Introduction
J. William Jones (25 September 1836 – 17 March 1909) was an American Southern Baptist preacher. He served as a Confederate chaplain during the American Civil War of 1861-1865. Later, he was campus minister at Washington and Lee University, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He wrote many books about the Lost Cause and Christianity.
Early life
John William Jones was born on September 25, 1836 in Louisa County, Virginia. His father was Francis William Jones and his mother, Ann Pendleton Ashby Jones. He graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1859. He then joined the first class to attend the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina.
Career
Jones became a Baptist minister at Little River Baptist Church in Louisa County, Virginia. During the American Civil War of 1861-1865, he served as a chaplain in the Confederate States Army. In his writings about the wartime chaplaincy, he recalled that Colonels often discouraged religion as they feared it might give soldiers qualms about killing the enemy, but the yeoman soldiers demanded it and saw sermons as their privilege.
After the war, Jones served as Baptist minister in Lexington, Virginia. He then served as campus minister at Washington College, later known as Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, Virginia. He then served as campus minister at his alma mater, the University of Virginia, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Jones served as secretary of the Southern Historical Society from 1875 to 1887, and as chaplain-general of the United Confederate Veterans from 1890 to 1909. He was a proponent of the Lost Cause, arguing that the Confederate States of America had been righteous in waging a holy war. He wrote an article about Lexington, Virginia entitled "The Old Virginia Town, Lexington" in the first issue of the Confederate Veteran in 1893.
Personal life
Jones married Judith Page Helm in December 1860. They had five children. Four of their sons became Baptist ministers.
Death
Jones died on March 17, 1909 in Columbus, Georgia.