User:Samrajsb/sandbox

Abel Bedford Jones
Abel Bedford Jones (c.1803- c.1860) (also known as Aby B., A. Beckford/Bickford, and A.B. Jones) was a Black grocer, successful businessman, and political and spiritual leader in London, Ontario during the mid-19th century. Abel was married to Aurelia Jones and had two brothers, Albert Thomas Jones (also known as Alfred T. and A. T. Jones) and another that is unnamed.

Biography
Abel was formerly enslaved in Madison County, Kentucky alongside his brothers. Abel worked as a field hand and Albert worked for a millwright who owned a large merchant mill. Albert had saved up money and—in 1833 at 23 years old—bought his and his brother’s freedom, at which time Abel was 30 years old. Soon after the brothers arrived in Canada, they arrived in London, where they found work quickly.

Initially, Abel worked a variety of jobs, from being a barber to being an herbal dentist, to eventually opening a grocery store on 31.5 Dundas Street where he employed John Butler as a clerk and John Reeves as a labourer. Abel had a large brick home on Grey St. He also owned a building with two stores which he rented for 700-800 dollars per year, in addition to owning several lots near the train depot.

Abel arrived in Canada illiterate and taught himself how to read and write. He became a leader within the community, donating property in order to establish the Second Baptist church in London. Abel attended mixed-race services, hoping for widespread integration between White and Black populations. Abel also served as a director of an anti-slavery group with other members of his community, and he may have been involved in a resettlement program for African Americans. Abel passed away around 1860, after which his wife Aurelia moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia.