Edward Jones (missionary)
Encyclopedia
Edward Jones was an African American
missionary
to the colony of Sierra Leone
. Jones was a prominent missionary and figure in the colony of Sierra Leone; he was the first naturalized citizen of Sierra Leone (though he retained his American citizenship). Jones was the first principal of Fourah Bay College
. He was the first Black American to graduate from Amherst College
in Massachusetts
. E. Jones was the brother of Jehu Jones
, a prominent African-American preacher
.
and was a member of the mulatto
elite
of that area. The free mulattos were freed slaves who had fought in the American Revolutionary War
for the Patriots
and were freed for their loyalty. Edward Jones's father, Jehu Jones, was a wealthy free mulatto
hotel owner who associated himself with the elite white people of Charleston and "seldom kept the company of even light-complexioned free blacks and never of slaves." Edward Jones was still proud of his African heritage and was a member of the Brown Fellowship society in Charleston.
but did not stay long before immigrating to the colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone (http://www.amherst.edu/~rjyanco94/genealogy/acbiorecord/1826.html#jones-e).
family.
Jones was a superintendent of the Liberated African village of Kent, Sierra Leone and it was there he met one of the Nova Scotian settlers, Hannah Nylander, and married her. Jones had married into a prominent family; his wife was half Nova Scotian (Black Loyalist
descent making her of Black American descent also) and also half German
through her missionary father Gustav Nylander. In all Jones married three times and buried all of his wives in Sierra Leone. Jones also had six children only one whom lived to adulthood. Jones was also the first principal of the newly established Fourah Bay College
in Fourah Bay, Sierra Leone (a suburb of Freetown). It was there that the only known portrait of Edward Jones was hung on the wall. Jones died in England
in 1865.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to the colony of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. Jones was a prominent missionary and figure in the colony of Sierra Leone; he was the first naturalized citizen of Sierra Leone (though he retained his American citizenship). Jones was the first principal of Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...
. He was the first Black American to graduate from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. E. Jones was the brother of Jehu Jones
Jehu Jones
Jehu Jones, Jr. was a Lutheran minister. He founded one of the first African-American Lutheran congregations in the United States, and was actively involved in improving the social welfare of blacks. He is commemorated as a priest in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24...
, a prominent African-American preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
.
Early life
Edward Jones was born in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
and was a member of the mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
of that area. The free mulattos were freed slaves who had fought in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
for the Patriots
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
and were freed for their loyalty. Edward Jones's father, Jehu Jones, was a wealthy free mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
hotel owner who associated himself with the elite white people of Charleston and "seldom kept the company of even light-complexioned free blacks and never of slaves." Edward Jones was still proud of his African heritage and was a member of the Brown Fellowship society in Charleston.
Immigration to Liberia
Jones immigrated to LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
but did not stay long before immigrating to the colony of Freetown, Sierra Leone (http://www.amherst.edu/~rjyanco94/genealogy/acbiorecord/1826.html#jones-e).
Life in Sierra Leone
It is in Sierra Leone that Jones is most remembered as a great leader and one of the patriarchs of a prominent KrioKrio
Krio may refer to:*Sierra Leone Krio people*Krio language, language of the Sierra Leone Krio people*Krio Dayak people, an ethnic group in West Kalimantan, Indonesia*Krio Dayak language*Keriau River, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia...
family.
Jones was a superintendent of the Liberated African village of Kent, Sierra Leone and it was there he met one of the Nova Scotian settlers, Hannah Nylander, and married her. Jones had married into a prominent family; his wife was half Nova Scotian (Black Loyalist
Black Loyalist
A Black Loyalist was an inhabitant of British America of African descent who joined British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War...
descent making her of Black American descent also) and also half German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
through her missionary father Gustav Nylander. In all Jones married three times and buried all of his wives in Sierra Leone. Jones also had six children only one whom lived to adulthood. Jones was also the first principal of the newly established Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...
in Fourah Bay, Sierra Leone (a suburb of Freetown). It was there that the only known portrait of Edward Jones was hung on the wall. Jones died in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1865.
Sources
- "Edward Jones: An African American in Sierra Leone", in Moving On: Black Loyalists in the Afro-Atlantic World, by Nemata Blyden.