John W. Jones

Who was John W. Jones?

John W. Jones was born on June 21, 1817, on a plantation in Leesburg, Virginia, as a slave to the Ellzey family. Jones died on December 26, 1900 and is buried in Woodlawn National Cemetery, not far from Mark Twain. He was married to Rachel Jones in 1856, with whom he had three sons and one daughter. On June 3, 1844, fearing he would be sold to another plantation, as his owner grew old and near death, Jones and four others fled north. They survived a 300-mile trip and arrived in Elmira, New York in July 1844.