Jones Tourist Home

Jones’ Tourist Home was listed in the Green Book as “Jones’ Tourist Home—311 Moore Street” under “Tourist Homes” in Fayetteville from 1948-1949. 1949’s entry is in bold and is a larger font size than other listings. The tourist home was listed as “Jone’s—311 Moore Street” under “Tourist Homes” in Fayetteville; E.M. Smith, 311 Moore Street, is also listed under tourist homes. In 1952, the tourist home was erroneously listed at 311 Monroe Street. From 1953-1955 the home was listed as “Jones’ Tourist Home, 311 Moore Street,” under “Tourist Homes.” In 1956, the business was listed with a starred ad: “Jones’ Tourist Home—311 Moore St., Rates: Single–$2.50; Double–$3.50, Comfort & Convenience.” Finally, the home was listed as “Jones Tourist Home–311 Moore St.” in 1957 and from 1959-1967.¹

Jones’ Tourist Home was  located at 311 Moore Street in Fayetteville. John and Lucy Johnson Jones lived at the home as early as 1900. John Jones worked as a railroad porter. After John’s death in 1909, Lucy began to rent rooms to lodgers.²

Lucy Johnson lived in the Rockfish community as a young girl and moved with her family to a home on Gillespie Street in Fayetteville as a child. She married John Jones in 1883. After John’s death, Lucy hosted events at 311 Moore Street (including meetings with a faith healer in 1913) and operated it as a tourist home. She may have taken a break from running the tourist home after she married her second husband, Robert Perry, in 1919. Widowed again by 1930, Lucy was again offering rooms to lodgers. Lucy Jones Perry passed away in 1937.³

One of Lucy’s daughters, Etta Mae Jones, followed in her footsteps. Etta married Luther Smith, a brakeman for the railroad, in 1911 and lived with him on Mechanic Street until his death in 1934. Etta Mae Smith was running Jones’ Tourist Home by 1940 and operated it through the Green Book era. The Green Book also listed E.M. Smith Tourist Home in 1950-1951; however, the business name “Jones’ Tourist Home” is consistently used in city directories.⁴

Jones’ tourist home allowed two generations of women to earn an income as single widowers. A closing date for the tourist home is not yet known. 

Essay by Brandie K. Ragghianti, 2022

Notes

1. Victor Green, 1948 Green Book, 62; Victor Green, 1949 Green Book, 56; Victor Green, 1950 Green Book, 62; Green, 1951 Green Book, 53; Victor Green, 1950 Green Book, 62; Green, 1951 Green Book, 53; Victor Green, 1952 Green Book, 53; Green, 1953 Green Book, 53; Victor Green, 1954 Green Book, 52; Green, 1955 Green Book, 53; Victor Green, 1956 Green Book, 45; Victor -Green, 1957 Green Book, 46; Green, 1959 Green Book, 51; Green, 1960 Green Book, 72; Green, 1961 Green Book, 68; Green, 1962 Green Book, 74; Green, 1963-1964 Green Book, 57; Green, 1966-1967 Green Book, 57. 
2. Hill’s 1909 Fayetteville City Directory, 36, 80, 86 (alphabetical listing); 1900 United States Federal Census, Cross Creek, Cumberland County, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “Lucy J. Jones,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; Lucy J. Johnson and John Jones, September 20, 1883, Cumberland, North Carolina, U.S. Marriage Records, 1741-2011, accessed from www.ancestry.com; John H. Jones, 1862-1909, Brookside Cemetery, Fayetteville, Cumberland, NC, U.S. Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current, accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1910 United States Federal Census, Ward 6, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, accessed from www.ancestry.com.
3. 1870 United States Federal Census, Rockfish, Cumberland County, digital image s.v. “Lucy Johnson,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; Lucy J. Johnson and John Jones, September 20, 1883, Cumberland, North Carolina, U.S. Marriage Records, 1741-2011, accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1910 United States Federal Census, Ward 6, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, accessed from www.ancestry.com; Lucy J. Jones and Robert Perry, March 2, 1919, Cumberland, North Carolina, U.S. Marriage Records, 1741-2011, accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1920 United States Federal Census, Ward 6, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “Lucey J. Perry,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; Robert Perry, July 24, 1923, Cross Creek, Fayetteville, Cumberland, North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1976, accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1930 United States Federal Census, 6th ward, Fayetteville, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “Lucy J. Perry,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; (Lucy Jones Perry, October 30, 1937, Fayetteville, Cumberland, North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1976, accessed from www.ancestry.com.
4. Etta M. Jones and Luther Smith, January 4, 1911, Cumberland, North Carolina, U.S. Marriage Records, 1741-2011, accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1920 United States Federal Census, Ward 6, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, NC, digital image s.v. “Etta Smith,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1930 United States Federal Census, Ward 6, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “Etta Smith,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; Luther Smith, April 12, 1934, Fayetteville, Cumberland, North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1976, accessed from www.ancestry.com; 1940 United States Federal Census, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “Etta Mae Smith,” accessed form www.ancestry.com; 1950 United States Federal Census, Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, digital image s.v. “Etta M. Smith,” accessed from www.ancestry.com; Hill’s 1948-1949 Fayetteville City Directory, 443 (alphabetical listing), 775 (street guide); “Fayetteville Personals,” The Carolinian (Raleigh, NC), September 15, 1951, 6, accessed from http://newspapers.digitalnc.org.