Who was Absalom Jones?

The person…the man…

The friend and co-leader that helped create the Free African Society.

The pious religious leader that would found The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas and would become known as The Reverend Mr. Absalom Jones. Or in more recent terminology, their congregation would simply call him “Father Jones.”

What do we know about him? What was he like as a person?

Absalom Jones was born November 7, 1747; twelve-and-a-half years before Richard Allen.

He was born enslaved in Delaware and was eventually brought to Philadelphia. Like Richard Allen, he eventually convinced his “owner” to release him. Unlike Richard, he didn’t have to buy his freedom, but he did continue to work as a trusted employee in his former owner’s store.

This is our first clue about his character and reputation. He was seen as reliable, trustworthy and sharp as a tack. He had a calm, diplomatic temperament that allowed him to navigate both black and white worlds. It made him indispensable to his former owner’s business and connected him to white civic leaders. It made him a trusted figure in the city.

Well before Richard Allen burst upon the scene, Absalom was a respected lay leader at St. George’s. He was a pillar of the congregation and was a community anchor in Black Philadelphia.

People went to him for help, advice, and mediation. He helped Black families navigate freedom papers. He helped get support for widows and orphans, assistance with burials and advocated for fair treatment within churches. He was the definition of community leadership.

But when Rev. Allen began preaching at St. George’s, a lifelong friendship was struck. And a divine ember was lit.

Absalom was ice and earthy stability to Richard’s fire. He was yin to Richard’s yang. Richard Allen brought vision, movement building and spiritual fire. Absalom brought stability, credibility, civic grounding and a desire towards institution building.

Rev. Allen’s preaching style was revivalist, urgent and transformational. It was emotional, spirit-driven, prophetic and often confrontational about injustice and racism.

Rev. Jones’ style was more measured and composed, pastoral, explanatory about scriptural meaning and emphasized civic and ethical values. His sermons often addressed the social conditions of Black Philadelphians, but with a tone of moral persuasion.

Both were essential. Both were powerful. Together, they were unstoppable.

So, why did they go their separate ways?

After the Walkout, a lot of the Black members of St. George’s felt betraying by Methodism and wanted to go back to the Episcopalian tradition that had been brought by England and was still popular.

Absalom followed their wishes and founded St. Thomas in 1792 and their original church house was dedicated a mere 12 days before Bethel Church was dedicated on July 17, 1794…a mere 12 days before Bethel Church’s dedication. 1794 was indeed a powerhouse year for Black America. The two leaders went their separate paths but they and their congregations continued to work together for the uplift of the Black community. They were not rivals. They were not breaking fellowship. They were two leaders responding to the same crisis with different theological instincts.

Borther Jones would begin as Lay Pastor. In 1802 he was ordained a Deacon. And on September 21, 1804, he was ordained as the first Black Episcopal priest in the United States!

Because Jones was an ordained Episcopal priest, he could perform marriages and burials—roles that Allen was not yet fully authorized to carry out before Bethel Church became completely independent in 1816. Until then, The Reverend Mr. Jones is believed to have assisted Bethel in these areas when needed, another sign of their ongoing partnership.

He would lead their church until he passed away in 1818. But his contributions and “firsts” didn’t stop there. In 1973, he became the first Black American to be commemorated with an official Feast Day in the Episcopal Church’s calendar.

Fittingly, his day is celebrated on February 13th—the date of his death—which just so happens to be almost exactly in the middle of Black History Month.