John Gabriel Jones
Encyclopedia
John Gabriel Jones was a colonial American pioneer and politician. An early settler of Kentucky, he and George Rogers Clark
sought to petition Virginia to allow Kentucky to become a part of the Colony of Virginia at the outset of the American Revolution
.
He was named in honor of his uncle, the noted Virginian lawyer Gabriel Jones.
and Ann Slade, John Gabriel Jones set out for Kentucky at a young age where he lived for several years and eventually became a prominent lawyer in the region. In June 1776, after a 7-day meeting in Harrod's Town lasting from June 8 to June 15, he and George Rogers Clark
were elected by popular vote to represent western Fincastle County
as members of the General Assembly of Virginia. Shortly before the two reached Williamsburg
however, the state legislature had already adjourned and Jones instead turned back at Richmond
to visit the settlements on the Holston River
while Clark continued to the capital.
On October 8, Jones and Clark were both in attendance at the fall session and they were successfully able to use their influence to have Kentucky constituted as a county of Virginia by reconstituting Fincastle County into Montgomery
, Washington
and Kentucky
counties, however they were not recognized as members of the assembly. While in Richmond, Clark visited Governor Patrick Henry
and managed to acquire 500 pounds of gunpowder
from Virginia which was ordered to be shipped to Pittsburgh
. They later helped ship the gunpowder down the Ohio River
and hid the cargo 11 miles outside of present-day Maysville, Kentucky
.
In December, Jones and Colonel John Todd
gathered a group of ten men to retrieve the gunpowder. On December 25, as they marched along the Ohio River, they were ambushed near the Lower Blue Lick
by a group of warriors led by the Mingo
chieftain Pluggy
with Jones and several others being killed in the fighting.
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
sought to petition Virginia to allow Kentucky to become a part of the Colony of Virginia at the outset of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
He was named in honor of his uncle, the noted Virginian lawyer Gabriel Jones.
Biography
Born to John JonesJohn Jones
-Authors, artists, poets, and writers:*John Jones of Gellilyfdy , Welsh calligrapher, manuscript collector and antiquary*John Jones , Welsh writer*John Jones , Welsh poet...
and Ann Slade, John Gabriel Jones set out for Kentucky at a young age where he lived for several years and eventually became a prominent lawyer in the region. In June 1776, after a 7-day meeting in Harrod's Town lasting from June 8 to June 15, he and George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
were elected by popular vote to represent western Fincastle County
Fincastle County, Virginia
Fincastle County, Virginia, was created in 1772 from Botetourt County, the boundaries of which extended all the way to the Mississippi River. Fincastle County was abolished in 1776, and divided into three new counties—Montgomery County, Washington County, and Kentucky County .Although no county...
as members of the General Assembly of Virginia. Shortly before the two reached Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
however, the state legislature had already adjourned and Jones instead turned back at Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
to visit the settlements on the Holston River
Holston River
The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. The North Fork flows southwest from Sharon Springs in Bland County, Virginia...
while Clark continued to the capital.
On October 8, Jones and Clark were both in attendance at the fall session and they were successfully able to use their influence to have Kentucky constituted as a county of Virginia by reconstituting Fincastle County into Montgomery
Montgomery County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 83,629 people, 30,997 households, and 17,203 families residing in the county. The population density was 215 people per square mile . There were 32,527 housing units at an average density of 84 per square mile...
, Washington
Washington County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,103 people, 21,056 households, and 14,949 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile . There were 22,985 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
and Kentucky
Kentucky County, Virginia
Kentucky County was formed by the Commonwealth of Virginia by dividing Fincastle County into three new counties: Kentucky, Washington, and Montgomery, effective December 31, 1776. Four years later Kentucky County was abolished on June 30, 1780, when it was divided into Fayette, Jefferson, and...
counties, however they were not recognized as members of the assembly. While in Richmond, Clark visited Governor Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
and managed to acquire 500 pounds of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
from Virginia which was ordered to be shipped to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. They later helped ship the gunpowder down the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and hid the cargo 11 miles outside of present-day Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville...
.
In December, Jones and Colonel John Todd
John Todd (Virginia)
John Todd was a frontier military officer during the American Revolutionary War and the first administrator of the Illinois County of the U.S...
gathered a group of ten men to retrieve the gunpowder. On December 25, as they marched along the Ohio River, they were ambushed near the Lower Blue Lick
Licking River (Kentucky)
The Licking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river and its tributaries drain much of the region of northeastern Kentucky between the watersheds of the Kentucky River to the west and the Big Sandy River to the east.-Origin of name:The Native...
by a group of warriors led by the Mingo
Mingo
The Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...
chieftain Pluggy
Pluggy
Pluggy was an 18th-century Mingo chieftain and ally of Logan during Lord Dunmore's War...
with Jones and several others being killed in the fighting.