Jones Family Papers | Scope and Content

JONES FAMILY
PAPERS, 1832-1991
SCOPE AND CONTENT

The papers of the Jones Family document the lives and teaching careers of Lynds Jones and his son George Jones. The papers also document the history of the Jones Family prior to the birth of Lynds Jones, as well as shed light on the history of Oberlin College and the community of Oberlin during the teaching careers of both Lynds and George Jones. The papers are organized into three subgroups: I. Lynds Jones Papers; II. George Jones Papers; and III. Other Family Members. Subgroup I and II both contain papers relating to the wider Jones-Tallmon families, including Clara Tallmon Jones, Mary Burton Shurtleff, and Susan Carhart Tallmon.

Subgroup I contains material relating mainly to the life and career of Oberlin College professor and ornithologist Lynds Jones, but also includes some records relating to his wife Clara and the Tallmon-Jones family . Included in Subgroup I are diaries written by Lynds Jones. The diaries document the daily life of Lynds Jones for almost 70 years, as well as travels to the East and West Coasts of the U.S. in the early 20th century. Extant are a large number of letters received by Lynds Jones from family members, friends, and associates. The correspondence, most of which is from his family, reports on the Jonesź day-to-day activities in Oberlin, Ohio. Rich in detail, these letters underscore the loving and tight knit marriage between Lynds and Clara. It also highlights their shared love of the natural sciences, which included the participation of Clara in ecology trips, nature tours, and plant and bird identification. Other correspondents include his colleagues at Oberlin College, such as president Henry Churchill King, professor G. Frederick Wright, and college secretary George M. Jones (d. 1948). Other significant files include a substantial amount of correspondence of the Tallmon-Jones families. The bulk of the letters, which were written to Clara Tallmon Jones before 1920, vividly accounts for home life in Grinnell, Iowa, and the Tallmon family, as well as Claraźs subsequent marriage to Lynds Jones.

Subgroup II contains a richly detailed autobiographical account of the life and career of botanist George Jones. It also contains the written chronicles of Lynds Jones, the father of George Jones, and Marcus Jones, the uncle of George Jones. Other types of material in this subgroup include: letters written to George Jones by family members, former students, and various individuals in the field of botany, the major writings of George Jones when he was both a student and a teacher, and materials relating to Jones' work and involvement in the Oberlin College Herbarium, and the summer ecology trips of the 1920s.

Subgroup III consists of material relating to other members and distant relatives of the Jones Family. These individuals include Publius and Lavinia Jones, the parents of Lynds Jones, Mary Burton Shurtleff, the aunt of Lynds Jones, and William Burton, the father of Mary Burton Shurtleff. Materials in this subgroup include correspondence from the Burton and Shurtleff families that date back to the 1830's, an 1865 diary of Publius Jones, a copy of the Mary Burton Shurtleff scrapbook, and missionary letters from India which also date back to the 1830s.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Subgroup I. Lynds Jones

Series 1. Diaries, 1883-1951, (1.0 linear feet)

Consisting of two filing units: personal diaries, 1883-1951; and travel diaries, 1898-1926. This series contains diaries kept by Lynds Jones before, during, and after his years at Oberlin College. Information in the personal diaries includes the day-to-day activities of Lynds Jones, as well as temperature and weather data he recorded for each day of the year. Travel diaries also exist from Lynds and Clara Jones in which is recorded their travels between 1898 and 1926--primarily to the western United States.

Series 2. Correspondence, 1896-1954, (0.2 linear feet)

The Correspondence series contains Lynds Jones' contributions to the Jones Family Circular, as well as his general correspondence from family members, ornithologists, and members of the Oberlin College administration and faculty. Begun by his mother Lavinia Jones (d. ?) in the 1880s, the Jones Family Circular is a series of letters written by Lynds Jones and other family members that was annually circulated within the family. The family members mostly wrote the highlights of the year and commented on the activities of other family members. Also included here is the general correspondence of Lynds Jones covering seven decades. The correspondence is largely from his wife Clara, but also includes letters from his son George and his brothers Burton Jones (d. ?), as well as other family members. Of particular interest is Henry Churchill King's correspondence with Lynds Jones regarding Jones' reappointment as Associate Professor of Animal Ecology in 1908.

Series 3. Topical File, 1886-1959, (0.4 linear feet)

The final series in the Lynds Jones subgroup contains material relating to Jones' work as an ornithologist, teacher, and participant in the civic affairs of Oberlin. The Topical File series includes: biographical sketches and articles on Lynds Jones, various writings on ornithology authored by Jones, bird migration records, work records, material on Jones' retirement from Oberlin College in 1930, material on his Draft Board service during World War II, and material concerning the various memberships and honors that were bestowed upon Jones during his career.

Series 4. Grade Books, 1895-1930 (0.2 linear feet)

This series contains the grade books of Lynds Jones from his Ecology I (1920-1929) and Ornithology 2 (1929-1930) classes. (Added to collection April 1995.)

Series 5. Wider Jones-Tallmon Family Correspondence, 1832-1956 (0.6 linear feet)

Arranged into four filing units (letters received and sent by Clara Tallmon Jones, 1873-1956, n.d.; letters received and sent by Jones family members, 1875-1926, n.d.; letters received and sent by Tallmon family members, 1854-1924, n.d.; and, miscellaneous, 1832-1835), this series contains correspondence from members of the Jones-Tallmon families. The bulk of the series consists of the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Clara Tallmon Jones. Correspondents include her husband Lynds Jones, mother Susan Tallmon, and her siblings Margaret, Susie, and Edith. Other significant documents are the letters received by Susan Tallmon. Included here are letters from husband George W. Tallmon, who served in the Union Army in Vicksburg, Mississippi, between 1862 and 1863. (Included are Confederate stamps and a bullet casing.) Arranged alphabetically and thereunder chronologically.

Subgroup II. George Jones

Series 1. Family History, 1983, 1986 (0.5 linear feet)

Contains the chronicles of two members of the Jones Family that were written by George Jones. The first chronicle is entitled, "The Chronicle of Lynds Jones of Oberlin College". Written in 1983, this chronicle contains very detailed information on the life of Lynds Jones during his years in Oberlin. Background information is also provided regarding his childhood and young adult life in Grinnell, Iowa. One folder of black and white photographs of Lynds Jones and his family are also included with the chronicle. The second chronicle, "Reminiscences of Marcus Eugene Jones," written in 1986, provides a brief synopsis of the life of Marc Jones, the elder brother of Lynds Jones.

Series 2. Autobiography, 1970- 1991 (2.7 linear feet)

Written in several stages, the "Autobiography of George Tallmon Jones", documents the day-to-day activities of George Jones from his early childhood, up to the time of his last written draft which was in 1991. The autobiography provides information on the family of George Jones and their life experiences in the town of Oberlin. One folder of photographs of George Jones as a young man is also included in this series.

Series 3. Correspondence, 1835-1979, n.d. (0.8 linear feet)

This series is divided into three subseries: 1. Former Student Correspondence, 2. General Correspondence, and 3. Jones Family Circular. The first subseries consists of letters, and holiday greetings written to George Jones from his former botany students. Arranged alphabetically by the former student's last name, the correspondence also contains photographs of several former students and their families. The second subseries consists of letters and memos written to George Jones from friends and associates in the field of Botany as well as from individuals affiliated with Oberlin College. It is also arranged alphabetically by the individual's last name. The final subseries of the Correspondence Series represents George Jones' contribution to the Jones Family Circular. His contributions to the Jones Family Circular cover the years 1929-1947 and are arranged chronologically.

Series 4. Writings, 1922-1985, n.d. (0.4 linear feet)

This series contains published and unpublished material written by George Jones during his years as both a student and teacher of botany. Included in the series are Jones' master's thesis, "A Discussion of the Geographical Ecology of Western United States", and his 1935 doctoral thesis, "Dormancy and Leafing in White Elm (Ulmus Americana)". Also included are lecture notes from the various botany classes that Jones taught at Oberlin College. Topics of the lecture notes include dendrology, plant ecology and plant taxomony. Lastly, this series also consists of essays authored by Jones that relate to various aspects of the history of Oberlin and Oberlin College. These essays cover topics such as: the history of science at Oberlin College, the history of transportation and utilities in Oberlin, and the history of the trees of Oberlin's Tappan Square.

Series 5. Topical File, 1915-1985, n.d. (0.6 linear feet)

The final series in the George Jones Subgroup consists of material relating to: George Jones' work for the Oberlin College Herbarium, his involvement with the Summer Ecology Trips of the 1920's, and miscellaneous material such as botany articles and papers that were written by other individuals. Material on the herbarium includes a compilation of a list of the herbarium's vascular and non-vascular plant collections which was compiled by Jones in 1978. The Summer Ecology Trips material consists of detailed written accounts of the trips, (1915, 1919-1926, 1928) that George Jones participated in with his father Lynds Jones. The information provided in these written accounts were taken from diaries, letters and the strong personal recollections of George Jones himself. Photographs of these trips are also included in each of the individual written accounts. Other material in the series includes writings and publications that were given to Jones by other botanists and ecologists.

Subgroup III. Other Family Members

Series 1. Publius Jones Diary, 1865 (one folder)

The diary of Publius Jones contains entries on the birth of Publius Jones' son Lynds Jones and on the family's move to Grinnell, Iowa in the Spring of 1865.

Series 2. Shurtleff/Burton Correspondence, 1835-1944 (one folder)

Consists of letters written to various members of the Shurtleff and Burton families. Includes one letter that is addressed to Lavinia Burton Howard from her mother concerning the death of Lavinia's first husband.

Series 3. Missionary Letters, 1839-1844 (two folders)

Consists of letters written by young missionaries to India. The majority of these letters were written by a young missionary named Mary Burgess to her parents who lived in Millbrook, Connecticut. Mary Burgess died of Cholera in 1842, and her husband Edwin died two years later. These letters were given to Mary Burton Shurtleff after their deaths. Mary Burgess is thought by some members of the Jones Family to be the aunt of Mary Shurtleff.

Series 4. Scrapbook of Mary Burton Shurtleff (copy), 1888-1962 (one folder)

Series consists of photocopied news clippings, articles, and obituary notices on various members of the Shurtleff, Burton, and Jones families, which were kept by Mary Burton Shurtleff as a scrapbook. Also included are news clippings on Oberlin College.

PROVENANCE

The papers of the Jones Family were received by Oberlin College in a series of installments. The first installment accessioned in 1977, came from George T. Jones. Between 1978-1991, there were a number of additional installments in which none of the material was formally accessioned. The last two installments was accessioned in 1995. All of the accessioned and non-accessioned material was donated by George T. Jones.

RELATED MATERIAL

Additional material regarding the Jones Family may be found in the following institutional collections: Former Faculty and Staff (28), Paper of the Presidents, Henry Churchill King (2/6), Ernest Hatch Wilkins (2/7), William E. Stevenson (2/8), and Robert K. Carr (2/9), the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Botany Department (9/15), and Presidential Assistant, Thomas E. Harris (3/4). The personal papers of Giles Waldo and Mary Burton Shurtleff (30/32) include material relating to members of the Jones family. Records in these groups primarily pertain to either Lynds Jones, George Jones, or to both individuals.