Jones' Nursery was at the intersection of Jones Nursery Rd. and Athens-Boonesboro Rd. Griffin Fauntleroy Jones, son of Clark County pioneer Thomas ap Jones, was an energetic entrepreneur who conducted several businesses on his home place at this location, which included one of the first nurseries in this state. We know from advertisements he ran in the local newspaper that Jones' Nursery
offered a “very extensive superior stock of fruit and ornamental trees.” The stock included “shrubs, grape vines, raspberries, gooseberries, currants, strawberry plants & c..... all warranted equal in thriftiness and beauty to any in the world.” Packages were “delivered free of carriage” in Winchester, Mt. Sterling or Lexington.
In 1860, the nursery reported capital investment of 4,000 dollars, ten employees, and annual sales of 2,000 dollars.
Fauntleroy Jones also had a blacksmith shop with five employees, where he manufactured wagons, sleighs and chairs. He was postmaster for the Jones Nursery post office from 1850 to 1859.
Jones' handsome home is occupied today by one of his descendants, Mrs. Joan Mayer. Fauntleroy Jones and his wife Martha Browning are buried in a small graveyard in front of the house.
The nursery Place was part of Richard Hickman's 1,000 acre survey laid off by John Floyd in 1775. Lieutenant Hickman had been awarded a military certificate for the land by virtue of his service in the French and Indian War. After Richards's death, Virginia issued a grant for this tract to James Hickman, his brother and heir at law. Thomas ap Jones purchased 93 acres of this grant in 1839. Fauntleroy moved onto the place, enlarged the house and planted his nursery. At Fauntleroy's death the house and nursery passed to his daughter Mary and her husband, John H. Moore. Moore, a Confederate veteran, eventually discontinued the nursery and gave his time to farming.