John Jones papers
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- John Jones papers
- Dates
- 1844-1905
- Creator
- Jones, John,1816-1879
- Creator
- Illinois. Circuit Court (Madison County)
- Size
- 5 items.
- Language
- Material is in English unless otherwise noted.
Scope and Content
Notebook/scrapbook (ca. 1850s-1870s) with text of Fourth of July speech, comments, and pasted newspaper clippings compiled by John Jones about Africans and African Americans, politics, and history; freedom certificates issued to John and Mary Jones by the Madison County Circuit Court at Edwardsville (Ill.), and signed by William Brown, Clerk, 1844 Nov. 28; letter of Mary Jones to Albert Hager of the Chicago Historical Society, 1879 July 29, about her husband's papers; and letter of Mrs. L. J. Lee to Caroline McIlvaine of the Chicago Historical Society, 1905 Apr. 21, giving information about her father, John Jones.
Conditions for Access
Advance appointment with special permission required to view a portion of the collection. Photocopies are available for research use for most items. Scrapbook is currently in the conservation lab and is temporarily unavailable for public use.
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the archives for more information on licensing and permissions for use and reproduction.
Preferred Citation
A common citation for archives is as follows: Item, Folder number and/or title, Box number, Collection title, ID number, Repository name, location.
Acquisition Information
Accession information not specified.
Biography or History
Jones came to Chicago (Ill.) in 1845, where he was a tailor and later the first African American elected as Cook County Commissioner (1870-1875, Republican). His wife was Mary Jones, nee Mary Jane Richardson.
Alternate Format Available
Online copy available of freedom certificates (ICHi-31975) that were scanned for the Encyclopedia of Chicago from originals at Chicago History Museum.
Indexed Terms
- Jones, John, -- 1816-1879 -- Archives
- Jones, Mary, -- 1817-1879, -- (Mrs. John Jones) -- Correspondence
- Abolitionists -- Illinois -- Chicago
- African American men -- Illinois -- Chicago -- 19th century
- African American women -- Illinois -- Chicago -- 19th century
- Antislavery movements -- United States
- Slavery -- Illinois
- Chicago (Ill.) -- Politics and government -- 19th century
- Madison County (Ill.) -- Politics and government -- 19th century
- Certificates
- Correspondence
- Histories
- Notebooks
- Scrapbooks
- Speeches
Exhibits Note
Exhibited in: "A House Divided, America in the Age of Lincoln," Chicago Historical Society, Feb. 4, 1990-2005.Freedom certificates (2).