The following biography is taken from Pages 229 & 230, Volume I, "Men of Mark in South Carolina, Ideals of American Life." J.C. Hemphill, Men of Mark Publishing Company, Washington, D.C., 1908.
There is, in the intensified energy of the business man fighting the every day battle of existence, but little to attract the attention of the idle observer, but to the mind fully awake to the reality and true meaning of human existence there are noble and impressive lessons in the story of the life of the man who without other means than a strong heart and a clear head conquers adversity, and who, toiling on through the years of an arduous career, approaches the sunset of life with an honorable competence and rich in the respect and1 esteem of his fellow men. The record of such men, who influence and mould events, is always interesting and instructive, and become even more so when such lives present in combined view the elements of material success harmoniously blended with completeness of moral attribute and the attraction of unblemished reputation. Such characters stand forth as the proof of human progress; the illustrations of human dignity and worth.
In point of continuous service General Jones is one of the oldest bankers in the State of South Carolina, a half century having intervened since he first entered the employ of the Carolina National Bank at Columbia. Aside from his career as a banker, his citizenship has been perhaps most noteworthy through his interest and active participation in military affairs.
General Jones was born at Hillsboro, North Carolina, October 17, 1850, a son of Cadwallader and Annie Isabella (Iredell) Jones. The Jones family is of Welsh ancestry, the progenitors having come to America many generations ago. On the maternal side General Jones is a great-grandson of the distinguished James Iredell, who served as one of the early associate justices of the United States Supreme Court. His mother was a daughter of James Iredell, Jr., who served as governor of North Carolina, and also represented that state in the United States Senate.
Cadwallader Jones, his father, served with distinction as colonel of the Twelfth South Carolina Regiment in the Confederate army. He was a farmer and lawyer and for thirty years held the office of circuit solicitor in North Carolina, and after moving to South Carolina he represented York County in the State Senate.
Gen. Wilie Jones spent his early boyhood days on his father's plantation near Rock Hill in York County, surrounded by the environment common to the youth of that period, but his vision was fixed upon a wider horizon than that which encompassed the farm. He pursued the curriculum of the common school, though for his success in life he has always felt a deep debt of gratitude to his mother, a gentlewoman of rare refinement and charm of manner, who supervised his early moral and intellectual training. His father was a wealthy planter and slave owner, as indeed the family had been for generations, but with the coming of the Civil war, the freeing of the slaves and the subsequent and disastrous period of reconstruction, the family fortune was swept away and it became necessary for the boy to lay aside all dreams of a college course and provide for himself. His early business experience was acquired as a clerk in a general store at Rock Hill, where he was given his board and a wage of $2.50 per week.
In 1869, when a lad of nineteen years, he came to Columbia, where he has since made his home. His first occupation in the capitol city was as a clerk in the offices of the railroad company, a position he shortly resigned to accept employment with the Carolina National Bank, and there began his career in the banking business. He. served as cashier of the Carolina National Bank for twentythree years, and also for a number of years as vice president. He later became associated with the Palmetto National Bank of Columbia, and in January, 1906, was made president, serving as such for eleven years, when he was made chairman of the board of directors, in which capacity he still continues to exercise that careful supervision and guidance of the bank's affairs which have been
potent factors in making the Palmetto National one of the sound financial institutions of the South.
While still a young man General Jones became interested in the State Militia, and he enlisted in the National Guard in 1874. For fifteen years he was captain of the Governor's Guards at Columbia, and for twelve years served as colonel of the Second South Carolina Regiment, and later became brigade commander of the South Carolina troops.
His great-grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of Virginia, served as a major on the staff of General LaFayette. His grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of North Carolina, was a midshipman after the close of the Revolutionary war and was later commissioned a captain in the United States army. He later made his home in Hillsboro, North Carolina, where he engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits, and where he conducted a large plantation, owning as many as 600 slaves. General Jones had four brothers in the Confederate army, three of whom were wounded in action. He also had three uncles, one brother of his father and two brothers of his mother, killed while serving as members of the Confederate army. There are five counties in North Carolina named in honor of his kinsmen, namely: Jones County, Iredell County, Johnstone County, Dare County and Polk County.
On June 27, 1898, he was appointed by Governor Ellerbe, colonel of the Second Regiment, South Carolina. Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to service as a part of the Second Brigade, First Division, Seventh Army Corps, United States army, under command of Major General Fitzhugh Lee. Orders having been received to proceed to Cuba, the regiment under command of Colonel Jones embarked from Savannah, January 3d, arriving at Havana without accident on the morning of January 6, 1899. Colonel Jones was the first of his command to go ashore, and he refers to this fact in his official report to the adjutant general as follows: "As I came down the long rope ladder alone the Regiment were all looking at me, and when I put my foot on Cuban soil a cheer from a thousand throats went up—It seemed loud enough to shake the old boat. I was very proud to be the first man of the Second Regiment to step on Cuban soil." The details of the career of the regiment during its service in Cuba is best told in the annals of the War Department, and reflects glory and credit upon our nation's history. An evidence of the esteem and admiration the men of the Second Regiment had for their colonel and the ties of love that had been borne of his vigilance for their comfort and welfare, is manifest through the presentation to him of a beautiful gold-mounted, embossed sword by the enlisted men of the regiment. Inscribed upon the scabboard were the words:
"Presented to Col. Wilie Jones, Second South Carolina, U. S. V. I., by the Enlisted Men of His Regiment, April I7th, 1899."
Upon his return home after the closing of the war Colonel Jones continued actively in the military affairs of his state until 1915, when he retired with the rank of major general.
General Jones has always taken, an active interest in political affairs, though not himself an office seeker. He was chairman of the Democratic State Committee from 1898 to 1912, and also served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1895. From December 1, 1901, to June 1, 1905, he was a member of the board of directors of the South Carolina, Inter-State and West Indian Exposition at Charleston. His interest in municipal affairs is indicated, in part, by his service as president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and for nearly fifty years has been a member of the time honored Masonic fraternity, haying been initiated into the mysteries of the craft in Richland Lodge No. 39 at Columbia in 1874. He is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.
On May 20, 1886, General Jones married Annie Reaux Caldwell, and to this union have been born a son and a daughter: Caldwell Jones, now a prominent and successful farmer in Lexington County, and Annie Reaux Jones, now Mrs. R. A. Childs of Columbia.
In addition to his other interests General Jones is extensively engaged in farming, and is numbered among the successful planters of the state. He owns and operates one of the largest plantations of this section—a valuable tract of land in Lexington County, just across the Congaree River from Columbia, and it is there that he finds his greatest diversion and relaxation from the more exacting cares of strenuous business. He possesses to a marked degree the vitality and vigor of his younger years, and an activity that comes to him as a heritage from his years of military training. His life has ever been an active one and his efforts have been contributing factors towards the betterment of the1 community in which he has lived.
There is, in the intensified energy of the business man fighting the every day battle of existence, but little to attract the attention of the idle observer, but to the mind fully awake to the reality and true meaning of human existence there are noble and impressive lessons in the story of the life of the man who without other means than a strong heart and a clear head conquers adversity, and who, toiling on through the years of an arduous career, approaches the sunset of life with an honorable competence and rich in the respect and1 esteem of his fellow men. The record of such men, who influence and mould events, is always interesting and instructive, and become even more so when such lives present in combined view the elements of material success harmoniously blended with completeness of moral attribute and the attraction of unblemished reputation. Such characters stand forth as the proof of human progress; the illustrations of human dignity and worth.
In point of continuous service General Jones is one of the oldest bankers in the State of South Carolina, a half century having intervened since he first entered the employ of the Carolina National Bank at Columbia. Aside from his career as a banker, his citizenship has been perhaps most noteworthy through his interest and active participation in military affairs.
General Jones was born at Hillsboro, North Carolina, October 17, 1850, a son of Cadwallader and Annie Isabella (Iredell) Jones. The Jones family is of Welsh ancestry, the progenitors having come to America many generations ago. On the maternal side General Jones is a great-grandson of the distinguished James Iredell, who served as one of the early associate justices of the United States Supreme Court. His mother was a daughter of James Iredell, Jr., who served as governor of North Carolina, and also represented that state in the United States Senate.
Cadwallader Jones, his father, served with distinction as colonel of the Twelfth South Carolina Regiment in the Confederate army. He was a farmer and lawyer and for thirty years held the office of circuit solicitor in North Carolina, and after moving to South Carolina he represented York County in the State Senate.
Gen. Wilie Jones spent his early boyhood days on his father's plantation near Rock Hill in York County, surrounded by the environment common to the youth of that period, but his vision was fixed upon a wider horizon than that which encompassed the farm. He pursued the curriculum of the common school, though for his success in life he has always felt a deep debt of gratitude to his mother, a gentlewoman of rare refinement and charm of manner, who supervised his early moral and intellectual training. His father was a wealthy planter and slave owner, as indeed the family had been for generations, but with the coming of the Civil war, the freeing of the slaves and the subsequent and disastrous period of reconstruction, the family fortune was swept away and it became necessary for the boy to lay aside all dreams of a college course and provide for himself. His early business experience was acquired as a clerk in a general store at Rock Hill, where he was given his board and a wage of $2.50 per week.
In 1869, when a lad of nineteen years, he came to Columbia, where he has since made his home. His first occupation in the capitol city was as a clerk in the offices of the railroad company, a position he shortly resigned to accept employment with the Carolina National Bank, and there began his career in the banking business. He. served as cashier of the Carolina National Bank for twentythree years, and also for a number of years as vice president. He later became associated with the Palmetto National Bank of Columbia, and in January, 1906, was made president, serving as such for eleven years, when he was made chairman of the board of directors, in which capacity he still continues to exercise that careful supervision and guidance of the bank's affairs which have been
potent factors in making the Palmetto National one of the sound financial institutions of the South.
While still a young man General Jones became interested in the State Militia, and he enlisted in the National Guard in 1874. For fifteen years he was captain of the Governor's Guards at Columbia, and for twelve years served as colonel of the Second South Carolina Regiment, and later became brigade commander of the South Carolina troops.
His great-grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of Virginia, served as a major on the staff of General LaFayette. His grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of North Carolina, was a midshipman after the close of the Revolutionary war and was later commissioned a captain in the United States army. He later made his home in Hillsboro, North Carolina, where he engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits, and where he conducted a large plantation, owning as many as 600 slaves. General Jones had four brothers in the Confederate army, three of whom were wounded in action. He also had three uncles, one brother of his father and two brothers of his mother, killed while serving as members of the Confederate army. There are five counties in North Carolina named in honor of his kinsmen, namely: Jones County, Iredell County, Johnstone County, Dare County and Polk County.
On June 27, 1898, he was appointed by Governor Ellerbe, colonel of the Second Regiment, South Carolina. Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to service as a part of the Second Brigade, First Division, Seventh Army Corps, United States army, under command of Major General Fitzhugh Lee. Orders having been received to proceed to Cuba, the regiment under command of Colonel Jones embarked from Savannah, January 3d, arriving at Havana without accident on the morning of January 6, 1899. Colonel Jones was the first of his command to go ashore, and he refers to this fact in his official report to the adjutant general as follows: "As I came down the long rope ladder alone the Regiment were all looking at me, and when I put my foot on Cuban soil a cheer from a thousand throats went up—It seemed loud enough to shake the old boat. I was very proud to be the first man of the Second Regiment to step on Cuban soil." The details of the career of the regiment during its service in Cuba is best told in the annals of the War Department, and reflects glory and credit upon our nation's history. An evidence of the esteem and admiration the men of the Second Regiment had for their colonel and the ties of love that had been borne of his vigilance for their comfort and welfare, is manifest through the presentation to him of a beautiful gold-mounted, embossed sword by the enlisted men of the regiment. Inscribed upon the scabboard were the words:
"Presented to Col. Wilie Jones, Second South Carolina, U. S. V. I., by the Enlisted Men of His Regiment, April I7th, 1899."
Upon his return home after the closing of the war Colonel Jones continued actively in the military affairs of his state until 1915, when he retired with the rank of major general.
General Jones has always taken, an active interest in political affairs, though not himself an office seeker. He was chairman of the Democratic State Committee from 1898 to 1912, and also served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1895. From December 1, 1901, to June 1, 1905, he was a member of the board of directors of the South Carolina, Inter-State and West Indian Exposition at Charleston. His interest in municipal affairs is indicated, in part, by his service as president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and for nearly fifty years has been a member of the time honored Masonic fraternity, haying been initiated into the mysteries of the craft in Richland Lodge No. 39 at Columbia in 1874. He is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.
On May 20, 1886, General Jones married Annie Reaux Caldwell, and to this union have been born a son and a daughter: Caldwell Jones, now a prominent and successful farmer in Lexington County, and Annie Reaux Jones, now Mrs. R. A. Childs of Columbia.
In addition to his other interests General Jones is extensively engaged in farming, and is numbered among the successful planters of the state. He owns and operates one of the largest plantations of this section—a valuable tract of land in Lexington County, just across the Congaree River from Columbia, and it is there that he finds his greatest diversion and relaxation from the more exacting cares of strenuous business. He possesses to a marked degree the vitality and vigor of his younger years, and an activity that comes to him as a heritage from his years of military training. His life has ever been an active one and his efforts have been contributing factors towards the betterment of the1 community in which he has lived.
The following biography is taken from Pages 229 & 230, Volume I, "Men of Mark in South Carolina, Ideals of American Life." J.C. Hemphill, Men of Mark Publishing Company, Washington, D.C., 1908.
There is, in the intensified energy of the business man fighting the every day battle of existence, but little to attract the attention of the idle observer, but to the mind fully awake to the reality and true meaning of human existence there are noble and impressive lessons in the story of the life of the man who without other means than a strong heart and a clear head conquers adversity, and who, toiling on through the years of an arduous career, approaches the sunset of life with an honorable competence and rich in the respect and1 esteem of his fellow men. The record of such men, who influence and mould events, is always interesting and instructive, and become even more so when such lives present in combined view the elements of material success harmoniously blended with completeness of moral attribute and the attraction of unblemished reputation. Such characters stand forth as the proof of human progress; the illustrations of human dignity and worth.
In point of continuous service General Jones is one of the oldest bankers in the State of South Carolina, a half century having intervened since he first entered the employ of the Carolina National Bank at Columbia. Aside from his career as a banker, his citizenship has been perhaps most noteworthy through his interest and active participation in military affairs.
General Jones was born at Hillsboro, North Carolina, October 17, 1850, a son of Cadwallader and Annie Isabella (Iredell) Jones. The Jones family is of Welsh ancestry, the progenitors having come to America many generations ago. On the maternal side General Jones is a great-grandson of the distinguished James Iredell, who served as one of the early associate justices of the United States Supreme Court. His mother was a daughter of James Iredell, Jr., who served as governor of North Carolina, and also represented that state in the United States Senate.
Cadwallader Jones, his father, served with distinction as colonel of the Twelfth South Carolina Regiment in the Confederate army. He was a farmer and lawyer and for thirty years held the office of circuit solicitor in North Carolina, and after moving to South Carolina he represented York County in the State Senate.
Gen. Wilie Jones spent his early boyhood days on his father's plantation near Rock Hill in York County, surrounded by the environment common to the youth of that period, but his vision was fixed upon a wider horizon than that which encompassed the farm. He pursued the curriculum of the common school, though for his success in life he has always felt a deep debt of gratitude to his mother, a gentlewoman of rare refinement and charm of manner, who supervised his early moral and intellectual training. His father was a wealthy planter and slave owner, as indeed the family had been for generations, but with the coming of the Civil war, the freeing of the slaves and the subsequent and disastrous period of reconstruction, the family fortune was swept away and it became necessary for the boy to lay aside all dreams of a college course and provide for himself. His early business experience was acquired as a clerk in a general store at Rock Hill, where he was given his board and a wage of $2.50 per week.
In 1869, when a lad of nineteen years, he came to Columbia, where he has since made his home. His first occupation in the capitol city was as a clerk in the offices of the railroad company, a position he shortly resigned to accept employment with the Carolina National Bank, and there began his career in the banking business. He. served as cashier of the Carolina National Bank for twentythree years, and also for a number of years as vice president. He later became associated with the Palmetto National Bank of Columbia, and in January, 1906, was made president, serving as such for eleven years, when he was made chairman of the board of directors, in which capacity he still continues to exercise that careful supervision and guidance of the bank's affairs which have been
potent factors in making the Palmetto National one of the sound financial institutions of the South.
While still a young man General Jones became interested in the State Militia, and he enlisted in the National Guard in 1874. For fifteen years he was captain of the Governor's Guards at Columbia, and for twelve years served as colonel of the Second South Carolina Regiment, and later became brigade commander of the South Carolina troops.
His great-grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of Virginia, served as a major on the staff of General LaFayette. His grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of North Carolina, was a midshipman after the close of the Revolutionary war and was later commissioned a captain in the United States army. He later made his home in Hillsboro, North Carolina, where he engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits, and where he conducted a large plantation, owning as many as 600 slaves. General Jones had four brothers in the Confederate army, three of whom were wounded in action. He also had three uncles, one brother of his father and two brothers of his mother, killed while serving as members of the Confederate army. There are five counties in North Carolina named in honor of his kinsmen, namely: Jones County, Iredell County, Johnstone County, Dare County and Polk County.
On June 27, 1898, he was appointed by Governor Ellerbe, colonel of the Second Regiment, South Carolina. Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to service as a part of the Second Brigade, First Division, Seventh Army Corps, United States army, under command of Major General Fitzhugh Lee. Orders having been received to proceed to Cuba, the regiment under command of Colonel Jones embarked from Savannah, January 3d, arriving at Havana without accident on the morning of January 6, 1899. Colonel Jones was the first of his command to go ashore, and he refers to this fact in his official report to the adjutant general as follows: "As I came down the long rope ladder alone the Regiment were all looking at me, and when I put my foot on Cuban soil a cheer from a thousand throats went up—It seemed loud enough to shake the old boat. I was very proud to be the first man of the Second Regiment to step on Cuban soil." The details of the career of the regiment during its service in Cuba is best told in the annals of the War Department, and reflects glory and credit upon our nation's history. An evidence of the esteem and admiration the men of the Second Regiment had for their colonel and the ties of love that had been borne of his vigilance for their comfort and welfare, is manifest through the presentation to him of a beautiful gold-mounted, embossed sword by the enlisted men of the regiment. Inscribed upon the scabboard were the words:
"Presented to Col. Wilie Jones, Second South Carolina, U. S. V. I., by the Enlisted Men of His Regiment, April I7th, 1899."
Upon his return home after the closing of the war Colonel Jones continued actively in the military affairs of his state until 1915, when he retired with the rank of major general.
General Jones has always taken, an active interest in political affairs, though not himself an office seeker. He was chairman of the Democratic State Committee from 1898 to 1912, and also served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1895. From December 1, 1901, to June 1, 1905, he was a member of the board of directors of the South Carolina, Inter-State and West Indian Exposition at Charleston. His interest in municipal affairs is indicated, in part, by his service as president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and for nearly fifty years has been a member of the time honored Masonic fraternity, haying been initiated into the mysteries of the craft in Richland Lodge No. 39 at Columbia in 1874. He is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.
On May 20, 1886, General Jones married Annie Reaux Caldwell, and to this union have been born a son and a daughter: Caldwell Jones, now a prominent and successful farmer in Lexington County, and Annie Reaux Jones, now Mrs. R. A. Childs of Columbia.
In addition to his other interests General Jones is extensively engaged in farming, and is numbered among the successful planters of the state. He owns and operates one of the largest plantations of this section—a valuable tract of land in Lexington County, just across the Congaree River from Columbia, and it is there that he finds his greatest diversion and relaxation from the more exacting cares of strenuous business. He possesses to a marked degree the vitality and vigor of his younger years, and an activity that comes to him as a heritage from his years of military training. His life has ever been an active one and his efforts have been contributing factors towards the betterment of the1 community in which he has lived.
There is, in the intensified energy of the business man fighting the every day battle of existence, but little to attract the attention of the idle observer, but to the mind fully awake to the reality and true meaning of human existence there are noble and impressive lessons in the story of the life of the man who without other means than a strong heart and a clear head conquers adversity, and who, toiling on through the years of an arduous career, approaches the sunset of life with an honorable competence and rich in the respect and1 esteem of his fellow men. The record of such men, who influence and mould events, is always interesting and instructive, and become even more so when such lives present in combined view the elements of material success harmoniously blended with completeness of moral attribute and the attraction of unblemished reputation. Such characters stand forth as the proof of human progress; the illustrations of human dignity and worth.
In point of continuous service General Jones is one of the oldest bankers in the State of South Carolina, a half century having intervened since he first entered the employ of the Carolina National Bank at Columbia. Aside from his career as a banker, his citizenship has been perhaps most noteworthy through his interest and active participation in military affairs.
General Jones was born at Hillsboro, North Carolina, October 17, 1850, a son of Cadwallader and Annie Isabella (Iredell) Jones. The Jones family is of Welsh ancestry, the progenitors having come to America many generations ago. On the maternal side General Jones is a great-grandson of the distinguished James Iredell, who served as one of the early associate justices of the United States Supreme Court. His mother was a daughter of James Iredell, Jr., who served as governor of North Carolina, and also represented that state in the United States Senate.
Cadwallader Jones, his father, served with distinction as colonel of the Twelfth South Carolina Regiment in the Confederate army. He was a farmer and lawyer and for thirty years held the office of circuit solicitor in North Carolina, and after moving to South Carolina he represented York County in the State Senate.
Gen. Wilie Jones spent his early boyhood days on his father's plantation near Rock Hill in York County, surrounded by the environment common to the youth of that period, but his vision was fixed upon a wider horizon than that which encompassed the farm. He pursued the curriculum of the common school, though for his success in life he has always felt a deep debt of gratitude to his mother, a gentlewoman of rare refinement and charm of manner, who supervised his early moral and intellectual training. His father was a wealthy planter and slave owner, as indeed the family had been for generations, but with the coming of the Civil war, the freeing of the slaves and the subsequent and disastrous period of reconstruction, the family fortune was swept away and it became necessary for the boy to lay aside all dreams of a college course and provide for himself. His early business experience was acquired as a clerk in a general store at Rock Hill, where he was given his board and a wage of $2.50 per week.
In 1869, when a lad of nineteen years, he came to Columbia, where he has since made his home. His first occupation in the capitol city was as a clerk in the offices of the railroad company, a position he shortly resigned to accept employment with the Carolina National Bank, and there began his career in the banking business. He. served as cashier of the Carolina National Bank for twentythree years, and also for a number of years as vice president. He later became associated with the Palmetto National Bank of Columbia, and in January, 1906, was made president, serving as such for eleven years, when he was made chairman of the board of directors, in which capacity he still continues to exercise that careful supervision and guidance of the bank's affairs which have been
potent factors in making the Palmetto National one of the sound financial institutions of the South.
While still a young man General Jones became interested in the State Militia, and he enlisted in the National Guard in 1874. For fifteen years he was captain of the Governor's Guards at Columbia, and for twelve years served as colonel of the Second South Carolina Regiment, and later became brigade commander of the South Carolina troops.
His great-grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of Virginia, served as a major on the staff of General LaFayette. His grandfather, Cadwallader Jones, of North Carolina, was a midshipman after the close of the Revolutionary war and was later commissioned a captain in the United States army. He later made his home in Hillsboro, North Carolina, where he engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits, and where he conducted a large plantation, owning as many as 600 slaves. General Jones had four brothers in the Confederate army, three of whom were wounded in action. He also had three uncles, one brother of his father and two brothers of his mother, killed while serving as members of the Confederate army. There are five counties in North Carolina named in honor of his kinsmen, namely: Jones County, Iredell County, Johnstone County, Dare County and Polk County.
On June 27, 1898, he was appointed by Governor Ellerbe, colonel of the Second Regiment, South Carolina. Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to service as a part of the Second Brigade, First Division, Seventh Army Corps, United States army, under command of Major General Fitzhugh Lee. Orders having been received to proceed to Cuba, the regiment under command of Colonel Jones embarked from Savannah, January 3d, arriving at Havana without accident on the morning of January 6, 1899. Colonel Jones was the first of his command to go ashore, and he refers to this fact in his official report to the adjutant general as follows: "As I came down the long rope ladder alone the Regiment were all looking at me, and when I put my foot on Cuban soil a cheer from a thousand throats went up—It seemed loud enough to shake the old boat. I was very proud to be the first man of the Second Regiment to step on Cuban soil." The details of the career of the regiment during its service in Cuba is best told in the annals of the War Department, and reflects glory and credit upon our nation's history. An evidence of the esteem and admiration the men of the Second Regiment had for their colonel and the ties of love that had been borne of his vigilance for their comfort and welfare, is manifest through the presentation to him of a beautiful gold-mounted, embossed sword by the enlisted men of the regiment. Inscribed upon the scabboard were the words:
"Presented to Col. Wilie Jones, Second South Carolina, U. S. V. I., by the Enlisted Men of His Regiment, April I7th, 1899."
Upon his return home after the closing of the war Colonel Jones continued actively in the military affairs of his state until 1915, when he retired with the rank of major general.
General Jones has always taken, an active interest in political affairs, though not himself an office seeker. He was chairman of the Democratic State Committee from 1898 to 1912, and also served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1895. From December 1, 1901, to June 1, 1905, he was a member of the board of directors of the South Carolina, Inter-State and West Indian Exposition at Charleston. His interest in municipal affairs is indicated, in part, by his service as president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and for nearly fifty years has been a member of the time honored Masonic fraternity, haying been initiated into the mysteries of the craft in Richland Lodge No. 39 at Columbia in 1874. He is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.
On May 20, 1886, General Jones married Annie Reaux Caldwell, and to this union have been born a son and a daughter: Caldwell Jones, now a prominent and successful farmer in Lexington County, and Annie Reaux Jones, now Mrs. R. A. Childs of Columbia.
In addition to his other interests General Jones is extensively engaged in farming, and is numbered among the successful planters of the state. He owns and operates one of the largest plantations of this section—a valuable tract of land in Lexington County, just across the Congaree River from Columbia, and it is there that he finds his greatest diversion and relaxation from the more exacting cares of strenuous business. He possesses to a marked degree the vitality and vigor of his younger years, and an activity that comes to him as a heritage from his years of military training. His life has ever been an active one and his efforts have been contributing factors towards the betterment of the1 community in which he has lived.
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