Evan Jones, born in 1788 in Wales, embarked on a remarkable journey that would see him become one of the most dedicated missionaries to the Cherokee people.
Initially a Methodist, Jones worked as a draper in Wales before marrying Elizabeth Lanigan and emigrating to the United States in 1821, arriving in Philadelphia.
Soon after, Jones converted to the Baptist faith and became a missionary under the Baptist Foreign Mission Board. Sent to work among the Cherokees in North Carolina, he quickly learned to speak and write in the Cherokee language.
He taught at the Valley Town Baptist Mission and became an itinerant preacher. His pupils included notable figures such as Jesse Bushyhead, a future Cherokee missionary, and Lewis Downing, a future chief of the Cherokee tribe.
Tragedy struck when Jones's wife, Elizabeth, died on February 5, 1831, at Valley Town. Jones remarried Pauline Cunningham, and despite facing accusations of adultery and murder, he was acquitted in both civil and church trials.
Jones's resilience saw him continue his mission work among the Cherokees, who initially resisted his teachings but gradually came to respect him.
Jones vehemently opposed the U.S. government's forced removal of the Cherokees from their ancestral lands, known as the Trail of Tears. Unable to prevent their expulsion, he volunteered to lead a group of 1,033 Cherokees to Indian Territory in 1838. Despite the harrowing journey, Jones persevered, reestablishing the Baptist Mission school near present-day Westville in Adair County.
In Indian Territory, Jones continued his missionary work, publishing a monthly newspaper, the Cherokee Messenger, in both Cherokee and English.
He and his son, John Buttrick Jones, who joined him in 1855, also helped organize the anti-slavery Keetoowah Society. The Society's efforts to elect anti-slavery candidates and maintain Cherokee neutrality during the Civil War highlighted Jones's commitment to justice and equality.
The Civil War brought challenges, forcing Jones and his son to temporarily flee due to pro-slavery vigilantes. However, they returned to the Cherokee Nation after the war, rebuilding their mission and supporting full-blood Cherokees in tribal politics.
Evan Jones retired from mission work in 1870 and passed away on August 18, 1872. His legacy as a dedicated missionary and advocate for the Cherokees is commemorated by the American Baptist Magazine, which noted his scholarly attainments and deep connection with the Cherokee people
. Jones's final years were spent in Chetopa, Kansas, with his daughter, until his death from natural causes during a visit to his son in Tahlequah.
Both Evan and Pauline Jones are buried in Tahlequah in the Tahlequah Cemetery.
