Abraham (Abram) Jones (ca. 1832 - 1914)
MSA SC 3520-9368
Abraham Jones was born free around 1832 in Carroll County to Perry and Harriet Jones. An obituary regarded him as a "Well known and highly respected colored man"1 who stood five feet, six inches tall, with a griffe complexion (which describes the offspring of a mulatto and a negro). The Jones family was a mulatto family who resided in Uniontown, MD, and it is believed that Abraham was one of four children, along with Isaac, Anthony and Francis. Abraham's mother was said to have made the Uniontown district famous with "Aunt Harriet's Ginger Cakes". Perry and Harriet owned land on Main Street that they purchased in 1841 from John M. Ferguson and his wife, Rebecca in Uniontown. Abraham worked as a laborer on his father's land for the majority of his youth and some of his young adulthood. In the late 1840s and early 1850s, Abraham lived with William Babylon and very likely worked for him also. J.T. Divillion was another employer of Abraham's on and off for at least 16 years. Abraham mostly worked manual labor jobs, but an injury to his left knee hampered his ability to work for most of his life.
Abraham married Catherine Holland in March of 1866, and they would go on to have three kids together: William Hanson, born in 1869; Charles Edward, born in 1873; and Perry, born in 1879.2 Catherine's daughter from a previous marraige, Mary, lived in the household as well. In 1870, their personal estate was valued at $100, and in 1880, they bought the Main Street (Uniontown) land from Abraham's parents. In 1884, Abraham and Catherine ended up selling it to Henry C. Cover.
Abraham was enlisted in to the Union Army on May 27th, 1864, drafted for a three year term in Frederick, MD at age 32. He was mustered in on June 17, 1864 in Frederick, MD to the 30th Regiment USCT, Company G, commanded by Captain John Fitzpatrick. Private Abraham Jones fought at Petersburg and the capture of Fort Fisher, NC, before being honorably discharged at Roanoke Island, NC on December 10, 1865 at the close of the war. He spent a total of one year, six months, and 13 days in the Army.3
After serving his time in the Army, Abraham suffered from rheumatism and heart disease, not to mention the injury to his knee, so there was most likely some inability for him to earn money from manual labor, forcing Abraham to request higher pension pay. In addition to spending a considerable amount of time fighting for his pension increase, there was confusion in his pension files due to the fact that he sometimes went by the name, "Abram", and he had to prove that he was the same person. On top of that, his pension was confounded with the pension files and claims of Aaron Jones, of the 30th Regiment USCT, Co. G.
Abraham Jones died on November 16, 1914 due to indigestion. At the time of his death, his final pension rate was $27. He was buried at Mt. Joy Cemetery in Carroll County on November 19, 1914.
1The Times, Abraham Jones Obituary, Friday, November 20, 1914. [MSA SC 3580, M 10,194]
2 [Compiled Service Records and Pension Files found at the National Archives]
3 [Compiled Service Records and Pension Files found at the National Archives]
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