, 1879-05-22
OBITUARY..
Doath Of Ex-County' Commissioner John
Jones.
Biographical Sketch Of the Most Prominent Colored
tiEIitn af Ch'tago.
An Old German Resident Gathered to Hia
Fathers.
JOHN JONES.

Tic l,u,It!u which Alr. Joues occ,,,tr,1 in tbt.
city fur many years wus NJ, rrrc,,I,,na, nnt h.
l,,nsc,, wos in ,n,ry ,c,ncn,. ,"a" ~ ~. .,,',,
.." .'.., ,,,s e ." i'h"s tespce's i'a' oi sue'l
natural "o,lity and strength OF character, that
his career Is deserving Of moro than mere
mention, lie ia nu in,tuuco Of a ,nan WIN. ho.
,,.,,.,,. a., -. '"., ~ '1' "''o' 'e
'."sE ~ u.sp.b'' "s'' o'osc''ocp race, ahsl
oe'''eu III youth tnc advantages OF education,
h"eccedco Ill WORKING MS way ut to be
prominent among Ills people, a respected
member oi thu community, anu tho first Onc of
his race who ever hc, on elective of]lro III Cook
f,,,,ut. 49,, ...,,..'I., -. nil, o'-' - Soon
ouuu'y' M a''o psopaoly III l'lno,t.
MI. Jones was born noout Nov. 3, 1885, on
plantation In urceno County, n. C.. 1'ttts coln.
ty Ia situated In Tho eastern mart OF the statc.
,nm,neta tIs ta,,on ,,.,as, -s .o."es . was ',ee
mu'atto' ms 1atfer dcrmaa named BromGe1d,
VINO tad lonH been settled In tint section. As
the child Of FREQ woman. ho was himself free.
fa,,mr,. fo,,,s ,,,a,,t W. 'a'nes Ut 's
'a'''tts 'o'hs ''',sht a.teHpt 10 reduce 1sitn to
slavery apprcntiecu him Mt an carly age to
man bs thu nanc ot Sheppard, st!pulntt,g tlMt
9uently moved to I'cnncseee, an1 tl.yru bound
The boy over to a tailor by tic name Of CIcre
WHO lived Mt someIyfIle, Faycttc County, about
iitty miles from Mcfnpb1s. llo remained with
i',reu ont W Us employer to tailor Ut Men.
p,llfs, where DO became acquainted with Mary
;h11 RiStsrlsGn. @ tho daughter ot solorsd black
sTsi s os I'll i III s T ss,ls. s; ri; is; s s; e% e.:
solore! neople III tllc statc lcft Tennessee nn,l
noved i to Alton, Ill., bofors Jones lad finished
hls term FINALS, ~ scTyass' ,S;s
10 January 1888 Jones, who Ind returned to
FILED PETITION,
addressed to the Hon, Y. D, l,nrry. :Iu1oo NJ
IT, Eleventh judicial Circuit, wno WIZ was i,,sn
holding court az somory,llc, setting out ti tl.at
iea cae ~ s1s lis faers ne a seetcs In " 5ys Tas
dc o 1s tt e ras asqs ts f1d Ha
North & ca,olIua 70, M to ; legnessee ty ~ ini7iiaai
he was M IT, py aS sae Or Is he u
ninong several ltanls, untll, hy nurrhas.' bc
came to the hands Ut Richard Clcre. failor far
tho purpose Of learning Tic trade: ti,at i:fcrn
sS sf1 s1sby 5 Gst fo1e9s ess Fl s 1 Sfar, s sa I
1s peraos,, although he had btasfIci artitcs If
lnticuturesIaIp from theCuunty Curt of Fnvrtte
County until the petitioner was ii years af a"a:
that tlic petitioner was Represented II, liz sud
articles as being. In 1851, o ycars OF n,c' with
tatcnsrnt WINS false; tint he was frecbur,l, of
awful ose: ~ ,1,at !n:Mas iiegally, untcr said
ETa.ls ha,n ta'se e"ssS,aaus ~ 9lo sala County
llpuls. nCiu w e!Aye-liscu oat, offered tor
sate. Or pt To- sacm III kna o. laoor as might suit
w. n1e.a eonSSsnfo Snrnors Or rg interest Of said
labcas corpus that ho. might be brought Into
Conrt anu u5sc!lafTeui
1t was JoHes' apprehension that upon t|,e
death Of Clcrc, then Expected to Occur 1t any
moment, t!s heirs wthld set up ciam that
John Was their property, un would srIl lin
prnbab'y out Of tho !sfatc. TIlcro nad hcen 1t,
intInatfon flint he wdfll be sent to Texas, then
iln independent Repifbtic, tt not jIayill.. yrt
united with thu United States, ntrl whe,cc
escape would be hlippossfble. Fearing nlI
this, he Ind obtkhed pcrmtasion from
the person FOR xh1ti lie WIS then wur king to 70
back to North Gnso!1la, anu had there sue
eeeaea ~ Eathcr'f's togct1acr tic evidences Of
Ills treeuoni. 81. :.
~, An order Of Court Yas then Issued directing
Cierc to oriIg III Junes'or lruInticld, alH!, Jan.
~. Jones nrpcnred, r'id testimony WAS heard
showing that IN Noycthber, 1857, he had become
u. IT was admitted fat lie was born free, and,
therefore, the Court ordered his discharge from
thc service nnd custody Dt C!gEe. ami tint llo be
allowed to 20 at liberty. These papers Mr..
Jones llantled orer IN 1911 to the Public Library
of th8 city, where iher nrc carefully preserved.
Jones worried about tiree ycars at Menphs
md saved RbDut Sl00, with which ho cnine North
tn Alton, Wtlrrc l!H NIT Miss RleharLsuu his old