Lannie Belle (Brogsdale) Jones (1900-1968) was born in Louisville to John and Lannie (Vermont) Brogsdale. She was the one of five children. John worked as a janitor and Lannie a laundress. The family lived in the Russell Neighborhood. While we could not find the exact date, by 1924, Lannie had married Henry Wise Jones, Jr. (1900-1986), son of Rev. Henry Wise and Mary (Roberts) Jones. Rev. Jones was pastor at Green Street Baptist Church. Henry was a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service, which was a highly respected position in the 20th century. The couple had six children: John, Louis, George, Gilmer, William, and Lela. The family made their home in the Russell Neighborhood (2810 W. Chestnut Street, 2818 W. Chestnut Street, and 2715 Magazine Street).
In 1964, the Joneses were named the “Negro Family of the Year” for the national conference of the National Urban League. According to the newspaper article, the event was the first time the family had all reunited in 10 years. All of the children were graduates of Central High School and college. The article went on to provide short bios of each of the Jones children. Dr. John H. Jones was a WWII veteran and an optometrist in Dayton, OH. Louis Cecil Jones was a WWII veteran and a medical technician at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, CA. M/Sgt. George Robert Jones was in the Air Force in Los Angeles. Mrs. Gilmer Mae (Jones) Callender was an accountant in Brooklyn, NY. Mrs. Lela Belle (Jones) Wise was a former teacher in Baltimore, MD. When asked about how they raised their children, the couple said, “We thought education more important than money. … We tried to teach them by precept and example.”
On August 13, 1968, Lannie died at the age of 67. She was buried in Cave Hill Corner of Eastern Cemetery. On August 13, 1986, Henry died at the age of 86. He was buried with his wife. They share a headstone with Lannie’s parents and two of her siblings: Mary and Osmond. Henry’s parents are also buried in the cemetery (Section 3AD, Lot 29, Row 1). Photo of Lannie and Henry is from “Courier-Journal” August 2, 1964.
