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History in a Pecan
Shell
The town was settled by Alabaman Martin William “Gobbler” Jones
in the late 1830s. Jonesville was the second of Angelina County’s four county
seats, sandwiched between Marion and Angelina (aka Homer).
It served in this capacity from 1854-1858.
Jonesville never grew and in
it’s short reign as county seat and they never got around to building a courthouse.
County offices were rented. The 1858 election that made Angelina the county seat
spelled the end of Jonesville. Ballots were said to have been burned – and the
result was given as 221 – 130. Residents fought with an opposing group from Angelina
and some 40-50 people were indicted for the fracas.
After the election
Jonesville started it’s decline – and the size of the diminished town was made
evident in September 1887 when Martin Jones, the town’s namesake and first settler,
also became the first to be buried in the town cemetery. | |
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