Author: Jones, Abner
Biography:
JONES, Abner (1772-1841: ANBO)
Founder and leader of the Christian Connection in New England, Jones was the son of Asa Jones and Dorcas (Wade) Jones, farmers and devout Separatist Baptists. He was born in Royalston MA but relocated with the family when they became the first settlers of Bridgewater VT. He had very little formal education and suffered ill health; nevertheless, when other work failed, he was able to teach school. In his spare time he studied the Bible and learnt enough about medicine to establish a successful practice in Lyndon VT in 1796. His first marriage, to Damaris Pryor (d 1836), produced at least one son. He found his vocation as an evangelist in 1800 and began the process of creating a new independent non-denominational church. The rapid growth of the sect was due partly to Jones's own tireless efforts and partly to the hymnal that he developed along with Elias Smith (q.v.). After the death of his first wife, he married Nancy F. Clark in 1839 and retired to Exeter NH, where he died a year later. Jones published a memoir of his life and travels in 1807; his son A. D. Jones also published a biography of his father, in 1842. (DAB; ANBO 24 June 2019) HJ