(Note: birth date given in original as "July 24[?], 1795".) land speculator, merchant, railroad promoter, b. Massachusetts. He moved to Chicago in 1833 where he conducted a general store and was a partner in the firm of Jones, King and Co., speculating in Chicago real estate. In 1836 the company extended its operations into Wisconsin and formed the Manitowoc Land Co. It acquired 2,000 acres at the mouth of the Manitowoc River, and in 1837 sent Jones to Manitowoc as agent. There he sold lots to settlers, operated a general store, and purchased cut timber being milled in the area and shipped it to Chicago. After the panic of 1837, the Manitowoc Land Co. was dissolved, and, as his share of the venture, Jones received the land holdings in the Manitowoc area. Although he at first suffered financial reverses, his project was assured success after settlement began to increase after 1846. In 1853 he owned the largest sawmill in Manitowoc, but shortly thereafter invested heavily in railroad promotion and lost most of his fortune when his promotions failed. He continued to live in Manitowoc until his death. L. Falge, ed., Hist. of Manitowoc Co. (2 vols., Chicago [1912]); R. G. PIumb, Hist. of Manitowoc Co. ([Manitowoc] 1904); Manitowoc Pilot, Aug. 11, 1881; WPA field notes.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]