Editing Scipio Africanus Jones (section)

==Early life and education==

Jones' mother, Jemmina Jones, was enslaved by Dr. Adolphus and Carolyn Jones, who assigned her as the companion of their daughter Thresa. Jemmina was 15 years old when she gave birth to her mixed-race son Scipio. Thresa's parents died when she was 9 years old, and went to live with her uncle, Dr. Sanford Reamey taking Jemmina with her.

Jones attended black schools near his hometown. In 1883, he moved to [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] at the age of twenty and took preparatory courses at [[Philander Smith College]]. In 1885, Jones earned a [[bachelor's degree]] from [[Shorter College (Arkansas)|Shorter College]], a [[historically black]] college in [[North Little Rock, Arkansas|North Little Rock]].

Jones worked as a school teacher in Big Rock District Two from 1885 until 1887.  He was a tenant of James Lawson, a white man, a member of a pioneer family of Little Rock. At this time, Jones also befriended three prominent black business owners: Ed Wood, Sr., owner of the largest black-owned plantation in the state and the only African American on the local commodities trading floor; John Bush, a powerful black merchant and lumber yard owner; and Chester Keatts. These three initiated Jones into the [[Prince Hall Freemasonry]], a secret fraternal society of prominent African Americans who pooled resources for the ideals of liberty, equality and peace.

Jones offered to work for free as a janitor at the law offices of U.S. District Judge [[Henry Clay Caldwell|Henry C. Caldwell]], Judge T.B. Martin, and Atty. S.A. Kilgore.  While there, he began to [[Reading law|read law]] books during his free time.  He also became an apprentice under Circuit Judge Robert J. Lea. Jones passed the Arkansas Bar in 1889. When he had begun his studies, Arkansas had no law school for African-American students, and reading law in an established firm was a common way for men to study the law and prepare for the bar.