'''James Monroe Jones''' (1821/22–1906), born enslaved in North Carolina, purchased his freedom and was eventually able to graduate from Oberlin. He was a gunsmith and engraver with a profitable shop in Chatham, Ontario, where he served as a justice of the peace.<ref>{{cite book |page=36 |first=Steven |last=Lubet |title=John Brown's Spy. The Tragic Life and Tragic Confession of John E. Cook |date=13 November 2012 |location=New Haven, Connecticut |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=9780300180497}}</ref> He was the only African-American gunsmith in Canada. He prepared a presentation set of derringers for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales during the latter's visit to Canada, but they were never presented because the organizers learned of his skin color.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.ammoland.com/2018/12/gunsmith-james-monroe-gunsmith-jones/#ixzz8P0TzUHnB |title=One of the Best Old World Gunsmiths, You've Never Heard Of |year=2018 |first=Philip |publisher=Ammoland |last=Smith}}</ref>
In his final years he moved to his son's home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he died aged 85.
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Oberlin College alumni Category:Canadian justices of the peace Category:American gunsmiths Category:People from Chatham-Kent Category:People from Ann Arbor, Michigan Category:1820s births Category:1906 deaths