Herbert Jones Collection
Collection Summary
| Title: | Herbert Jones Collection |
| Call Number: | MS 81-03 |
| Size: | 0.5 linear feet |
| Acquisition: | Donated by Jones' daughter Carolyn Bachelder |
| Processed By: | RMK, 9-29-1981; SMC, 5-7-1998; MN, 12-2008 |
| Note: | None |
| Restrictions: | None |
Literary Rights
Literary rights were not granted to Wichita State University. When permission is granted to examine the manuscripts, it is not an authorization to publish them. Manuscripts cannot be used for publication without regard for common law literary rights, copyright laws and the laws of libel. It is the responsibility of the researcher and his/her publisher to obtain permission to publish. Scholars and students who eventually plan to have their work published are urged to make inquiry regarding overall restrictions on publication before initial research.
Restrictions
None
Content Note
The Herbert Jones Collection consists of photographs, clippings, and memorabilia concerning the career of Herbert C. Jones, the founder of the first bus line in Wichita. Included is a diary, circa 1869, from his father, W. B. Jones.
Biography
Herbert C. Jones was born in Wichita on June 24, 1884. In 1915, while working for his father at the Jones Milling Company, Jones established the first bus line in Wichita by equipping a 1915 Ford with a wooden body that could hold up to 70 people. Jones operated the Wichita Motor Bus Company out of the Jones Milling Company at 917 East Douglas, and expanded the company to include 15 vehicles. During World War I, when the price of gasoline rose to 25 cents per gallon and tire prices rose to nearly 80 dollars each, Jones decided the venture would no longer be profitable, so he sold out to his drivers. Jones continued working at his father’s milling company and took over operation of the mill when his father died.
Always interested in mechanical objects, Jones was the inventor of an automobile compass and a lawn mower known as the “Jones Speedi-Cutter.” Both compass and lawn mower were produced at the Jones Milling Company plant, which Jones continued operating until his death on October 29, 1979. At the time of his death, Jones was Wichita’s oldest Rotarian, having joined in 1923. He was also deacon emeritus of the First Baptist Church in Wichita, where he had been a member since 1897.
Detailed Description: Box and Folder Listing
| Box 1 | FF 1 | W. B. Jones diary and account book, 1869-1870 |
| Box 1 | FF 2 | Jones Automobile Drawings |
| Box 1 | FF 3 | Jones Seed and Milling moving notice |
| Box 1 | FF 4 | Clippings |
| Box 1 | FF 5 | Photographs of Jones auto compass |
| Box 1 | FF 6 | Photographs of Jones Milling Company, 917 East Douglas |
| Box 1 | FF 7 | Photographs of Jones Milling Number 2 |
| Box 1 | FF 8 | Photographs of W. B. Jones and Family |
| Box 1 | FF 9 | Photographs of Kleinsmith and Jones Mill |
| Box 1 | FF 10 | Photographs of Wichita Motor Bus Company |
| Box 1 | FF 11 | Unidentified Photographs |
| Box 1 | FF 12 | Jones Kracked Wheat cereal bag |
| Box 1 | FF 13 | Wichita Motor Bus Company tickets |