 |
| Jones
Timeline
1817
- Sarah Jones, Anson's mother, dies
1819
- Spain cedes Florida to the United States, retains
ownership of Texas
1820
- Receives medical license and opens practice in Bainbridge,
New York
1821
- Mexican independence
1822
- Stephen F. Austin founds first American colony in
Texas
1824
- Moves to Venezuela and opens medical practice in
Caracas
1827
- Earns medical degree from Jefferson Medical College
in Philadelphia
July-October
1832 - Cholera epidemic kills 900 in Philadelphia
October
1832 - Moves to New Orleans to enter merchantile business
1832-33
- Epidemics of cholera and yellow fever kill 5000
in New Orleans
1833
- Santa Anna becomes president of Mexico
October
14, 1833 - Leaves New Orleans for Texas
|
|
|
Anson Jones
Young Doctor Jones
In his
1849 memoir, Jones recalled the decision to go to
Texas, a land of "pirates and banditti,"
and how it changed his life. |
Sarah Jones, Anson's mother, died
when Jones was 19. Shortly thereafter, the family splintered.
Jones was unsure what he wanted to do with his life and
allowed his family to pressure him into studying medicine,
a course he later regretted. His older brothers paid for
him to apprentice with a doctor in Connecticut. He bounced
around to several doctors before finally finding a mentor
who helped him master the basics of medicine. In 1820, he
received his license to practice and opened a small office
in Bainbridge, New York. The town already had a doctor,
and Jones was unable to attract much business. He moved
to Norwich and opened a drugstore, which failed when some
of Jones's creditors seized his stock of goods to pay off
debts from his student days.
Hoping to make a new start, Jones
headed for western Virginia but was overtaken in Philadelphia
by his creditors and stripped of everything he owned, even
his watch, in order to satisfy his debts. Destitute, he
opened a medical office in a small apartment. He knew no
one in the city and was too shy to make any friends. The
business was another failure.
By 1824, Jones decided he had nothing
to lose by taking a gamble on adventure. He moved to Venezuela
and set up a medical practice in Caracas, where there were
very few physicians. For the first time in his life he had
a taste of success. His services were in demand, and he
was able to save several hundred dollars in Spanish gold,
enough to return to Philadelphia to attend Jefferson College
and receive an M.D. degree.
Jones tried to improve his life by
overcoming his shyness. He joined the Masons and the Odd
Fellows and volunteered for leadership roles. Unfortunately,
Jones had developed a new style to compensate for his old
timidity, coming on as cold and abrasive. He alienated both
prospective patients and the other men in his fraternal
organizations. In 1832, again feeling himself a failure,
he abruptly decided to abandon the medical profession. He
and another Philadelphia man went into partnership to open
a mercantile house in New Orleans.
Jones arrived in New Orleans in the
middle of two devastating epidemics of cholera and yellow
fever that had decimated the city. His troubles continued
when his business partner turned out to be a crook and skipped
town, leaving Jones in debt and facing multiple lawsuits
from the failed business.
He opened a medical office just to
make ends meet. Depressed and desperate, he found himself
gambling and drinking heavily. It was at this time that
he met Jeremiah Brown, a sea captain who commanded the Sabine,
a Texas trader. Brown told Jones that the Brazoria settlement
was in need of a physician. Jones took stock of his life.
He had $32 in cash, $50 worth of medicines, and owed $2000.
On October 14, 1833, Anson Jones dug into his pockets, counted
out the $15 fare to Texas, and sailed into the unknown.
Hidden
Talent>> |
|
