I have often wondered why so many slaves settled in Jefferson, and I recently learned the answer. Joshua R. Giddings and Benjamin F. Wade led the area in creating a climate where the former slaves knew they were safe. But many others provided homes and jobs for former slaves.
The Western Reserve was known for providing safety and a new life for slaves who made it here and were looking for a new life. Those who stayed came with parents or family members after the conclusion of the Civil War.
I was aware of the welcome the Western Reserve provided, particularly Ashtabula County with so many anti-slavery champions, including politicians, women and farmers. But I did not realize how many who came to Jefferson were actually given jobs and worked for Wade and Giddings as parlor maids, cooks, carriage drivers and gardeners.
But others came with their families and found jobs on their own. Henry (as he was known) Jones was one of those who came and established himself in Jefferson and became a well-respected public servant in several fields. He was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1846 and was a slave on a Southern plantation. His mother, Louisa, and father, Jordan Jones, were part Choctaw Indian, mulatto, and white. When the Civil War broke out, Henry served in the Union Army with the 11th Regiment of the United States Colored Heavy Artillery, later renamed the 8th Colored Heavy Artillery and finally the 11th Colored Heavy Artillery. After the war, he hoped to bring about change and became a member of a southern state legislature. But the Ku Klux Klan was so powerful and dangerous, he was forced out and came to Jefferson, Ohio.
Henry Jones married Rebecca Lewis of Toronto, Canada in 1877. They had two children, Joseph P. Jones, and a daughter, Henrietta Jones Leek. Henry began working as a janitor for Jefferson Public School in 1880 and continued them until 1910. He was known to be very well informed of public affairs and was respected throughout the community. He owned his own home on West Ashtabula Street. According to his January, 1920 obituary, Jones died from diabetes at the age of 73, in the home he had lived most of his life. Since his death came on Dec. 29, 1919, his obituary did not appear until January, 1920.
In a Jefferson Gazette article by Jerry Hanks of May 4, 1943, he recalled his life growing up as a boy in Jefferson and knowing Henry Jones. Hanks said he remembered Jones ringing the morning bell each day at Jefferson Public School. He recalled Henry’s father, Jordan, as a mysterious fellow who lived in a shack on West Walnut Street. Jordan Jones was an older man by that time. He had not been seen for days so finally a neighbor broke the lock on the door and found him dead.
Albion Tourgee, formerly of Williamsfield, Ohio, mentions Henry Jones in his book, “A Fool’s Errand and the Invisible Empire.” I have a copy of the hard back book, published in 1879 and 1880. It is a hard book to read because Tourgee actually interviewed slaves who had survived such cruel torture by their “owners” and the Ku Klux Klan. I tried to peruse the 521 pages to locate Henry Jones story of but did not have time to read every page.
Because he had been a soldier, Henry Jones’ funeral was conducted by the Giddings Post of the G.A.R. and held at Jones’ home on West Ashtabula Street. The Reverend H. W. Buckles led the service and John Miller, of Miller Funeral Home was the director. His obituary stated that he was a hardworking man of good intelligence who had served at the Jefferson Public School for more than ten years and resigned only because of his health and age. Henry Jones left behind a wife, a son and a daughter.
Henry Jones and his wife, son and daughter are buried in Oakdale Cemetery not far from two men who championed their cause and fought for their freedom, Benjamin F. Wade and Joshua R. Giddings. Although the headstone does not list the birth or death date, William Henry Jones is given the honor of having a veteran marker next to his stone.
In the next few weeks, you will read of the extensive Crooms and Woodard family lines of Jefferson.
