My Genealogy Hound
Below is a family biography included in the Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania published in 1904 by T. S. Benham & Company and The Lewis Publishing Company; Elwood Roberts, Editor. These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary. Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.
* * * *
THE JONES FAMILY. Of distinctively Quaker lineage, Horace C. Jones, a representative of the family in the present generation, traces his ancestry back many generations. David Jones, the founder of the family in America, came from Haverford West, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 1700, bringing with him his family and an interesting certificate from the Friends’ meeting there. He settled in Plymouth township, and in 1753 one of his sons, John Jones, purchased one hundred and ninety-two and three-fourth acres of land along the Schuylkill river, upon a portion of which the borough of Conshohocken now stands. Jonathan Jones, son of John Jones, inherited the farm, but outlived the father only a few years, and it then came to his son, Isaac Jones.
Isaac Jones, son of Jonathan and Susanna (Ashton) Jones, was born May 20, 1772. He spent the most of his long life of ninety-six years on the farm which he inherited, and in addition to farming conducted an extensive lime burning business. He was a man of much force of character, a Whig in politics, and retained to the end of his long life the use of all his faculties and great clearness of mind. He married, 4th mo. 1793, Elizabeth Yerkes, born February 16, 1772, daughter of John and Ann (Coffin) Yerkes, who were married 8th mo. 30, 1769, the former named being a descendant of Anthony Yerkes, a Hollander. To this union were born the following named children: Polly, John, William, Jonathan, Isaac, Ann, Susan J., Elizabeth, and Charles Jones. Isaac Jones (father) died June 12, 1868.
Jonathan Jones, son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Yerkes) Jones, was born March 24, 1800, in Whitemarsh township. He engaged in farming and lime burning in the vicinity of Conshohocken, and when his sons, Evan D, and Ellwood, reached manhood he established a lumber business under the firm name of Jonathan Jones & Sons, in Plymouth He was quite a prosperous township man in business matters, and enjoyed the respect of the community in which he lived to an unusual degree. During his early life he was a Whig in politics, but upon the formation of the Republican party he joined their ranks. Mr. Jones and his family attended Plymouth Meeting. He married, 2d mo. 2, 1825, Elizabeth Davis, born 1 mo. 10, 1799, daughter of John Jr., and Ann (Peterman) Davis, of Plymouth township, and a descendant of an old Quaker Welsh family. Their children were: Anne, who became the wife of Samuel Foulke; Evan Davis, Ellwood, Esther, Elizabeth, who became the wife of William Webster, and resided in Norristown; Hannah, J. Davis, and Rachel Jones. Jonathan Jones died October 5, 1867.
Ellwood Jones, son of Jonathan and Eliza (Davis) Jones, was born February 13, 1830. He was educated at the public schools and at a school under the excellent preceptorship of the Rev. Samuel Aaron, in Norristown. He was engaged with his father in the lumber business in Plymouth township under the firm name of Jonathan Jones’ Sons. Later the business was carried on at Conshohocken by Evan D. and Ellwood Jones; after the death of Ellwood Jones it was conducted under the firm name of Evan D. Jones & Co., and it is now under the management of Joseph C. Jones & Sons. Evan D. and Ellwood Jones also operated a saw mill at Conshohocken. As a citizen Mr. Jones was progressive, public-spirited and influential in his town and county. In politics he was a Republican, and took an intelligent and active interest in the success of his party. He was conscientious and fair in all his views, energetic and painstaking in the discharge of every duty, and highly esteemed by all with whom he came in contact.
Ellwood Jones was married, June 13, 1855, to Rachel Roberts Conrad, who was born December 6, 1829, near Norristown, a daughter of Aaron and Abigail (Roberts) Conrad, and to this marriage were born the following named children: 1. Horace C., mentioned hereinafter; 2. Abbie Conrad, born June 16, 1859, who became the wife of Henry Downes Cranor, born October 10, 1844, near Greensboro, Caroline county, Maryland, a son of Solomon Downes and Sarah Ann (Pritchett) Cranor, and the issue of this marriage is one child, Donald Francis Cranor, born February 20, 1890. 3. Aaron Conrad, born December 15, 1861, who married Mary Louisa Bean, daughter of Colonel Theodore Wilbur, and Hannah (Heebner) Bean, born November 6, 1863, and their children are: Dorothea Bean, born November 23, 1893, and Rachel Conrad, born June 2, 1899. 4. Esther, born June 4, 1864, died July 29, 1864. 5. Ellwood Conrad, born May 5, 1867, who was married February 18, 1903, to Martha Washington Sommer, daughter of Henry Sommer and the issue of this marriage is one son, Ellwood Conrad, born February 8, 1904. Ellwood Jones, the father of the above-mentioned children, died at his home in Conshohocken, June 4, 1870. His widow, Rachel Roberts (Conrad) Jones, survives him. She is a descendant of Thones Kunders, one of the first German emigrants in America. On July 24, 1683, a little band of thirty-three people with Daniel Francis Pastorius at their head, and hailing from Crefeld, near the Rhine, Germany, set sail in the good ship “Concord” for the new world. In this party were Thones Kunders, his wife Elin, and their three children. Before starting from Germany. Thones Kunders had purchased, for ten pounds, five hundred acres of land in Pennsylvania, and soon after his arrival he built a home, the walls of which are still standing and form part of the house No. 5709 Germantown avenue. History tells us that here was held the first Friends’ Meeting in Germantown, which was attended by the dignified proprietor, William Penn. From this early settler Horace C. Jones traces his descent.
Horace C. Jones, son of Ellwood and Rachel Roberts (Conrad) Jones, was born at Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1857. He was educated in the public schools, graduated from the Conshohocken high school in June, 1873, and after this he spent one year in the Scientific Department of the University of Pennsylvania, being a member of the class of 1877. Upon abandoning his studies he decided to embark in the business in which his father had been engaged, and he subsequently represented his father’s interest in the firm of Evan D. Jones & Co. From 1874 to 1880 this firm was engaged in a large lumber business, and was one of the best known firms in that section of the state at the time. In 1880 Horace C. Jones and Stanley Lees, under the firm name of H. C. Jones & Co., leased and operated the mills formerly owned by John Whitton, at Conshohocken, and continued here under this arrangement until 1885, when Mr. Lees retired from the firm, and John Booth was given an interest in the business in the capacity of manager, which arrangement was continued up to 1899, when the firm purchased the mill formerly owned and operated by Stanley Lees, under the firm name of J. & S. Lees. The same year (1899) the firm of H. C. Jones & Co. was incorporated under the name of H. C. Jones Company, and the name of the mills changed to the Schuylkill Valley Woolen Mills. H. C. Jones was appointed president of the corporation, John Booth treasurer and general manager, and Ellwood C. Jones secretary. This institution has been successfully conducted by these gentlemen up to the present time, and has, by their careful and judicious management, become one of the leading enterprises of its kind in Conshohocken. Perhaps no greater tribute can be paid to the business ability of Mr. Jones than the statement of the fact that when he took hold of the Schuylkill Woolen Mills he was but twenty-three years of age. Notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Jones has given a large part of his time to the aforementioned enterprise, his energetic nature has naturally prompted him not to devote all of his attention to this one business. In the affairs of Conshohocken he has been a prominent figure, and has been identified with some of the most important interests of this section of the state, particularly in the financial development of its resources. He is president of the Conshohocken Woolen Company, of West Conshohocken, for many years owned and operated by George and James M. Bullock; director in the First National Bank of Conshohocken, in the Norristown Trust Company, in the Conshohocken Electric Light and Power Company, and the Conshohocken Gas Light Company. He is thoroughly interested in the progress of these various enterprises, but devotes the greater part of his time to the Schuylkill Woolen Mills, which establishment is an important factor in the industrial development of Conshohocken. He is also largely interested in real estate in and near Conshohocken. In politics he is a Republican, but too actively interested in business affairs to participate very much in political work, beyond voting. He is a member of the Union League of Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Historical Society of Montgomery county, and the Geographical Society of Philadelphia. He was formerly a member of the Manufacturers’ Club of Philadelphia. He is a man of progressive tendencies, and is recognized throughout his town and county as a leading manufacturer.
On February 5, 1889, Mr. Jones was married to Linda Loch, who was born November 25, 1864, a daughter of Dr. John W. and Hannah (McCrea) Loch, the former named being the proprietor of the celebrated Treemount Seminary of Norristown, Pennsylvania. The issue of this marriage has been one child, Spencer Loch Jones, born February 5, 1890.
* * * *
This family biography is one of more than 1,000 biographies included in the Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania published in 1904 by T. S. Benham & Company and The Lewis Publishing Company. For the complete description, click here: Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
View additional Montgomery County, Pennsylvania family biographies here: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Biographies
Use the links at the top right of this page to search or browse thousands of other family biographies.