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General James I. Jones (August 25, 1786 – September 3, 1858) was an American general who was prominent in New York life in the 1800s.

Early life

Jones was born on August 25, 1786, in New York. He was the third son of John Jones (1755–1806) and Eleanor (née Colford) Jones (1755–1824), who were both of English descent. His elder brother, John Jones Jr., died without issue, and his younger sister, Sarah Jones, was married to Peter Schermerhorn (the uncle to James' eventual wife). James' cousin, Edward Renshaw Jones (the son of merchant Joshua Jones), was married to Elizabeth Schermerhorn (the aunt to James' eventual wife of the same name), and was the grandfather of Edith (née Jones) Wharton and Frederic Rhinelander Jones.

Career

Jones "took an active and efficient interest in the military establishment of New York, in which he held the rank of major general of the third division of infantry." He was previously a Brigadier general with the 59th Brigade of Infantry. He also served as a trustee of the savings bank, the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company, the New York Hospital and was a vestryman of Trinity Church.

He was an ally of Philip Hone (the mayor of New York City from 1826 to 1827 today best known for his extensive diary) in the creation of Washington Square Park.

Jones's Wood

After his father's death in 1806, the family farm, known as Jones's Wood, was divided into lots among his Jones and his siblings, with James retaining the main house and its lot. James' sister Sarah, who had married the shipowner and merchant Peter Schermerhorn, received the parcel nearest to the city where the Schermerhorns first inhabited a modest villa overlooking the river at the foot of today's 67th Street. James and Peter controlled land beyond their shares as trustees for other family members. Later in life, Jones led the opposition to using his family's lands for the city's main park, thereby "paving the way for the creation of today's Central Park".

Personal life

In 1838, Jones was married to Elizabeth Schermerhorn (1817–1874), the daughter of Abraham Schermerhorn and Helen Van Courtlandt (née White) Schermerhorn. Elizabeth's younger sister was Caroline Schermerhorn (also known as the "Mrs. Astor"), who married William Backhouse Astor Jr. of the Astor family. Together, they resided at 5 Washington Place, located at the northeast corner of Washington Place and Mercer Street in New York City, which Jones built in 1842 and which became a "center of society comparable to Mary Mason Jones's home nearby on Broadway". James and Elizabeth were the parents of:

• Eleanor Colford Jones (1841–1906), who was married to Augustus Newbold Morris (1838–1906), a descendant of Declaration of Independence signor Lewis Morris, and who was a manager of the Home for Incurables at Fordham, a director of the Zoological Society, and a vice-president of the Plaza Bank.
• James Henry Jones (1846–1919), who graduated from West Point in 1868 and who did not marry.
• Cordelia Schermerhorn Jones (1849–1920), who married John Steward Jr. (1847–1943).

In 1839, Jones was sculpted by Thomas Crawford, who is today best known for his numerous contributions to the United States Capitol. His wife's portrait was painted by Irish portrait painter Charles C. Ingham.

Jones died on September 3, 1858, in Basel, Switzerland. His widow Elizabeth died in Lenox, Massachusetts, in August 1874 and was buried alongside her husband in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn.

Descendants

Through his daughter Eleanor, he was the grandfather of Eleanor Colford Morris (1863–1863), who died young; Augustus Newbold Morris (1868–1928) who married Helen Schermerhorn Kingsland (granddaughter of New York City Mayor Ambrose Kingsland); Eva Van Cortlandt Morris (1869–1947), who married Emile McDougall Hawkes William Henry Morris (1871–1871), who also died young; and Lewis Morris (1873–1875), who also died young.

References

1. ^ Court, New York (State) Supreme (1855). Abstract of Title of the Louvre Farm: Formerly the Property of John Jones, Esq., Deceased. Wm. C. Bryant. p. 28. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
2. Bergen, Tunis Garret (1915). Genealogies of the State of New York: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation, Vol. I. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 163. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
3. "Joshua Jones (1757-1821)". www.nyhistory.org. New-York Historical Society. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
4. ^ Schneider, Daniel B. (February 15, 1998). "F.Y.I. | Envying the Joneses". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
5. ^ Annual Obituary Notices of Eminent Persons who Have Died in the United States: For 1857-[1858]. Phillips, Sampson. 1859. p. 183. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
6. Documents of the Senate of the State of New York. 1844. p. 12. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
7. Senate, New York (State) Legislature (1831). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York. p. 6. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
8. New York Military Magazine: Devoted to the Interests of the Militia Throughout the Union. Labree and Stockton. 1841. p. 254. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
9. ^ Harris, Luther S. (2003). Around Washington Square: An Illustrated History of Greenwich Village. JHU Press. p. 98. ISBN 9780801873416. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
10. Brown, Henry Collins; Council, New York (N Y. ) Common (1917). Valentine's Manual of Old New York. Valentine's manual, Incorporated. p. 155. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
11. Rosenzweig, Roy & Blackmar, Elizabeth (1992). The Park and the People: A History of Central Park. Cornell University Press. p. 539. ISBN 0-8014-9751-5.
12. ^ "DIED. Jones" (PDF). The New York Times. August 23, 1874. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
13. ^ Moffat, R. Burnham (1904). The Barclays of New York: Who They are and who They are Not,-and Some Other Barclays. R. G. Cooke. p. 142. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
14. "William Astor Is Dead; Stricken Suddenly at the Hotel Liverpool, Paris. He Leaves a Fortune of Many Mill- Ions -- John Jacob Astor Will Inherit It -- the Body Will Be Brought Home for Burial" (PDF). The New York Times. April 27, 1892. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
15. Reynolds, Cuyler (1914). Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 1410. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
16. "Mrs. Eleanor Colford Morris" (PDF). The New York Times. April 27, 1906. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
17. "The Commercial and Financial Chronicle". National News Service, Incorporated. 1906: 542. Retrieved October 15, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
18. "A. Newbold Morris Dead. He Was A Descendant of Noted Family Which Owned Morrisania" (PDF). The New York Times. September 3, 1906. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
19. "Died. | JONES". The New York Times. October 30, 1919. p. 13. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
20. ^ Browning, Charles Henry (1891). Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings. Porter & Costes. p. 552. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
21. "MRS. CORDELIA S. STEWARD". New York Herald. July 30, 1920. p. 7. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
22. "NEWBOLD MORRIS DIES IN HIS SLEEP; President of Metropolitan Club, Trustee of Columbia and Lawyer. WITH PERSHING IN THE WAR Lieutenant Colonel on General Staff --Family One of Most Illustrious in United States". The New York Times. December 21, 1928. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
23. "MRS. MORRIS, MOTHER OF NEWBOLD MORRIS". The New York Times. April 13, 1956. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
24. "MRS. EVA M. HAWKES". The New York Times. December 6, 1947. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
25. "DIED. Hawkes". The New York Times. March 24, 1929. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
26. "FRENCH HERE MOURN M'DOUGALL HAWKES.; Bishop Lloyd and Rev. J. D. Farris Hold Ceremonies for French Institute's Founder". The New York Times. March 26, 1929. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
27. "DIVORCES E. McD. HAWKES.; Wife of New York Lawyer Got Paris Decree Last October". The New York Times. April 2, 1923. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
28. "MORRIS SHARES IN ESTATE; Aunt Wills Bulk of $2,790,065 Fortune to 3 Nephews". The New York Times. August 9, 1950. Retrieved October 15, 2017.

External links

• James I. Jones at Find a Grave

• 1786 births
• 1858 deaths
• American people of English descent
• American militia generals
• American militiamen in the War of 1812
• Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery