Jones, Ephraim

DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Elva Richards McGaughey, “JONES, EPHRAIM,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/jones_ephraim_5E.html
DCB profile notes:
- Soldier, office holder, landowner, businessman, judge, and politician; b. 27 April 1750, in an “elegant mansion house,” at Weston, Mass., ninth son of Elisha Jones and Mary Allen; m. first 24 March 1779 Charlotte Coursolles (Coursol) of Verchères, Que., and they had 12 children, eight of whom survived infancy; m secondly 7 May 1806 Margaret S. Beke (Beck, Beek); d. 24 Jan. 1812 in Augusta Township, Upper Canada.
- Ephraim Jones is a noteworthy character in the history of early Upper Canada both because of his influence in the local life of Leeds and Grenville counties, and because his career and its extension in the work of his sons exemplify a link in that network of friends and ideological allies which, christened the “family compact” by its enemies, dominated the political affairs of the province until the 1837 rebellion.
- Service to the crown during the American revolution demonstrated the loyalty of both Ephraim and his family. His father, a prosperous landowner and a colonel in the militia of Middlesex County, Mass., was an early and strenuous opponent of the revolution.
- Along with other men of the loyalist corps, Jones settled in the virgin territory west of the Ottawa River. Although he does not seem to have received a land grant, he apparently resided in what was shortly to be Augusta Township.
- Business success, together with a record of loyalty and administrative competence, made Jones a person who held the trust of both the government and his local community, and who could act as intermediary between the two.
Proven United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=4289
Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141514052/ephraim-jones