Rebecca Jones

Rebecca (Field) Jones, longtime resident of the North Haverhill, NH area, died Tuesday, (April 16, 2002) in Windsor, VT at the age of 97. Mrs. Jones, the daughter of Frederic E. and Rosa May (Small) Field, was born March 13,1905 at the family farm, Cold Brook, in Montague, MA. Mrs. Jones attended Massachusetts Agricultural College, now the University of Massachusetts, went on to study art at Massachusetts Art School in Boston, MA and in the late 1920's, spent two years in Europe, continuing her art study in Munich, Germany. She returned to the U.S. in the middle of the depression and settled in the Hartford area, where she was active as an artist, sculptor, architect and teacher for more than 40 years. In 1938 Mrs. Jones co-founded the West Hartford Art League, which honored her in 1995 with a featured exhibit of her watercolors and sculpture at The Chimney Gallery. In 1941, Rebecca Field married fellow artist and sculptor Frederick Jones at the famous "Little Church Around the Corner" in New York City, and the couple returned to Farmington. Together, they acquired, moved and restored several houses at a site in Farmington known as "Jonesville", while she taught art at Miss Porter's School in Farmington and The Oxford School in West Hartford. Upon the death in 1974 of Fred Jones, Mrs. Jones relocated to Orford, NH where she maintained an art studio at her sister's home, The Wilcox House. In the 1980's, she restored Brierfields, a second property in the area, as well as the early 19th century Rufus Porter murals she found in the home. Much of her art reflects her long love of horseback riding and sailing, pastimes she enjoyed her entire life. She took great pleasure in gardens, and all of her homes have been surrounded by colorful and artistic paintings. She delighted in the antics of cats, her own and those of her many friends, and was always happy to share or hear stories of feline adventures. Mrs. Jones is survived by a son, Oliver Field Jones of Ft. Lauderdale, FL; a sister, Alma (Field) Duckworth of North Haverhill, NH; and several nieces and nephews. Final arrangements are private.