Jonas Jones (May 19, 1791 – July 30, 1848) was a lawyer, judge, farmer, and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of th ...

Life

Jones was born in Augusta Township, Upper Canada in 1791, the son of Ephraim Jones. He was educated at John Strachan's school in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

and studied law with Levius Peters Sherwood in Elizabethtown (

Brockville Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically independent of the county. It is included with Le ...

). During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, he enlisted with the

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

militia, becoming a captain. He was called to the bar in 1815 and set up a practice in Brockville. In 1816, he was elected to the

7th Parliament of Upper Canada The 7th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 4 February 1817. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1816. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada at the home of Chief Justice of the Court William Henry Draper. This parliame ...

, representing Grenville and held that seat until 1828. Although conservative, he had his own views on the protection of individual rights and the independence of the elected assembly. However, he helped unseat Barnabas Bidwell in 1821. In 1822, he opposed the union of Upper and Lower Canada. He supported bills which helped fund the development of the

Welland Canal The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller in St. Catharines ...

, and he was a member of a committee which recommended further improvements of transportation along the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

. He was appointed judge in the Bathurst and Johnstown District courts. With his brother Charles Jones, who represented

in the Legislative Assembly, he operated mills at Furnace Falls ( Lyndhurst). He was a director of the Bank of Upper Canada branch at Brockville and, in 1834, became the president of the Saint Lawrence Inland Marine Assurance Company. In 1833, he was appointed president of a commission to help improve navigation along the Saint Lawrence which met with American engineers and, in 1834, work began on a canal at

and other projects were planned. In 1836, he was elected to the

13th Parliament of Upper Canada The 13th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 8 November 1836. Elections in Upper Canada had been held 20 June 1836. All sessions were held at Toronto. The House of Assembly had five sessions 8 November 1836 to 10 February 1840. Archives of O ...

representing Leeds. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1839, serving as speaker while

John Beverley Robinson John Beverley Robinson (February 21, 1821 – June 19, 1896) was a Canadian politician, lawyer and businessman. He was mayor of Toronto and a provincial and federal member of parliament. He was the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario between ...

was on leave. He was appointed to the Court of the King's Bench in 1837. In 1842, his daughter, Mary Elizabeth, married Lieutenant-General Charles Younghusband CB FRS, a British Army officer and meteorologist. He died in Toronto in 1848, apparently of some form of seizure or stroke. In 1817, Jones married Mary Elizabeth Ford. His oldest son David Ford later became a member of the Canadian House of Commons. His son

Chilion Mahlon ( ''Maḥlōn'') and Chilion (כִּלְיוֹן ''Ḵilyōn'') were two brothers mentioned in the Book of Ruth. They were the sons of Elimelech of the tribe of Judah and his wife Naomi. Together with their parents, they settled in the land ...

was a business partner with architect Thomas Fuller in the reconstruction of the Canadian Parliament buildings.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jonas 1791 births 1848 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada People from Leeds and Grenville United Counties Upper Canada judges