He funded construction of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad in Mississippi, co-founded the City of Gulfport and developed its seaport.

[2] In 1861, at age 19, Jones enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was assigned to Company H, 91st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.

[3] Although crippled from war wounds, Jones used his war-time savings and bank loans to begin drilling for oil in western Pennsylvania in 1865.

Through mutual friends, Jones heard of a potential investment in a railroad venture in south Mississippi, which included 63,000 acres (25,500 hectares) of southern yellow pines that were ready for harvest.

[2] Although Jones' family resided in Buffalo, New York,[6] he spent much of his time in south Mississippi overseeing his investments in the railroad, timber, and shipping.

On January 18, 1942, a life-sized bronze statue, atop a granite monument, was dedicated in Gulfport to "the city's greatest benefactor".