March 5, 2018 / Joanne Yeck

Buckingham County: Jones Store, Part II

“Jones Store House at New Store,” Virginia Historical Inventory.

Courtesy Library of Virginia.

In 1938, when Elizabeth McCraw surveyed “Jones Store House at New Store” for the Virginia Historical inventory, she was doubtless excited about its historical importance, writing:

From the store, [the village of] “New Store” received its name. Mr. Sidney Venable, a Presbyterian Minister from Hampden-Sydney, said his great grandfather built this store house. William Dribell Jones, was married in 1818, kept store here before his marriage, and as the Venables were before him, the store was evidently built in the early 1800s.

An old account book, dated 1821, which belonged to William D. Jones included purchases by perhaps Buckingham County’s most famous son, Peter Francisco. His accounts reveal that Jones kept a general store, stocking contents that ranged from molasses, brown sugar and pepper to gunpowder and shoe tacks. You could purchase a curry comb for your horse or pair of shoes. There were yard goods for sale, including Irish linen. Mrs. McCraw continued:

William Dibrell Jones conducted an extensive mercantile business at New Store. He bought country produce of any kind, including furs and livestock. It is known that he had on hand at one time, as many as 3000 hogs. He sent great wagons to New York with country produce for sale from his seat of business at New Store in Buckingham County, Virginia.

The great-grandson of William Dibrell Jones, the fourth generation to conduct a store under the Jones name, has his store at Sheppard, Virginia, about four miles distant from the first one. The old store building at New Store is vacant. New Store is a voting precinct and the Democratic Primary is held in this building, as well as the General Elections.