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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Portrait and
Biographical History of
Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, Ohio
Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros.
1892
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JAMES JONES.
President of the Farmers' Bank of Mt. Sterling and a member
of the firm of Jones & Jones, dealers in grain, coal,
salt and grass-seed, is a prominent business man of this
place, having been connected with its leading enterprises
for a number of years. He also has a wide acquaintance
and is favorably known throughout the community.
Mr. Jones was born in Madison Township, Fayette
County, Ohio, Oct. 8, 1836. His father, Isaac Jones,
was a native of Ross County, and on attaining to mature
years, wedded Unity Graham, a native of
Fayette County. Beside our subject they had two
children: Mrs. Mary E. Bostwick, who is now deceased,
and Mrs. Sarah Taylor, who resides in Chicago, Ill.,
and has four children.
Our subject spent his boyhood days upon his father's
farm, and at the age of nineteen began working by the month.
He was thus employed for three years, during which time he
saved $300. He was married Mar. 17, 1859, and then
began farming on rented land. By his industry and
economy, four years later he was able to purchase one
hundred acres of land in Monroe Township, Pickaway County.
Subsequently, he purchased one hundred and sixty-five acres
of land in Madison Township, Fayette County, and another
tract of one hundred and seventy acres in Monroe Township,
Pickaway County. His first farm he has sold, but he
still owns the other. As the years passed, he became
interested in other business transactions and aided in
organizing the first bank in Mt. Sterling. It became
known as the Farmers' Bank. Mr. Jones
served as Director for one year, three years after its
organization was elected Vice-president and during the last
two years before it was closed was its President. He
was one of ten who took equal shares and organized the
present Farmers' Bank, of which he was elected President in
1891. One of the original stockholders having died,
the nine others purchased the interest and are still the
only members of the company.
In 1884, Mr. Jones entered into
partnership with W. M. Jones, as dealers in coal,
grain, salt and grass seed. They handle an average of
one hundred thousand bushels of corn each year, fifty
thousand bushels of wheat, sell two hundred car loads of
coal and $2,500 worth of grass seed. They are the only
dealers in this line in Mt. Sterling and do a flourishing
business, which is constantly increasing.
Mr. Jones cast his first vote for John C.
Fremont, in 1856, and has since been a stalwart
Republican, doing all in his power from the advancement of
the party. He has served for more than a quarter of a
century as School Director and the cause of education has
found in him a warm friend. He is also a warm advocate
of temperance principles and gives his aid to all
enterprises calculated to prove of public benefit. He
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and himself, wife and
daughters all belong to the Methodist Church, of which he is
Steward, Class-leader and Trustee.
Six children ahve been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Jones
as follows: Mary, who was born in Monroe Township,
Pickaway County; Luella wife of Ernest Dreyfogle,
of Darby Township, Pickaway County, by whom she has two
children: Willis, a grain dealer of Darby, Ohio;
Melinda, wife of Warner Beale, Cashier of the
Citizens' Bank of Mt. Sterling, and Anna and Unity,
who are still at home.
Source:
Portrait and
Biographical History of
Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, Ohio. Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 - Page 809 |
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JOHN JONES,
retired merchant and capitalist, was for many years one of
the leading busienss men of this, his native county, and is
still closely identified with its interest as the proprietor
of a fine farm, and as Bank Director, etc. The village
of London, which is his birthplace, is still his home, and
he has a fine brick residence on North Main Street, with
extensive and beautiful grounds, adorned by shade and fruit
trees.
Our subject was born Oct. 31, 1818, and is a son of
William and Elizabeth (Droke) Jones, who were natives of
Tennessee, descendants from the early settlers of the old
Volunteer State, and they were there reared and married.
His father was a blacksmith, and he was a pioneer in that
trade in this village, whither he came in the fall of 1814.
He rose to prominence in the business and public life of
this section of Madison County, was known far and near, was
a general favorite, and was familiarly known as "Dad
Jones." He sold goods often as an auctioneer, and
he owned three hundred acres of farm lands near the village.
In politics, he was a sturdy Jackson man. He had a
family of eleven children, of whom four are living: Mrs.
Sarah Lotspeich, John, Mrs. Margaret Sidner, and Mrs.
Lydia Sidner. The first that died was Mary E.,
and the others deceased are Job, Isaac, Mrs. Evans,
William, Martha J., Mrs. Rachel Clark, and James.
The paternal grandparents of our subject were Solomon
and Lydia (Sill) Jones, who were natives respectively of
Wales and Tennessee. They came here with the father of
our subject, and remained here until death. The
maternal grandparents of our subject were Peter and
Margaret (Foust) Droke, who were lifelong residents of
Tennessee, where Mr. Droke was engaged as a farmer.
They were married in 1786.
John Jones, who forms the principal
subject of this biography, was educated in the village
schools of London, and early gained an insight into the
mercantile business, as a clerk in a store. He
remained at home with his parents until his marriage, Feb.
27, 1842, and then he and his bride went to keeping house
half a mile from London, and he devoted himself to
cultivating a tract of land. The same fall, the
newly-elected County Sheriff, William Warner,
for whom he had formerly clerked three years, came to him,
and said: "To-morrow I want you to move into the
county jail." He did so, and for four years he was
Deputy Sheriff. So well did he fill that office, that
he was then elected Sheriff of the county and served in that
capacity one term of two years. After that, he
assisted in the Deputy Sheriff's office. He was
elected Justice, and held that position twelve years, with
great credit to himself and satisfaction to all concerned.
He has been variously engaged in the commercial world as a
drygoods dealer, a grocer, and a dealer in furniture; he has
also handled harness and saddles, and has conducted the
livery business, having had different partners in each new
venture, and for two years he dealt in stock. In 1873,
he retired from business, selling his interest to his sons,
who are now conducting a fine wholesale and retail grocery
in London, and have the reputation of being one of the best
firms in the county. When in active business, our
subject displayed marked enterprise, and his management of
his interests was characterized by superior business
methods, by unerring judgment, and a sound policy in money
matters. He accumulated wealth, and besides a fine
farm in the country, has a valuable estate in the city, upon
which he resides, the grounds around his dwelling comprising
ten acres of land, planted with fine fruit and shade trees.
Mr. Jones is connected with the finances of
the county as one of the organizers of the Central Bank of
London, and as one of its Directors. In politics, he
is a loyal Republican. He cast his first Presidential
vote for Gen. William H. Harrison. In
his social relations, he has long been an Odd Fellow, he
being the only surviving charter member of the lodge that
was organized in this city in 1846.
Mr. Jones' wife's maiden name was Jane
Melvin, and she was born in Madison County, four miles
east of London, in what is called the Lower Glade, Feb. 2,
1819, a daughter of John and Sarah (Inger) Melvin.
Her parents were natives respectively of Virginia and
Tennessee, and were married in the latter State. Her
father, who was a farmer, came to Ohio with his father's
family, and they were among the early settlers of Union
Township, this county, where they lived and died. The
parents of Mr. Melvin were Joseph and Phebe (Van
Vacter) Melvin. They had a family of eight
children. Mrs. Jones's father and mother had
ten children, of whom she, her brother Benjamin, and
her sister Phebe (Mrs. Isaac Jones), are the only
survivors. Mrs. Jones is a lady whose
many womanly attributes place her high in the estimation of
all who know her. She has been a Methodist since
childhood, has taken an active part in church matters, and
belongs to the Woman's Christian Aid Society. Her
pleasant wedded life with our subject has brought to them
six children, of whom these two are deceased: Mary E.,
who married Alverd Stutson, and died, leaving one
child, Harry, who married Jesse Allen,
and they have one child, Donald Lucien, who
was a merchant in London at the time of his death, married
Alice Kennie, and left three children:
Kennie, Nora, and Lucien. The living
children of Mr. and Mrs. Jones are Frank, a
merchant in London, who married Lizzie H. Koogler,
and has one daughter, Nina K.; Dollie R., who
married V. H. Wilson, a stock-dealer, and has two
children, Mabel and Helen; Horace G., a
merchant in London, who married Elizabeth Houston;
and Emma, who married H. F. Chandler, a clerk
in a book-store in London.
Source:
Portrait and
Biographical History of
Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, Ohio. Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 - Page 310 |
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JOHN
C. JONES, an enterprising and progressive farmer of
Paint Township, Madison County, owns more than four hundred
and fifteen acres of land, which he has under a high state
of cultivation and well improved. The good buildings,
the well-tilled fields and the neat appearance of the place,
indicate the industry which has been one of the prominent
characteristics of Mr. Jones through life.
He was born in Cumberland County, Tenn., June 11, 1817.
His parents, Zacheus and Elizabeth (Key) Jones, were
natives of Tennessee, and after their marriage emigrated to
London, Ohio. The family is originally of English
descent. The father of our subject died soon after
coming to this State. He had secured some wild land
but left his family in limited circumstances. The
mother taught our subject to plow and he became her main
support until she married Charles Atkinson, who lived
but a few years.
Mr. Jones of this sketch remained with his
step-father, and at his death had charge of the Atkinson
farm. At the age of twenty-one, he was married
Oct. 31, 1839, to Sarah A. Taylor, who was born in
Chillicothe, Ohio, Sept. 5, 1820. Her parents,
Thomas and Isabel (Hume) Taylor, were early settlers and
prominent citizens of Madison County. Mr. Jones
continued to reside on the old farm in Deer Creek Township
with his mother for a few years. In the meantime, he
bought one hundred and twenty acres of land and began the
development of the farm on which he now resides. It is
now one of the most desirable places in the community, and
its boundaries have since been greatly extended.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Jones were born eleven
children: Mary Elizabeth, born Sept. 11, 1840, is the
widow of Capt. Watson. She had three children
and resides in London, Ohio. William H., born
May 23, 842, is a farmer of Deer Creek Township, Madison
County, and by his marriage has three children.
Isabel was born June 1, 1844. John C., born
Aug. 29, 1846, died July 27, 1867. DeWitt Clinton,
born Sept. 5, 1848, married Miss Laura Hoeriger of
Columbus, and is a practicing attorney of that city.
He served as Postmaster of Columbus under President
Cleveland, and is a prominent Democrat. By his
marriage he has two children, Elden and Norma.
Francis M., born June 3, 1852, is married and resides in
Paint Township. George D., born May 25, 1854,
is a well-known lawyer of Columbus. He married Eva
Lattimer, of that city, and they have two children:
Grace, born Apr. 3, 1879, and Margaret Fuller,
June 24, 1886. Thomas T. died at the age of
three months, Flora born Apr. 21, 1861, is the wife
of Freeman Murray, by whom she has one child.
Ada, born Oct. 7, 1863. Fannie, born Oct.
20, 1865, is the wife of C. W. Adams, a lumber dealer
of Cincinnati, and they have a little daughter, Hazel.
Mrs. Jones, the mother of the family, was called to her
final rest, Nov. 18, 1886.
In connection with his home farm, Mr. Jones owns
six hundred acres of well-improved land in Bates County,
Mo., and is a stockholder in the National Bank of London,
Ohio. He cast his first vote in 1840 for Gen.
Harrison, and supported the Whig party until 1856, since
which time he has been a stanch Republican. He has
never failed to support a Presidential candidate of his
party, although at one time, when in ill health, the doctor
told him if he went to the polls his death would result.
He has always been found on the side of morality, temperance
and integrity, and is regarded as one of the valued citizens
of the community, respected by all for his sterling worth.
Source:
Portrait and
Biographical History of
Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, Ohio. Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 - Page 725 |
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THOMAS H. JONES,
who is the proprietor of Deer Creek Valley Stock Farm,
located two and one-half miles south of Mt. Sterling on the
Chillicothe Pike, is also a farmer and considerable note in
this section. He is a native of this county, having
been born in Madison Township, Aug. 6, 1845, to James and
Sarah (White) Jones. His father, who was a
well-to-do farmer, had just laid by a comfortable competence
when he was confronted with security debts to the amount of
$96,000, $56,000 of which he never received anything for.
As this was a time when our subject should have been
attending school, he was obliged to aid his father in paying
off the debts and thus had poor advantages for obtaining an
education. When reaching his nineteenth year, he went
to Delaware, where it had been his intention to thoroughly
fit himself for a business life, but his health failing
after an attendance of three terms, he was advised by his
physicians to abandon his studies, and thenceforth devoted
his time and attention to farming.
On reaching his majority, Mr. Jones was married,
Sept. 3, 1867, to Miss Jennie Pancoast of this
county, where she was born Oct. 4, 1845. She is the
daughter of Samuel and Lovina (Leach) Pancoast, and,
after her marriage, located with her husband on his father's
farm in Pickaway County, where they resided for one
year and then moved to the farm which they now own and
occupy. On the death of his father, Oct. 20, 1871, our
subject found that there were still some of the old security
debts unpaid, which he, as one of the heirs, had to aid in
wiping out.
There were three children in the parental family, of
whom Mary E. died June 29, 1849. William M.,
who was born Dec. 5, 1850, fell heir with our subject to the
old homestead, six hundred and ninety-one and a half acres
of which were the share of our subject, and upon these he
located soon after his mother's death, which occurred Nov.
28, 1875. To Mr. and Mrs. Jones have been born
seven children. Their eldest son, James R., who
was born Jan. 4, 1869, received his early training in the
common schools of his district and took a three-years course
in the Mt. Sterling schools, and later attended for two ja^ars
at London, where he took a special course of book-keeping,
he was married Dec. 16, 1891, to Miss Alta M. Ray,
who was born in Columbus, Sept. 8, 1869. The second
child of our subject, Lorena May, was born
Oct. 11, 1870, and in addition to receiving a good
education, has received a thorough musical training;
William, who was born Mar. 18, 1872, died in August of
that year; Nellie Jane, who was born Feb. 7,
1878, is also quite a musician; Ray Samuel,
who was born Nov. 7, 1879, Charles Howard,
Dec. 27, 1881, and Harry Thomas, Apr. 3, 1886,
are at home.
In 1868, Mr. Jones began handling blooded
stock, and at the present time has a number of Hambletonian
and English Shire horses. He raised "Sailor boy,"
which took the first money in the fall of 1881, making a
record of 2:17¼, and
which he afterward sold for $5,000. He also bred
"Aimee," whose record is 2:30. In addition to horses,
Mr. Jones breeds full-blooded registered
Poland-China hogs, and devotes considerable time to raising
full-blooded chickens, having an incubator and yards for
each breed.
He of whom we write cast his first Presidential vote
for Grant in 1868I. In 1887, he joined the ranks of
the Masons, is now a Sir Knight and holds membership in the
Blue Lodge at Mt. Sterling, and has taken higher degrees at
Washington C. H. His eldest son also joined that
fraternity in 1890 and has taken the Third Degree. In
1866, our subject, his brother and fattier, fed for the
market over eleven hundred head of hogs, which brought them
when sold $52,614.
The father of our suljject was born in Perry Township,
Pickaway County, this State, May 3, 1813. He was the
third in order of birth in the family of Isaac and
Dorothy (Baily) Jones, the former of whom was born in
Delaware, Apr. 14, 1783. The grandfather came to Ross
County, this State, and after a residence there of one year
went to Pickaway County, where he purchased and cleared one
hundred and eighty acres of land. There he was married
and became the father of eight children, only one of whom is
living. They bore the respective names of Annie P.,
Thomas F., James, William, Isaac, Purnell, Mary D., Sarah B.
The father of Mrs. Jones was born in the
little village of Waterloo, Fayette County, in 1815, while
her mother was born in 1826, in Virginia, and accompanied
her parents to this State when two years of age. She
was one in a family of ten children, her brothers and
sisters being named respectively: Timothy,
Warren, Charity, Menerva, Alonzo,
Miranda, Lucy, Elmer and Ella,
the two latter twins.
Source:
Portrait and
Biographical History of
Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, Ohio. Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 - Page 628 |
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TOLAND JONES, M. D.,
of London, is not only distinguished in his profession as a
physician and surgeon of more than ordinary skill, but he
has acquired a high reputation as a business man and as a
public-spirited citizen, whose name is inseparably linked
with much that has contributed to advance the material
interests of village and county and to promote their welfare
in a higher sense.
Dr. Jones is a representative of a well-known
pioneer family of Madison County, and he was born in one of
its early homes, Jan. 10, 1820, a son of Thomas and Mary
P. (Truitt) Jones, who were natives of Worcester County,
Md. They came to Ohio in 1816, and after a year's
residence in Ross County, removed to this county and
township, and took their place among its prominent pioneers
who were most active in laying the foundation of its future
prosperity and substantial growth. Mr. Jones
entered upon his work of redeeming the soil from the
wilderness with characteristic energy, first building a
small log house to shelter his family. He brought a
colony of twenty young men with him, the most of whom
settled here and became useful citizens. He purchased
a thousand acres of land, developed a fine farm, and
continued to reside here until death closed his career.
He was one of the foremost men of the county while he lived.
He was Associate Judge of the Bench quite a number of terms,
and was often Commissioner of the county. Though not a
regular lawyer, he was well read in law, and was often
called upon to do legal business for the people, such as
drawing up mortgages, deeds and wills. In politics, he was a
Whig. The paternal grandparents of our subject were
William and Sarah (Cropper) Jones. His
grandmother was a daughter of Dr. Edward Cropper, of
Maryland, of which State both she and her husband were
natives, the latter a planter, who lived in Maryland all his
life. Both the Jones and the Croppers
came from England originally.
Our subject is one of eight children, the names of the
others being James J., William G., Edward A., Eliza J.,
John E., Kendall P. and Edison S. In his
younger days, the Doctor passed his life on a farm and in
attendance at the common schools, where he laid the
foundation of a liberal education. He later attended
school at London and Springfield, and was subsequently a
student at Grandville College. Deciding to lit himself
for a physican, he read medicine with Dr.
Aquila Toland, of London, and afterward attended
lectures at the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati.
Having thus become thoroughly familiar with the principles
of his chosen profession, he entered upon its practice in
London with bright promises for a brilliant career, as he
had shown in his studies a special aptitude for his
vocation. He soon acquired local fame as a sensible,
practical physician, of progressive methods, and his
successful amputation of a patient's limb at the hip joint
brought him into wider notice, as up to that time there had
been Init one other case of the kind successfully treated,
and he received an honorary diploma in acknowledgment of his
surgical skill.
The Doctor continued busily engaged in his profession
in London until 1862, when he laid aside his hopes and
ambitions for a while to throw his energies into the great
contest that was raging between the North and the South, and
during the remainder of the war did invaluable service in
defense of the Union. He took a company of soldiers to
the front, was commissioned Lieutenant-Colonel, and was
placed in command of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio
Infantry, and was in command as Colonel until he retired
from the army at the close of the war. He displayed
admirable qualities as a leader, was always at his post, and
his unfaltering patriotism, unflinching courage, and bold,
resolute front in time of danger inspired his men to do
their best in every situation. He was first with
Gen. Rosecrans, and later fought under Gen.
Grant at Missionary Ridge. From Chattanooga, he
went with Gen. Sherman on his famous march to
the sea, and made a good record as a fighter in the various
battles of that campaign. At Jonesboro, he was taken
off his feet by a ball from the enemy's works, but he
luckily escaped unhurt from various other dangers that he
encountered in the heat of battle, and returned home to his
friends unscathed.
Our subject's military life extended over a period of
two years and eleven months, and he then quietly resumed the
practice of his profession, in which he reaped new honors.
He was Surgeon-General of Ohio during ex-Gov.
Foraker's administration, and he was formerly Surgeon
for the Little Miami Railway. The Doctor has been
exceedingly fortunate in money matters and is numbered among
the wealthy men of the county. He has handled his
finances with coolness and caution, and at the same time,
with farseeing enterprise, has invested his funds so as to
secure good returns. He owns the Toland
Block, in the village of London, which contains a public
hall, a bank, stores and offices, and Toland 's Opera
House. He has other valuable property at this point,
and he laid out Jones' Addition and Toland's
Addition to the village, and has given an impetus to its
growth in various ways. He wields considerable
influence in local polities as one of the foremost
Republicans of this vicinity, who assisted in organizing the
party, and in 1866 and 1867 he represented this district in
the State Senate, showing the same versatile talent as a
statesman as in other departments of life. Mr.
Jones was the Presidential Elector for his district
and was chosen to make the report of the State Electors of
the State, at Washington, in favor of Benjamin
Harrison. He belongs to the Loyal Legion of the
United States, is a Mason and a member of the Grand Army of
the Republic.
Dr. Jones and Miss Frances A. Toland, of
this city, were married in 1846. Mrs. Jones is
a daughter of Dr. Toland, who was one of the
prominent and wealthy men of London. He was
conspicuous in business circles as one of the organizers of
the Madison County National Bank, of which he was President
and one of the largest stockholders of the institution.
The Doctor and his wife have had four children, three
daughters and one son. Their son William P.,
who was a bright and promising young man, a graduate of
Dartmouth College, died while attending lectures at the
Medical University of Pennsylvania. Their daughters
are Imogene, now Mrs. E. K. Stewart, who has
five children: Frank, Handford, Margaret,
Alice and Edward; Eva, Mrs.
Graham, who has one son, Toland; and Bessie,
Mrs. Riley, who has one son, Stewart.
Source:
Portrait and
Biographical History of
Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, Ohio. Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 - Page 137 |
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WILLIAM H. JONES.
This gentleman is an ex-soldier of the late Civil War, in
which he won a military record that reflected credit on the
soldiery of this State and of which he may well be proud.
He is one of the leading farmers of Deer Creek Township,
Madison County, where he has a finely located estate, which,
in regard to improvements, is considered one of the most
desirable pieces of property in this county.
John C. Jones, the father of our subject, a
prominent citizen of Paint Township, this county, was born
in Tennessee, June 11, 1817. His mother, who bore the
maiden name of Sarah Ann Hume, was the daughter of
Thomas and Isabella Taylor and is now deceased.
She was married to Mr.
Jones Oct/ 30, 1839, and reared a family of nine
children, of whom our subject is the eldest but one.
He was born in Somerford Township, this county, May 23,
1842, and was four years of age when his father removed to
Paint Township, where he grew to manhood. Our subject
remained under the parental roof, aiding his father in
cultivating the home farm and attending school. His
education was received mostly at London, and later in life
he taught school for about twenty years during the winter
seasons, following farming in the summers.
Nov. 9, 1865, William H. Jones was united in
marriage to Miss Sallie A. Minter. The lady was
born in Deer Creek Township, Madison County, Oct/ 11, 1846,
and was the daughter of John Minter, also a native of
that place. Her mother, who bore the maiden name of
Mary Jane De Lany, was born in Urbana, this State, in
November, 1818, while her father was born in 1806, in
Harrison County, Ky. After their marriage, Mr.
and Mrs. Minter located in this
township, where they have since made their home and reared a
family of six children, of whom Mrs. Jones was
the fourth in order of birth.
After his marriage, the original of this sketch made
his home upon the farm where he is at present residing, in
Deer Creek Township, and which comprises one hundred and
seventy acres of excellently improved land. Of his
family of four children, one is now deceased. Those
living are: Annie L., the wife of D. H. Lattimer;
Paul and Vera.
Mr. Jones has always been interested in
local affairs and has been Township Trustee and Assessor.
His interest in school affairs has led him to be placed upon
the School Board, in which position he has rendered
efficient service. In politics, he is a Democrat, believing
in the principles laid down in the platform of that party.
He is liberal in his religious views, while his good wife is
a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In May, 1864, Mr. Jones became a member of
Company I, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Ohio Infantry, in
the one hundred days' service. Wherever known, he is
honored for his sturdy integrity of character and
indefatigable perseverance, and, like all good citizens, he
is proud of the advancement of the section in which he lives
and willing to bear a hand in movements which will further
increase it.
Source:
Portrait and
Biographical History of
Fayette, Pickaway and Madison Counties, Ohio. Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 - Page 758 |
NOTES:
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