Marcellus Jones

Marcellus Ephraim Jones (June 5, 1830 – October 9, 1900) is reported as being the soldier who fired the first shot at the Battle of Gettysburg (1863).

He lived in Danby (now Glen Ellyn), until the American Civil War when Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers.

At that point, Jones borrowed Corporal Levi S. Shafer's carbine, aimed it with the assistance of a fence rail, and fired a shot at "an officer on a white or light gray horse.

His home, which originally stood at 504 Naperville Road, was moved a few blocks away in 1977 and still stands today at 221 East Illinois, where it serves as offices for a law firm.

He was present in Gettysburg in 1886 for the dedication of the memorial, which is composed of DuPage County limestone and still stands today on the north side of U.S. Route 30 (Chambersburg Pike) at its intersection with Knoxlyn Road.