William Jones, born in 1803 in the Indiana Territory, moved to Spencer County after the death of his first wife and their children, opened a general store, remarried, and became a successful merchant whose business helped move farmers' produce to markets along the Ohio River and in New Orleans. In 1827 he built a log cabin across the road, and in 1834 he built the brick home that reflected his prosperity, with his store and barn nearby on a regional high point. A community grew around the Jones General Store, with a school house, doctor's office, several log cabins, and Jones serving as Jonesboro's first postmaster. Abraham Lincoln worked in Jones's store unpacking boxes, butchering hogs, and packing meat in barrels, and Jones shared his political views with him; later Lincoln, then an Illinois politician, spent the night there and gave a speech for the Whig Party. Jones was active in politics, helping in the campaigns of others and winning election to the General Assembly in 1838, 1838, and 1843. In his sixties he enlisted in the Civil War and was killed near Atlanta on July 22, 1864, after being wounded in battle while commanding the 33rd Indiana Volunteers.