Under the terms of the Florida Armed Occupation Act, approved 4 August 1842, men able to bear arms were entitled to apply for 160 acres of land in certain unsettled areas of East Florida, and given patents to the land upon fulfillment of the conditions of 5 years settlement.

Matthew received Patent #438 on May 15, 1843 on which he said he became a resident of Florida in 1841. He received the east half of the southeast 1/4 of section eight and the west half of the southwest 1/4 of section 9 in Township 12 Range 15 .  This land is in Levy County near Chiefland.

In the census of 1850, Mathew and Emily appeared in the Buddy Lake Settlement.  Matthew was age 28,  a farmer from Georgia.  Emily, also from Georgia, was 20.  They listed 1 child at that point:  Daughter Elizabeth Jones born in Florida was 1 year old.  John Jackson, age 23,  from Georgia lived with them.  (Ed. note:  "Elizabeth" must be Mary Frances Jones, born 10/28/1849).

In the 3rd Seminole Indian War, Private Matthew E. Jones served in Capt. William  H. Kendrick's  Company during 1856-1857.

During the Civil War, a refugee from the Confederacy, Matthew E. Jones was enlisted in Company B, Second Florida Cavalry, United States Army on April 15, 1864 at Fort Myers by Capt. H. A. Crane.  He was furloughed on 28 September 1865; discharged Nov. 29, 1865, Tallahassee.  He worked as farmer; had dark hair, blue eyes, dark complexion and was 5 feet 11 in tall.

Emily and Matthew E. Jones