John H. Jones Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 586-587

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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JOHN H. JONES, one of the most extensive general farmers of McCook 
county, is one of the most popular and influential men of the 
community. His home is situated on the southwest quarter of section 17, 
Bridgewater township. 

Our subject is of Welsh descent, but was born in Tuscarawas county, 
Ohio, May 21, 1856, the eldest of a family of eight children, three 
sons and five daughters, born to William H. and Mary (Daugherty) Jones. 
The parents are now making their home in McCook county, South Dakota, 
near our subject's farm. When Mr. Jones was still a child, the family 
moved to Mahaska county, Iowa, and after spending three years in that 
county, they moved to Poweshiek county, Iowa, and there made their home 
until they moved to Dakota. Until he reached the age of eighteen years, 
our subject had received but fifty days of school, being allowed to 
attend only when. there was no work to do, which was, indeed, very 
seldom. He was always desirous, however, of securing at least a common-
school education, and as he left home, he applied all of his energies 
to attain this end. Working for his board and schooling, he applied 
himself diligently to his studies and in a few years he was enable to 
pass a teacher's examination. In Iowa, he finally rented land and was 
engaged in farming until 1881, when he came to Dakota and invested in a 
tract of prairie land. He continued working in Iowa, however, until 
1889, and then took possession of his Dakota land, and soon after 
purchased the farm he now owns. This farm at present comprises four 
hundred and eighty acres of farming land, all but forty of which is 
under the plow. In addition to this, he often rents one or two quarter-
sections, and in the season just passed he has eight hundred and 
twenty-five acres of small grain and his yield of wheat was three 
thousand, nine hundred and seventy bushels. Mr. Jones is a typical 
western "rustler" and is a man of no little influence in the community. 
While he is thorough and systematic in his farming, he has always found 
time to devote to matters relative to local government and everything 
that pertains to the building up of the better interests of his adopted 
township and county. Politically he is a Republican and a member of the 
Republican county central committee, and is also a firm supporter of 
prohibition and equal suffrage. Socially he affiliates with the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen and the Modern Woodmen of America. 

In 1894, Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Miss Jennie West, who 
was born April 17, 1872, a daughter of Hiram and Rosalia West, of 
Hanson county, South Dakota. Their only child who was born April 4, 
1895, bears the name of Eldred Lisle.