Jones, William F. (1823- ), Papers, 1819-1928 (C831)

10 folders

INTRODUCTION

Letters written primarily by William F. Jones from his home in Bloomingburg, Ohio, to cousins living in Montgomery County, Missouri. Jones describes the national political scene, election results, his family, local weather and crops, his Civil War experiences, and the Spanish-American War. The collection also includes the account book (1844-1928) of Wilson P.H. Jones. See also collection 995, #626. See information folder for brief genealogy of the Jones family.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Jones Papers were donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by Frances M. Miller on 27 November 1974 (SHS Accession No. 1108). Additions to the collection were made on 5 March 1975 (SHS Accession No. 1127), 4 December 1975 (SHS Accession No. 1177) and 3 April 1989 (SHS Accession No. 2744).

HISTORICAL SKETCH

William F. Jones was born 3 November 1823 in Fayette County, Ohio, to Matthew and Elizabeth Allan Jones. William's mother died in 1827, leaving his father to care for six young children (William, Lewis, John, Willis, Mahala, and Rachel). Matthew Jones remarried within two years of his wife's death. He and his second wife (William's stepmother) had four children (Noah, George, Adeline, and Sarah).

During the Civil War, William served in the Union army for three years. He was captured by Confederate forces in 1862 at Cumberland Gap, Kentucky, and held prisoner for seven months.

William and his first wife, Martha, had two children, Charles Matthew and Mary Angeline. Charles married in 1869. He and his wife had three sons, Charles Howard, Homer M., and Heber. Charles Sr. died on 29 June 1876. His wife was killed in September 1885 by a cyclone. Since Martha had died on 1 October 1876, William was left to raise his three young grandsons alone, until his marriage to Eliza several years later.

Mary Angeline married an attorney by the surname of Smith and had two sons, Charles Earl and Howard. She died in December of 1885, leaving her two small sons in the care of her husband and father.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The focus of the collection is the correspondence, in particular, William's letters to his cousins Catherine Jones Woodruff (1846-1863) and Laura Kendrick (1895-1901). These letters contain interesting comments on local weather and its effect on farming; national and local politics, especially the 1900 presidential race; the Spanish-American War; the Union retreat at Cumberland Gap, Kentucky; the Battle of Vicksburg; and the activities of Jones's immediate family. The remaining letters provide a limited view of several generations of the Jones family.

The account book offers insight into the workings of a mid-nineteenth century general merchandise store, dating from 1844 to 1883. There is no information on the name, location, establishment, or dissolution of the store. The book indicates what types of items were stocked and which were most in demand. It contains an index and also includes Montgomery County election returns, family birth and death entries, and folk remedies from 1819 to 1928.

FOLDER LIST

f. 1-9Correspondence
f. 11819-1846
f. 21848-1861
f. 31861-1872
f. 41879-1896
f. 51896-1898
f. 61898-1899
f. 71899-1900
f. 81900-1901
f. 91901-1916
f. 10Account Book, 1844-1883

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.