- Who was N.W.J?
- How many times was N.W.J. elected to the House of assembly?
- Did Noble Jones attend any Continental Congress meetings?
- What was N.W.J's main occupation?
"Revolutionary War in Georgia." New Georgia Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
As you may have or not have known, the American Revolution was one of the biggest revolts in American history against the British. Many famous people were involved and one of them had earned the nickname, "Morning Star of Liberty." His name was Noble Wimberly Jones and he was a leader of the Whig's group during the American Revolution.
Noble Wimberly Jones was born in the early 1720s (date unknown) in England. He came to Savannah with his mother and father (Sarah Hack Jones and Noble Jones) and his sister (Mary Jones). Noble Jones (the father) was one of the Tories during the time and was very loyal to the British. Wimberly’s father had trained him for a medical career to get him ready for government service, but what Noble Jones didn't know was that his son would be one of the leader of the Whig in one of the greatest revolutionaries of all time. So why did ole father Jones want his son to be a part of the government career? Well it was probably to keep his status high and to be rich. Jones had accumulated thousands of acres of land just like his father. All of his crops (particularly rice) contributed to his very vast wealth and he became really rich due to those crops.
In 1755, Jones married Sarah Davis and had fourteen children. The sad part about this was the fact that one of them had died. The year that he married, Jones began his political career and served in the Commons House of Assembly where he served until 1775. In 1768, Jones was elected the first Speaker of the Commons House. Jones was very active in appointing Benjamin Franklin to be the voice of Georgia to protest against Britain’s Parliament. How would they use Ben Franklin? Well they would send him to England so that he may speak on behalf of the colonies in order to repeal all of the taxes and to have Britain to break ties with the colonies. Governor James Wright saw Jones as a threat and dissolved the Commons House of Assembly many, many times. Since Jones was so important to the Georgians, they decided to re-elect him over and over again just to protest against Britain.
The Intolerable Acts of 1774 increased the resistance to the monarchy. So Jones and the other Whigs (one of the first organizations in American history to protest against the British) met in the Provincial Congress and made very little decisions except for the fact that he and two other delegates were chosen to be in the Second Continental Congress. He received very little support and did not attend in the SCC. In May 1775, Jones and a group of colonists broke into the Savannah’s royal magazine and seized about 600 pounds of gunpowder and somehow delivered it to the rebels in Boston. After doing so, the Provincial Congress met again in July 1775 and the members elected Jones to be a delegate of the Continental Congress. He had to decline because he had to care for his ill father in Savannah and instead served in the Revolutionary Council of Safety.
Jones and the Whigs took control of Georgia after the royal government had fallen in 1776. He later became a delegate of a group that made the Constitution of 1777. Jones was chosen to become the speaker for the Provincial Congress which became the Congress of Assembly. The British captured Savannah 1778 and Jones escaped to Charleston, South Carolina, but was captured in 1780 along with the town. He was imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida and was transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served there as a protégé of Dr. Benjamin Rush. Dr. Benjamin Rush was a doctor, and Jones also was trained in the medical arts and so he served as an assistant doctor and an independent doctor for Charleston. In total, Jones trained himself in the medical field for about 18 years here in Savannah from 1756 to 1774. He moved back to Savannah in 1783 and was elected yet again to be Speaker for the House of Assembly. This time, the nation quite disorderly and when he tried to quell (subdue or silence) a mob, he was wounded by a sword. Because of this, Jones went back to Charleston and worked there as a doctor for 5 years.
Jones returned to Savannah permanently in 1788 and he helped with the celebrations for welcoming George Washington into office as president in 1791. Jones also helped amend the Georgia Constitution of 1789 in 1795. This would be the last important thing he would do in his life because he pursued the medical career after this. He organized the Georgia Medical Society and became its president in 1804. Jones became increasingly ill over time and died on January 9. 1805. Many colonists mourned for this great leader of the Whigs and wrote many speeches for him in honor. He was known as one of the first colonial settlers of Georgia.
Jones and the Whigs took control of Georgia after the royal government had fallen in 1776. He later became a delegate of a group that made the Constitution of 1777. Jones was chosen to become the speaker for the Provincial Congress which became the Congress of Assembly. The British captured Savannah 1778 and Jones escaped to Charleston, South Carolina, but was captured in 1780 along with the town. He was imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida and was transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served there as a protégé of Dr. Benjamin Rush. Dr. Benjamin Rush was a doctor, and Jones also was trained in the medical arts and so he served as an assistant doctor and an independent doctor for Charleston. In total, Jones trained himself in the medical field for about 18 years here in Savannah from 1756 to 1774. He moved back to Savannah in 1783 and was elected yet again to be Speaker for the House of Assembly. This time, the nation quite disorderly and when he tried to quell (subdue or silence) a mob, he was wounded by a sword. Because of this, Jones went back to Charleston and worked there as a doctor for 5 years.
Jones returned to Savannah permanently in 1788 and he helped with the celebrations for welcoming George Washington into office as president in 1791. Jones also helped amend the Georgia Constitution of 1789 in 1795. This would be the last important thing he would do in his life because he pursued the medical career after this. He organized the Georgia Medical Society and became its president in 1804. Jones became increasingly ill over time and died on January 9. 1805. Many colonists mourned for this great leader of the Whigs and wrote many speeches for him in honor. He was known as one of the first colonial settlers of Georgia.