John Jones

In 1816 John Jones was born a free man in Green City, North Carolina. Little is known about Jones's youth. It is known that his mother was a black woman who used the surname of Jones, and his father was a German named Bromfield. Jones moved from North Carolina to Memphis, Tennessee, then finally to Chicago in 1845. It was here that Jones started his well-known tailoring shop at 119 Dearborn Street in Chicago.

It was with only $3.50 in their pockets, the Joneses and their only child Lavinia moved to Chicago. They took a circuitous route, traveling first by stage to Ottawa, then by canal to Chicago. Throughout the journey, they feared slave catchers, who were on the lookout for fugitive slaves. They were also harassed due to their race and detained at one point, until the stagecoach driver vouched for their free status.

Jones was firmly against slavery as well as the Black Codes or Black Laws, in Illinois. These laws denied rights to blacks. A self-educated man, Jones decided something had to be done about the Black Codes and slavery. He published a 16 page pamphlet entitled, "The Black Laws of Illinois and Why They Should Be Repealed."

It was also during that time that he had made a fortune from his tailoring shop. Jones and his wife (Mary Richardson, a free African American woman from Memphis, Tennessee), had just purchased an extremely beautiful and large home. His house as well as his office on Dearborn were used as stops on the Underground Railroad through Chicago.

Jones's home also served as a meeting place for local and national abolitionist leaders including Alan Pinkerton, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown. When Brown's eleven slaves arrived in Chicago, they were met by the renowned detective Alan Pinkerton, who invited them into his home and fed them. Pinkerton later directed Brown and his men to John Jones.

Jones not only housed slaves in protest of slavery, but he also fought slavery by using the law. Jones knew the laws fairly well and followed them. However, he knew what was right as well as how to use the laws to his advantage. Eventually, he led the fight to repeal the Illinois Black Laws by speaking, writing, organizing blacks and whites, and lobbying the state legislature. It was a lot of hard work for Jones and the other abolitionists keeping everything a secret. But over all, their work paid off in more ways than one. Jones accomplished his goal of helping the escaped slaves. He owned his own successful business, and became one of the richest blacks of his time. He also was elected Cook County Commissioner, not once, but twice. He held office from 1872 through 1875.

While he was in office, he did what he thought was necessary to make the community a better place to live. While in office, he helped secure the law that abolished local segregated schools. After his term, Jones continued to run his tailor shop until he died in 1879 (his wife Mary died in 1910). Following his death, the Chicago Tribune reported that he had been the most prominent black citizen in the city. Jones's tailoring business was operated until 1906 by his son-in-law, Lloyd G. Wheeler, the first black to pass the Illinois Bar. As one historian noted, "John Jones is buried in Graceland Cemetery where Alan Pinkerton, Dr. C. V. Dyer, and other abolitionists lie close to him in death as they stood with him in life."

Because of Jones and his contribution to end the Black Codes, African-Americans gained the right to vote, testify in court, and serve on juries. Today where his tailoring shop once stood, now stands the State of Illinois Building. John Jones is an important figure in Illinois history who will be long remembered.

Photo: Chicago History Museum
Bio: Chronology of African-American History, by Alton Hornsby, Jr.,