GEORGE O. JONES is descended from a hardy and long-lived English family. His paternal ancestor, Charles E. Jones, the son of an English army officer, was born near Leeds, England in 1799. He served an apprenticeship at the carpenter’s trade, and by hard work and frugal living saved enough to bring his to America, where he came in 1827. Before leaving he married Susan Judson, who had a brother, Robert Judson, living near Washington, Penn. Here Mr. Jones came, and liking the new country immediately sent for his wife and children to follow him. He purchased a lot and built his home on North Main street, where the Jones homestead, in a more modern form, is now located. Charles E. And Susan Jones were the parents of ten children, two of whom died in infancy; William died in 1853; Sarah died in 1862; Susan died in 1864, just six weeks after her marriage with William McClain; Mary married William Workman and resides at Washington; Jane, the widow of the late William H. Taylor, also lives at Washington; James J. became a Methodist minister, but death cut short that which promised to be a brilliant career (he died at Denver, Colo., in 1875, where he had gone in search of health); Sylvester F. also became a Methodist minister, and is at present pastor of the Emmanuel Methodist Episcopal Church at Evanston, Ill. Mrs. Jones died in 1871, at the age of seventy-one; her husband survived her until 1883, when his long life of eighty-four years was brought to a close. George O. Jones, the youngest of the family, was born on November 19, 1843, attended the Washington public schools and entered Washington College as a student; nut the Civil War called him away from his studied, and on February 26, 1864, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundredth P. V. I. On the second day of the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, while making his way to the front, he was struck in the head by a minie-ball and fell unconscious to the ground. He was carried off the field for dead, his knapsack emptied of rations by W. H. Underwood, who thought George would have no further use for such things; but as the grave was being prepared, signs of life were discovered in him by Dr. Wishart, a surgeon of the One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment, and instead of being consigned to the ground he was ordered to a hospital. As a memento of this incident, Mr. Jones still carries in his pocket a piece of skull bone, about the size of a dime, which was extracted from the wound. After recovery, he returned to his company and served until the close of the war. He was mustered out of service on July 24, 1865. In January, 1866, he resumed his studies at Washington and Jefferson College and graduated from the institution in 1869. After graduating he entered the law office of John L. Gow, Jr., as a law student, and was admitted to the bar of this county in August, 1871. In March, 1873, he was commissioned a notary public, which office he has held ever since. At present he has the honor of being the oldest notary public, in time of service, in the county. On May 1, 1872, he married Miss Emma Kidd, daughter of William and Eliza Kidd. As a result of this union, three children have been born, William K., Susan J., And Alice E., all of whom are living. He is a member and past commander of Post No. 120, G. A. R., Department of Pennsylvania. He and his family are members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Washington. He is also a trustee of the church.

Text taken from page 273 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed May 1997 by Dawna Trainor of Baltimore, MD as part of the Beers Project. Published May 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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