Springfield-Greene
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of Many of the Representative Citizens
WILLIAM J. JONES. We have stronger evidence with each succeeding day that the bitterness and animosity resulting from the great Civil war and preceding influences is passing away and that the solidarity of the nation is becoming more and more a fact. To this many things have contributed, among which may be mentioned the natural kindly spirit of the South, which has invited the people of the crowded North to share its vast unoccupied land spaces and invest in its promising possibilities, while enjoying its delightful climate. And in the long lapse of half a century the war trenches have been filled, the temporary forts demolished, and the plow passes peacefully over their ruins. Many of the actors n the bloody drama are dead and their graves with those of their comrades who fell in battle are green and fragrant with grass and flowers, while the wounds, physical and moral, of the survivors have long since healed and only scars remain.
One of the Confederate veterans, of Greene county is William J. Jones, better known as "Hickory" Jones, a merchant of Walnut Grove, formerly engaged in general farming near that place. He is one of the soldiers of the sixties who is willing to "forget." Mr. Jones was born in this county on May 22,1846, and is therefore one of the oldest native sons of this community, having passed his sixty-ninth birthday, and during that long period of residence here he has noted and taken part in many great changes, seeing the country develop in a general way. He is a son of Richard M. and Mary Ann (Hartin) Jones, the father a native of Virginia, and the mother was a native of Tennessee. The father died in this county in 1898. The mother died here in 1896. Our subject's father was a cabinet maker by trade. He was in the land office here for eight years, in the fifties. In his latter life he did some farming but lived retired until his death. Our subject was one of eleven children, only two living at this writing: Mrs. Mary J. McDowell, who lives in Springfield, and our subject.
William J. Jones grew to manhood in his native county and he received a good education in the common schools, attending school eight years in Springfield. His early life was spent on the farm. He was quite young when the Civil war began and did not enlist until in the fall of 1863, when he entered the Confederate service from Arkansas, in Company F, Third Missouri Cavalry, under Col. Colton Green, who was subsequently promoted to brigadier general, being succeeded in his former command by Col. Lenten Campbell, who was promoted to that rank. Our subject saw considerable hard service and participated in a number of important engagements, proving a very courageous soldier despite his youth. He was paroled at Little Rock in the spring of 1865 at the close of the war. After coming home from the army he resumed farming, which he followed for four years, then located in Springfield, where he worked in a hardware store for D. J. B. Skinner and W. H. Mansfield for some time, then, returned to the farm for several years. In 1882 he moved to Walnut Grove and farmed in this township with his usual success until 1896, when he went into the grocery business in Walnut Grove, which he continued for seven years, then sold out and lived retired for two years, then went into the furniture business in 1907 here and is still thus engaged. He keeps a good stock of general furniture and has a very satisfactory business.
Mr. Jones was married in 1872, to Josie B. Carter, of Greene county. She is a daughter of Tillman Carter and wife, who were well-known early settlers here. He was in the tobacco business for several years.
Four children have been born to our subject and wife, namely: George E., deceased; William H., Richard T. and Hattie B., all live in Walnut Grove. Here they grew to maturity and received good educational advantages.
Politically, Mr. Jones votes independently. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and his wife belongs to the Methodist church. The Jones family is well known and held in highest regard in Walnut Grove and vicinity.
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