My Contribution: I was a music teacher, church founder, and activist in the Eighth Ward. I fought for temperance and the right of women to vote. I was also one of the few Black women who owned property in the city in the early twentieth century.
My Legacy: I helped to found Second Baptist Church in 1869, which still operates to this day. The home I owned in Harrisburg would be worth nearly $68,000 today.
About Me: “Led by the Spirit of God, a few faithful soldiers of Christ saw a field for labor in this city, and in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, the Second Baptist Church had its beginning….with the following persons: Joseph Braxton (father of Hannah)…and Hanna Braxton…” Second Baptist Church Mortgage Burning Ceremonies Program, 1944.
Full Name: Hannah Braxton; Hannah Braxton Jones
Birth Date: May 12, 1852
Death Date: May 1, 1928
Place of Birth: Williamsburg, Virginia
Sex: Female
Race: Black (1870, 1900, and 1920 Federal Censuses) and “Mulatto” (1880 and 1910 Federal Censuses)
Places of Residence: Williamsburg, Virginia. Harrisburg: 134 Tanner’s Avenue, 232 Liberty Street.
Connection to the Old Eighth Ward: Resident on Tanner’s Alley from the time parents brought the family to Harrisburg in 1866 until the Capitol Extension caused its destruction. Taught music there as well.
Family Members: Joseph Braxton (1820-1890). Mother: Charlotte Cole Braxton (died 1868). Siblings: Mrs. Susan Braxton Carrington (wife of Robert); Mrs. Ann Aria Braxton Taylor (Wife of Reuben); Joseph Braxton, Jr. Husband: Min. George W. Jones m. 1873. Children: James Joseph Jones (born 1874), Marry Ann Jones (born 1877), Alfred Braxton (adopted son). Grandchildren: Dr. George A. Jones, MD. of Steelton, Pennsylvania (known for his work in community health(, and Mrs. Hannah Scott Cannon, Nurse. Great granddaughter: Mrs. Marian Cannon Dornell, author of a collection of poetry, Unicorn in Captivity.
Education: No formal education.
Occupations: Music Teacher, Domestic Worker.
Church Membership: Second Baptist Church, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Activism: Second Baptist Church (first lady, deaconess, Sabbath School organizer and administrator, choir organist). Club N .1, Organized in 1879 (president for 48 years until her death in 1928; instrumental in bringing renowned opera singer, Mr. Marian Anderson, to Harrisburg).
Connections: Grandmother of Mrs. Hannah Scott Cannon.
Digital Harrisburg 