Jones, Robert

Personne

Jones, Robert

1868-1952

Robert Jones was born in Liverpool, England in 1868. He was orphaned at a very young age. In 1877, Robert and his sister immigrated to Canada arriving in Quebec where they lived for 13 years. Robert met E.J. Lawrence in Quebec around 1890 and accepted a position as helper at the Irene Training School in Fort Vermilion. In 1891 he married Mary Smith, the daughter of Mary (Bird) and William R. Smith (II).
Mary had come from Great Slave Lake to Fort Vermilion in 1882 with her parents.

Robert worked for the Anglican mission until the training school closed. He then took on homesteading about seven miles above Fort Vermilion at Stoney Point.

In 1907, arrangements were being made to open an experimental farm in the Stoney Point area. In 1908, Mr. Jones was asked to take charge of this, and took on this responsibility for the next 25 years. The couple lived on this farm until 1935, when Robert retired and the Experimental Farm was moved closer to Fort Vermilion.

Robert and Mary had eight children: George, Robert, Edward, Fred, Stanley, Jennie, Agnes and Alice.

Robert Jones Sr. died in the summer of 1952 and was buried at Fort Vermilion. Mary continued to live with her granddaughter, near to Mary’s sister Sarah Charles (later Seery). Then at the age of 94, Mary moved to Peace River to stay with another granddaughter. She died in 1963, and was buried in the Anglican Cemetery, Fort Vermilion.

Fort Vermilion, AB (ca. 1890-1906)
Stoney Point, AB (ca. 1907-1952)