for the final run. While The Citadel is coming off a disappointing weekend when it lost two of three games to North Carolina Greensboro, Jones likes the Bulldogs’ chances of putting together a run and winning the Southern Conference tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. “We’re a really close team chemistry-wise,” he said. “The attitude of all of the teams is they’re going to win, but I feel like we have the chemistry to be able to pull it off.” Reach Sports Editor Dennis Brunson at dennisb@theitem.com or (803) 774-1241. Date Published: May 20, 2009 Jones All-SoCon Citadel catcher on first team with big junior season Item file photo The Citadel's Richard Jones has been named to the All-Southern Conference first team. By DENNIS BRUNSON Item Sports Editor dennisb@theitem.com After missing out on postseason honors a year ago, Richard Jones is once again being recognized as one of the best baseball players in the Southern Conference. Jones, the designated hitter on the 2007 All-Southern Conference First Team as a freshman, is the first team catcher on the ‘09 as a junior. “It’s always good when you get recognition for a successful season,” said Jones, the Sumter native who is one of four Bulldogs on the first team. “I knew it was going to come down to me and the catcher from Georgia Southern (Griffin Benedict) and I just happened to win it. He’s a great player too.” Jones is batting .371 with 15 home runs and 64 runs batted in as The Citadel prepares to play Appalachian State today at 1 p.m. in the first round of the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Fluor Field in Greenville. Benedict is batting .415 with 10 homers and 54 RBI as Georgia Southern prepares to face Davidsion at 9 a.m. Jones burst onto the scene as a freshman, batting .335 with 15 homers and 61 RBI. Along with the conference honors, he was a Freshman All-American as well. As a sophomore, the left-handed swinger didn’t have as strong a season, batting .281 with 11 homers and 44 RBI. As he did earlier in the season, Jones credits the players around him in the batting order for the success he has enjoyed this season. “When you have Bryan Altman and Sonny Meade hitting in front of you and Chris McGuiness behind you, it makes you a good hitter,” Jones said. Meade is batting with .402 with 60 RBI, Altman is batting .377 with seven HRs and 46 RBI and McGuiness is batting .377 with 13 homers and 55 RBI. “Unless you’re one of the top four or five players, you’re not going to be able to do it all by yourself,” Jones added. “It’s baseball; you need good players around you.” The Bulldogs go into the SoCon tournament on a roll despite losing their regular-season finale to Presbyterian 12-6. The Citadel, which is 34-20 on the season, has won 12 of its last 16 games, including 10 of its final 12 conference games to finish with a 20-10 record. The Citadel is the third seed in the tournament and probably needs to win the tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. Jones believes he and his teammates have the ability to accomplish that with the way the pitching staff has developed. “Our pitching has really come around as the season has developed,” Jones said. “Wes Wrenn (the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year) has been great all season, and the rest of the starters have come along. Drew Mahaffey and Raymond Copenhaver have been good in the bullpen all season. “The offense has been good all year, and with the pitching we’re getting, we’re really playing well.” Date Published: June 12, 2009 Jones mulls over signing decision By TREVOR ZION BAUKNIGHT Item Sports Writer TBauknight@theitem.com With the possibility of playing professional baseball now in front of him after he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs organization in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Players draft on Wednesday, The Citadel's Richard Jones said he'd take a week or two to decide what he will do. His alternative is to return for his senior season with the Bulldogs after putting together an All-American season as a junior and tying that school's single-season home run record at 17. It's a big decision. "I'm not even close to reaching a decision right now. It's going to be a week or two before I decide, I'm pretty sure," said Jones, a former standout catcher for both Wilson Hall and the Sumter American Legion P-15's. "There's a lot of negotiations and stuff that has to take place. It's stuff I don't like to deal with, but it's a lot of stuff. "I'd love to play pro ball, but then again, my education is important," Jones added. "It's still totally up in the air right now, whether I will sign or not. It all plays into it -- money, your degree -- there are plenty of factors that play into it." Jones, the 290th pick overall in the ninth round, said the draft went about how he expected it would. "We kind of had an idea going into it, and we were about right with everything," he said. "It turned out to work out well." Jones said that despite the gaudy numbers he put up as a junior at the Citadel -- he hit .378 for the Bulldogs with 69 runs batted in, 54 runs scored and had 95 hits, good for 12th in the nation -- he didn't think another year at the Citadel would be a setback, barring injuries or a slump. "Really, it doesn't matter," he said. "You are the player you are, and they kind of know what's going to happen to you. It would be no different (next year)." For now, Jones is content playing for the Thomasville, N.C. Hi Toms of the wood bat Coastal Plain League, which also features the Columbia Blowfish. He leads the team in home runs with two and in runs batted in with seven. Date Published: June 23, 2009 Jones signs with Chicago Cubs Sports Items The Citadel's All-American catcher Richard Jones, a former Wilson Hall and Sumter American Legion P-15's standout, signed on Monday to play professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs, by whom he was drafted in the ninth round of Major League Baseball's First-Year Players draft on June 10. Jones will report to Arizona on Thursday, according to his family, and will forego his senior season with the Bulldogs. JOHNSON TO BE INDUCTED GREENVILLE - Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson heads the latest group who'll be inducted into the Furman University Athletics Hall of Fame. Johnson is a former Furman coach who spent 24 years with the Paladins' program. Also being named to the hall is one of Johnson's former players, wide receiver Des Kitchings, and soccer standout Emily Turgeon. The school made the announcement Monday. The three will be inducted July 25. FEDERER TESTED AT WIMBLEDON WIMBLEDON, England - The new roof wasn't tested. Roger Federer was - briefly. The retractable roof stayed opened Monday for the opening match on Centre Court, and Federer fell behind early before charging past Yen-hsun Lee of Taiwan, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. Federer failed to convert his first four break-point chances, then lost serve to trail 3-2. But he immediately broke back, broke again in the final game of the first set and dominated from there. Bidding for his sixth Wimbledon title, Federer won for the 41st time in his past 42 matches at the All England Club. The lone loss came in last year's final to Rafael Nadal, a match hailed by some as the sport's best ever. Date Published: July 3, 2009 Jones hits two homers in professional debut By DENNIS BRUNSON Item Sports Editor dennisb@theitem.com When asked if he had already asked the Chicago Cubs organization if he could be promoted to one of its Single-A baseball teams, Richard Jones answered with an emphatic "no." However, if Jones continues to have nights like the one he had in his professional debut on Wednesday for the Cubs' team in the Arizona Rookie League, Jones won't have to ask, Chicago will make the move on its own. The former Wilson Hall and Sumter P-15's standout smacked two home runs, drove in five runs and scored three runs while going 3-for-5, leading the Cubs to a 13-3 victory in Mesa, Ariz. "It was a pretty good way to start," Jones, who was a 12th-round pick of the Cubs in last month's Major League Baseball draft, said on Thursday. "Actually, my first home run was an inside-the-park home run. The second one was an "every day" home run." Jones, who said he hit an inside-the-parker while playing collegiately at The Citadel, said he got the opportunity for it when the Indians centerfielder thought he could make a play on the ball Jones hit to dead center. "They've got like a 30-foot high eye drop (back drop) in center, and the centerfielder thought he could get it," Jones said. "The ball hit off of it and bounced almost all of the way back to the infield. By the time they got to it I was already at third base, so I kept going." Jones said there was a throw to the plate, but it wasn't close. Still, he chose to slide. "I don't think I could have ran anymore," he laughed. While he and his teammates are about the business of baseball, Jones said there is a good atmosphere surrounding the team. "The manager (Juan Cabrera) and coaches (Hector Ortega and Rick Tronerud), they've been in the business awhile and they know what to do to make you feel comfortable," Jones said. "They're able to put you in a place where you can relax and get used to things." Jones, who signed with Chicago on June 22, said he had been practicing and working out with other draft picks who signed around the same time he did. They were added to the roster on Wednesday. Jones said he was told he would be in the AZL for a week or so and then move on to Boise of the Pioneer League, another Rookie league team. Jones though said he is just going to take things as they come. He did start at catcher on Wednesday, but he has been working at first base in practice. "They want me to work on a secondary position because you just can't catch every day," he said. "They're looking for another position, so they had me messing around a little bit there." Reach Sports Editor Dennis Brunson at dennisb@theitem.com or (803) 774-1241. Jones swings away - Added strength, new approach paying off for Jones JUSTIN DRIGGERS / THE ITEM Jones swings away Former Wilson Hall and Sumter P-15's standout Richard Jones, left, looks for a pitch during a recent scrimmage at the University of South Carolina Sumter practice field. Jones, a ninth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs, had his best minor league season last year with Class A Peoria thanks to an increase in strength and a new approach at the plate. By JUSTIN DRIGGERS jdriggers@theitem.com Let the game come to you. It's an old adage in baseball, and sports in general, that a lot of players and coaches both preach and try to implement. It's not something Richard Jones is comfortable doing, however. "I really have to attack the game," Jones said. "I can't let it come to me; I have to make something happen." And that's just what the former Wilson Hall standout did this past season. With his "back against the wall" and a possible early end to his professional baseball career on the horizon, Jones posted his best minor league season since being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2009. In 123 games, Jones batted .309 with 24 homers and 98 runs batted in for the Class A Peoria Chiefs - his first full season at that level. "I'm a power-hitting first baseman," Jones said. "That's kind of what I wanted to sell myself as, so I really went up to the plate with the intention of trying to hit a home run every at-bat. I had (519) at bats and hit 24 homers." Jones also hit 36 doubles for a slugging percentage of .538. The new approach to his craft came about because one, he felt like he had nothing to lose anyway, and two, he was finally starting to feel like his old self again - at least when it came to strength. For the past two seasons, Jones has returned to his college alma mater, The Citadel, to not only finish his degree, but also to work with the school's strength coach, Donnell Boucher. Earlier in his minor league career, Jones said he felt weak and uncomfortable at the plate. Boucher responded by putting him on a football player's workout regimen. "He basically helped me get my size back up to where it needed to be," Jones said. "I've gained 20 pounds of muscle, and that's allowed me to work on getting my strength back up to where it needed to be." The results were a dramatic jump in power numbers and average for Jones. After only managing a combined seven homers for two teams in 2010, Jones more than tripled that this past season. "I've finally gotten to the point where if I swing normally, the ball still has a chance to go out," Jones said. "It's not like I'm up there over-swinging at everything. I'm just putting my normal swing on it and getting good results." The power numbers were surely going to come, but the high batting average was another byproduct, Jones said. "Batting average is usually the last thing to come for power hitters," he said. "For me, as a result of my strength and conditioning, I started to feel comfortable with my swing and I started feeling comfortable to go to all fields. I usually just concentrated on hitting it to right field, but now I can hit to center or left. "Once you feel comfortable hitting to all fields, the batting average usually follows." A new comfort level also followed Jones onto the field. After switching from catcher to first base in 2010, last season provided Jones with a better feel for the position. "You start to really settle in and now the situations, what you're supposed to do, reading ground balls, things like that, come more naturally" Jones said. "It's been great because I can already tell the difference in positions in terms of how much it takes out of you. "Playing catcher, I was starting to feel the strain of the season by like Game 30. At first, it took till about Game 100, maybe 110." With his success last season, Jones expects to start the 2012 campaign in Daytona Beach, the Cubs' High-A affiliate. But as with all things in baseball, nothing is certain. "That would probably be about 95 percent likely," Jones said. "But the Cubs have new management and a new direction. I'm 95 percent sure I'll be in Daytona, but the other five percent is a lot in baseball." Regardless, Jones' new approach will remain the same, he said. "I have about 500 at-bats, I'm going to try to hit 500 home runs and see what happens," Jones said. Posted in Local sports, Sports on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Sumter Item to reveal Top 125 Sports Figures with anniversary celebration Posted Saturday, October 12, 2019 6:00 am BY DENNIS BRUNSON In celebration of its 125th anniversary, The Sumter Item is going to select the Top 125 Sports Figures during that period in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties. The list will be revealed in reverse order starting on Wednesday with Nos. 125-111. The remaining lists will be contain 10 figures beginning on Friday. Those lists will appear every Wednesday and Friday until it reaches the top 10 in December. At that point, one story will be released in each edition until the top figure is revealed. The list will include people who affected sports in our area both in competition and in other ways as well. Coinciding with the list reveal, we'll be asking readers to reveal their Top 10 sports figures in Item history, and we'll be hosing Autograph Giveaway contests featuring our famous local sports figures. The Sumter Item's Top 125 Sports Figures 81-90 Posted Friday, October 25, 2019 3:45 pm In celebration of its 125th anniversary, The Sumter Item has selected the Top 125 Sports Figures during that period in Sumter, Clarendon and Lee counties. The list will be revealed in reverse order, appearing every Wednesday and Friday until it reaches the top 10 in December. At that point, one story will be released in each edition until the top figure is revealed. The list will include people who affected sports in our area both in competition and in other ways as well. 90) Julie Larson - Julie Larson was a 6-foot-3-inch standout basketball player for Thomas Sumter Academy in the early 1980s. She finished her career with 3,096 points and averaged 29.3 points her senior year. She went on to Clemson and averaged 9.9 points for her career, including 13.8 in her final season. 89) Kevin Ireland - Kevin Ireland was a speedy back for Sumter High School in the early 1970s and played some college football at Tennessee-Martin. However, he has made his mark in Sumter over the airwaves, serving as the play-by-play voice for both Sumter High football and the Sumter P-15’s for close to three decades. 88) Bob Sharp - Bob Sharp, along with the next two selections, was one of the top dirt track racers in the area when the sport was at its peak. Sharp won over 200 main events and seven track championships at Sumter Speedway. He also became the track promoter at Sumter Speedway. 87) H.C. Pritchard - Pritchard drove the dirt tracks, but he also made a mark in the NASCAR Lat Model Sportsman Division, competing against the likes of Ralph Earnhardt, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett and Cale Yarborough. In 1960, Pritchard won track titles at Sumter Speedway, Edmunds Speedway, Ashwood Speedway and Columbia Speedway. 86) Slick Gibbons - Edward “Slick” Gibbons won over 250 dirt track races in his career. Gibbons won multiple division titles at multiple tracks throughout the state. He also competed throughout the Southeast, winning the Bucks Stove 100 at Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1971. 85) Donald Hardy - Donald Hardy was a 4-sport standout athlete for East Clarendon High School, from where he graduated in 1966. He quarterbacked the Wolverines to a football state title in 1965 and was an all-state performer. He was a 3-time most valuable player on the baseball team, starting at shortstop for four years. He went on to sign a professional contract with the New York Yankees. 84) Bucko Edens - Thomas “Bucko” Edens was a standout football player at Edmunds High School who went on to an outstanding career at Newberry College. He was an all-state, all Little Four and second team Little All-American with the Indians. He would later become the longtime athletic officer for the Sumter P-15’s. 83) Joey Taylor - Joey Taylor graduated from Manning High School where he was a 5-year starter in baseball and a 4-year starter in football. He went on to Clemson where he was a first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer. He holds the Clemson record for most extra-base hits in a game with five – two home runs and three doubles – against South Carolina in 1962. 82) Brian Mance - Brian Mance graduated from Manning High School in 1999 and was a standout football player, ran track and played baseball. He won the 3A state championship in the 100-meter dash as a junior. He went on to Clemson and a was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer and fourth team All-America as a senior. He had short stints in the NFL with Washington and Chicago. 81) Richard Jones - Richard Jones came from a baseball family, and he has easily helped carry on the legacy with Wilson Hall, the Sumter P-15’s, The Citadel and finally as a professional player. Jones was a catcher who swung a big bat. He had 17 home runs in his final year with the P-15’s, then went to The Citadel where he was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American. As a junior, he was first team All-Southern Conference, batting .378 with 17 homers. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the 2009 MLB draft. He played four years in the organization, hitting 24 home runs one season. [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16] | |
| Occupation | he signed with the Chicago Cubs organization on Monday, 22 Jun 2009, to play baseball [8] | |
| _UID | 4045A6BCBFE94DE78A84FE61CB4FB32C2933 | |
| Person ID | I152305 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 31 Oct 2019 | |
| Father | Richard Cogburn “Dickie” JONES, Sr., b. 9 Jan | |
| Mother | Jill TAYLOR | |
| _UID | 8FECFABD9BE5433699B1D70DA26691B4A622 | |
| _UID | 8FECFABD9BE5433699B1D70DA26691B4A622 | |
| Family ID | F68704 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | Jade | |
| _UID | A73117D6764E42339E1F3A8A30966D762859 | |
| _UID | A73117D6764E42339E1F3A8A30966D762859 | |
| Family ID | F114738 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified | 23 Mar 2026 | |
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