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Pledger B. Jones family papers

 Collection
Identifier: LH-0091

Scope and Contents note

This collection contains correspondence, family histories, original hymns, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other materials pertaining to the Jones, Boone, and Mitchell families.

Dates

  • 1890s-2016

Creator

Conditions Governing Access note

Open to all users; no restrictions

Conditions Governing Use note

Rights have been transferred to the University of West Georgia.

Biographical/Historical note

Pledger Bolton (P. B.) Jones was born in Yorkville on December 12, 1885 to Benjamin Cullock Jones and Majorie Elizabeth Dean Jones, the first of nine children. At the age of thirteen, P. B. began to write music and this passion would later develop into a lifelong career.

On June 5, 1910, P. B. married Trudie Vashti Boone (1881-1975), the daughter of William Bartow Boone and Elizier “Sanna” Boone Parker, and together they had five daughters. Throughout the first years of their marriage, P. B. worked as a farmer in Paulding County and started the P. B. Jones Singing School Class where he taught local children and adults using the shaped-note style technique. From 1931 to 1932, P. B. is listed as serving in the Georgia House of Representatives. By the mid-1940s, the Jones family had moved to Villa Rica in Carroll County where P. B. bought and owned the Pledger B. Jones Company, a funeral home located across Bankhead Highway from the railroad tracks. He also owned a café near the mill in Villa Rica. His café may have been located in Fullerville, the center of many textile mills and a couple miles north of Villa Rica.

At some point P. B. and Trudie moved to Dallas and then to Southwest Atlanta where he died on July 5, 1961. Throughout his life and regardless of the career he occupied, P. B. continually wrote songs. At the time of his death, he had written approximately 400 hymns and a large majority of these were published by the J. M. Henson Music Company in Atlanta, Georgia. P. B.’s wife Trudie lived in Mableton until her death in June 1975.

One of P. B. Jones’ brothers, Benjamin M. “Bennie” Jones, also served in the State Legislature as a senator. Born in 1896, Benjamin worked as a farmer and merchant in Rockmart before becoming a senator in the 1940s. Benjamin also had a special interest in timber and sold 10,000 acres of land in Paulding County to the city of Atlanta in order to build an airport. The City of Atlanta entered into an agreement with the Georgia Forestry Commission to manage the timber on the land and in order to benefit wildlife on the land they created the Paulding Forest WMA. Benjamin was married to Cora M. B. Jones and they had five children. Benjamin died on May 11, 1973

Robert Washington Mitchell was born on November 22, 1877 in Paulding County, Georgia. On November 22, 1896, he married Cynthia Harriett Turner (1879-1941) and together they had eleven children. One of their sons, Bernard “Berry” Mitchell (1918-2011) would later marry one of the daughter of P. B. Jones, Eunice Jones.

Robert Mitchell served as sheriff of Paulding County for four years, 1929-1933. During this time, his family occupied the living quarters above the Paulding County jail and Harriett cooked all the meals for the prisoners. It was reported that the prisoners were so fond of the Mitchell family that they would come back to eat meals with them even after being released from jail. While serving as sheriff, Robert was known to be lenient on those in the county who made moonshine since he claimed moonshiners were only trying to make extra money during the Depression, but he actively sought the people from Atlanta who came in to haul the moonshine.

After his tenure being sheriff was over, Robert served as Roads Commissioner for an additional twelve years. He also owned a Mule Barn where he bought and sold mules and horses to people in the community.

Robert died at the age of ninety-seven on April 22, 1975. His wife Harriett preceded him in death in 1941.

Extent

0.66 Linear feet (2 boxes and 1 OV folder)

Language

English

Overview

Family papers pertaining to the Jones, Boone, and Mitchell families who lived in Carroll and Paulding counties in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Arrangement note

Arranged alphabetically by file title.

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

Donated by Patricia Warden on April 29, 2016. Additional materials were received on May 5, 2016.

Processing Information note

Processed by Candice Larson in May 2016.

Title
Guide to the Pledger B. Jones family papers LH-0091
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Written by Candice Larson
Date
2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English

Repository Details

Part of the University of West Georgia Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Special Collections, Ingram Library
University of West Georgia
1601 Maple Street
Carrollton GA 30118-2000 United States