Joseph T Jones

After the war

On 7 October 1864, he applied unsuccessfully for a pension (19).

After recuperating from his foot wounds for months, in his mother's house in Philadelphia, he was able to walk with crutches (26).

He spent 1865 and 1866 in western Pennsylvania, drilling oil wells in the Cherry Run district above Rouseville (26). His first twelve wells were dry, which left him indebted to Rouseville banks for $6,000 (26). Fortunately, his thirteenth well was successfull (26). (He drilled this in 1867 on the Shaw Farm, on a hill overlooking Cherry Run and Oil Creek (26).) He sold the crude oil that winter for $90,000, paid his debts, purchased more leases, and drilled more successful wells (26).

In November 1872, he extended his operations into Clarion County, in Salem and Perry townships (26). He built a pipeline to transport his crude oil from Clarion County to nearby railheads (26). In 1877, he merged with Standard Oil's United Pipe Lines (26).

On 15 October 1876, he married Lou Blakmar, of Venango County, Pennsylvania (27 (Lou Blackmar), 28, 30 (Melodia E Blackmarr), 33 [35 years in 1910]). They had two children (28, 33):

• Joseph Albert Jones
• Grace Jones

On 20 April 1876, he and three others established the Bradfield Oil Company (26). They had drilled more than 300 wells by 1879 (26). In 1879, Jones bought out his partners, who were frightened by the lack of storage and a sharp decline in price (26).

In 1880, he was living in a hotel on Mechanic Street, Bradford City, McKean County, Pennsylvania (31). He was living with his wife Elizabeth and son Albert (31). He was an oil producer (31).

In 1883, he had 584 wells in production in the Bradfield Field (26).

Politically, he was a Republican (30). In 1888, he was appointed a Presidential elector, from Pennsylvania (30).

In 1890, he was living in Bradford, McKean County, Pennsylvania 9#2).

In the 1890's, he invested in West Virginia (26).

He moved to Buffalo, Erie County, New York, in 1893 (27). He was president of the Niagara Gorge Railroad company (27).

In 1895, he and three others formed a partnership to develop a timber company in Mississippi (26). They finished a railroad from Jackson to the Gulf Coast, dredged a channel to deep water, created the harbor of Gulfport, and developed the city of Gulfport (26). Jones bought out his partners in March 1901 (26).

He lived partly in Buffalo, New York, and partly in the Great Southern Hotel in Gulfport, Mississippi (26).

In 1900, he was living at 1192 Delaware [?] Avenue, Buffalo, Erie County, New York (28). He was living with his wife Melodia B, children Joseph and Grace, and a servant (28). He was an oil producer (28).

In 1910, he was living in Buffalo, Erie County, New York (33). He was living with his wife Melodia and daughter Grace (33). He was living on his own income (33).

His son Joseph Albert died on 25 December 1911 (30).

He died in December 1916, at his home, 267 North Street, Buffalo, Erie County, New York (26, 27). He was buried in the Jones Mausoleum, in Forest Lawn (27).

His wife died on 11 March 1931 (30).