Calvin Jones (April 2, 1775 – September 20, 1846) was an American physician and politician who served as the Intendant of Police of Raleigh, North Carolina (present day Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina) from 1807 to 1809.[1][2] Previously, he served in the North Carolina House of Commons as the representative for Johnston County from 1799 to 1802 and Wake County in 1807.[3] During the War of 1812; he commanded the state's seventh militia division, having previously served as the adjutant general of North Carolina.[1]
Calvin Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina | |
| In office December 8, 1817 – December 19, 1820 | |
| Preceded by | John L. Taylor |
| Succeeded by | John A. Cameron |
| 3rd Adjutant General of North Carolina | |
| In office 1808–1812 | |
| Appointed by | David Stone |
| Preceded by | Edward Pasteur |
| Succeeded by | Robert Williams |
| 4th Intendant of Police of Raleigh, North Carolina | |
| In office 1807–1809 | |
| Preceded by | William Hill |
| Succeeded by | John Marshall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 2, 1775 Great Barrington, Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | September 20, 1846 (aged 71) Bolivar, Tennessee |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | North Carolina Militia |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Commands | Seventh Militia Division |
| Wars | Quasi-War War of 1812 |
Jones also helped found the North Carolina Medical Society, served as a trustee of the University of North Carolina from 1802 to 1832 and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina from 1817 to 1820.[1] He claimed to know Andrew Jackson and the first lady "very well personally" in a letter he wrote to a cousin in 1828.[4]
Early life and education
editCalvin Jones was born on April 2, 1775, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts Bay, to Ebenezer and Susannah (née Blackmore) Jones. His father was a soldier in the American Revolution. He received his medical license in 1792, and then moved to Smithfield, North Carolina in 1795.[5]
Jones was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons twice from Johnston County, once in 1799 and again in 1802. He was the first physician in North Carolina to practice the inoculation of smallpox. He was a founder of the North Carolina Medical Society in 1799 and a trustee of the University of North Carolina from 1802 to 1832.[1]
In 1803, Jones moved from Smithfield to Raleigh.[5] He served in the House of Commons for Wake County in 1807,[3] and was elected Intendant of Police of Raleigh, North Carolina the same year.[1] In 1808, he became an editor with the Raleigh Star, an early local newspaper. He sold his shares to his partner, Thomas Henderson, in 1815.[5]
Military service
editIn 1798, Jones served in the Johnston Regiment, North Carolina Militia. The regiment received a signed letter from President John Adams in 1798, thanking them for their preparedness to serve during the Quasi-War. After the Chesapeake–Leopard affair in 1807, President Thomas Jefferson called for 7,003 troops from North Carolina. Jones, now a captain, organized the Wake Troop of Cavalry. After the troops were deemed unnecessary, he continued to train them. His efforts were recognized when he was appointed adjutant general of North Carolina in 1808.[5]
After the War of 1812 broke out, Jones was given command of the seventh militia division and promoted to the rank of major-general of North Carolina Militia. When the Royal Navy attacked Portsmouth and Ocracoke Island with a 74-gun man-of-war, six frigates, two privateers, two schooners, and up to 70 smaller vessels in July 1813, he and his North Carolina militia mustered enough force to send the British landing party off after five days of raids.[6]
Later life
editIn 1820, Jones relocated out of Raleigh to what is now Wake Forest, to a 615-acre (2.49 km2) plantation which later gave its name to the surrounding town. He was postmaster of the small village that soon surrounded his land. The property was purchased by the North Carolina Baptist Convention in 1832[1] and became the first home of Wake Forest College.[7] Wake Forest was part of an envisioned network of plantations across the South, including his second farm in Bolivar, Tennessee, named "Pontine", supposedly for the Pontine Marshes near Rome, or perhaps, for the pons network of the brain, representing his idea of network of plantations. After the sale of Wake Forest, Jones moved to Bolivar, where he died in 1846.
Personal life
editJones was first engaged to Ruina J. Williams, daughter of Major William Williams of Franklin County. Ten years after she died in 1809, Jones married her sister, Temperance Boddie Jones, widow of Thomas Jones of Warrenton. Their children were:[5]
- Montezuma Jones (1819 – 1922), married Elizabeth Wood.
- Octavia Rowena Jones (1826 – 1917), married Edwin Polk.
- Paul Tudor Jones (1828 – 1904), married first Jane M. Wood and second Mary Kirkman.
Of the known portraits of Jones, one is held at the Historical House and the other is in Dallas with his descendants.
Legacy
editThe main dwelling on his Wake Forest plantation, built circa 1820, is now a museum for the Wake Forest College Birthplace Society.[8] The museum is known as the Dr. Calvin Jones House, and features exhibits about the history of Wake Forest College and the town of Wake Forest, including the Wake Forest College Sports Hall of Fame. The Society also maintains historic archives about the college and town that are available to researchers by appointment. In 2016, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A highway in the Wake Forest area, the N.C. 98 Bypass, was renamed in his honor in 2010.[9][10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Powell, William S., ed. (1988). Dictionary of North Carolina Biography. Vol. 3. University of North Carolina Press. ASIN B000O7UO8W.
- ^ "Introducing Calvin Jones, overachiever." Wake Forest Gazette. 29 Jan. 2010 Archived 2010-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b NC Manual of 1913
- ^ "Birthplace buys early Jones letter". Wake Forest Gazette. 5 (41). Carol Pelosi. October 27, 2007. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Haywood, Marshall De Lancey (1919). Calvin Jones, physician, soldier and freemason, 1775-1846. The Library of Congress. [Oxford, N.C.] Press of Oxford orphanage.
- ^ "Calvin Jones and the War of 1812 – A Reenactment". Wake Forest Historical Museum. March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "History". Town of Wake Forest, North Carolina. Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- ^ "Calvin Jones Historical House". Wake Forest College Birthplace Society. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- ^ Wake Forest Gazette: A collection of town news Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Wake Forest Gazette: Dr. Calvin Jones gave Wake Forest its name Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
External links
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