THE WILLIAM JONES HOUSE
In December, 1840, William Henry Harrison was the new US president and William D. Jones married Julia Ann Mead, the daughter of Nehmiah Mead, a locally prominent Ridgefield farmer, and his wife, Anna (Bartram) Mead.
Just over a year later, in February 1842, William bought three acres of land from Robert C. Edmonds at the intersection of three roads, and built the Jones homestead, a charming Greek Revival home still standing there today.
Here, William and Julia raised their three boys — Walter, John, and William M. — with Julia’s parents nearby and her brother, Russell, raising his own family just across the way. A shoemaker by trade, William D. Jones was also a musician and played the bugle in the original Ridgefield band, founded in 1838.
Julia died in 1876 and William lived on in their home another 20 years until his death in April,1896, at around age 80. Later that year, William M. Jones and his surviving brother, Walter, sold their father’s homestead to William F. Wilkinson, a contemporary of theirs who had grown up in the same small farming community. The Wilkinsons raised their own family in the house over the next 54 years until William’s widow, Nellie, sold the house in 1950.
Since 1950 a series of families have lived here, in a house that likely looked remarkably similar to the day it was built. In the 21st century, the house was expanded with an addition designed by architect Peter Coffin that complements its architectural style.
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Holiday House Tour Administrator
Ridgefield Historical Society
4 Sunset Lane
Ridgefield, CT 06877
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