JONES, Oscar L. - Putnam

Oscar L. Jones - The founder of the Putnam County family of this name  which has always been successful, prosperous and influential was Jesse Jones, known familiarly to everybody hereabouts in olden days. He was born in Kentucky and came here when the county was still sparsely settled, without good roads and devoid of improvement of any kind.  He entered government land in Section 5 of Greencastle Township, which at the time was wild and wholly unimproved and covered with a heavy growth of forest trees.  Many a hard lick was put in by Jesse Jones in his efforts to convert his wild land into farming ground.  He went at it, however, and kept at it with a dogged persistency that characterized the sturdy race of which he was a fine representative, and eventually he had a moderate estate to leave to his heirs. The land he purchased for one dollar and twenty-fice cents an acre is now an average farm of Putnam County and is so greatly improved by adjacent pike roads, fine buildings, good fencing, telephones, rural mail delivery and other modern appliances that the original owner would not recognize it as the same place.  Hiram Jones was born in Kentucky in 1820 and came to Putnam County when a boy with his parents. He married Eliza Reeves, by whom he had four children, of whom Oscar L. Jones I the only survivor.  The mother died in 1861 and father married Hannah McCorkle of Kentucky and one child, Jesse Jones of Monroe Township was born to them.  Hiram Jones died Feb 14, 1870.  Oscar L. Jones was born June 13, 1859 and grew up with unusual experiences of farm boys of his period.  He helped on the farm, doing all kinds of work suitable to one of his age, and meantime managed to attend school during the winter months. After he got older he attended old Asbury University and acquired a very fair education for his day. He remained on the farm until he was 25 years old, when he gave up farming for a business career. For several years he was engaged in the wholesale produce business at Roachdale and made quite a success in this line, as he did of all his undertakings. He used to ship carloads of produce to NY and his store was headquarters for producers miles around who brought in their products and received for them the highest market prices.  In 1899, Mr. Jones entered the feed and building material business sin Greencastle and has carried it on an extensive scale for many years. He handles lime, cement, brick, plastering goods and all other things suitable in house construction and all kinds of feed.  His business is large and growing all the time, as Mr. Jones is energetic and resourceful, a close buyer and prudent seller – in fact a business man of the first rank.  Like his father before him, he has always been a member of the Republican part, though not an office seeker and too busy with his own affairs to bother with political manipulations.  In 1904 he was elected to represent the fourth ward in the city council and made a watchful and honest guardian of the city’s interests. He is a member of the Locust Street Methodist Episcopal Church and belongs to Greencastle Lodge No 473, Free and Accept Masons. Mr. Jones married Lena Shinn of Putnam County Oct 7, 1880 and they have one child, Gladys, now the wife of John Johnson of Greencastle who is associated in business with his father-in-law.  His wife having died, Mr. Jones married Mary Ellis of Bainbridge June 9, 1890.