308:
207:
31:
201:
I take this method of informing you that I may be found at all business hours at my shop, ready and willing to do all work in my line you may think proper to favor me with, in the best possible manner. I have on hand all kinds of
Trimings for reparing Gentlemen's Clothes. Bring your Clothes, Gents,
260:
Jones played a key role in
Chicago’s Underground Railroad and opened a "General Intelligence Office" at 88 Dearborn Street in 1854. This was the major communications hub for African-Americans, both free and escaped slaves, from 1854 until the end of the Civil War. In 1861, the Joneses helped found
338:
on May 27, 1879; his wife, Mary, was the executor of his will and inherited his fortune, becoming independently wealthy. His estate was valued at over $ 70,000 (equivalent to approximately $ 2,289,000 in 2023); he had been one of the city's richest men. John's tailoring business was taken over by
193:
The couple arrived in the city with only $ 3.50 (equivalent to approximately $ 110 in 2023) to their name, pawning a watch to afford rent and the purchase of two stoves. A black grocer, O. G. Hanson, gave the
Joneses $ 2 in credit (equivalent to approximately $ 70 in 2023). John Jones's tailoring
218:. They were credited by Jones for teaching him to read and write along with the fundamentals of business and real estate. Beyond his tailoring business, Jones invested in land that would develop into the first working-class neighborhood for Chicago black families.
194:
business succeeded and by 1850, they were able to afford their own home. Although both were illiterate when they arrived in the city, they quickly learned to read and write, viewing it as key to empowerment—John wrote that "reading makes a free man".
176:
to woo her. Their daughter
Lavinia was born in 1843. The couple, ever mindful that their status as free could be called into question, secured fresh copies of freedmen's papers before an Alton court on November 28, 1844. The young family moved to
130:
of
Illinois and was the first African-American to win public office in the state. Jones was the first black man in the state of Illinois to serve on a grand jury in 1870, became a notary public in 1871 and the same year was elected to the
1134:
326:
destroyed both the Jones family home and their four-story tailoring business, together valued at $ 85,000 (equivalent to approximately $ 2,161,800 in 2023). The family was able to rebuild, building a new house near
707:
572:
165:
biracial mother and German-American father. For most of his early life, he was an indentured servant who trained as a tailor in
Memphis, Tennessee. In 1841, Jones married a free black woman named
181:
in March 1845, eight years after the city's incorporation. Committed abolitionists, they were drawn by
Chicago's large anti-slavery movement. On the journey, they were suspected of being
1126:
299:
published Jones’ pamphlet, “The Black Laws of
Illinois and a Few Reasons Why They Should Be Repealed.” The next year in 1865, Illinois repealed the state’s provision of its Black Laws.
935:
494:
882:
277:, first adopted in 1819, controlled (and in a 1853 law in the lead-up to the Civil War, forbade completely) black immigration into Illinois, and prohibited blacks from serving on
974:
600:
1215:
739:
307:
700:
405:"'God and man helped those who helped themselves': John and Mary Jones and the Culture of African American Self-Sufficiency in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Chicago"
202:
and have them
Cleaned and Repaired. Remember that all Clothes left with me are safe, because I am responsible, and permanently located at 119 Dearborn Street.
1205:
226:
The
Joneses became members of a small community of African-Americans in Chicago, comprising 140 people at the time of their arrival. The Joneses joined the
1200:
556:
677:
1004:
293:. In December 1850, Jones circulated a petition—signed by black residents of the state—for Illinois legislators to repeal the Black Laws. In 1864, the
1245:
1225:
1210:
919:
490:
253:. Brown and his associates, described by Mary as "the roughest looking men I ever saw", stayed with the Joneses on their way east to their
432:
343:, a family friend. Mary Jones remained prominent in Chicago until her death in 1909. The Joneses are buried side-by-side in Chicago's
1195:
958:
1220:
238:
594:
257:. The Joneses were not militant, despite their anti-slavery views, and did not support Brown's plan for a violent slave uprising.
1185:
111:, businessman, civil rights leader, and philanthropist. He was born in North Carolina and later lived in Tennessee. Arriving in
1235:
233:
While John's tailoring business prospered, Mary managed their home as a center of black activism, organizing resistance to the
1105:
968:
929:
868:
640:
566:
528:
356:
254:
1111:
733:
1230:
1190:
182:
1240:
612:
227:
319:
815:
273:
As early as 1847, Jones made it his primary objective to repeal Illinois' racist black laws. Illinois's version of a
829:
331:. Jones's tailoring business was also restarted at a new location; he continued to work until retiring in 1873.
214:
During his early years in Chicago, Jones became close with abolitionists Lemuel Covell Paine (L.C.P) Freer and
1097:
Politics and Politicians of Illinois: Anecdotes and Incidents, a Succinct History of the State, 1809–1887
669:
197:
The 1851 Chicago Directory lists the Joneses tailoring shop and contains this advertisement for his services:
996:
491:"The "Right Man in the Right Place": John Jones and the Early African American Struggle for Civil Rights"
274:
234:
127:
1026:
904:
558:
Encyclopedia of African American Business: Updated and Revised Edition, 2nd Edition [2 volumes]
444:
166:
142:
88:
1080:
360:
250:
153:
era; the couple helped hundreds of fugitives fleeing slavery. Jones died in 1879 of kidney failure.
860:
138:. He also became become one of Chicago's wealthiest men through his successful tailoring business.
340:
1027:"John Jones to Frederick Douglass, February 4, 1848 (Unpublished) | Frederick Douglass Papers"
262:
322:, the first African-American to be elected to public office in Illinois. The same year, the
145:, he was a dedicated abolitionist and philanthropist, turning their home into a stop on the
1255:
1250:
1127:"The man who ended Illinois' 'black laws': It's past due for the state to honor John Jones"
146:
1064:
8:
335:
1076:
898:
781:
764:
Reed, Christopher R. (2001). "African American Life in Antebellum Chicago, 1833-1860".
344:
323:
312:
290:
246:
120:
1161:
1101:
1068:
964:
925:
874:
864:
821:
811:
773:
646:
636:
562:
534:
524:
466:
424:
135:
116:
804:
Smith, Jessie Carney; Phelps, Shirelle, eds. (2003). "Jones, Mary Jane Richardson".
289:
in 1847. It was also during this year that he began to work closely with his friend
1060:
420:
416:
206:
150:
1095:
404:
295:
215:
173:
30:
859:. Rima Lunin Schultz, Adele Hast, Paul Avrich Collection. Bloomington, Indiana:
960:
Race and Rights: Fighting Slavery and Prejudice in the Old Northwest, 1830–1870
328:
53:
1165:
230:
and made their family home Chicago's second stop on the Underground Railroad.
1179:
1072:
777:
650:
538:
878:
825:
428:
470:
242:
108:
854:
805:
523:. Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press. p. 105.
132:
785:
285:. Jones' first attempt at repeal was writing a series of columns in the
126:
In Chicago, Jones opened a tailoring shop. He led a campaign to end the
521:
Knock at the Door of Opportunity: Black Migration to Chicago, 1900–1919
185:
and detained, but were freed on the appeal of their stagecoach driver.
162:
699:
Zimny, Michael (October 2, 2003). Goeken, Brian; Tatum, Terry (eds.).
115:
with three dollars in assets in 1845, Jones rose to become a leading
706:. Commissioner Denise M. Casalino. Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
635:. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. pp. 65–69.
149:. The Jones' household was a center of abolitionist activity in the
856:
Women building Chicago, 1790–1990 : a biographical dictionary
1051:
Bridges, Roger D. (2015). "Antebellum Struggle for Citizenship".
282:
178:
112:
68:
676:. DuSable to Obama – Chicago's Black Metropolis. July 5, 2018.
265:, which contained the first library open to black Chicagoans.
461:
Bontemps, Arna; Conroy, Jack (1945). "John Brown's Friend".
278:
161:
Jones was born in Green City, North Carolina, in 1816 to a
169:(1819-1909), the daughter of Elijah and Diza Richardson.
1100:. Springfield, Illinois: H.W. Rokker. pp. 341–342.
921:
Places of the Underground Railroad: A Geographical Guide
465:. Garden City, New York: Doubleday Doran. p. 30.
172:
Jones had first met her in Tennessee and he moved to
16:
American tailor, politician, and activist (1816–1879)
997:"100 Best Documents at the Illinois State Archives"
1160:. Chicago, Illinois: Haymarket Books. p. 13.
1216:Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
1177:
1053:Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society
766:Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society
596:Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society
460:
311:Jones and his wife are buried side by side in
1206:African-American people in Illinois politics
1155:
917:
355:In 2004, the City of Chicago designated the
1201:Activists for African-American civil rights
957:Weiner, Dana Elizabeth (January 15, 2013).
803:
29:
1156:Kaba, Mariame; McDowell, Essence (2018).
1001:Office of the Illinois Secretary of State
735:Chicago Negro almanac and reference book
633:Black Chicago's first century. 1833–1900
306:
205:
1246:Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago)
1050:
963:(in German). Cornell University Press.
810:. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research.
599:. Vol. 94. 2001. pp. 363–91.
268:
1178:
1125:Hyman, Michael B. (February 1, 2015).
1114:from the original on January 18, 2021.
956:
849:
847:
832:from the original on December 12, 2019
731:
497:from the original on December 10, 2021
456:
454:
402:
398:
396:
221:
107:(1816 – May 27, 1879) was an American
1137:from the original on January 18, 2021
1124:
1081:10.5406/jillistathistsoc.108.3-4.0296
1065:10.5406/jillistathistsoc.108.3-4.0296
918:Calarco, Tom; Vogel, Cynthia (2011).
799:
797:
795:
759:
757:
698:
554:
394:
392:
390:
388:
386:
384:
382:
380:
378:
376:
357:site of the John and Mary Jones House
210:John and Mary Jane Jones in the 1840s
188:
1226:19th-century American businesspeople
1093:
763:
680:from the original on January 1, 2021
670:"Early Chicago: Slavery in Illinois"
664:
662:
660:
630:
626:
624:
622:
550:
548:
518:
514:
512:
484:
482:
480:
237:and other restrictive laws like the
1211:African-American history in Chicago
844:
713:from the original on March 15, 2023
555:Smith, Jessie (November 27, 2017).
488:
451:
241:. Their friends included prominent
13:
1149:
1087:
792:
754:
692:
373:
14:
1267:
1007:from the original on May 11, 2022
977:from the original on May 11, 2022
938:from the original on May 11, 2022
738:. Chicago Negro Almanac Pub. Co.
657:
631:Reed, Christopher Robert (2005).
619:
575:from the original on May 11, 2022
545:
519:Reed, Christopher Robert (2014).
509:
477:
435:from the original on May 12, 2021
1196:Underground Railroad in Illinois
885:from the original on May 8, 2021
742:from the original on May 3, 2022
603:from the original on May 3, 2022
318:In 1871, Jones was elected as a
1221:African-American businesspeople
1118:
1044:
1019:
989:
950:
911:
725:
613:University of Wisconsin–Madison
1186:African-American abolitionists
587:
561:. ABC-CLIO. pp. 424–426.
493:. U.S. National Park Service.
350:
1:
1236:Philanthropists from Illinois
701:"Landmark Designation Report"
366:
302:
156:
36:
1031:frederickdouglass.infoset.io
807:Notable Black American Women
7:
1231:Businesspeople from Chicago
1191:Underground Railroad people
409:Journal of Illinois History
10:
1272:
1241:People from North Carolina
732:Rather, Ernest R. (1972).
445:HathiTrust Digital Library
143:Mary Jane Richardson Jones
89:Mary Jane Richardson Jones
281:or in the Illinois state
249:, who introduced them to
94:
84:
76:
61:
46:
28:
21:
861:Indiana University Press
403:Junger, Richard (2008).
320:Cook County Commissioner
65:May 27, 1879 (age 63–64)
1158:Lifting As They Climbed
1131:Chicago Lawyer Magazine
1094:Lusk, David W. (1887).
421:2027/inu.30000125384218
903:: CS1 maint: others (
341:Lloyd Garrison Wheeler
315:
211:
204:
310:
263:Olivet Baptist Church
255:raid on Harpers Ferry
209:
199:
141:Along with his wife,
269:Illinois black codes
167:Mary Jane Richardson
147:Underground Railroad
119:figure in the early
275:Black law or "code"
222:Activism in Chicago
216:Dr. Charles V. Dyer
345:Graceland Cemetery
324:Great Chicago Fire
316:
313:Graceland Cemetery
291:Frederick Douglass
247:Frederick Douglass
239:Fugitive Slave Act
212:
189:Arrival in Chicago
121:history of Chicago
80:Tailor, politician
1107:978-0-530-24204-0
970:978-1-60909-072-2
931:978-0-313-38146-1
870:978-0-253-33852-5
642:978-0-826-22128-5
568:978-1-4408-5028-8
530:978-0-809-33334-9
489:Naglich, Dennis.
102:
101:
1263:
1170:
1169:
1153:
1147:
1146:
1144:
1142:
1122:
1116:
1115:
1091:
1085:
1084:
1059:(3–4): 296–321.
1048:
1042:
1041:
1039:
1037:
1023:
1017:
1016:
1014:
1012:
993:
987:
986:
984:
982:
954:
948:
947:
945:
943:
915:
909:
908:
902:
894:
892:
890:
851:
842:
841:
839:
837:
801:
790:
789:
761:
752:
751:
749:
747:
729:
723:
722:
720:
718:
712:
705:
696:
690:
689:
687:
685:
666:
655:
654:
628:
617:
616:
610:
608:
591:
585:
584:
582:
580:
552:
543:
542:
516:
507:
506:
504:
502:
486:
475:
474:
463:They Seek A City
458:
449:
448:
442:
440:
400:
361:Chicago Landmark
336:Bright's disease
334:Jones died from
117:African-American
41:
38:
33:
19:
18:
1271:
1270:
1266:
1265:
1264:
1262:
1261:
1260:
1176:
1175:
1174:
1173:
1154:
1150:
1140:
1138:
1123:
1119:
1108:
1092:
1088:
1049:
1045:
1035:
1033:
1025:
1024:
1020:
1010:
1008:
995:
994:
990:
980:
978:
971:
955:
951:
941:
939:
932:
916:
912:
896:
895:
888:
886:
871:
853:
852:
845:
835:
833:
818:
802:
793:
762:
755:
745:
743:
730:
726:
716:
714:
710:
703:
697:
693:
683:
681:
668:
667:
658:
643:
629:
620:
606:
604:
593:
592:
588:
578:
576:
569:
553:
546:
531:
517:
510:
500:
498:
487:
478:
459:
452:
438:
436:
401:
374:
369:
353:
305:
296:Chicago Tribune
287:Western Citizen
271:
224:
191:
174:Alton, Illinois
159:
72:
66:
57:
51:
42:
39:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1269:
1259:
1258:
1253:
1248:
1243:
1238:
1233:
1228:
1223:
1218:
1213:
1208:
1203:
1198:
1193:
1188:
1172:
1171:
1148:
1117:
1106:
1086:
1043:
1018:
988:
969:
949:
930:
910:
869:
843:
816:
791:
772:(4): 356–382.
753:
724:
691:
656:
641:
618:
586:
567:
544:
529:
508:
476:
450:
371:
370:
368:
365:
352:
349:
329:Prairie Avenue
304:
301:
270:
267:
223:
220:
190:
187:
183:runaway slaves
158:
155:
100:
99:
96:
92:
91:
86:
82:
81:
78:
74:
73:
71:, Illinois, US
67:
63:
59:
58:
54:North Carolina
52:
48:
44:
43:
34:
26:
25:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1268:
1257:
1254:
1252:
1249:
1247:
1244:
1242:
1239:
1237:
1234:
1232:
1229:
1227:
1224:
1222:
1219:
1217:
1214:
1212:
1209:
1207:
1204:
1202:
1199:
1197:
1194:
1192:
1189:
1187:
1184:
1183:
1181:
1167:
1163:
1159:
1152:
1136:
1132:
1128:
1121:
1113:
1109:
1103:
1099:
1098:
1090:
1082:
1078:
1074:
1070:
1066:
1062:
1058:
1054:
1047:
1032:
1028:
1022:
1006:
1002:
998:
992:
976:
972:
966:
962:
961:
953:
937:
933:
927:
923:
922:
914:
906:
900:
884:
880:
876:
872:
866:
862:
858:
857:
850:
848:
831:
827:
823:
819:
817:0-8103-4749-0
813:
809:
808:
800:
798:
796:
787:
783:
779:
775:
771:
767:
760:
758:
741:
737:
736:
728:
709:
702:
695:
679:
675:
671:
665:
663:
661:
652:
648:
644:
638:
634:
627:
625:
623:
614:
602:
598:
597:
590:
574:
570:
564:
560:
559:
551:
549:
540:
536:
532:
526:
522:
515:
513:
496:
492:
485:
483:
481:
472:
468:
464:
457:
455:
446:
434:
430:
426:
422:
418:
415:(2): 111–32.
414:
410:
406:
399:
397:
395:
393:
391:
389:
387:
385:
383:
381:
379:
377:
372:
364:
362:
358:
348:
346:
342:
337:
332:
330:
325:
321:
314:
309:
300:
298:
297:
292:
288:
284:
280:
276:
266:
264:
258:
256:
252:
248:
244:
243:abolitionists
240:
236:
231:
229:
228:Liberty Party
219:
217:
208:
203:
198:
195:
186:
184:
180:
175:
170:
168:
164:
154:
152:
151:pre–Civil War
148:
144:
139:
137:
134:
129:
124:
122:
118:
114:
110:
106:
97:
93:
90:
87:
83:
79:
77:Occupation(s)
75:
70:
64:
60:
55:
49:
45:
32:
27:
20:
1157:
1151:
1139:. Retrieved
1130:
1120:
1096:
1089:
1056:
1052:
1046:
1034:. Retrieved
1030:
1021:
1009:. Retrieved
1000:
991:
979:. Retrieved
959:
952:
940:. Retrieved
924:. ABC-CLIO.
920:
913:
887:. Retrieved
855:
834:. Retrieved
806:
769:
765:
744:. Retrieved
734:
727:
715:. Retrieved
694:
682:. Retrieved
674:WTTW Chicago
673:
632:
611:– via
605:. Retrieved
595:
589:
577:. Retrieved
557:
520:
499:. Retrieved
462:
443:– via
437:. Retrieved
412:
408:
354:
333:
317:
294:
286:
272:
259:
232:
225:
213:
200:
196:
192:
171:
160:
140:
125:
109:abolitionist
104:
103:
1256:1816 births
1251:1879 deaths
1141:January 18,
351:Recognition
235:Black Codes
133:Cook County
128:Black Codes
40: 1865
35:John Jones
1180:Categories
1166:1143390958
1036:January 5,
981:January 2,
942:January 2,
746:January 5,
684:January 1,
579:January 2,
367:References
303:Later life
251:John Brown
157:Early life
136:Commission
105:John Jones
23:John Jones
1073:1522-1067
1011:April 25,
899:cite book
778:1522-1067
717:March 15,
651:969830027
539:881417214
501:April 11,
1135:Archived
1112:Archived
1005:Archived
975:Archived
936:Archived
883:Archived
879:44573291
863:. 2001.
830:Archived
826:24468213
786:40193583
740:Archived
708:Archived
678:Archived
601:Archived
573:Archived
495:Archived
433:Archived
429:40045726
245:such as
95:Children
836:May 11,
607:May 11,
471:1444797
439:May 10,
283:militia
179:Chicago
113:Chicago
69:Chicago
1164:
1104:
1079:
1071:
967:
928:
889:May 8,
877:
867:
824:
814:
784:
776:
649:
639:
565:
537:
527:
469:
427:
279:juries
85:Spouse
1077:JSTOR
782:JSTOR
711:(PDF)
704:(PDF)
359:as a
1162:OCLC
1143:2021
1102:ISBN
1069:ISSN
1038:2020
1013:2022
983:2021
965:ISBN
944:2021
926:ISBN
905:link
891:2021
875:OCLC
865:ISBN
838:2022
822:OCLC
812:ISBN
774:ISSN
748:2020
719:2023
686:2021
647:OCLC
637:ISBN
609:2022
581:2021
563:ISBN
535:OCLC
525:ISBN
503:2022
467:OCLC
441:2021
425:OCLC
163:free
62:Died
56:, US
50:1816
47:Born
1061:doi
1057:108
417:hdl
1182::
1133:.
1129:.
1110:.
1075:.
1067:.
1055:.
1029:.
1003:.
999:.
973:.
934:.
901:}}
897:{{
881:.
873:.
846:^
828:.
820:.
794:^
780:.
770:94
768:.
756:^
672:.
659:^
645:.
621:^
571:.
547:^
533:.
511:^
479:^
453:^
431:.
423:.
413:11
411:.
407:.
375:^
363:.
347:.
123:.
37:c.
1168:.
1145:.
1083:.
1063::
1040:.
1015:.
985:.
946:.
907:)
893:.
840:.
788:.
750:.
721:.
688:.
653:.
615:.
583:.
541:.
505:.
473:.
447:.
419::
98:1
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
