Although both of his marriages were in Rowan County, Samuel is not listed in the 1880 census of Rowan Co. He might be the same person as the Samuel Jones age 10 living with the family of Robert and Mary Ellen (Ferrand) Foster in the 1870 census, if he adopted the name of his foster father.

One bit of evidence supporting that hypothesis is the fact that the death certificate of Beatrice Amburgey, daughter of Lige Amburgey and Dora Foster, gave her mother’s maiden name as Dora Jones. So Samuel may have gone by both surnames.

1900 census of Rowan Co., Ky, Pearce precinct, records as family #102:
Foster, Samuel, 40, b. May 1860, 2nd marriage, married 2 years; Nancy, wife, 24, b. Mar 1876, married 2 years, mother of 1 child, 1 living; Rosa E., dau, 14, b. Apr 1876; Nancy V., dau, 12, b. Mar 1888; Wm T., son, 6, b. Dec 1893; Sarah F., dau, 1, b. Mar 1899. All born in Ky.

Rosa, Nancy and William are children of Samuel’s first marriage, to Barbara Jones.

Rowan Co., Ky birth records list the birth on 31 Mar 1876 of Nancy J. Gregory, father James H. Gregory, mother’s maiden name Sarah Caudill.

Rowan Co. marriage register A, p. 112, records the marriage of Samuel Foster and Jane Gregory on 22 Sep 1897.