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Rufus M. Jones papers

 Collection
Identifier: HC.MC-1130

Scope and Contents note

The collection consists of Rufus Jones’ correspondence, diaries, financial papers, manuscripts, Haverford College class notes, short talks, photographs, medals and artifacts and material relating to Jones. Correspondence from and photographs of Elizabeth Bartram Cadbury Jones, Jones’ second wife, and Mary Hoxie Jones, Jones’ daughter, is also included both in their respective series and in series related primarily to Rufus Jones, as is material related to his family and friends. Prominent topics in this collection are Rufus Jones’ teaching, his writing and editing, his religious beliefs, his efforts toward the reunification of branches within the Society of Friends, his work for various service organizations such as the American Friends Service Committee, peace issues, his friendships, and his family.

Dates

  • 1779 - 1999
  • Majority of material found within 1875 - 1952

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use note

Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the Archives with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.

Biographical/Historical note

Rufus Matthew Jones (1863-1948) was a Quaker historian, mystic, and philosopher. Born in South China, Maine, to Edwin and Mary Gifford Hoxie Jones, he taught philosophy at Haverford College between 1893 and 1934, and was involved in the Haverford Emergency Unit, American Friends Service, and Fellowship of Reconciliation, and is often attributed as having helped to unite Yearly Meetings in the United States. Jones also promoted the concept of affirmative mysticism. He was a presiding clerk of the Five Years Meeting and served on the Bryn Mawr College Board of Trustees between 1898 and 1936. and was a close collaborator of M. Carey Thomas, John Wilhelm Rowntree, William Bratihwaite, and Henry and L. Violet Hodgkin, among others.

After the United States entered the first World War in 1917, Rufus Jones investigated the concept of alternative service and helped to organize the Emergency Unit at Haverford College and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Beginning in 1935, Jones sought to help Jewish refugees, and after the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht) in Germany (November 9-10, 1938), a special refugee division of AFSC was established. Rufus M. Jones, D. Robert Yarnall, and George Walton were chosen to analyze the situation in Germany, where they met with Jewish leader Wilfred Israel and the Gestapo.

Jones was also active outside of Europe. In 1926, Jones visited with Japanese Quakers and spoke Viscount Shibusawa on Nippon-American relations. In China, he met with Wellington Koo, the Chinese Cabinet, and ex-premier W.W. Yen. In India, he met with Mahatma Gandhi. In 1932, Jones again traveled to Asia as part of the Laymen’s Foreign Mission Inquiry. The group published “Rethinking Foreign Missions” as a result of their inspections and analyses and argued that missionaries should be acquainted with the country in which they are proselytizing. In 1938, invited by South African Quakers, Jones traveled to Cape Town to meet with members of Cape Town, Johannesburg and other South African meetings, primarily discussing issues relating to race. Near the end of his life in 1948, Jones also involved himself in Israeli-Palestinian relations.

While teaching at Oakwood Seminary in 1885, Rufus Jones met Sarah Coutant, and the two married in 1888. Sarah C. Jones died of tuberculosis in 1899. Shortly after, Rufus Jones became engaged to Ellen Wood; Wood died in 1900 of typhoid fever. In 1902, Rufus Jones married Elizabeth Bartram Cadbury, who, like Sarah Coutant, was influential in shaping Jones’ thinking.

Rufus Jones had two children: Lowell Coutant Jones (1892-1903), with Sarah Coutant Jones, and Mary Hoxie Jones (1904-2003), with Elizabeth Cadbury Jones. Between 1905 and 1952, Ada Smith (ca. 1879-1957) lived with and worked for the Jones family at 2 College Circle as a nanny and house manager. Smith was born to formerly enslaved parents in Charlottesville, Virginia, and frequently appears in Jones family correspondence. Rufus Jones died on June 16, 1948, in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth “Lillie” Bartram Cadbury Jones (1871-1952) was born on August 15, 1871, in Philadelphia to Joel and Anna Kaighn (Lowry) Cadbury. She attended Bryn Mawr College between 1892 and 1893 and served as a member and chairperson of the Haverford Friends School Committee, a member of the Representative Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, the Yearly Meeting Recording Clerk, and elder and overseer of Haverford Monthly Meeting. Jones also served as treasurer of Friends School Haverford, on the board of the Young Women’s Christian Association, and as chairperson of the YWCA’s International Institute. Jones additionally contributed, often uncredited, to Rufus Jones scholarship through translating German works, correcting proofs, preparing indices, and engaging in travel and correspondence. Jones assisted her daughter Mary Hoxie in the original arrangement of the Rufus Jones papers.

Mary Hoxie Jones (1904-2003) was born on July 27, 1904 at 7 College Lane and spent much of her life at 2 College Circle. She attended the Baldwin School between 1916 and 1922 and was a member of the class of 1926 at Mount Holyoke College, where she focused on Greek and English. She served as executive secretary of the Young Friends Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting between 1927 and 1929 and began working as her father’s secretary in 1930. Between 1939 and 1951, she held a variety of positions at the American Friends Service Committee before dedicating herself to the arrangement of the Rufus Jones papers and on Cadbury and Jones genealogy. In 1962, she was named a Research Associate in Quaker Studies at Haverford College, and in 1985 she was awarded an honorary doctorate. Mary Hoxie Jones authored several histories of Quaker meetings and organizations as well as several books of poetry.

Between 1936 and 1976, Mary Hoxie Jones lived in Bryn Mawr with Frances Canby Ferris (1886-1976), principal of Haverford Friends School from 1919 to 1946.

For more information about Rufus M. Jones, see

Jones, Mary Hoxie. Rufus M. Jones. London: Friends Home Service Committee, 1955.

Vining, Elizabeth Gray. Friend of Life: The Biography of Rufus M. Jones. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, 1958.

For more information about Elizabeth Cadbury Jones and Mary Hoxie Jones, see

Crosfield. John F. A History of the Cadbury Family. Cambridge: University Press, 1985.

Extent

53 Linear Feet (123 boxes, 3 volumes, 1 tube)

Language

English

Abstract

Rufus Matthew Jones (1863-1948) was a Quaker historian, mystic, and philosopher. Born in South China, Maine, to Edwin and Mary Gifford Hoxie Jones, he taught philosophy at Haverford College between 1893 and 1934, and was involved in the Haverford Emergency Unit, American Friends Service, and Fellowship of Reconciliation, and is often attributed as having helped to unite Yearly Meetings in the United States. The collection consists of Rufus Jones’ correspondence, diaries, financial papers, manuscripts, Haverford College class notes, short talks, photographs, medals and artifacts and material relating to Jones. In addition, there are the correspondence and photographs of Elizabeth Bartram Cadbury Jones, his wife, and of Mary Hoxie Jones, his daughter. Topics of importance in this collection are Rufus Jones’ teaching, his writing and editing, his religious beliefs, his efforts toward the reunification of branches within the Society of Friends, his work for various service organizations, peace issues, his friendships and his family.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 14 series as follows. While additional creators may be present in the series related to Rufus Jones, including Elizabeth and Mary Hoxie Jones, the intertwined nature of their lives makes their work difficult to separate.

Additional information regarding the arrangement of individual series and availability of digitized materials is available in the notes of each series.

Series

  1. Correspondence of Rufus M. Jones (fully digitized)
  2. Rufus M. Jones Diaries and Datebooks (select portions digitized)
  3. Rufus M. Jones Financial Records (not digitized)
  4. Rufus M. Jones Manuscripts (select portions digitized)
  5. Rufus M. Jones Harvard Student Work (not digitized)
  6. Rufus M. Jones Teaching Notes (not digitized)
  7. Research Notes (not digitized)
  8. Rufus M. Jones Public Addresses (not yet digitized)
  9. Material Regarding Rufus M. Jones (not yet digitized)
  10. Rufus M. Jones Medals and Artifacts (not digitized)
  11. Photographs of Rufus M. Jones (not yet digitized)
  12. Elizabeth Cadbury Jones (not yet digitized)
  13. Mary Hoxie Jones (not yet digitized)
  14. Family and Friends (not yet digitized)

Custodial History note

Gifts of Mary Hoxie Jones, 1980-1998. Accession # 4097.

In 1982, the donor removed to Haverford School two folders of material of Lowell C. Jones as a student at the school.

Related Archival Materials note

See also the finding aids for collection 1009: Jones Family Papers at https://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu//repositories/5/resources/344 and for collection 1172: Jones-Cadbury Family Papers at https://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu//repositories/5/resources/579

Processing Information note

The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos in 2010.

In 2020, reboxing of the collection was begun in preparation for and in combination with digitization. Reboxing is currently complete through Series VIII.

This finding aid was revised between 2022 and 2023 to address outdated and/or harmful descriptive language. During that revision, description was changed and additional information was added in the scope and contents notes of Series I.

Title
Rufus M. Jones papers, 1860-1999
Author
Special Collections Haverford College Library
Date
2010.09.27
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project. Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos.

Revision Statements

  • 2020-2024: Rehousing and updating finding aid, David Satten-Lopez and Anna Smith
  • 2022-2023: Harmful language review, Anna Smith
  • 2023.07.06, 2024.01: Front matter revised.

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections Library

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