Joseph Stevens Jones (September 28, 1809 – December 29, 1877) was an American actor, playwright, theater manager, and surgeon.
He wrote at least 150 plays that were mostly produced at theaters in Boston, Massachusetts.
Early life and education
Jones was born in
Boston, Massachusetts on September 28, 1809.
He was the son of Mary Ann (née Stevens) and Abraham A. Jones, a sea captain who worked for the
Russian American Company
The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty (russian: Под высочайшим Его Императорского Величества покровительством Российская-Американс ...
in Alaska.
His father died in 1819 in
Unalaska
Unalaska ( ale, Iluulux̂; russian: Уналашка) is the chief center of population in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska ...
, leaving Jones and his four siblings to be raised by his mother in Boston.
He attended public elementary schools in Boston.
He left school to work in a cordage store.
Next, he worked in the counting room of a bank.
When his boss at the bank learned of his interest in writing plays, he contacted a theater manager and helped Jones secure a job at the theater.
While working in theaters, he also attended medical school.
In 1843 he graduated from
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
.
Career
Theater
Jones debuted as an actor at the age of eighteen in the role of Crack a production of the comedy ''The Turnpike Gate'' in
Providence Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Ba ...
.
He was then engaged by the
Tremont Theatre in Boston, performing in mostly dramas.
One of his early big roles were as Lucullus in ''Damon and Pythias''.
However, he was better at comedy and soon was cast in roels in ''Perfection'', ''The Young Widow'', and ''Lionel Lincoln''.''Lionel Lincoln.
''
He was later hired as a comedic actor by the Warren Theatre and eventually became its stage manager.
''
'' His first successful play was ''The Liberty Tree or, Boston Boys in '76'' which was produced at the Warren Theatre in Boston in 1832. It celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the
Revolutionary War. Jones played the Yankee character Bill Ball. Jones also worked for the
National Theatre in Boston where he worked as a stage manager, financial advisor, and playwright.
In 1839, he leased the Tremont Theatre for four years for $8,000 a year ($ in today's money).
He opened the theater on September 2, 1839, with a production of
The Poor Gentlemen.
However, the 1839 to 1840 theater season was bad for theaters across the country, and the Tremont was not profitable. Jones ran the theater from 1840 to 1841 with stars
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include '' Jesse James'', ...
,
Fanny Elssler
Fanny Elssler (born Franziska Elßler; 23 June 181027 November 1884) was an Austrian ballerina of the Romantic Period.
Life and career
She was born in Gumpendorf, a neighborhood of Vienna. Her father Johann Florian Elssler was a second ge ...
, and Dan Power. However, he closed when the season ended for financial reasons.
Except for rare performances in New York and Philadelphia, he retired from acting when he closed the Tremont; his last performance in Boston was as Mock Duke in ''The Honeymoon'' at the Tremont.
[Quinn, A. H. ]
A History of the American Drama from the Beginning to the Civil War
'' New York: Harper & Bros. 1927, p. 298. via Google Books.
Jones was a prolific author, writing about 150 plays.
His heyday as a playwright was between 1835 and 1875.
He is mostly known for his historical dramas but also wrote comedies, farces, melodramas, and adaptations of novels.
His best-known play is ''Solon Shingle; or, The People's Lawyer,'' the story of the trial of Charles Otis, a poor clerk framed by a coworker for stealing. The play was first produced at the National Theatre in Boston in 1839. The play's popularity rests on the character of Solon Shingle, played by
John E. Owens
John Edward (or Edmund) Owens (2 April 1823 in Liverpool – 7 December 1886 in Maryland) was an English- American comedian, born in the Aigburth district of Liverpool, England but taken to the United States when three years old. He beg ...
.
Owens was a great success in the role, making his final performance as Shingle in New York in 1884.
[Quinn, A. H. ]
A History of the American Drama from the Beginning to the Civil War
'' New York: Harper & Bros. 1927, p. 299. via Google Books.
His ''The Carpenter of Rouen; or, A Revenge for the Massacre of St. Bartholomew'' was produced across the United States and in England.
Other popular plays by Jones were ''Moll Pitcher, Paul Revere and the Sons of Liberty, The Silver Spoon,'' and ''The Sons of the Cape.
The Silver Spoon; or, Our Own Folks'' was first produced at the
Boston Museum on February 16, 1852.
William Warren was noted for performing the role of Jefferson Scattering Batkins through 1883.
Its popularity led to Jones becoming the unofficial dramatist of the Boston Museum.
The play was revived at that theater through many seasons and reprinted in 1911.
He supported copyright protection and adequate compensation for authors.
Jones points to the weakness of the copyright laws, that several of his plays have been performed throughout the States without remuneration to himself.
[Letter from the Author in the printed play Moll Pitcher>] He also notes that his plays were meant to be performed, not read.
He was a member of the
Howard Athenaeum
The Howard Athenæum (1845–1953), also known as Old Howard Theatre, in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, fina ...
Stock Company for many years and was connected with the stage for 52 years.
Medicine
After he tired of acting, Jones completed his medical studies at Harvard.
After graduating from medical school, he practiced medicine in Boston's West End for 35 years.
He was the city physician for several years during the administrations of Mayor Wightman and Mayor Lincoln.
Jones also lectured on anatomy and physiology at the
Tremont Temple
The Tremont Temple on 88 Tremont Street is a Baptist church in Boston, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA. The existing multi-storey, Renaissance Revival structure was designed by architect Clarence Blackall of Boston, and opened ...
.
Jones was also a member of the Mechanic Light Infantry, and was connected for many years with the old First Regiment as a surgeon.
Personal life
Jones married Hannah Canterbury Dexter (1812–1870). They had four children, including Joseph S. Jones Jr., Alice L. Jones, Dr. William Jones, and Nathaniel Dexter Jones, an actor and theater manager.
After her death, he married her sister, Louisa Goward Dexter (1814–1890). His home was on the corner of
Bowdoin Street
Bowdoin Street in Boston, Massachusetts extends from the top of Beacon Street, down Beacon Hill to Cambridge Street, near the West End. It was originally called "Middlecott Street" as early as the 1750s. In 1805 it was renamed after the Governor ...
and Cambridge Street in Boston.
He was a
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and a member of the
Odd Fellows, playing a large role in the construction of the Odd Fellows Building in Boston.
After being ill for a year, Jones died on December 29, 1877, from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
at his residence in Boston, Massachusetts.
His funeral service was held at Dr. Winkley's church on Bulfinch Street in Boston. His daughter and a son, Joseph, pre-deceased him in 1877.
Selected works
Plays
* ''Captain Kyd; or, The Wizard of the Sea'' (
National Theatre, Boston, 1830)
[Quinn, A. H. ]
A History of the American Drama from the Beginning to the Civil War
'' New York: Harper & Bros. 1927, p. 301. via Google Books.
*''Venison Preserved, or a Pot Uncovered''.
*''Eugene Aram'' (
Tremont Theatre, Boston, 1832), an adaptation of the novel by
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secret ...
*''The Liberty Tree; or, Boston Boys in '76'' (Warren Theatre, Boston, June 17, 1832), written for the 50th anniversary of the end of the
Revolutionary War
*''The Green Mountain Boy'' (
Chestnut Street Theatre
The Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first theater in the United States built by entrepreneurs solely as a venue for paying audiences.The Chestnut Street Theatre Project
The New Theatre (First Chestnut Street Theatre) ...
, Philadelphia, February 25, 1833), a comedy in three acts
*''Tam O'Shanter'' (Warren Theatre, Boston, November 1833), three acts
*''The Fire Warrior'' (Warren Theatre, Boston, March 31, 1834), three acts''
''
*''Custom.'' a comedy in five acts
*''Plymouth Rock'' (Warren Theater, Boston, November 22, 1834), a drama in three acts
*''Three Experiments in Banking''
*''Yankee in Tripoli'' (
Park Theatre, New York), drama in two acts
*''Hawks of Hawk Hollow'', drama in three acts, based on the novel of the same name
*''Hunter of the West''
*''Bride of Johah'', a
burletta
In theater and music history, a burletta (Italian, meaning "little joke", sometimes burla or burlettina) is a brief comic opera. In eighteenth-century Italy, a burletta was the comic intermezzo between the acts of an ''opera seria''. The extended w ...
''
''
*''Ice Queen'', three acts
*''Factory Girl'', a drama in three acts
*''Witches of New England'', three acts
*''The Carpenter of Rouen''; or, ''A Revenge for the Massacre of St. Bartholomew'' (
Chatham Theatre
The Chatham Theatre or Chatham Street Theatre was a playhouse on the southeast side of Chatham Street (now Park Row) in New York City. It was located at numbers 143-9, between Roosevelt and James streets, a few blocks south of the Bowery. At it ...
, New York City, November 16, 1840), drama in four acts
*''The Surgeon of Paris; or, The Mask of the Huguenots''
(National Theatre, Boston, January 8, 1838), drama in four acts and sequel to ''The Carpenter of Rouen
''
*''Moll Pitcher; or, The Fortune Teller of Lynn'' (National Theatre, Boston, 1839). Based on the life of
Moll Pitcher, a drama in four acts
*''Solon Shingle; or, The People's Lawyer'' (National Theatre, Boston, 1839), a drama in two acts
*''The Siege of Boston'' (Tremont Theatre, Boston, January 1841)''
''
*''Quadroon'' (Tremont Theatre, Boston, April 19, 1841)
*''Andek the Arab
''
*''Brazier of Naples'' (
Chestnut Street Theatre
The Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first theater in the United States built by entrepreneurs solely as a venue for paying audiences.The Chestnut Street Theatre Project
The New Theatre (First Chestnut Street Theatre) ...
, Philadelphia, 1841)
*''Ten Thousand a Year'' (National Theatre, Boston, January 21, 1842), adaptation of a novel by the same name''
''
*''Two Journeymen Locksmiths'' (National Theatre, Boston, April 16, 1842)
*''Robert Kyd'', four acts
*''Stephen Burroughs
''
*''Morton's Hope''
*''Battle of Lake Erie'' (Tremont Theatre, Boston, October 31, 1842) a drama in three acts
*''Indian Hord''
*''The Wheelwright'' (Boston 1845)'','' a drama in four acts
*''Last Days of Pompeii'' (Tremont Theatre, Boston, February 1843), in four acts
*''Infernal Machine
''
*''Horse Hunters'', in three acts
*''The Three Experiments of Living'' (
Boston Museum, Boston, March 13, 1848) a dramatization of the novel by
Hannah F. Lee
*''Old Job and Jacob Gray'' (
Boston Museum, Boston, 1849)
*''The Silver Spoon; or, Our Own Folks'' (
Boston Museum, Boston, February 16, 1852)
*''The Last Dollar'' (
Boston Museum, Boston, September 1959)''
''
*''The Batkins at Home, or Life in Cranberry Centre''. sequel to ''The Silver Spoon''
*''Sons of the Cape'' (
Boston Museum, Boston, February1866)''
''
*''Captain Lascar, the Pilot of Brest'' (
Howard Athenaeum
The Howard Athenæum (1845–1953), also known as Old Howard Theatre, in Boston, Massachusetts, was one of the most famous theaters in Boston history. Founded in 1845, it remained an institution of culture and learning for most of its years, fina ...
, Boston, December 17, 1866)
*''Paul Revere and the Sons of Liberty'' (1875)
Books
* ''Life of Jefferson S. Batkins, Member from Cranberry Centre.'' with Jefferson Batkins. Boston: Loring Publisher, 1871.
Honors
In 1916,
The Bostonian Society
The Bostonian Society was a non-profit organization that was founded in 1881 for the purpose of preventing the Old State House (built in 1713) from being "moved brick by brick" in the
Old State House acquired a bust on Jones, made by
Pietro Gariboldi.
References
Bibliography
*"Obituary". ''Boston Daily Advertiser''. December 31, 1877;
*"Obituary" ''Boston Post''. December 30, 1877.
External links
*
Nathaniel Dexter Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Joseph Stevens
1809 births
1877 deaths
Physicians from Boston
19th-century American dramatists and playwrights
19th-century American actors
Harvard Medical School alumni
19th-century American novels