Metradous L. Jones

Re-typed obituary from Pine Bluff Commercial

He had only been ill one week with pneumonia

Friday Daily

Col. Met L. Jones died at 2 o'clock this morning of pneumonia age 54 years. The announcement came as a shock

to all and a surprise to many, as his illness was of such short duration that many of his friends did not

know that he was ill at all.

We extend to his bereaved family our heartfelt sympathy in their sorrow.

The following biographical sketch of Col. Jones we take from the history of Eastern Arkansas:

Hon. Met L. Jones one of the leading attorneys of Jefferson County, was born in Hardeman County ,Tenn. on June 2,

1840 and is the son of Dr. William Jones of Virginia whose father Leonard Jones was also a native of the same state

and of English descent. Dr. William Jones was on of the pioneers of Hardeman county and accumulated considerable

fortune in that place. In 1862 he moved to Memphis and practiced his profession in that city until 1863 when he was

stricken with yellow fever and died at the age of 55. He was a man of great energy and a thorough student, being

one of the most scholarly men of his time and was almost entirely devoted to his profession. His wife, before her

marriage, was Miss Naomi Robertson, a daughter of Col. Charles Robertson of North Carolina who commanded a regiment

under General Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Met L. Jones (spent) his boyhood days on a farm and remained with

his parents until seventeen years old. He then attended Woodland Academy, a select institution founded by Professor Gwyen

and from there he went to Andrews College at Trenton, Tn. and remained until his nineteenth year. Upon leaving college he

went to Savannah, Tn and studied law for two years under Judge Elijah Walker and C. S. Robertson, the latter an uncle. He next moved to Hampton, Calhoun County, Ark where he practiced his profession from May 1860 to May 1861, the date of the states secession and from there went to Wilcox County, ALA where he remained until joining the Fourth Alabama Regiment and then hurried on to the battle of Manassas. He continued with the army until surrender with the exception of four months in the Trans-mississippi. (Part NOT Legible). He participated in the battles of Bull Run Manassas at the capitulation at Harper's Ferry , Seven Pines , Mechanicsville, White Oak Swamp, Chickahominy, Malvern Hill, Sharpsburg and Gettysburg. At the second battle of Manassas he was wounded in the head by a minie ball which has left a permanent indenture in the skull. He was wounded again at the battle of Malvern Hill by a bullet in his thigh which yet remains in his body. Mr. Jones first entered the army as a private , but his gallant actions in battle won for him the rank of First Lieutenant of Company J, fourth Alabama Regiment , then Major of his regiment and later on lieutenant colonel , afterward being appointed to staff duty

in the department at Henrico, Va. while at Malvern Hill he commanded a regiment and at Gettysburg his service was strictly that

of a soldier in the Army of Northern Virginia.

After the war was over he returned to Hampton and resumed his practice in Calhoun and the adjoining counties, his clientage being

one of the largest in that section of Arkansas. He remained here until January of 1870 and then in order to place better facilities

before his children in the way of social, educational and religious matters he moved to Pine Bluff, and in 1972 formed a partnership

with William M. Harrison. Two years later the latter gentleman was elected to the supreme bench which necessitated a dissolution of

the firm. In 1874 he engaged into partnership with David W. Carroll, which continued until 1878 when the latter was elected to the

office of chancellor, since which time Mr. Jones has practiced alone. He has always been at the front rank of his profession and has

in every instance relied upon his own judgment in every case he has handled and instead of committing his ***** to other lawyers

(A couple of line not legible here but extols his virtues as a lawyer).

While making law his principal business Mr. Jones has paid some attention to farming and owns several large tracts of land.

rendering him financially one of the most solid men of the state. In politics he was a democrat and a leader among his party He was

a presidential elector for Seymour and a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in St. Louis in 1876. as also at every state

convention since the war. In 1886-87 he served as a member of the House of Representatives, but it is against his nature to seek

public office being devoted to his law library and the quiet of domestic life. Mr. Jones was married to Miss Rebecca Roberts of Wilcox

County , Ala a daughter of Alfred Roberts, one of the largest planters of that state. Mrs. Jones is a member of the Presbyterian

church and an earnest and devoted Christian, while her husband not a member of any particular church is a believer in the Bible and its

teachings. four children have been born to their union: William, Stella, Nona and Met L. in whom the parents take great pride and are giving them the best education to be obtained. In secret societies Mr. Jones is a member of the I.O.O.F., Knights of Honor, Knights of The Golden Rule and Royal Arcanum.

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