Halifax County, NC - Willie Jones ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Willie Jones, (pronounced Wylie), aristocrat of Halifax, an Anti-Federalist, served North Carolina as a colony and later in statehood in a variety of capacities: colonial assemblyman, delegate to the United States Conventions to ratify the Constitution, delegate to continental congress, member of the council of safety, president of the council of safety and delegate to provincial congresses. Although no orator, he was regarded as an "adroit party leader." A member of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina, he was succeeded in the post by his son, Willie William Jones. He also served a committee with William R. Davie and Alfred Moore to "prepare an ordinance for fixing the seat of the University, for purchase of the necessary quantity of land, and for erecting the buildings." Jones was a commissioner-at-large to site the City of Raleigh. Soon after the founding of the "permanent seat of government," he bought sixteen lots, each an acre in size and later built a summer residence, "Welcome," where he reputedly spent much of his time. At his death on June 18, 1801, he was buried in an unmarked grave at the present site of St. Augustine's College; nineteenth century searches for its exact location were fruitless. Editor Joseph Gales, Sr., noted: "He died as he had lived, a sturdy, fixed and firm Republican, omitting no occasion even during his last moments of manifesting the concern he felt and the interest he took in the preservation of the Liberty, Happiness and Prosperity of his country. In fine, it may with the strictest truth be said that Carolina has not produced a son of greater mental endowment than Mr. Jones nor one who lived more universally and deservedly respected or died more affectionately and sincerely regretted." Jones County and Jonesboro honor his name. Elizabeth H. Cotten noted that Willie Jones and Mary Montfort Jones, his wife, "had thirteen children, only five of whom lived to maturity." Willie William and Robert both died unmarried. Anne Maria married Joseph B. Littlejohn of Edenton; Martha Burk was the second wife of Honorable John Wayles Eppes of Virginia; Sally Welch, the last daughter, married first Hutchins G. Burton, later governor of North Carolina, and secondly, Andrew Joyner of "Poplar Grove," near Weldon. On March 14, 1811, Willie William Jones, son of Willie Jones, deeded the corner lot (#215) and the one north of it (#231) to the congregation of Edenton Street Church (Halifax County Wills, Vol. 3, p. 358), as stated in a later deed (Wake Deed Book 2, pp. 156-157) through which the church in 1818 sold #231 to Thomas Cobbs. Although 17 or 18 deed books were destroyed, including that which would have contained the 1811 deed, Book 2 survived, with its reference to the earlier deed of the church. The church was constructed after the organization of the congregation following Bishop Francis Asbury's visit in February 1811 to the State House. Asbury had visited and preached at the State House earlier. Asbury (1745-1816) made more than seventy visits to the old North State. Source: Elizabeth Reid Murray Collection "People" - Box 2 of 3 Olivia Raney Library ______________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Elizabeth Reid Murray ______________________________________________________________________