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Haverford College
Quaker and Special Collections
Jones Family Papers, 1821-1951

Ms Coll. 1009
Thirteen boxes donated in 1965-1967, 1979 and 1980.

Table of contents

Biographical

Eli Jones (1807-1890) of China, Maine, married Sybil Jones (1808-1873). As Quaker ministers they went to Liberia in 1851, later traveling to various countries in Europe, including England, Ireland, France, Norway and Germany.

Eli and Sybil Jones's children included James Parnell Jones (1835-1864; teacher and soldier killed in the Civil War); Sybil Narcissa Jones (1839-1903, "Cissa" who married (1) J. Wm. Jacob, (2) [ ] Beale); Richard Mott Jones (1843-1917, teacher and Headmaster of William Penn Charter School, 1875-1917); Susan Tabor Jones (1847-1913) and Eli Grellet Jones (1850-1933 or 4?).

Sybil Jones worked in Washington area hospitals during the Civil War, ministering to the wounded. She was in the Capitol when Lincoln was assassinated and paid visits to Lincoln's widow and to Secretary Stanton at the White House in the days immediately following. In 1867 Sybil and Eli went to the Middle East, working in Palestine and Syria. They began a girls school at Ram Allah which bears their name.

(Sources for above: DQB; Jones genealogy collection; Eli and Sybil Jones: their life and work by Rufus M. Jones, 1889 [BX7753 J89 Z4])

Links to images

The following are all of the image links found within this finding aid.

Portrait of Sybil Jones in Palestine, ca. 1868 Portraits, illustrations of Sybil and Eli Jones in Palestine, ca. 1868 and of Richard Mott Jones (approximately 17K each).

Combination pen and knife which belonged to Eli and Sybil Jones. Combination pen and knife which belonged to Eli and Sybil Jones (32K).

Summary of collection

The collection centers on the papers of Eli (1807-1890) and Sybil (1808-1873) Jones, Quaker ministers and missionaries from Maine. They include: personal and family correspondence, including letters to and from Eli Jones about work in Syria and Palestine; letters from Richard Mott Jones, headmaster of William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia and letters about him and the school to his wife, Virginia Costello Jones, 1915-1918; letters to Susan Tabor Jones, notably from her mother, Sybil Jones, during Sybil's travels in the ministry, ca. 1851-1869, and l12 letters from her father, Eli Jones, about travels and Friends' work in Syria and Palestine, ca. 1852-1884. The papers also include traveling minutes, journals and diaries, accounts of travels abroad, albums, memorials, poetry, legal and business papers, photographs and sketches, maps of Friends Meetings and missions.

In a 1967 addition to the papers, there are also letters, primarily personal, to Charles and Ellen Jones from family friends while they were in charge of the Eli and Sybil Jones Mission at Ramallah, Jerusalem and Palestine.

In a 1979 addition to the papers, there are 35 letters written between 1852 and 1864 by James Parnell Jones (1835-1864), the son of Eli and Sybil Jones. James Parnell Jones attended Haverford College, served as principal at the Valley School in Adrian, Michigan and then, as a number of other Quakers did who were committed to the peace principal as well as to ending slavery, Jones joined the Union army of the Civil War. Jones' letters address these topics.

Following is a description of the 1980 addition to the Jones Papers, ca. 1839-1917.

Contents:

Primarily letters by Eli, Sybil and Richard Mott Jones, also includes several journals, diaries, photographs, printed items, scrapbook, and other papers chiefly of Eli, Sybil and Richard Mott Jones. Letters and journals of Eli and Sybil Jones discuss their travel and work in the ministry, including time spent in:

  • Liberia (1851)
  • England, Ireland, France, Norway, Germany (1852-1855)
  • Washington, D.C. (1864-1865)
  • England, Ireland, France, Beirut, Jaffa, Jerusalem (1866-1870)

Letters of Eli and Sybil Jones are primarily addressed to their sons, James Parnell Jones and after his death in 1864, to Richard Mott Jones.

Letters of Richard Mott Jones are chiefly from the years he was a student at Haverford College (1863-1867), a tutor in Besborough, Ireland (1867-1869) and while he was traveling in Europe (1869-1870). Also included are some letters while a student and later as Principal of Oak Grove Seminary, Vassalboro, Me. Other papers include: diaries (28 vols., 1890-1917), notebooks while at Haverford College, minute book of Theta Psi Fraternity (China Academy), scrapbook of newspaper clippings.

Letters, 1848-1864, of James Parnell Jones include some written while a soldier in the Civil War. Also a diary, 1851.

Other material in this addition to the Jones family papers includes miscellaneous letters chiefly addressed to Eli, Sybil and Richard Mott Jones from various persons and photographs of Eli and Sybil Jones and family.

Arrangement of collection

This addition consists of 9 boxes, numbered 5 through 13 (original collection consists of boxes 1 through 4), arranged as follows:

Letters are arranged alphabetically by author and chronologically within a specific author. As an aid to the researcher, the locations for Eli, Sybil and Richard Mott Jones's letters are listed for each folder. These place names are only listed once and are listed in the order in which they first appear in the folder.

Box 5 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Eli Jones (1807-1890). Letters, no date and 1839-1865.

  1. Letters, no dates and 1839-1849.
    Addressed primarily to Sybil. Written from: New Bedford; Burlington; South China, Me.; Westbrook; Providence; New York; Half Moon, Saratoga Co., N.Y.; Hillier, Upper Canada; Sandwich, N.H.; Newport.
  2. Letters, 1852-1853.
    Addressed primarily to son, James Parnell Jones. Written from: Kilnock, County of Carlow, Ireland; Waterford; Ballindury, Co. of Antium, Ireland; Lisnagarvey, Ireland; London; South China, Me.; Manchester; Minden, Germany; Stavanger, Norway; Nîmes, France; Liverpool; Limerick, Ireland; Birmingham; Bergen, Norway.
  3. Letters, 1854-1859.
    Addressed primarily to son, James Parnell Jones. Written from: Nîmes, France; South China, Me.; "Traveller's Home" (the Jones's family home in Dirigo, Me.); Cincinnati.
  4. Letters, 186?, 1863-1864.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones who enters Haverford College in 1863. Written from: Providence; Dirigo, Me.; Baltimore; "Traveler's Home" (Dirigo, Me.);Washington, D.C.
  5. Letters, 1865.
    Addressed primarily to son Richard Mott Jones, at Haverford College. Written from: Dirigo, Me. "Traveler's Home" (Dirigo, Me.); Washington, D.C.; Maple Grove, Me.

Box 6 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Eli Jones (1807-1890). Letters, 1866-1875.

  1. Letters, 1866.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones, at Haverford College. Written from: Dirigo, Me.; New Garden, N.C.; Jamestown; Lynn; Raleigh, N.C.; Providence; Washington, D.C.
  2. Letters, January - August, 1867.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones, at Haverford College.
    Written from: Jamestown; "Traveler's Home" (Dirigo, Me.); Lynn; London; York, England.
  3. Letters, September 1867 - March 1869.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones, in Besborough, Ireland, where he was a tutor. Written from: Stoke Newington (near London); London; Boulogne, France; Conginies, France; BÃirut; Jaffa, Palestine; Dublin; Plymouth; Cornwall; Falmouth; Truro; Bridgewater; Canterbury, Kent; Brighton; Folkestone; Nîmes, France; Longines, France.
    [includes handwritten copies of 2 letters (intended for publication) to William J. Allinson giving an account of their travels from 11 mo. 22 to 12 mo. 2, 1867 and from 1 mo. 25 to 1 mo. 31, 1868].
    [Letters w/ wrapper of Richard Mott Jones "Received from my parents while at Besborough 9th Mo.27 '67 to 4th Mo. 27th '69"]
  4. Letters, May 1869 - November 1975.
    Addressed primarily to son Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Jerusalem; London; Stoke Newington; "Traveler's Home" (Dirigo, Me.); Washington, D.C.; Conginie, France.
    [Letters, 1869-1 mo. 1870, w/ wrapper "Letters from Parents while I was in England and on the Continent"]
  5. Narrative account of Eli and Sybil Jones in Africa (Liberia) 7 mo. 14 - 10 mo. 20, 1851 (in Eli Jones's hand)
  6. Journal, 3 mo. 31 - 9 mo. 12, 1852, of Eli Jones.
    Also additional loose, undated pages. [journal has references to Rebecca Updegraff and Dougan Clark]
  7. Draft of a speech on the history of South China Social Library Society [not dated, but after 1868? probably in Eli Jones's hand]
  8. Notes of Eli Jones on family genealogy and letters, 1888-1889, to him on same.
    Also a few other misc. notes and memoranda.

Box 7 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Richard Mott Jones (1843-1917). Letters, 1852-1892, and other papers.

  1. Letters, 1852-1854, 1860-1861.
    Addressed primarily to his parents. Written from: West Hill, Burlington, N.J.; Trenton, N.J.; Mt. Pleasant, Ohio; Plainfield, Indiana; Cincinnati; Richmond, Indiana; Cambridge City, Indiana; Baltimore [on "Abraham Lincoln" stationery]; Jamestown; Oak Grove, Vassalboro, Me.
    [Letters, 1852-1854, w/ wrapper "Written to my Parents from West Hill and Trenton, Spring of '52 to Spring of '54." Letters, 1860, w/ wrapper "Written home while traveling with mother in the autumn of 1860." Letters, 1861, w/ wrapper "A few stray letters written from Oak Grove, not only while a pupil but while Principal"]
  2. Letters, 1864- July 25, 1867.
    Addressed primarily to his parents while he was at Haverford College. Written from: Haverford College; Dirigo, Me.[Letters w/ wrapper "Letters written to my Parents while at Haverford 9th mo. '63 to 7th Mo. 10th '67"]
  3. Letters, October 21, 1867 - March 29, 1869.
    Addressed primarily to his parents while he was at Besborough, Cork, Ireland (as tutor).
    [Letters w/ wrapper "Letters written to my Parents while at Besborough 9th Mo. 27 '67 - 4th Mo. 27 '69"]
  4. Letters, June 1869 - June 1870, August 1870 - May 1874, 1882, 1892.
    Addressed primarily to his parents.
    Written from: Geneva; Paris; Bonn; Berlin; Hamburg; London; Oak Grove Seminary, Vassalboro, Me. (while Principal of school); Philadelphia.
    [Letters, June 1869 - June 1870 w/ wrapper "Written home from England and the Continent 4th Mo. 27th '69 to 6th Mo. 26th '70"]
  5. Bills and receipts, 1863-1873.
  6. Notebooks (3) while at Haverford College, containing drafts of speeches, not dated.
  7. Notebooks (2). [One while in Geneva learning French, the other comprised of essays written in French and German?]
  8. Miscellaneous papers, includes: Haverford College related material (speech to Everett Society, certificates, etc.), 1869 passport, cards, and other papers.
  9. "The Records of the Theta Psi Fraternity Alpha Chapter. Organized March 14, A.D. 1861. China Academy" (1 volume of minutes).

Box 8 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Richard Mott Jones (1843-1917)

Diaries, 1890-1917 (28 volumes)

Box 9 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Sybil Jones (1808-1873).
Letters, not dated and 1851-1863.

  1. Letters, not dated and 1851-1852.
    Addressed primarily to son, James Parnell Jones, also some to other family members. Written from: New Bedford; on board ship on way to Liberia; Liberia; Philadelphia; Providence; South China, Me.; London; Letterpack, Connamarea; Kilnock, Ireland.
  2. Letters, 1853-1855.
    Addressed primarily to son, James Parnell Jones. Written from: Stavanger, Norway; Bergen, Norway; Christiannia (now Oslo), Norway; DÉsseldorf; Nîmes, France; Congenes,France; Gloucester; London; Liverpool; "Traveler's Home" (Dirigo, Me.); Baltimore; South China, Me.
  3. Letters, 1856-1859.
    Addressed primarily to son, James Parnell Jones. Written from: South China, Me.; Baltimore.
  4. Letters, 186? and 1861-1862.
    Addressed to son, Richard Mott Jones, her mother, friend Dr. Samuel B. Tobey. Written from: Jamestown; Dirigo, Me.; Upper Darby, Pa.
  5. Letters, 1863.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones, also to Eli Jones, friends Samuel and Sarah Tobey. Written from: Dirigo, Me.; Washington, D.C.; New York.
  6. Letters, January - March 1864.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Includes a letter by Joseph G. Pinkham. Written from: Dirigo, Me.; Germantown; Philadelphia.
  7. Letters, April - June 1864.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Dirigo, Me.
  8. Letters, September - December 1864.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Dirigo, Me.; New Bedford; Lynn.

Box 10 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Sybil Jones (1808-1873).
Letters, 1865-1873; journal; certificate.

  1. Letters, January - April 1865.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Washington, D.C.; Dirigo, Me.; Winthrop; Baltimore.
    [Sybil Jones was in Washington when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Letter of April 20, 1865 tells of her visits to the White House and meetings with Secretary Stanton and Mary Todd Lincoln.]
    [See Box 11, folder 4, Edwin Leeds letter of 4.11.1864 enclosing an account of Sybil Jones's work in Washington, D.C. from March 23-30, 1864]
  2. Letters, May - December 1865.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Washington, D.C.; Newport; Dirigo, Me.
  3. Letters, 1866 - August 1867.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Dirigo, Me.; Sidney, Me.; Baltimore; Rocouncy, Va.; Jamestown; Guilford, N.C.; Lynn; New York; Besborough, Ireland; London; Cliff House [Marske nr Redear!?].
  4. Letters, October 1867 - February 1869.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Stoke Newington; on board ship in Mediterranean; on ship near Tripoli; BÃirut; Ham House; Bristol; Lizard; Brookfield near Plymouth; Besbrook, Ireland; Plymouth; Ballytore; Kilnock; Belfast; Lissue, Lisburn; Teapark Green near Belfast. [w/ wrapper "Received from my parents while at Besborough 9th mo. 27th '67 to 4th mo. 27th '69"]
  5. Letters, May 1869 - May 1870.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: Jerusalem; BÃirut; London; Stoke Newington; on board ship returning home; "Traveler's Home" (Dirigo, Me.).
  6. Letters, July - November 1870, 1873.
    Addressed primarily to son, Richard Mott Jones. Written from: "Traveler's Home" (Dirigo, Me.); Windham, Me.
  7. Journal, 5 mo. 29, 1868 to 2 mo. 24, 1869, in England.
  8. Certificate [travel minute] from China Monthly Meeting, 1866 and Vassalboro Quarterly Meeting, 1866 liberating Sybil Jones to travel to Great Britain, Ireland and the Mediterranean.

Box 11 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Miscellaneous letters, correspondents [name unknown] to Pike, L.C.

  1. Correspondents, [name unknown] to Gurney.
    Includes: Jane [ ]; "Uncle" [of Virginia Costello]; R. [Rebecca] W. Allinson; William J. Allinson; W.H. Beale; Theophilus E. Beesley; Tillie Canby; Stephen A. Chase; Thomas Chase; E.L. Congdon w/E. Smith; H. [Connal?]; Joseph [Grinnell]; A.L. [Alfred Lloyd] Fox; Eliza P. Gurney.
  2. Correspondents, Hack to Jacob.
    Includes: D.P. Hack; V.H. Hewes; M.J. Hoxie; J. William Jacob; Sybil Narcissa (Jones) Jacob.
  3. Correspondents, Jones, Eli Grellet to Jones, Susan Tabor.
    Includes: Eli Grellet Jones (1850-1933/4?) letters, 1865-1866 James Parnell Jones (1835-1864) letters, 1848-1864; journal, 1851 Rebecca (Runnels) Jones letter, no date Susan Tabor Jones (1847-1913) letters, 1865-1866
  4. Correspondents, Kirkbride to Mendenhall.
    Includes: Anna E. Kirkbride; J. Lawson; Mary J. Lecky; Edwin Leeds (letter with an account of Sybil Jones's work in Washington, D. C.); E.H. Magoon; Judith J. Mendenhall.
  5. Letters of L.C. Pike to Richard Mott Jones, not dated (probably 1867-1869?).
    [w/ wrapper "Notes from L.C. Pike during my tutorship at Besborough"]
  6. Letters of L.C. Pike to Richard Mott Jones, 1869-1870 and 1877-1890.
    [w/ wrapper "Received from L.C. Pike during my trip to the Continent April 27th '69 - June '70"]

Box 12 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Miscellaneous letters, correspondents Pinkham to Yarnall. Miscellaneous Jones family material.

  1. Correspondents, Pinkham to Yarnall.
    Includes: William P. Pinkham; [J.G.] Richardson; M.T. Rogers; Abraham Shearman (Jr.); [J.] Wilson Strongman; Charlotte W. Stroud; Sarah F. Tobey (includes letter of Henry T. Wood); A.D. Vail; [J.H.Waldman]; John J. White; M.A. Williams; Charles Yarnall.
  2. "Memoranda of the last week Eli and Sybil Jones spent in the neighborhood of London before leaving England for America 5 mo. 1854" (by "C.H. 5 mo. 11, 1854") [C. Hanbury].
  3. Miscellaneous papers of Eli and Sybil Jones (accounts, poem, cards, etc.).
    Includes: 2 financial accounts "Money expended in the East by Eli Jones and party" and "Amount of the fund distributed before coming to BÃirut"
  4. "Memorial of China Monthly Meeting 1839" regarding Susannah Jones (1817-1838), daughter of Ephraim and Susannah Jones (2 drafts).
  5. Portrait of Sybil Jones in Palestine, ca. 1868 Portraits, illustrations of Sybil and Eli Jones in Palestine, ca. 1868 and of Richard Mott Jones (approximately 17K each).
  6. Miscellaneous printed items.
  7. Scrapbook of newspaper clippings, ca. 1884-1901.
    Also includes some handwritten notes by Richard M. Jones. Clippings are on various topics, some relate to college athletics.

Box 13 | Table of contents | Summary | Box 5 | Box 6 | Box 7 | Box 8 | Box 9 | Box 10 | Box 11 | Box 12 | Box 13

Photographs and artifacts. [note: identification of photographs provided by Mary Hoxie Jones, (?) indicates "possibly" or "probably" in notes of MHJ]

Photographs in cases, as follows:

  • Eli Jones and Sybil Jones (in small red leather case)
  • Rebecca (Runnels) Jones (?).
  • Richard Mott Jones as a young boy of about 10 years.
  • Richard Mott Jones as a young man (?).
  • S. Narcissa Jones with brother Richard Mott Jones (?) [found an envelope in collection labeled "Picture of self and sister about 1850" in hand of RMJ].
  • James Parnell Jones (?).
  • Eunice Hacker Jones (sister of Sybil) and husband Harrison Magoon (?).
  • Martha (Jones) Magoon and husband Charles Magoon (?).
  • Unidentified man.
  • Unidentified woman.
  • Unidentified woman [found in enclosed envelope].
  • Unidentified child.

Other photographs in folders, as follows:

  • Eli Jones and Sybil Jones and family.
  • Richard Mott Jones and Virginia Costello Jones and family.
  • Unidentified photographs (includes several taken in BÃirut).

Artifacts, as follows:

Includes:

  • Combination pen and knife which belonged to Eli and Sybil Jones. Combination pen and knife which belonged to Eli and Sybil Jones (32K).
  • navy blue knit w/ white beading eyeglass case with note of Sybil Jones inside "To my dear husband on his sixty third birthday"
  • pressed flowers in frame
  • various shells and fossil shells from the Middle East (in envelopes)
  • Richard Mott Jones signature stamps (2)
  • medal [to RMJ?]

[the following items are stored elsewhere]

  • Certificate of Eli Jones and wife Sybil Jones "To friends of the Yearly Meeting of London and Ireland, and to all where these may come ... China Monthly Meeting, ... Vassalboro Quarterly Meeting, ... 1866" [signed by ca. 50 members] [stored in ]
  • [New Testament in Norwegian] "Det Nye Testamente Paa Norsk" London : Trykt Paa Det Brittiske Og Udenlndske Bibel-Selskabs Bekostning. 1851. Inscribed to "Eli Jones, A small memorial of the Fjords of Norway, from his friend, J.C., Liverpool, 1853" [stored in ]
  • "Abraham Lincoln : his book; a facsimile reproduction of the original, with an explanatory note by J. McCan Davis" New York : McClure, Phillips & Co., 1903"
  • The story of the Ram Allah Mission by Rosa E. Lee. 1912.
  • "George Fox" an address delivered to the Society of Friends, by C. H. Spurgeon, in Devonshire House Meeting House, Bishopsgate Street, London, on Tuesday evening, November 6th, 1866"

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Contact Diana Franzusoff Peterson (dfpeters@haverford.edu or 610-896-1284) for more information about this collection. Please include the manuscript collection number in your request.

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