Abner Jones (April 28, 1772 – May 29, 1841), also known as Elder Abner Jones, was a minister and early church reformer in the

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Early life

According to ''Memoir of Elder Abner Jones'', which was published in 1842 by his son, A. D. Jones, Abner Jones was born in

Royalston, Massachusetts Royalston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,250 at the 2020 census. History Royalston is a small town in the North Quabbin area of northwestern-central Massachusetts. It was named after Isaac ...

to a father native to

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and a mother native to

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. He initially trained in medicine, and settled in

Lyndon, Vermont Lyndon is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,491. Lyndon is the home of Lyndon State College. The town contains one incorporated village, Lyndonville, and four unincorporated villages ...

around 1797. After establishing himself in Lyndon, he married Damaris Prior.

Ministry

Elder Jones had entered the ministry in 1801. He organized several Christian churches in

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and Boston, Massachusetts, prior to settling in Haverhill, Massachusetts and preaching in nearby Salem. In 1811, he attended worship at the Christian Church in

Assonet, Massachusetts Assonet is one of two villages in the town of Freetown, Massachusetts in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. An original part of the town, Assonet was settled in 1659 along with the city of Fall River, then a part of Freetown. It rest ...

. In his memoirs, it is mentioned that this church had formerly been of the Baptist denomination, but had come in recent years into the

Christian Connexion The Christian Connection was a Christian movement in the United States of America that developed in several places during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, composed of members who withdrew from other Christian denominations. It was influe ...

. He continued to preach in New Hampshire and Milan, New York until 1833. In September, 1833, he accepted the post of minister in the Assonet church. In 1835, his wife, Damaris, died, and was buried in the churchyard. She along with several others would later be moved to the Assonet Burying Ground when the church reduced the size of its cemetery. Elder Jones left Assonet in early 1838, moving first to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and then

Upton, Massachusetts Upton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It was first settled in 1728. The population was given as exactly 8,000 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Upton-West U ...

. In 1839, he married Nancy F. Clark (also Clarke) of Nantucket, and in 1840 he removed from Upton to

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

. After his death in 1841, his funeral was conducted by the Rev. Elijah Shaw of Lowell.

Writing

Abner Jones wrote many hymns, and together with Elias Smith he published multiple hymnals for use in the Christian Churches. In 1807, at the request of others, he wrote his autobiography, "The Life and Experience, Travels and Preaching of Abner Jones." Almost half a century later, his son would use this book as the basis of his own book "Memoirs of Abner Jones."

References

External links

* * .
Abner Jones: Christian Only (by Bradley Cobb)A Lecture on Abner Jones (by Bradley Cobb)
1772 births 1841 deaths American Christian clergy People from Royalston, Massachusetts People from Assonet, Massachusetts Members of Restoration Movement denominations People from Caledonia County, Vermont People from Haverhill, Massachusetts {{US-Christian-clergy-stub