Jehu Jones facts for kids
Jehu Jones Jr. (1786–1852) was an important Lutheran minister. He started one of the first African-American Lutheran churches in the United States. He also worked hard to make life better for Black people.
Jehu Jones Jr.'s Early Life and Family
Jehu Jones Jr. was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He was born into slavery. His father, Jehu Jones Sr., was a tailor. In 1798, his father bought freedom for himself, his wife Abigail, and their son Jehu.
Jehu Jones Sr. became a very successful businessman. He invested in real estate and owned an inn in Charleston. Because of his family's background, Jehu Jones Jr. was part of a respected group of mixed-race people in Charleston. Around 1816, Jehu Jones Jr. took over his father's tailoring business. His father then focused on running his hotel for white travelers.
Even though his family was connected to the Episcopal Church, Jehu Jones Jr. joined the Lutheran Church. He became a member of St. John's Lutheran church in Charleston in 1820. After a difficult event in 1822, laws in South Carolina became stricter. These new laws limited the rights of free Black people.
Jehu Jones Jr. had a brother named Edward Jones. Edward was one of the first Black people to graduate from college. He later moved to Freetown, Sierra Leone. There, he became the first principal of Fourah Bay College.
Jehu Jones Jr.'s Ministry and Work
In 1832, Jehu Jones Jr.'s pastor, Rev. John Bachman, encouraged him. Jones traveled to New York to become a missionary. He was going to work in Liberia with formerly enslaved people. These people had been sent there by the American Colonization Society.
However, Jones did not make it to Liberia. When he returned to Charleston after his ordination, he was briefly put in jail. This was because of a new law in South Carolina. The law made it harder for free Black people to return to the state.
After his father passed away in 1833, Jones was released from jail. He received his inheritance and moved to Philadelphia. In June 1833, the Lutheran Church in Philadelphia asked Jones to be a missionary. His mission was to serve the city's Black community.
Soon after, his new church, St. Paul's Lutheran congregation, decided to build a church. With help from other Lutheran churches, they bought two plots of land. They raised about 40% of the money needed. In 1836, Rev. Jones and other pastors dedicated the new church building. However, three years later, the church still owed money on its loan. The building was sold at auction. Today, that building is home to The Mask and Wig Club.
Jones continued to be active in the Philadelphia African American community. He also participated in Pennsylvania politics. He was involved in the national Colored Conventions Movement until 1851, the year before he passed away. In 1845, he helped organize a meeting. The goal was to unite free Black people to ask for their civil rights.
Jones and the St. Paul's congregation were also part of the Moral Reform and Improvement Society. This group of African-American churches worked to improve social conditions for Black people in Philadelphia. Jones also started Lutheran Churches in Gettysburg and Chambersburg. These churches welcomed people of all races.
Jehu Jones Jr.'s Legacy
The Lutheran Church remembers Jehu Jones Jr. every year. He is honored in the Calendar of Saints on November 24. He is remembered alongside Justus Falckner and William Passavant.
The year after Jones passed away, the Methodist Church ordained Daniel Payne. Payne was also from Charleston. He became an African-American bishop. He was also the first Black college president. Payne helped start Wilberforce University in Ohio in 1856. The Lutheran Calendar remembers Payne on November 2.
Even though the St. Paul's congregation ended a few years after Jones's death, its original building still stands in Philadelphia.
