Gabriel Jones (May 17, 1724 – October 1806) was an 18th-century Welsh American lawyer, legislator, court clerk and civil servant in the colony (and later U.S. state) of Virginia.
Jones attended Christ's Hospital (one of England's "Bluecoat Schools"), after which he served as an indentured apprentice studying jurisprudence under a solicitor in the Court of Chancery and of Lyon's Inn in Middlesex. At the age of 21, Jones was admitted to practice law following the completion of his apprenticeship. He was persuaded by either Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, the landowner of the Northern Neck Proprietary, or his relative Hugh Mercer to return to Virginia, where he engaged in the practice of law.
Jones served as Clerk of Court for Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia) for a tenure lasting 25 years (1757–1782) and represented Frederick, Hampshire, and Augusta counties as a member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia. In addition, Jones also served as the King's Attorney for Augusta County and as the coroner for Frederick County. He was elected to represent Virginia at the Continental Congress but did not attend, and was elected to represent Rockingham County in the Virginia Ratifying Convention. Jones was an uncle of American pioneer John Gabriel Jones (1752–1776), and he was a friend of both George Washington and Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron.
Early life and education
Gabriel Jones was born on May 17, 1724, approximately from Williamsburg, in York County, Colony of Virginia. He was a son of John and Elizabeth Jones, who had arrived in Virginia several years earlier from Montgomeryshire in northern Wales, Great Britain, where Jones's family was of noble descent. Jones's father was a weaver. Jones's elder sister Elizabeth was born on August 13, 1721, at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, and his younger brother John was born on June 12, 1725, at the same location as Jones.
According to Jones family tradition, Jones's father lost a significant amount of his wealth while in Virginia, which brought about his family's return to England in 1727. Jones's father's death prior to 1727 also precipitated the family's move, and following their relocation to England, Elizabeth raised Jones and his siblings in London where she had Jones's sister baptized at St Giles in the Fields on February 20, 1727.
In April 1732, Jones was granted admission to Christ's Hospital (one of England's "Bluecoat Schools") in London following his presentation by Thomas Sandford. Jones attended Christ's Hospital for seven years. On April 12, 1739, he was discharged from the institution by his mother and John Houghton, a solicitor in the Court of Chancery and of Lyon's Inn in Middlesex. Despite its noble origins, Jones's family was of limited means, and he served as an indentured apprentice studying jurisprudence under Houghton's charge for a term of six years until 1745. At the age of 21, Jones was admitted to practice law following the completion of his apprenticeship.
Political career
Return to Virginia
Following his admission to the bar and the death of his mother in 1745, Jones was persuaded by either Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, the landowner of the Northern Neck Proprietary, or his relative Hugh Mercer to return to Virginia. Once he was "free of his indentures" and had "attained his majority", Jones secured his return to Virginia. He settled first in Fredericksburg and later relocated to Frederick County, after which on March 1, 1747, he acquired a tract of land along Opequon Creek near present-day Kernstown, where he resided for several years. Upon settling in Frederick County, Jones became the private secretary to Lord Fairfax.
House of Burgesses tenures
Jones was appointed to serve as the first King's Attorney for Augusta County around April 1746, at the age of 22. The county's court recommended Jones to the position, citing him "as a fit person to transact His Majesty's affairs in this county". Jones continued to reside in Frederick County while performing the duties of King's Attorney in Augusta County. When the first appointed justices of Augusta County assembled on December 9, 1745, the body qualified Jones to practice as an "attorney-at-law" in the county. He was the first lawyer to reside within the then-boundaries of Augusta County. Jones served in that position for two years until his election to represent Frederick County as a member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia in 1748, and he was subsequently re-elected to his seat for the 1749 legislative session. From 1748 to 1750, Jones represented Frederick County alongside George Fairfax.