B. L. JONES

JONES

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/23/2020 at 14:30:16

B. L. JONES, a prominent business man of Carbon, was the second child born in Quincy, then the county seat of Adams county, Iowa, his birth having occurred June 22, 1855. His father, John W. Jones, a pioneer of this county, located here in 1854, and is still a resident of Adams county.

John W. Jones was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, February 9, 1822, son of Jephthah Jones, born in Virginia, son of John Jones who was a soldier in the war of 1812. The Joneses originally came from Wales and were among the first settlers of Baltimore, Maryland. The mother of John W. was Martha Poland, a native of Hampshire county, Virginia, and a daughter of Samuel Poland of New Jersey.

In 1853 the Jones family took boat at Wheeling, Virginia, for Burlington, Iowa; thence by stage to Mount Pleasant, where the father and brother of John W. had come the fall before. In March, 1854, John W., in company with L. V. Ritchie, came to Adams county, and the former subsequently went to Council Bluffs and entered land for Mr. Ritchie and himself. Jephthah Jones and his wife came to this county in 1858. The father died here in 1865 and the mother, in 1888, the latter at the age of eighty-six years. They had reared a family of nine children, seven of whom are living at this writing.

John W. Jones was married in Marion county, Virginia, May 18, 1843, to Jane Jonst, daughter of Peter Jonst and Margaret his wife. She died in Virginia, in 1851, of cholera. February 7, 1854, he wedded Mary Wolf, a sister of Judge Barnett's wife, and by her had two children: B. L., the subject of our sketch, and Salona, who is deceased. his second wife died in March, 1859. In May, 1862, he was united in marriage with his present wife, Clara, daughter of William Lockwood, a pioneer of Adams county. This union is blessed with five children, namely: Clara, Lillian, Frank Eathel, Bessie and John Cleveland. John W. Jones has filled many local offices of trust; was county Assessor in 1858, and for a number of years served as Justice of the Peace.

B. L. Jones received his education in the common schools of Polk and Adams counties, completing his studies at the Baptist University at Des Moines. He then began teaching, in which profession he was engaged for some time. In 1878 he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits in Lincoln township, and in 1883 came to Carbon and engaged in his present business.

He was married, in 1876, to Ella J. Hall, who was born in Pennsylvania and reared in Iowa, daughter of William and Mary Hall. They have two children: Willie P. and B. L., Jr. Their second born, Ruby May, died at the age of two years.

Politically Mr. Jones is a Democrat and is identified with the best elements of his party; he is a member of the Democratic Central Committee. During President Cleveland's administration he was postmaster of Carbon. He is a notary public and does all kinds of legal business; he has been active in educational matters, and is now serving as a member of the school board. In short, every good cause calculated to promote the best interests of the town and county receives from him a hearty support.