1863. He was graduated in medicine in Philadel- phia, and began practice in Mississippi, where he became interested in the culture of cotton, and made several improvements in the cotton-gin, which were subsequently adopted throughout the south. In 1840 the East India company offered Dr. Jones $5,000 a year and his expenses to go to India and develop the production of cotton in that country, and, although he declined the offer for patriotic reasons after reaching London, he gave evidence before a British parliamentary committee on the cultivation of cotton in the United States. On his return from England he became a resident of New York city, where he was a correspondent of several English and American newspapers, and wrote for the " Journal of Commerce " over the signature of " Sandy Hook." In 1850 he became the agent of the Associated press, and invented a comprehensive system of ciphers, which was the first used by the association. Soon afterward he became commercial reporter of the " New York Herald," which place he retained till his death. Besides the inventions already mentioned, Dr. Jones de- vised a street-sweeping machine. He took great interest in the history and progress of the Welsh people, from whom he was descended, and was an active member of St. David's society. He is the author of " Cuba in 1851 " (New York, 1851); "Historical Sketch of the Electric Tele- graph" (1852); and "The Cymri of Seventy-Six, or the Welshmen of the American Revolution and their Descendants " (1855).
JONES, Alexander H., member of congress, b.
in Asheville, Buncombe co., N. C, 21 July, 1822.
He was well educated, was a farmer during the
early part of his life, subsequently a merchant
at Asheville, and was for a time an editor. He
adhered to the National government in the civil
war, early in the summer of 1863 fled into the
Union lines, and was commissioned by Gren. Burn-
side to raise a regiment of loyal North Carolinians.
While so employed he was captured in East Ten-
nessee by Confederate troops, imprisoned at Ashe-
ville, at Camp Vance, Camp Holmes, and in Libby
Erison, and was drafted into the Confederate army,
ut made his escape in November, 1864, without
performing any service. After the surrender of
Gen. Lee he returned, was elected to the State
constitutional convention in 1865, and afterward
to congress as a Republican ; but there being no
established civil government in the state, he was
not received. He was elected to the two ensuing
congresses, and served from 20 July, 1868, till 3
March, 1871. He was a candidate for the 42d
congress, but was defeated.
JONES, Alfred, engraver, b. in Liverpool, Eng-
land, in 1819. He came to the United States when
young, and received the first prize at the National
academy of design in New York, in 1839, for a
drawing that he had made from Thorwaldsen's
" Mercury." He first came into public notice by
his engravings of " The Proposal," by Asher B.
Durand, and " The Parmer's Nooning," after Will-
iam S. Mount, and his work was in request for il-
lustrated publications. He went to Europe in
1846, and, after studying in life-schools there, was
elected a member of the National academy, New
York, in 1851. He is regarded as one of the best
engravers in the United States. He has for many
years been connected with the American bank-note
company, New York, as an engraver. Among his
steel plates are " The Image-Breaker," after Leutze,
portraits of Adoniram Judson, by Chester Hard-
ing, and William Cullen Bryant ; and " The Cap-
ture of Major Andre," after Durand ; " Sparking,"
by Edmonds ; " The New Scholar " ; " Mexican
News " ; and various portraits.
JONES, Alfred Gilpin, Canadian statesman, b.
in Weymouth, Nova Scotia, in September, 1824.
His grandfather, Stephen, a graduate of Harvard,
was an officer in the king's American dragoons,
and at the close of the Revolutionary war settled
in Nova Scotia, where he died in 1830. Alfred was
educated at Weymouth and at Yarmouth acade-
my, became a merchant, and represented Halifax
in the Dominion parliament from 1867 till 1872,
when he was defeated. He was re-elected in 1874,
but resigned in January, 1878, in consequence of
an alleged breach of the independence of parlia-
ment act. He became a member of the privy coun-
cil, and held the portfolio of minister of militia
from January till September, 1878. He was an un-
successful candidate at the general elections of
1878 and 1882, but was re-elected in 1887 for the
Dominion parliament. He is governor of Dalhousie
college, and was for several years lieutenant-colo-
nel of the 1st Halifax brigade garrison artillery.
JONES, Allen, patriot, b. in Halifax county,
N. C, in 1739 ; d. in Northampton county, N. C,
10 Nov., 1798. His father, Robin, was the agent
and attorney of Lord Grenville, who was one of
the lord proprietors of North Carolina. Allen was
educated at Eton, England, and, returning to North
Carolina, became known as a patriot and an effi-
cient military leader. He was a delegate to the
state conventions that met at New Berne, 25 Aug.,
1775, and at Halifax, 4 April, 1776, was appointed
brigadier-general by the legislature in May of the
latter year, was a member of the Continental con-
gress that met in Philadelphia in 1779-'80, and
from 1784 till 1787 represented Northampton coun-
ty in the North Carolina senate. The next year he
was a member of the Constitutional convention that
assembled at Hillsborough, and advocated a strong
Federal government in opposition to his brother
Willie, who was of the state-rights party. — His
brother, Willie, patriot, b. in Halifax, N. C, in
1731 ; d. near Raleigh, N. C., in 1801, was also edu-
cated at Eton, became early attached to the patriot
cause, was president of the North Carolina com-
mittee of safety in 1775, and as such was virtually
the governor of the state. He was a member of
the first State constitutional convention in 1776,
was in the house of commons of North Carolina in
1776-'8, and succeeded his brother Allen as mem-
ber of the Continental congress in 1780. He was
elected to the Constitutional convention of 1787,
but declined to serve, was a member of the Consti-
tutional convention that met at Hillsborough in
the next year, and was largely instrumental in its
rejection of the Federal constitution. — His wife,
Mary Montford, was the daughter of Col. Joseph
Montford, of North Carolina, and many anecdotes
are related of her wit and beauty. When the Brit-
ish army was on its way to Virginia in 1781, the
officers were for several days quartered among the
families residing on Roanoke river. Col. Tarle-
ton, who had been severely cut by the sabre of Will-
iam Washington, was a resident of Mrs. Jones's
family, and when he made to her some slighting
remarks about Washington, saying among other
things that he was an illiterate fellow, hardly able
to write his name, Mrs. Jones replied : " Ah, colonel,
you ought to know, for you bear on your person
the proof that he at least knows very well how to
make his mark." It is said that it was in affection-
ate admiration of this lady that John Paul Jones,
whose real name was John Paul, added Jones to
his name, and under it, by the recommendation of
Willie Jones, offered his services to congress.
