Dr. James L. Jones, Educator
by Bev Ogilvie

   Among old papers, I came upon yellowed clippings from three newspapers (circa 1894, from Covington, GA; Knoxville, TN and Columbia, SC) with stories about my gggrandfather, . If the hyperbole of these old tales can be believed, he was the most colorful character (so far) in my family tree. Dr. Jones and his family (including his daughter, Luna Jones, my ggrandmother) were in Covington, GA where he was the head of the Masonic Female College "for a number of years" prior to 1876. I believe they came from Thomasville, GA, originally, since that is where my ggrandmother was born (abt 1857).
     Dr. Jones left Covington to become the president of Columbia Female College in Columbia, SC. where he is credited with saving that college from financial ruin (as well as adding popular new courses such as calisthenics and telegraphy to the curriculum). He lectured widely in the south and "out west", having given 1025 great lectures around the country on a variety of subjects among them being "The Origin of the Devil", "Electricity", "The New and Unknown". He had traveled the world over, "visiting almost every place of interest, and studying the conditions of the same". He visited every world's fair held during the prior twenty-five years and "studied them closer, perhaps, than any other visitor". He was educated at Emory and Henry, and was said to be "one of the most scholarly and best informed men in the country".
     It is interesting to think back to a time before instant communication, TV or radio, when people learned about the world by reading or by listening to lectures and talks given by those who had seen a bit more of the world than they had.
     In spite of such fascinating information, I still lack almost all basic facts about James L. JONES. I would greatly appreciate hearing from your readers regarding any information they may have, including anything about the Masonic Female College. I can find no present-day reference to it. If it is defunct, does someone know where its archives are housed?

Peggy Hart Sun Apr 27 15:42:11 1997 A message to Bev Ogilvie:

Query #39, dated Wed, 12 Mar 1997, in which she asked about info re Southern Female College in Covington, Georgia, where her gggrandfather James L. Jones was located in the 1860's. The History of Newton County Georgia compiled by the Newton County Historical Society, c1988, has a very interesting history on this college, pages 110 - 117. Copies of this book, according to info in the book, may be ordered from the Newton County Historical Society, P. O. Box 1155, Covington, GA 30209. I attended elementary and high school in a building located on this site. The building has since been torn down and city govt. building erected in its place. However, there is a picture of the college in the book. You may like to make contact since you probably can add to this history. Good luck! Sincerely, ph

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