William U. B. Jones, a prominent farmer of Colfax Township, was born in Philadelphia, Loudon Co., Tenn., September 19, 1836. (At this time Philadelphia belonged to Monroe County.) He is the eldest of seven children born to Jesse F. and Clarsie H. (Cleveland) Jones. They were of English-Welsh and English descent, and natives of Bedford and Monroe Counties, Tenn., respectively. After their marriage in 1832 they settled in Philadelphia, where the father engaged in the mercantile business about fifteen years. In 1840 they removed to Bradley County, and located on a farm near Charleston, but fifteen years later removed back to Monroe County, and settled in Sweetwater Valley, and continued to till the soil until their deaths, the father's occurring on December 31, 1868, in his sixty-second year, and the mother's in 1874, in her sixtieth year. Mr. Jones' ancestors, on both sides, came from North Carolina to Tennessee at an early date, and his maternal grandfather, Eli Cleveland, was an eminent Baptist minister. The subject of this sketch remained on the farm until his sixteenth year, and received a good academic education. In 1852 he accepted a position in R. R. Cleveland's general store at Philadelphia. In February, 1862, he went to Kentucky, and enlisted in the Federal army, in Company A, Fifth Tennessee Regiment of Infantry, as sergeant-major. One year later he was made first lieutenant of Company I, of the same regiment, in which capacity he served through the remainder of the war. He was discharged in May, 1865, at Nashville. Returuing home, he, in partnership with R. R. Cleveland, established a general store. Mr. Cleveland died in 1868, and Mr. Jones closed out the business and opened another store with E. C. Jones, and continued the business until 1870, when he conducted the business himself until 1872. In the spring of 1879 he immigrated to Missouri, and was soon engaged in farming where he now resides. He owns a fine farm of 400 acres. On November 26, 1868, he wedded Miss Martha E. Blair, an excellent lady, who was born in what is now Loudon County, May 25, 1841. They have two children: Jesse B. and Bettie F. Mr. Jones is a Republican. He and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church.
Source: History of Andrew and DeKalb Counties, Missouri (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1888), pp. 568-569.