Wilson N. Jones chief of Choctaws in 1890s
By R.C.Vaughan
Continuing the short biographies of the Chiefs of the Choctaw Nation as reflected in the files of educator Dr. Aaron Dry of Madill, Okla.

Wilson N. Jones served as Chief of the Choctaws from 1890 to 1894.  He was born about 1827 in old Choctaw, Mississippi Territory.  His mother's first name is unknown, but she was from the Battiest family, which makes him of French descent.

Wilson's first wife was a daughter of Col. Pickens, a well-known Choctaw leader.  Two children were born of this marriage,
but both died young.

His second wife was Louisa LeFlore and they were the parents of Annie Bell and Willie Jones.  Willie was killed, leaving one son, Nat Jones, who committed suicide by jumping from the top of a 10-story building in Oklahoma City.

Wilson's third wife was Martha L. Risener, daughter of George and Rebecca (Bonner) Risener from Tennessee.

His fourth wife was Mrs. Bell Curtis, widowed daughter of Col. Heaston of Arkansas.  The two children of this marriage died
in infancy.

Wilson Jones attained the highest office of his people, he was the richest man in the territory, and he endowed a hospital which bears his name and is still one of the major hospitals in the region.

Although he had very little formal education, his administration as principal chief, is remembered for the strides made in education during his tenure.  Many Choctaws had been educated in schools outside the Nation.

Chief Jones insisted that Choctaw schools be run by Choctaw educators, and three new schools were established during his administration.  A boarding school for boys was established near Hartshorne and named Jones Academy.  A school for girls was founded near the capital and was called Tuska Homma Academy; and school for freedmen was established and given
the name Tuscaloosa Institute.

Also, two older schools, Armstrong Academy and Wheelock Seminary, were set aside as orphans' home and school for boys and girls, respectively.

Wilson N. Jones died January 11, 1901, at the age of 74.  He is buried near his home place in Cade Community, Bryan County, Okla.

The story of Wilson N. Jones is fascinating.  It is in a class by itself.  The short biography barely scratches the surface.  Highly successful in accumulating a fortune and climbing to the highest runs in politics in the Choctaw Nation, his family life was a succession of sorrows and disappointments.

His life story reads like fiction, in fact, some of it may be fiction, depending on the source.  For instance, his son Willie W. Jones, by his second wife, Louisa LeFlore, was shot and killed in a drinking party on a sandbar in the Red River in 1888.  WNJ had a steel-paneled jail built in which he intended to have the killer held for trial, but the culprit had departed to Arkansas and was never caught.  Willie himself was said to have killed several men.


Willie left a son, Wilson Nathan Jones, called "Nat," who survived him.  WNJ moved his residence to Sherman in 1894, having bought a substantial two-story house on North Crockett Street.  On Sept. 19, 1900, WNJ signed his last will and testament in which he stated, "I wish my body to be buried in the cemetery in the city of Sherman, and I provide that a monument of such design and character as my executors may designate and select shall be placed on the lot where my body is interred, such monument to cost about the sum of $3,500."  He provided for a trust fund devoted to the care and keeping of the burial lot and requested, "It is my wish ... that my wife and my grandson, Nat Jones, shall be buried in the same lot where I am buried."

WNJ died June 11, 1901, nine months after signing his last will, without any indication that he had changed his mind. 
Someone probably knows why he wasn't buried in Sherman as he requested, but I don't.

With lengthy provisions in his will, WNJ went to extremes in providing incentives for his grandson Nat to become the principal heir.  Nat died in 1916 at the age of 29, one year longer than his father Willie had lived, after living a short dissolute, wasteful and extravagant life.  Nat was eventually placed in an asylum in Oklahoma, where he jumped, fell or was pushed (take your pick) from the ninth floor of the building.

In the eighth paragraph of his long will, WNJ said, "If my said grandson (Nat) shall marry and shall die, leaving issue surviving him, then I will that all my estate which has not been delivered to him, shall go to such issue."

As a last resort, the ninth paragraph provided, "If my grandson (Nat) shall died without leaving legitimate issue surviving him ... I provide as follows: (1) All ... my estate and property which shall not have passed to ... my grandson, shall be a trust fund for the establishment and maintenance of a hospital in the city of Sherman, Grayson County, state of Texas, to be known as the Wilson N. Jones Hospital.

In 1919 a lawsuit was tried in the 15th District Court in Sherman styled "C.B.Dorchester et al vs. Unknown Heirs of Wilson N. Jones,: with Judge Silas Hare Jr. presiding, "The jury found (1) that the funds remaining in the Wilson N. Jones estate was sufficient to establish and maintain a hospital in the city of Sherman, and (2) that Wilson N. Jones, at the time of his death on June 11, 1901, had his residence and domicile in Texas.

The case was appealed and affirmed by the appellate court.  The WNJ estate was finally settled, and in 1928, the trustees purchased the Sherman Hospital from Dr. E. J. Neathery and renamed it "The Wilson N. Jones Hospital."

Financially Successful, Wilson N. Jones led tragic life
By R.C.Vaughan

It seems that Wilson N. Jones, with little or no formal education, was blessed by his good angel with an uncanny ability for making money in the business world.

On the other hand, if we were superstitious we might conclude that his dark angel, in order to balance the scales, had called down a curse upon his family life.

Wilson Jones was married three times, plus a probable "trial marriage," which appears to have been legal under Choctaw law.

In an article published in the Daily Oklahoman in May 1935, the author, W.B.Morrison wrote: "The later years of Jones' life
were darkened by family troubles.

"Indeed, tragedy seemed to beset his private life almost from the beginning.  In early youth, he married a daughter of Colonel Pickens, the will-known Chickasaw leader.  Two children were born, both of whom died young, followed by their mother.

"In 1856, he married Louisa LeFlore, granddaughter of Thomas Leflore, district chief and kinsman of Greenwood LeFlore of Mississippi.  To this union four children were born, two of whom, a son, W.W. (Willie Jones, and a beautiful daughter, Annie, grew to maturity.  The latter died in her senior year in college.

"Willie Jones received the best of educational opportunities but ... developed bad habits ... While returning from ... with a crowd of revelers, he was shot and his body found stiff in death on the banks of the Red River.

A pamphlet entitled "Wilson N. Jones and His Hospital" (author's name and date not shown in my copy) contains this interesting information:

"All lands of the Choctaw Nation were held in common by the tribe, but any of its citizens had the right to fence the land surrounding his home for pasture and fields, provided he didn't infringe upon another's fences.

"A citizen could sell his home, barns, fences, etc., to another Choctaw, but he could not see the land since he didn't own it."

"In this way, Wilson (Jones) built up control of an estate of over 17,000 acres, 600 of them under cultivation and the rest in pasture.  On that land he raised 5,000 head of cattle and as many as 300 horses, an inventory which made him one of the largest cattlemen in the Territory.

"Even after the land law was changed in 1883, restricting an individual's fenced holding to 1,000 acres, Jones still kept his 27 square miles of land, since the law was not retroactive."
His ranch headquarters were near Cade (in Bryan County) and his son Willie (1860-1888) was his foreman.  A heavy drinker, Willie had a nasty temper and was involved in more than one killing.

"Several of Wilson's business rivals met their fates at Willie's hands but he was never tried, a fact which most people attribute to his father's political and financial pull ... Willie was shot to death on a sandbar on the Red River after a drunken brawl.

"Willie's son, Nat, then became (Wilson) Jones' heir, since he never acknowledged as his son.  Jackson (Jackey), born of his "trial marriage."

(Note in paragraph "Fourth" of his will, Wilson Jones made this magnanimous bequest: "To my friend, Jackey Jones; of the  Choctaw Nation in the Indian T territory, I give the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Dollars in cash and any notes he may be owing to me at the time of my death."

It would be helpful if we could locate a copy of the Choctaw "Trial Marriage" law, describing the qualifications for entering
into such a relationship, the "do's and don'ts."  How did it become a full-blown marriage?  What were the conditions for withdrawal from the "Trial Marriage"?  What if the trial wife became pregnant?  Did the trial husband have the right to
withdraw from the marriage if he believed the child wasn't his?

Willie Jones' mother, Louisa LeFlore, died in 1864.  When Wilson Jones' son died, Willie's son Nat became Wilson's heir. 
From "Wilson N. Jones and His Hospital", we learn" "Unfortunately, Nat inherited Willie's wild and abusive character.

"He (Nat) repeatedly ran away from school, developed serious chemical abuse problems, and very nearly spent all of Wilson N. Jones' fortune on the proverbial wine, women and song.

"Nat was eventually placed in an Oklahoma asylum, only to die at the age of 29 after jumping - or being pushed - from the building's ninth floor.

"Several women came forth after his death, claiming to be Nat's wife and the mother of his child, but all their claims were set aside."

Several years after his wife, Louisa, the grandmother of Nat Jones, died, Wilson N. Jones married his third wife, Eliza Belle,
a widow.  Two children were born to Wilson and Eliza, but both died in infancy.

It is doubtful that Wilson Jones consulted his wife Eliza before approving the final draft of his will and signing it.  Don't you think that in Wilson's mind all the property was his and she had no right to any of it?

He did "take care of her" in his will:

"Fifth: I will and provide that my wife, Eliza Belle Jones, shall have the use of our residence lot in Sherman, Texas, during
the term of her natural life, but that my grandson Nat Jones shall have the right of using it in connection with her.

"I provide that my executors shall pay all taxes on said property and shall also pay all insurance premiums on the same, and make all necessary and proper repairs on the same, so that my wife shall have the use of the same free of expense.

"I, further, provide that my said executors shall pay to my said wife during the term of her natural life the sum of one thousand dollars per yearly ..."

Of course, Wilson Jones didn't write his will.  No doubt he and his lawyer had several sessions together, with the lawyer's secretary taking dictation, writing and revising, before the final draft was written and signed by the testator Wilson N. Jones and the witnesses, F.A.Batsell, S.W.Porter and P.R.Markham.

Wilson Jones in his will bequeathed to his only grandson Nat Jones, with obvious apprehension, the lion's share of his estate.  Born in 1887, Nat was about 14 when Wilson died in 1901.  Having suffered through his son Willie's wild, reckless, undisciplined and short life (he was 28 when killed), Wilson no doubt looked for and found similar traits in Willie's son Nat.

This must have prompted Wilson to include the unusual provisions in his will postponing the delivery of the major portion of his estate until Nat's 30th birthday.

Nat died tragically in 1916.  He was 29.

More about the saga of Wilson N. Jones:

In the presence of witnesses E. A. Batsell, S. W. Porter, and P. R. Markham, Wilson N. Jones signed his lengthy will on the
13th day of September in the year 1900.

He died June 11, 1901, nine months after he signed his last will and testament.  According to an article by Bill Miller in the Durant Daily Democrat (no date on my copy), "Jones retired to Sherman after his last term as principal chief expired in 1894."

Evidently he and his family lived the remaining seven years of his life in the house in the 400 block North Crockett Street in Sherman which he had acquired from Judge T. J. Brown.

Much has been written about the colorful and eventful life of Wilson N. Jones.  According to the Miller article, "Jones estate was valued at $250,000 when he died."

In paragraph Fourth of his will, Jones bequeathed "To my friend, Jackey Jones, of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory ... the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and any notes he may be owing to me at the time of my death."

The Miller article raises the question: "Was it because Jones and Jackey's mother were divorced and she remarried that Jackey benefited little from the will ...?"

Miller wrote:  "Jackey's descendants are the ones who still bear Jones' name.  A grandson, Wilson N. Jones II, lived near
Silo, Okla.  A great-grandson, Wilson N. Jones III, was an attorney in Durant before moving to Tulsa.

In referring to the report that "Nat, another Jones grandson, who became heir to the estate, reportedly fell to his death in
1916 from the ninth floor of an Oklahoma City hotel ...” Miller quotes a 1975 article by Andrews Phillips in True West Magazine declaring that " ... the Jones family never accepted that verdict and claimed Nat was thrown from the window.  His fingernails, they said, showed he had fought for his life by grasping the edge of the window."

In his will, Wilson N. Jones appointed C. B. Dorchester, D. E. (David) Bryant and F. C. (Frank) Dillard, of Grayson County Texas, and his nephew Tom Griggs of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory, executors of his will, without bond.

Wilson Jones also provided in his will that "my nephew, Tom Griggs, of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory shall be appointed guardian of the person of my grandson Nat Jones, without bond."

He also directed his executors to provide such sums as they deemed wise in providing full opportunities of education for his grandson Nat Jones in order that, "If he will take it,” he shall be well educated, and "shall allow him such money for personal expenses and spending money as their discretion may approve."

Further, Wilson N. Jones provided in his will that his executors, "insofar as any guardianship of the estate herein devised
and bequeathed may be necessary ... are hereby appointed guardians of the estate of my said grandson, Nat Jones, without bond."

Cautious but hopeful, Jones provided that his executors should deliver none of his estate to Nat, except money for personal expenses, until Nat became 21 years of age, at which time they were to give him $10,000.

When Nat because 24 years of age, he should be given $25,000.

No more of the estate was to be given to Nat until he became 30 years of age, when all of the estate, remaining should be delivered to him; however, "such residue may be delivered to him at any time after he shall become twenty-four years of
age if all of my executors then administering my estate shall concur in the opinion that it is wise to deliver it to him, and shall so deliver it."

William W. (Bill) Collins Jr., who has carefully read the Jones will while working on a story about the roles of Tom Randolph and other Shermanites "in the WNJ Hospital saga" gives his opinion on the "if" portion of the above paragraph:

"I have concluded that Paragraph Seven includes the most significant provision in the will" ... that such residue may be delivered to him any time after he shall become twenty-four year of age if all of my executors ... shall concur in the opinion that it is wise ..."

The word 'all' is particularly important to the history of WNJ Hospital.  If all of the executors had concurred in the wisdom, the provisions pertaining to the hospital would have been meaningless.

"... Jones obviously intended for the residue of his estate to go to his grandson at age 30, regardless of character, and he probably expected all executors to concur in the opinion that it would be wise for Nat to receive the residue after becoming
24 years old.

"He was wrong.  From undocumented family stories, I suspect that Tom Randolph exercised conservable influence on the other executors."

***
Some dates that might prove helpful"
1888 - Wilson's son Willie was killed on Red River, age 28.
1890 - Wilson's first two-year term as principal chief of the Choctaws began.
1894 - Wilson completed his second term as principal chief.
1894 - Wilson bought the Brown house in the 400 block North Crockett Street in Sherman.
1898 - Wilson ran (unsuccessfully) for the last time for the office of principal chief of the Choctaws.
1900 - Wilson N. Jones signed his last will and testament on September 19th.
1907 - The Indian Territory became the state of Oklahoma.
1910 - U.S. District Judge David E. Bryant, one of Jones' executors, died.
1916 - Wilson's grandson Nat died.
1918 - Tom Randolph died, leaving C. B. Dorchester as the only remaining executor of Jones' will (attorney Frank Dillard and Jones' nephew Tom Griggs had declined to serve as executors).
1928 - Estate finally settled.  Trustees purchased the Sherman Hospital from Dr. E. J. Neathery, renamed it The Wilson N. Jones Hospital.

In paragraph Ninth of Jones will, he provided that if Nat died without leaving legitimate issue before all of the estate had been delivered to him, there should be:
" ... a trust fund for the establishment and maintenance of a hospital in the City of Sherman, Grayson County, Texas, to be known as "The Wilson N. Jones Hospital' and I hereby will and provide that the said estate and property shall pass to and vest in Tom Randolph, C. B. Dorchester, D. E. Bryant, J. H. Strother and J. G. Davis of Sherman, Grayson County, Texas, and Tom Griggs of the Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory, and to the survivors of them who may be living at the time the trust becomes effective as trustees of said fund, and to them or said survivors of them such estate and property is devised and bequeathed.

"Said Hospital, as aforesaid, shall be established in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas, and be named as foresaid.  It shall be
a hospital established and maintained primarily for the benefit of said City of Sherman, and its citizens, and which the sick
and wounded of said city shall receive surgical and medical aid and attention and proper food, care and nursing, but to said hospital may also be admitted the sick and wounded from other parts of Texas and the Indian Territory.

"Such sick and wounded as may be admitted to said hospital as may be indigent, which is to be determined by the managing board of the hospital, shall received the attention and care of same without charge.

"Where persons who are not indigent are admitted to said hospital, such charges as are just and proper to be determined by the managing board, may be made, but they shall be only such as are reasonable ...

"So much of said hospital fund as the trustees may determine upon or the corporation which may succeed them ... shall be used in the purchase of a lot and in the purchase of a building thereon, or in the erection of a building thereon.  The remainder of the same shall be devoted to the maintenance of the hospital."