Roxboro Roots: North Carolina Families Leave Their Imprint on America's Story
Roxboro Roots: North Carolina Families Leave Their Imprint on America's Story
“Dr. Jones presents a wonderful story which blends America history and the personal lives of the Jones and Jeffers families. It’s through this story that we learn how this family found strength and a strong belief in God. Each generation made a change in history, by becoming educators, politicians, and pastors of church communities.” Patricia Marquez, Professor Emerita, Department of Psychology, Antelope Valley College
The Author's Journey
The Author's Journey
Even though the skills, training and experience that come with earning one’s doctorate and teaching at the college level are at work here, this book was not written for professional historians. While it is an historical account, it is also a very personal story of family.
The Jones and Jeffers forbearers, rooted in Person County, North Carolina, lived through the abomination of slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and into the first few decades of the 20th Century.
The three featured “Sons of Roxboro” not only lived through major chapters of American history, they actually impacted them in a very positive way. It is with a great sense of pride that I tell their stories.
The initial, and still primary, objective of this brief account is to leave a record for my family members and descendants.
The decision to make our story more widely available was made after considerable thought and numerous conversations with family and friends who recognized a unique and yet universal quality in our story.
We ended up agreeing that our story would encourage people to read more about American history, appreciate the contributions of groups who are often overlooked, and realize that as Americans we have a great deal in common.
The Story Comes Alive With Images
The Story Comes Alive With Images
My great-grandfather, Rev. Watkins Robert Jones was born into slavery in Person County, NC in 1838. He emerged as a landowner and leading citizen during Reconstruction and was the benefactor of the still very active Jones Chapel Baptist Church in Roxboro, NC.
My grandmother, Mrs. Anna Eliza Jeffers-Jones was born in Person County, NC in 1884. My grandparents, my dad and his siblings were part of the Great Migration moving to Philadelphia near the end of WWI. The Person County Museum features an exhibit on the stories of migrants.
For unique notecards and a wonderful story of family
For unique notecards and a wonderful story of family