Jonesville Community
This is going to be one of those posts where I basically sit back and let the words I've found get the story across. The Jonesville Community historical marker was placed in Mathews, Alabama to commemorate the life of Prince Albert Jones, Sr. The first photo is Albert and his wife Essie. It is followed by a transcription of the obituary for Albert that ran in the Montgomery Advertiser. After that you'll find photos of the two sides of the the Jonesville Community historical marker, as well as a transcription of that text. Hope you enjoy this story of an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life.
“JONES, Mr. Prince Albert, Sr., 91, a lifelong resident of Mathews, Ala., died at his home Sunday, January 13, 2008. The third youngest of 15 children, Prince Albert was born to the late John Wesley and Lura Barnett Jones. He accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized at Holt Street Church of Christ. He placed membership with Clay Hill Church of Christ, where he served as superintendent for a number of years. He later united with Western Blvd. Church of Christ, where he remained a dedicated and faithful Christian soldier until his death. Prince Albert was educated in the public schools of Montgomery County. On May 21, 1939, he married Essie Richard and to this union 15 children were born. Essie, five children, and three grandchildren all preceded him in death. A farmer by profession, Prince Albert raised cows and grew cotton and corn to provide for his family. In response to agricultural changes, he began customer hay farming and became noted throughout rural Montgomery County for his agricultural skills and willingness to lend a helping hand to others. His leadership in the community earned him the Stephen T. Provo Memorial Leadership Award in 1993, recognition by the Montgomery Area Council on Aging as a Senior of Achievement in 2002, and the distinct honor in 2007 the community in Mathews where he lived designated by the Montgomery County Commission as the Jonesville Community. Albert leaves to cherish his memory 10 children, 50 grandchildren, 59 great grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.”
“The Jonesville Community
The Jonesville Community on Old Pike Road in Mathews, named for wealthy landowner George Mathews from Oglethorp County Ga., was designated by the Montgomery County Commission on October 16, 2007 to honor the life and legacy of Prince Albert Jones, Sr. (April 25, 1916 - January 13, 2008) and his family to the community. Jones was born and reared in the area and devoted much of his nearly 92 years of life to helping others in Mathews and the surrounding communities of Cecil, Waugh, Pike Road and Mt. Meigs. A farmer by trade, he supported his family and many of his neighbors with crops he planted. He used his resources (tractors, balers, trucks and other farm equipment and transportation) to help others cultivate their crops and get them to market. He also voluntarily cared for several of the local cemeteries, including New Jerusalem (on the grounds of the old Margaret Beard Elementary School) and Gilmer Cemetery in nearby Pike Road, where he and many of his family members and former residents are buried.
Prince Albert Jones was concerned about the common man and believed deeply in civil and voting rights. Quoting from an article appearing in the “Montgomery Advertiser” on January 18, 2008, Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Jones was one of rural Montgomery’s first registered black voters, when fewer than 1 percent of the county’s black residents were registered. “Mr. Jones was one of the area’s most dedicated advocates for equality and used his good reputation with the white farming elite to help black neighbors and church members obtain the right to vote decades before the enactment of the 1965 Voting Rights Act,” Dees said. Jones was one of 15 children. He and his wife Essie also reared 15 children. They strongly valued Christian living, education and hard work and taught their children and others in the community the importance of working with their minds as well as their hands.”
