William Schooler Jones was born in 1818, most likely in or near Greenup County, Kentucky, during a time when much of the United States was still expanding westward.
He later moved west to Missouri, which served as a primary launching point for early emigrants traveling the Oregon Trail. Like many families of his generation, this move placed him on the edge of the American frontier just before the great westward migrations began.
In 1846, William S. Jones made the journey west to Oregon along the Oregon Trail, traveling by covered wagon from Missouri.
He did not make this journey alone.
With him was his wife, Emaranda Sarah Kimsey Jones, whom he had married in Missouri in 1838, and their young family.
Among them was their son:
John Jackson Jones, just over one year old at the time of the journey
This places the Jones family among the earliest waves of overland emigrants, arriving in Oregon before statehood (1859) and during the formative years of settlement in the Willamette Valley.
After arriving in Oregon Territory, William S. Jones and his family settled in Lane County, near present-day Cheshire.
This region was part of the early settlement pattern tied to:
The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850
Agricultural development in the Willamette Valley
Formation of small, family-centered communities
As a pioneer settler, his life would have involved:
Clearing and working land
Establishing a homestead
Raising a large family
Participating in the early development of the region
William S. Jones and Emaranda Kimsey had a large family:
At least 10 children (5 sons and 5 daughters are documented)
This was typical of pioneer families, where:
Large households were essential for survival
Children contributed to farming and daily labor
Family networks formed the backbone of early communities
Their descendants became part of the broader network of families in the area, including connections to:
Jones
Kime
Brown
Hise
Smith
Cox
William S. Jones died in 1890 after living more than four decades in Oregon.
He is buried at what is now known as the:
Jones Pioneer Cemetery
(also called the Jones-Kime-Brown Property Cemetery)
His burial anchors the cemetery as a site of:
Early settlement history
Family legacy
Pioneer-era continuity
William S. Jones represents a specific and important generation:
Pre-statehood settlers
Oregon Trail emigrants
Foundational agricultural families
His life reflects:
The transition from eastern states → frontier settlement
The hardships and risks of overland migration
The establishment of permanent communities in Oregon
Today, his legacy continues through:
His descendants, including the caretaker of the cemetery, Alex Chase
The land his family helped settle
The cemetery where he and others were laid to rest
The preservation of the Jones Pioneer Cemetery is not only the protection of a burial site—it is the preservation of a direct link to Oregon’s earliest history and the families who shaped it.