Viola Brown Jones
About Viola
Midwife (January 21, 1921 – July 23, 2007)
My mother, Mrs. Viola B. Jones, was a revered midwife and community pillar, serving expectant mothers in rural and impoverished Northampton and surrounding North Carolina counties from 1967-1980. She delivered over 300 babies with no deaths or losses.
She had nine children of her own. I remember our home brimming with warmth, music, laughter, and wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen where she reigned. She was a trail blazer with a heart for children and in 1962 stepped in to help establish Northampton County's first Head Start Program. After retiring from midwifery in 1980 she served as a child health specialist with the Northampton County Health Department and started the first mother-daughter club to help prevent rising teenage pregnancies, until 1983. She then continued her advocacy for children and the community as a Guardian Ad Litem.
All of this while maintaining a loving home for us and being an active partner with her husband, Mr. James H. Jones, in his efforts to lead the school desegregation effort and improve public education for all of the County’s children. And, where he would eventually become North Carolina’s first Black school board chairman.
Her contributions to her community and to Northampton County residents are noteworthy. So much so that her historical records and life story are archived in the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC.
Flag Location
Flag
A-M 9
Sponsor
Anna R. Jones, Daughter
Location
Honor Field A
