Jehu Jones
Encyclopedia
Jehu Jones, Jr. was a Lutheran minister. He founded one of the first African-American Lutheran
congregations in the United States, and was actively involved in improving the social welfare of blacks. He is commemorated as a priest in the Calendar of Saints
of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner
and William Passavant
. Jones is also the brother of Edward Jones
, the first black college graduate who later immigrated to Freetown, Sierra Leone and was the first principal of Fourah Bay College
.
He was born in Charleston, South Carolina
, and named after his father, Jehu Jones Sr., a tailor who went on to gain his freedom in 1798 and later owned a successful hotel in Charleston. Jehu Jones was of mixed race ancestry and thus he was able to join the privileged mulatto
elite of Charleston. Jehu Jones Jr. was originally connected with the Episcopal Church, but joined the Lutheran Church in the 1820s. He later took a post as a missionary to Liberia where he worked with freed slaves to left for that new nation. He returned to Charleston after his ordination, and was briefly jailed then for violating South Carolina's law which prohibited the immigration of free blacks.
He eventually settled in Philadelphia. He was appointed to work with as a missionary to the black population of Philadelphia. Shortly thereafter, he and the congregation he had decided to build a church, with the assistance of other Lutheran congregations in the area. They laid the cornerstone for their new building, which is still standing at 310 South Quince Street in Philadelphia. By the time the building was dedicated in 1836, his congregation had paid nearly 40% of the construction costs. However, because the remaining funding was not obtained, the building was sold at auction in 1839.
Jones remained active in the political scene in Philadelphia. In 1845, he helped organize a convention to unite freed blacks to petition for civil rights. He and his congregation were also active in the Moral Reform and Improvement Society, a group of African-American churches whose goal was to improve the social conditions for blacks in Philadelphia. He continued to actively serve his congregation through 1851, dying the following year.
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
congregations in the United States, and was actively involved in improving the social welfare of blacks. He is commemorated as a priest in the Calendar of Saints
Calendar of Saints (Lutheran)
The Lutheran Calendar of Saints is a listing which details the primary annual festivals and events that are celebrated liturgically by some Lutheran Churches in the United States. The calendars of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod are from the...
of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner
Justus Falckner
Justus Falckner was a Lutheran minister and the first Lutheran pastor to be ordained within the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 together with Jehu Jones and William Passavant.-Background:Falckner was the fourth son of Daniel...
and William Passavant
William Passavant
William A. Passavant was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones...
. Jones is also the brother of Edward Jones
Edward Jones (missionary)
Edward Jones was an African American missionary to the colony of Sierra Leone. Jones was a prominent missionary and figure in the colony of Sierra Leone; he was the first naturalized citizen of Sierra Leone . Jones was the first principal of Fourah Bay College...
, the first black college graduate who later immigrated to Freetown, Sierra Leone and was the first principal of Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...
.
He was born in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, and named after his father, Jehu Jones Sr., a tailor who went on to gain his freedom in 1798 and later owned a successful hotel in Charleston. Jehu Jones was of mixed race ancestry and thus he was able to join the privileged mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
elite of Charleston. Jehu Jones Jr. was originally connected with the Episcopal Church, but joined the Lutheran Church in the 1820s. He later took a post as a missionary to Liberia where he worked with freed slaves to left for that new nation. He returned to Charleston after his ordination, and was briefly jailed then for violating South Carolina's law which prohibited the immigration of free blacks.
He eventually settled in Philadelphia. He was appointed to work with as a missionary to the black population of Philadelphia. Shortly thereafter, he and the congregation he had decided to build a church, with the assistance of other Lutheran congregations in the area. They laid the cornerstone for their new building, which is still standing at 310 South Quince Street in Philadelphia. By the time the building was dedicated in 1836, his congregation had paid nearly 40% of the construction costs. However, because the remaining funding was not obtained, the building was sold at auction in 1839.
Jones remained active in the political scene in Philadelphia. In 1845, he helped organize a convention to unite freed blacks to petition for civil rights. He and his congregation were also active in the Moral Reform and Improvement Society, a group of African-American churches whose goal was to improve the social conditions for blacks in Philadelphia. He continued to actively serve his congregation through 1851, dying the following year.