Jocelyn Jones Arnold speaks about the service and legacy of her fourth great grandfather Jethro Jones at the dedication of his Revolutionary America marker at Blair and Jones Roads in Blandford.
Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter
BLANDFORD — Approximately 80 people including generations of descendants, representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution, Blandford residents and officials turned out for the dedication of the Revolutionary America marker to patriot Jethro Jones on Oct. 11.
The main speaker at the dedication was Jocelyn Jones Arnold, the great-great-great-great-granddaughter of the patriot.
The marker is located at the intersection of Blair Road and Jones Road in Blandford, where Jethro Jones and his family resided from the late 1700s until his death in 1828 at the age of 95.
Among the groups represented were the Springfield Mercy Warren Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution that launched the historic marker program. Regent Margaret Superneau welcomed everyone, and said the DAR is committed to telling the stories of underrepresented patriots.
The Mercy Warren Chapter was joined by representatives from the Betty Allen Chapter in Northampton, the Contentment Chapter in Greenfield, the First Resistant Chapter in Great Barrington, the Col. Timothy Bigelow Chapter in Worcester County and the District V Director of the Massachusetts DAR.
Other participants included the Col. Henry Knox Regimental Color Guard, the American Legion Post 124 Color Guard, trumpeter Johnathon Guido of Westfield, the Winchester Square Vietnam Veterans of Springfield, the Sons of the American Revolution, Pomeroy Chapter, the Sheffield Historical Society and the Blandford Historical Society that hosted the event.
Mary Hull, registrar for the Mercy Warren Chapter whose land abuts the marker that was funded by a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the National Society of the DAR, said Jethro Jones was a skilled toolmaker whose signed woodworking planes are highly sought after at auctions, with examples of his work are on display at Colonial Williamsburg and the Smithsonian Museum.
Hull said Jones enlisted in the Continental Army at the age of 44 and served for six years, more than the average four and a half years served by African American soldiers, and eight times longer than that of other servicemen. Jones, his wife and several children are buried on a small plot that went unnoticed for many years, never receiving a marker or a flag, Hull said.
“Thanks to Blandford residents, his story came to light. The Mercy Warren Chapter is thankful to Blandford and to the Highway Department.” Hull said. She said Hull Forestlands supplied the crushed stone at the marker. “We’re proud to play a role.”
Jones Arnold, who is a member of the Independence Hall Chapter of the DAR in Philadelphia, listed the descendants of Jethro Jones who were present at the dedication, including her brother Laurence Jones, her cousins the Pipers, and members of the younger generations, great grandchildren five and six times removed. She said Jethro Jones and his wife Judy King had seven children, two of whom are buried alongside their parents in Blandford. The family hiked up Jones Road to the burial site before the commemoration.
“I stand here as a testament to Jethro Jones, but I do not stand alone,” she said, adding that she has worked hard to bring her ancestors and family members to light. She dedicated the service on Oct. 11 to the memory of Don Shepard, a former Blandford selectman who did the research on Jones Road, formerly known by a pejorative name, to find out who lived there. “Don did the research, and restored the dignity.”
The town officially changed the name of the road at a town meeting in 2000 to Jones Road, according to a post on the website of the Western Mass Hilltown Hikers, who were thanked in the program for helping to uncover the burial ground and its history.
“Standing here in Blandford today, I am filled with emotion — pride, awe, and a deep sense of connection. This place, this soil, carries the story of a man whose courage and craftsmanship helped shape a nation— my fourth great-grandfather, Jethro Jones,” Jones Arnold said.
“Jethro was a free Black man living in a time when freedom itself was fragile and uncertain. He was a master toolmaker, a man of remarkable skill and quiet strength, who chose to fight for a country that had not yet chosen him. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution — answering the same call to liberty as the men whose names we know so well — and yet, for centuries, his name was lost to history. But history has a way of whispering back to those who listen.”
“To uncover Jethro’s story was to uncover a part of America’s story — one that tells us that Black men and women were not just witnesses to the Revolution, they were builders of it. They fought, they labored, they dreamed — even when the promise of freedom was not extended to them.”
Detailing her ancestor’s service, Jones Arnold said he fought in both the French Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the Revolution he fought at the Battles of Saratoga and Monmouth and trained at Valley Forge, serving under Colonel Timothy Bigelow, leader of the 15th Massachusetts Regiment. The 15th Regiment was the last to quit the field at the Battle of Monmouth, where they fought under the command of General George Washington.
Jones Arnold then read an excerpt from “Reminiscences of the Military Life and Sufferings of Col. Timothy Bigelow” by Charles Hersey. “The conflict was now terrible indeed, and in the midst of flame, and smoke, and metal hail, Bigelow was conspicuous. The English were repulsed and driven to the woods. The Americans retake the field; night comes on; the whole American army rest on their arms through the night, that they may renew the attack with the dawn of day; day comes on, and the British army has fled, as one of their officers said by moonlight.”
“Today as we dedicate the marker, I often think about what Jethro would have thought, if he could have imagined that nearly 250 years later, his descendants would have gathered here, some still bearing his name, to speak his name aloud, surrounded by people gathered to honor him,” Jones Arnold said. ”To my fourth great-grandfather, Jethro Jones — your name lives again. Dignity and honor has been restored to your family home and resting ground. Your service is known. Your legacy endures. As your family, we want you to know that we are still here, we are still black, and we are still fighting for freedom and the American Dream.”
After she spoke, the family gathered around and unveiled the marker. Mercy Warren DAR Honorary Chapter Regent Samantha Seamans-Frizzell then read “When Great Trees Fall” by Maya Angelou.
The Col. Henry Knox Regimental Color Guard, who had marched up a little way on Jones Road, led a musket salute. Trumpeter Johnathon Guido of Westfield played Taps and Barbara Dennis, chaplain of the Mercy Warren Chapter gave the closing prayer.
A reception followed at the Blandford Historical Society on 1 North St.
