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

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 to a father native to Massachusetts and a mother native to Rhode Island. He initially trained in medicine, and settled in Lyndon, Vermont 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 New Hampshire and Boston, Massachusetts, prior to settling in

Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...

and preaching in nearby

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. In 1811, he attended worship at the Christian Church in Assonet, Massachusetts. 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. He continued to preach in New Hampshire and

Milan, New York Milan is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town is in the northern part of the county and is very rural. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...

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 The Assonet Burying Ground is the main public cemetery for Freetown, Massachusetts. Prior to becoming a cemetery, the land occupied by the Assonet Burying Ground was used as a military musterfield for the southeastern Massachusetts area.Deane, Ma ...

when the church reduced the size of its cemetery. Elder Jones left Assonet in early 1838, moving first to

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

and then Upton, Massachusetts. In 1839, he married Nancy F. Clark (also Clarke) of

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

, and in 1840 he removed from Upton to Exeter, New Hampshire. 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