Finding aid for the Jones family papers

Biography of A. Willard and Christina Henry Jones

The Reverend A. Willard Jones (AWJ) and Christina Hendry Jones (CHJ) were Quaker educators who traveled to the Middle East to teach.

AWJ was born in Gibson, Iowa. He graduated from William Penn College in 1920. In 1922 he received his M.A. degree from the University of Chicago. That same year he and CHJ married.

The Joneses traveled to Palestine where AWJ was head of the Friends Boys School in Ramallah. During the 1930s, the Joneses served in the historic Quaker School of Westtown near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1952 they again went to the Middle East, leading the Near East Christian Council on refugee work, an organization of churches distributing world service funds and clothing for the thousands of displaced people.

The Joneses moved back to the United States and settled in Waverly, Ohio and were employed as expert speakers on the refugee situation in Palestine. In 1963 AWJ received the Order of Independence from His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan for his educational and relief work in that country. AWJ died on May 29, 1973.

CHJ was born in Greenock, Scotland on November 8, 1896. She immigrated to the United States in 1914 with her uncle, and graduated from William Penn College in 1921. While with AWJ in the Middle East, she taught History and English at the Boys School in Ramallah. She served variously as secretary, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Near East Christian Council Committee for refugee work from 1952 until her retirement in 1962. After moving to Waverly, Ohio, she began to write about her experiences in Palestine. She is the author of "American Friends in World Missions," "The Untempered Wind," and "Friends in Palestine." CHJ died on March 25, 1984.

Scope and Content

The Jones family papers span from 1939 to 1981 and document the lives of Christina Hendry Jones (CHJ) and A. Willard Jones. The collection includes a series of diaries kept by CHJ; correspondence; manuscripts of CHJ's published works; publications regarding affairs between the Jews and Palestinians in the Middle East; newspaper clippings; photographs; and an oral interview with Edwin M. Wright. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by author or recipient.

Statement of Arrangement

Subject Terms

The following terms have been used to describe this collection.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

Researchers are requested to cite collection name, collection number, and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio in all footnotes and bibliographical references.

Other Finding Aid

A paper copy of the folder list is available.