Sophia B. Jones

It was while researching a new edition of his introductory sociology textbook that author and teacher John Steckley became curious. Who was the first Canadian Black woman to become a medical doctor? Online research as well as visits to museums in Ontario and British Columbia led him to Sophia B. Jones, a trailblazer as yet little known in her own country. In this fascinating book, Steckley discusses the lives not only of Jones herself but her ancestors and siblings to tell a story of remarkable achievement in the face of daunting obstacles. Readers will learn about James Monroe "Gunsmith" Jones, who became one of the most renowned makers of firearms in British North America-he was asked to make a rifle for the Prince of Wales, though ingrained racism caused the plan to go awry-and William Allen "Painless" Jones, a gold miner turned dentist who spent much of his life in Barkerville, British Columbia. Another prominent B.C. resident was John Craven Jones, who taught children on Salt Spring Island despite the fact the government refused to pay him! But perhaps the most interesting character to emerge from the historical shadows is Sophia B. Jones herself. Denied the opportunity to attend medical school in Canada, she graduated from the University of Michigan and taught at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and Wilberforce University in Xenia, Ohio, before practising medicine in Kansas City, Missouri. Nor were her talents restricted to medicine. She was granted a patent for a new-and-improved barrel trunk, and wrote a comprehensive article on post-Civil War developments in health care for African Americans. Despite such accomplishments, Jones is not a well-known figure. The author's hope is that she will become recognized as a Canadian role model for those forced to overcome serious obstacles in achieving their hopes and dreams.