Jones, John Wesley 1840-1918

JONES, HARMON, HOLMES, TRIPLETT, WINCHELL, WINSLOW

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 9/26/2009 at 20:08:19

Brooklyn (IA) Chronicle; April 11, 1918

JOHN WESLEY JONES

John Wesley Jones was born near *Kirkland, Indiana, March 3, 1840 and died at Marshalltown, Iowa, March 21, 1918, at the age of seventy-eight years and eighteen days.

Thus ended the life of one of Poweshiek county's earliest settlers, and a man who was not only widely known but highly respected by all his acquaintances.

As a lad of twelve, he came with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Uriah Jones from Clinton county, Indiana, to Linn county, this state, where the family resided from 1852 to 1854. It was in the spring of 1854 that Mr. Jones came to Madison township, where he retained his residence until he removed to Brooklyn about a dozen years ago. For forty years he lived on the farm which he purchased early in the sixties, and which was within a mile of the farm owned by his father.

When the war broke out in 1861, Mr. Jones was among the first to volunteer, and for a little more than four years he was in the service of the government, entering as a private but being mustered out as an orderly sergeant. It was while in the army that he purchased the farm on which his family was reared and which he occupied until he ceased farming.

He was married to Ella B. Harmon December 3, 1865, three children being born to this union. Two of them, Uriah Sylvester and Eugene Paul, preceded him to the other world, while one, Arthur, is a prominent manufacturer at Ft. Smith, Ark. Mrs. Jones died five years after her marriage, and in 1871 he was married to Maggie Holmes who survives him. Of the second marriage were born seven children, one, Ira, dying in early childhood. The living children are C. Durant, now in business in Perry; Ella B. Triplett of Stratford, Texas; Fred R., a business man of New Hampton; J. Stewart, a farmer near Rodman; Mary Frances, a teacher in the Des Moines high school and Mabel Iowa, a teacher at Pella.

He united with the M.E. church as a boy and at the time of his death was a member of that communion. In his early manhood he was a church leader, serving as superintendent of the Sunday school for many years, and his home was always counted as one of the preacher's "homes" such as a pastor needed in a pioneer community. His faithfulness to the church in those days when support was so badly needed was proverbial and he was always found in his place at church services.

This was truly pioneer territory when Mr. Jones came to it as a boy. The first settler in Poweshiek county had arrived but a scant half dozen years before, and neighbors were few for settlers were scarce. There were no railroads nor towns, and an occasional log hut was the only indication that civilization had reached this far west. The nearest town was Iowa City and it was necessary for the settlers to take their wheat to this city for milling. The country was wild and the hardships were many. The Madison M.E. church was organized in the log hut occupied by his father and mother in 1854. The stories of those pioneer days are full of thrills and the subject of this sketch had his full measure of bitter experience with the difficulties of that time.

Mr. Jones was of that sturdy type of manhood which has made the middle west what it is today. He was ruggedly honest and always square with his fellow men. He was a radical in politics but this did not prevent even his opponents from frequently honoring him with positions of trust and responsibility in civic affairs. His judgment could be relied upon and his loyalty to his community's interests was never questioned. He was hospitable to a fault and freely entertained travellers who passing through the country reached his home at nightfall. No worthy beggar ever went away empty handed and no worthy cause was ever refused his assistance. He was known to be dependable and among his acquaintances "his word was as good as his bond."

For the past five years he has been in poor health, and for two years has been confined to his home, suffering from a paralysis which gradually rendered him helpless. A few weeks ago he expressed a desire to be removed to the soldier's hospital at Marshalltown, wishing to spend his last days among his army comrades. He was taken there in February and had the pleasure of meeting some of the "boys" who, like him, had worn the blue in the sixties. His paralysis became rapidly much worse, until the evening of March 21, when he entered his eternal rest. His wife and son, C. Durant, were with him at his death.

The funeral services were held at Brooklyn in the Presbyterian church, which he had attended during his residence in this town. The pall bearers were chosen from the I.O.O.F. lodge, of which he had been a faithful member for fifty-four years. The service was conducted by Rev. A.M. Haggard of Des Moines, who had been his warm friend since his residence in that city, assisted by Rev. S.E. Koons, pastor of the Presbyterian church.

All of his children were present at the funeral except Arthur. Other relatives were his brothers, J.F. of Madison township, Henry S. of Spencer, and Dr. N. Jasper of Shelby, and his sister, Mrs. S.M. Winchell of Malcom, with her husband and family. Others present from a distance were Joel Stewart, Howard Triplett and Mrs. Nellie McDermott of Grinnell; Dr. Selden Lyke of Colfax; Ralph Winchell, Mrs. Wood Reams and Joe Eisele of Malcom; W. H. Jones of Toledo; Lieut. Lester Jones from Camp Dodge; Frank Jones of Rock Island; Mr. and Mrs. R.N . Winslow, William Winslow and Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Winslow of Belle Plaine. A host of friends from Madison township and from Brooklyn were in attendance and accompanied the remains to its last resting place in the I.O.O.F. cemetery.

Transcriber Note: *Kirklin, Indiana (it was misspelled Kirkland by whomever wrote this obit in 1918)