author
Hugh Jones
1669–1760
Best known for The Present State of Virginia, this early colonial writer left one of the most vivid English-language accounts of Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina in the early 1700s. His work blends travel writing, history, and social observation in a way that still feels immediate.
1 Audiobook
The Present State of Virginia
by Hugh Jones
About the author
Born in England in 1669, Hugh Jones was an Anglican clergyman who later lived and worked in the American colonies. He is associated especially with Virginia and Maryland, and later writers remembered him as both a minister and a sharp observer of colonial life.
Jones is chiefly known for The Present State of Virginia (1724), a lively account of the colony that also includes a shorter view of Maryland and North Carolina. The book describes people, customs, religion, trade, government, and everyday life, making it an important source for readers interested in early America.
He died in 1760. Although not a widely known literary figure today, his writing has lasted because it captures the texture of colonial society in a direct, readable way.