Rebecca Jones

Rebecca Jones (July 8, 1739 - April 15, 1818) was a Quaker minister and educator. She is known for having helped maintain the tradition of female preaching and leadership among American Quakers, and helping create it in England. Early life Jones was born July 8, 1739, in Philadelphia to William Jones, a seaman, and Mary Porter, a school mistress. Shortly after her birth, William died on a voyage. Mary Jones supported Rebecca and her older brother, Daniel, by running a school for young girls at No. 8 Drinker's Alley. As a child, she was referred to as "Romping Becky." Although Jones was raised in the Anglican tradition, she showed an interest in the Quaker faith from twelve years old. At sixteen years of age, Jones began the conversion process after hearing minister Catherine Peyton preach. Despite ridicule and objection from family and friends, Jones became increasingly involved in the Quaker religion, becoming a regular speaker by 1758. Two years later, she became a minister. Professional Life and Ministry Jones took over the school in 1761, when Mary Jones became ill. After Mary's death, another Quaker minister, Hannah Cathrall, joined the school as a teacher. They taught girls and boys. By 1764, their Quaker students' tuitions were subsidized by the William Penn Charter School. Jones taught while travelling to preach through the 1760s and 1770s.