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Blacksmith, Pioneer, Civic Builder of Asbury and Northville Township
W. L. F. Jones was among the earliest settlers of the Asbury–Sandwich region and a central figure in its civic and agricultural development. Establishing his blacksmith shop at Asbury in the late 1830s, he helped anchor the small frontier settlement that would precede the rise of Sandwich itself. Over the following decades, Jones emerged not only as a skilled tradesman, but as a township leader, institutional founder, and advocate for transportation and agricultural progress.
Arriving in Illinois in 1836 and settling on Section 13 of what would become Northville Township in 1837, Jones quickly became woven into the fabric of the community. When Northville Township was organized on April 2, 1850, he was elected its first Supervisor and would serve multiple terms in that office. Contemporary accounts consistently described him as a man of energy, public spirit, and strong character.
Jones played a leading role in the agricultural life of the region. He served as President of the Sandwich Agricultural Institute and later as incorporator and President of the Union Agricultural Institute. An 1873 fair poster listing him prominently as President survives today in the collections of the Stone Mill Museum — tangible evidence of his leadership in shaping what would become one of DeKalb County’s most enduring institutions.
He was also instrumental in advocating for the location of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad through the area and bore a leading part in early efforts to secure postal and transportation advantages for the settlement.
A longtime member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a founder of Jennings Seminary, W. L. F. Jones stood at the forefront of nearly every early effort aimed at strengthening Asbury and the surrounding countryside.
He died at his home in Asbury on April 27, 1882, in the seventieth year of his age. Remembered for his scrupulous honesty and faithful discharge of public trust, W. L. F. Jones left a legacy that extended from his blacksmith forge to the civic and agricultural institutions that shaped the early Sandwich region.
Sources
History of La Salle County, Illinois. Chicago: Inter-State Publishing Company, 1886. (Biographical sketch; Northville Township records.)
Sandwich Argus, January 11, 1879. (Profile of civic leadership.)
Obituary, May 4, 1882. (Death reported April 27, 1882, at Asbury.)
Union Agricultural Institute Fair Poster, 1873. (Listing Jones as President; preserved at the Stone Mill Museum.)
C. R. Brady, “History of the Fair,” newspaper article.
Find A Grave memorial entry for W. L. F. Jones. (Gravesite image and obituary transcription.)
Related
Find-A Grave memorial, W. L. F. Jones