HENRY MARION JONES. One of the widely known residents of Young county, whose settlement here dates from 1877, established himself on the waters of Fish creek upon one of the first farm to be settled in county. It was opened by Jim Tackett who is said to have also built the first residence in Graham and its chief attraction to Mr. Jones was the abundance of water that the locality possessed and, as he remarked to a friend at the time, “I shall have plenty of water if nothing else.” Here he has since resided, reared his family and improved, substantially and attractively, one of the desirable and productive farms of Young county.
Prior to his location, permanently, Mr. Jones investigated many counties in northwest Texas in search of the right place, but the Fish creek neighborhood maintained first rank with him and he started in with one hundred and sixty acres of land. He moved his family into the proverbial frontiersman’s shanty and occupied it until the industry of his household had removed all obstacles to the building of his present splendid residence—chief of its kind on the creek—and his early efforts at farm-reduction and improvement were directed toward the grubbing and clearing of his rich bottom land. While he gathered about him some stock, as was the custom of all intelligent farmers, he posed always as a farmer and the products which he gathered and marketed from his daily toil were chiefly responsible for his substantial condition today.
Mr. Jones started his Texas journey from Calloway county, Kentucky, and came by rail to Waco and overland, of course, to Graham. His cash capital was rather insignificant and there was just one thing left for him to do, upon choosing his future home in a new country, and that was to work. This he had accustomed himself to back at the old home in the east, and work brings substantial results anywhere. He has received little or no educational aid from the country schools of his youth and when he arrived at his majority a strong body and a willing hand were his capital stock. He was married in his youth and assumed the responsibilities of a householder when little more experience as the active head of a family for he took care of his mother and the younger children while his father was absent in the Confederate service, and the thought of providing for his own family had no terrors for him.
March 23, 1855, Henry M. Jones was born in Calloway county, Kentucky, of parents, Thomas and Rillie (McBride) Jones. The father was born, about 1832, passed his life on the farm and died in 1888, in Callaway county, Kentucky, where his widow yet resides. The children born to him, are with the exception of our subject, residents of their native county and are: Henry M., of this review; Bryant, Raish, Irving, Alsena, wife of Henry Carlton and Ezelle.
Henry M. Jones took in marriage Martha A., a daughter of James Townsend, now a resident of Young county, Texas. Mrs. Jones was born in Tennessee, in 1855, and is the mother of Ella, wife of Lee Lane, the mother of Earnest, Sallie, Rudy and Malcom; Nora, wife of Sam Lane, of Graham, his children, Jesse H. and Noel; Lula, who married Ben Malone, and Teeley, Dora, Jesse and Henry M. Jr., still with the parental household.
In his political affiliations Mr. Jones is a Democrat and his interest in active politics is confined to local matters only.
Source: B. B. Paddock, History and Biographical Record of North and Western Texas (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1906), Vol. II, p. 486.