Talk:John Paul Jones

Jones surname
In my American history textbook decades ago and in the 1959 feature film “John Paul Jones,” it is stated that he added the Jones surname to avoid apprehension and trial for killing a mutinous sailor. That would seem to be the popular explanation that would need reliable sourcing for refutation. Readers would expect coverage of the received explanation, even if scholarship has other explanations. The section here about his name change is full of ill-sourced speculation and family legend: “About this time, John Paul assumed the surname of Jones (in addition to his original surname). There is a long-held tradition in the state of North Carolina that John Paul adopted the name "Jones" in honor of Willie Jones of Halifax, North Carolina.[9][10] Another source Lillie Thomas High states her grandfather said she was born in the room that John Paul stayed in while he had typhoid fever. The home "Mount Gallant" had belonged to Brigadier General Allen Jones and the family had cared for John Paul Jones. Willie Jones found John Paul and took him to his brother Allen's house. John Paul would have been killed if the British found him. ” I propose adding the traditional explanation, sourced to RS and removing the legend of Lillie Thomas High, based only on ‘Gramps told her.’ This is sourced only to a family's genealogy website, which says "She stated to my Grandfather she was born in the same room that John Paul Jones stayed in while he was at Mount Gallant.He suffered typhoid fever.During the stay he added Jone's to his name,from the Jone's ,who helped him." The person who says "She stated to my Grandfather.." is not identified.. Falls so far short of RS that I will go ahead and remove it.Edison (talk) 12:27, 6 October 2020 (UTC)

Hi 2600:8807:5C0A:900:7DC9:76FC:1C01:B017 (talk) 23:10, 8 January 2024 (UTC)