Peter Jones (missionary)

Peter Jones was an Ojibwe Methodist minister, translator, chief and author from Burlington Heights, Upper Canada. Jones converted to Methodism at age 21 after attending a camp-meeting with his half sister. He was elected a chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit Mission in 1829 and acted as a spokesman for the band when petitioning the colonial government and its departments. He died in 1856 at the age of 63, and is buried in Brant Falls, Ontario.

About Peter Jones (missionary) in brief

Peter Jones was an Ojibwe Methodist minister, translator, chief and author from Burlington Heights, Upper Canada. Jones converted to Methodism at age 21 after attending a camp-meeting with his half sister. He was elected a chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit Mission in 1829 and acted as a spokesman for the band when petitioning the colonial government and its departments. Jones’ health had been declining for several years before the move to New Credit, and he was unable to accompany them to an unconstructed settlement. He retired to a nearby estate outside of Brantford, Canada West, where he died in the summer of 1856. Jones was born on January 1, 1802 in Burlington Heights,. His father was Augustus Jones, an American born surveyor of Welsh descent. His mother was Tuhbenahneequay, a Mississauga woman whose band inhabited the area. While at St. Stoney Creek he lived with his Mohawk woman named Tekarihogan, and lived with the Mississauga while away from his family. Jones ended his relationship with his mother in 1802 during a feast dedicated to his maternal grandfather, Chief Kahkewāquonāby. He also had a legal wife, a woman named Sarah, who he married in 1847. Jones died in 1856 at the age of 63, and is buried in Brant Falls, Ontario. He is survived by his wife, Sarah, and his two children, John and John, who were raised by his elder brother John and his elder sister, Tuh benahne equay.

Jones is buried at the St. James’ Anglican Church in Toronto, Ontario, in a plot of land he inherited from his maternal great-great-grandfather, Midewiwin Wahbanay. His great-grandson, Chief Midewin Wahbanāby, is also buried in the same plot. Jones wrote to the Indian Department; his letter was the first the department had ever received from an Indian. This brought him into contact with Superintendent of the Indian Dept. James Givins and influential Bishop John Strachan, with whom he arranged the funding and support of the credit Mission. Jones also wrote to King William IV and Queen Victoria on the issue of title deeds for the Mississippi of Upper Canada, and petitioned the latter on the latter’s behalf. He died on August 2, 1856, at age 63. He had a son, John, and a daughter, Sarah Jones, who was born in 1836. Jones had a daughter named Sarah Jones. He wrote a book about his experiences, “The OjIBwe and the Mohawk in Canada”, published in 1852, which was published by the University of Toronto. The book was later republished as a volume of his memoirs, “Peter Jones: A Biography of a Man and His People” (1998). Jones was also the author of several other books, including “The Life of Peter Jones” (2000).

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