Robert P. Jones, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Robert P. Jones
ROBERT P. JONES was born in Greene County, Ohio, October 3, 1824, the fourth of a family of thirteen children, twelve of whom lived to maturity, born to Jonathan S. and Lydia W. (Phares) Jones, who were native of Ohio. Jonathan S was a farmer, and ain the spring of 1841 traded his land in Ohio for eighty acres in Liberty Township, this county. That same fall the family located on this place, it at that time having about fifteen acres cleared, with a small log cabin on it. Here Mr. Jones died in 1855, one of the respected early settlers of Porter County. His widow survived him until 1880, when she, too, died. Robert P. Jones received only the common school advantages in youth, and at the age of sixteen, preceded his parents by two months to Porter County. He assisted his father in clearing up the old farm, with the exception of the summer of 1842, when he carried the mail between La Fayette, Ind., and Joliet, Ill. The next summer, he worked for George Z. Salyer, and from that time until his marriage, assisted his father chiefly, but also worked around at odd jobs. May 14, 1845, he married Miss. Clarissa Dillingham, and for twenty-one years succeeding was engaged in farming. The summer of 1866, he came to Valparaiso and engaged as clerk for ten months in the leather store of Powell Bros. He was then elected to the office of Town Marshall, serving about four years, after which he served as Deputy Sheriff about two years. In 1872, he was elected County Sheriff by the Republican party, and in 1874 was re-elected, serving in all four years; he then embarked in the hardware trade in partnership with G. A. Sayles, which continued until November 1879. Since then has been living partially retired engaged in loaning money, etc. Mr. Jones and wife are the parents of three children - Samantha A. (now Mrs. James H. Patrick of Valparaiso), Lyman L. (who died at the age of nineteen years six months and sixteen days) and Lydia L. (who died at the age of twenty years six months and sixteen days). Both deceased children lie buried in Kimball Cemetery with their grandparents, in Centre Township. Mrs. Jones was born in Huron County, Ohio, January 28, 1826, and is a daughter of Henry and Amanda (Page) Dillingham, who came to Centre Township in June, 1836. Hannah, sister of the mother of Mrs. Jones, was taken prisoner by the Indians at an early day in the history of Ohio, and was kept in captivity about a year, afterward being sold to a doctor, through whom she regained her friends. Four brothers of Mr. Jones lost their lives in the late war.
Source: Goodspeed, Weston A., and Charles Blanchard. 1882. Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana: Historical and Biographical, Illustrated. Chicago, Illinois: F. A. Battey & Company. 771 p.
Page(s) in Source: 252-253
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook