Biographical Sketch of T. Franklin JONES (1893); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris . Copyright. All Rights Reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ********************************************************* Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsyl- vania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T. Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Philadel- phia, PA, 1893, pp. 582-3. "T, FRANKLIN JONES, a well known and industrious citizen of Tredyffrin town- ship, is a son of Jonathan and Agnes (Happersett) Jones, and was born in the old jail building at West Chester, Chester county, Pennsylvania, January 5, 1827, while his father was serving as sheriff of this county. He received his education in the common and select schools of Chester county, and since leaving school has been engaged in farming. He is a republican in politics, and now resides in Tredyffrin township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. "T. Franklin Jones is of Welsh descent, and his paternal grandfather, John Jones, was a native of the northwestern part of Chester county, where he died January 14, 1816, at fifty-three years of age. He was a prominent contractor on the construction of the old Lancaster turnpike, and afterward followed farming and merchandising at Churchtown. He married Mary Darling- ton, by whom he had one child, Jonathan, and after her death, in 1789, he wedded Elizabeth Graham, who died January 13, 1814, and whose remains were interred at St. Mary's church. By his second marriage John Jones had eleven children: Mary, born February 22, 1791; Hannah, born October 16, 1793; George W., born February 11, 1796; John D., born June 25, 1797; Thomas, born January 12, 1800; Michael, born February 27, 1802; Caleb, born January 29, 1804; David and Levi (twins), born February 7, 1807; Margaretta, born Sept- ember 16, 1809; and Elizabeth, born November 24, 1813. "Jonathan Jones (father), who was the only child by the first marriage, became quite prominent in Chester county. He was born near Churchtown, January 17, 1785, and died near Valley Forge, in Tredyffrin township, Novem- ber 17, 1867, when well advanced in the eighty-third year of his age. He resided successively in Willistown, East Whiteland, and Tredyffrin town- ships. He always followed farming, and in 1832 purchased the 'Green Tree' hotel, which he conducted for a number of years. Mr. Jones was a whig and republican in politics, and served as sheriff of Chester county from 1825 to 1828, during which time he occupied the residence part of the old jail. He was a member and vestryman of the Protestant Episcopal church, and married Agnes Happersett, who was a daughter of Jacob Happersett, and who died January 5, 1859, aged eighty-two years. They reared a family of five chil- dren: Mary, born May 14, 1810; Jacob H., who was born February 16, 1812, and died February 18, 1858, was in the hotel business in Philadelphia, and married Mary Wilson, by whom he had six children, of whom five are still living - Agnes H., Eliza S., Jacob H., Mary E., and T. Franklin, whose name appears at the head of this sketch."