06/02/2026
William Kenner Jones
Val Verde County’s First County Judge
Among the pioneer families of Val Verde County was that of William Kenner Jones (1849–1925), an attorney, Texas Ranger, legislator, and public servant who moved to Del Rio in 1883 when the area was still part of Kinney County. Jones would later become the first County Judge of the newly created Val Verde County.
William Kenner Jones was born near Seguin, Texas, on April 4, 1849. His father, Judge William Early Jones, was a native of Georgia who came to Texas in 1841. At the age of twenty-one, William Early Jones was already practicing law and editing a daily newspaper.
In September 1842, William Early Jones was among the Texans captured during General Adrián Woll’s invasion of San Antonio and was taken prisoner to Mexico. After his release and return to Texas, he served in various judicial positions, became a member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas, and was later appointed one of Texas’ first district judges after statehood.
In his autobiography, published in the Del Rio Herald in 1915, W.K. Jones wrote:
“My mother, born Rector, was born in Tennessee. I had five brothers who lived to manhood—James R. (my twin), Gerry, Pinckney, Frank, and Emmett.”
The Jones family moved from Seguin during his infancy to New Braunfels and later to Curry’s Creek, then part of Comal County and now in Kendall County. They operated a large ranch-farm in the Guadalupe River country.
Jones recalled:
“There I grew to manhood, doing all the things necessary and incident to farm and ranch life.”
The area was still a sparsely settled frontier, rich in wildlife but subject to Indian raids. One of his earliest memories was the 1855 killing of his father’s overseer, Jesse Lawhon, during an Indian attack.
Jones developed a lifelong love of hunting:
“I was very fond of hunting from the time I was large enough to carry the old muzzle-loading rifle and shotgun.”
Educational opportunities were limited on the frontier. Schools operated only a few months each year under private instructors, as public schools had not yet become established in Texas.
In 1856, because of continuing concerns over Indian raids, the family moved temporarily to Austin. After about eight months, they returned to their ranch in Kendall County, where they remained until 1870. The family then moved to Georgetown after William Early Jones was appointed district judge.
While living in Georgetown, W.K. Jones studied law in the office of Hughes and Montgomery. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1873. The family returned to the ranch in 1872, where his father later died.
Service as a Texas Ranger
In June 1874, Jones and his brother Pinckney joined a company of Texas Rangers. Jones served as Commissary Sergeant, responsible for requisitioning supplies and distributing food and ammunition.
Recalling the experience, he wrote:
“The beef ration was the worst part of the job, as I had to cut it up and weigh it pro rata to each mess. There were grumblers in those days as now, and some thought they were getting too much ‘neck steak’ and not enough sirloin.”
Military records confirm that Jones served with Captain Caldwell’s Company F of the Texas Frontier Battalion from June 1874 to June 1875.
Attorney and County Official
In the fall of 1875, Jones was elected County Attorney of Kendall County. He and his brother Pinckney established a law and real estate office in Boerne.
Both brothers married while living there. Pinckney married Miss Barr, whose family owned one of Boerne’s principal hotels. W.K. Jones married Rosilla Saner, daughter of Judge Saner.
After resigning as County Attorney, Jones returned to Curry’s Creek in 1882 and entered the sheep business.
A devastating winter storm struck in February 1883:
“For three days the ground was covered with sleet and ice, ice being an inch thick on live oak leaves, and sheep died by the thousands.”
The losses nearly ruined him financially.
Arrival in Del Rio
In October 1883, Jones moved to Del Rio and opened a real estate office on Main Street, then known as Ferry Street.
This was a pivotal time in local history. The arrival of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway in 1883 brought new growth and settlement to the region.
By 1885, citizens of Del Rio sought the creation of a new county from portions of Crockett, Kinney, and Pecos counties. Jones traveled to Austin as part of the delegation advocating for the legislation.
The effort succeeded. Val Verde County was created by the Texas Legislature in March 1885 and officially organized later that year, with Del Rio designated as county seat. The county’s name honored the Battle of Val Verde fought in New Mexico during the Civil War.
First County Judge of Val Verde County
At the first county election held on May 5, 1885, W.K. Jones was elected the first County Judge of Val Verde County.
Under Jones and the first commissioners court, the new county government was organized. Initially, county officials rented a store building until a permanent courthouse could be constructed. The current courthouse was completed in 1887.
Customs Officer and State Legislator
Jones resigned as County Judge in May 1894 and accepted appointment as Deputy Collector of Customs at Del Rio, serving until 1898.
That same year he was elected to represent the 96th District in the Texas House of Representatives and served in the 26th Texas Legislature from 1899 to 1901. His district included much of far West Texas.
Jones later wrote:
“I could never ‘come back,’ and the failure was the political disappointment of my life.”
Later Years
Rosilla Jones died in May 1902. Following her death, Jones spent a year in Douglas, Arizona, before returning to Texas. He worked in real estate in San Antonio for approximately two years before returning permanently to Del Rio.
He later sought election as County Attorney but was unsuccessful.
Reflecting on the changes he had witnessed, Jones wrote:
“Looking backward to the time I moved to Del Rio, I can appreciate the change that has been wrought since that time. It was then a straggling village of about 2,000 people.”
Death and Legacy
William Kenner Jones died in Del Rio on December 9, 1925, at age seventy-six. He is buried in Westlawn Cemetery. At the time of his death he was serving as County Attorney.
Today, Jones is remembered as:
* A Texas Ranger of the frontier era.
* Val Verde County’s first County Judge.
* A member of the Texas House of Representatives.
* One of the principal leaders responsible for the creation and organization of Val Verde County.
* An important chronicler of early frontier life in the Del Rio region.
Historical Additions Worth Including
For a museum, historical marker, or publication, I would add these facts:
1. Full Name: William Kenner Jones.
2. Birth and Death Dates: April 4, 1849 – December 9, 1925.
3. Texas Ranger Service: Frontier Battalion, Company F, June 1874–June 1875.
4. Role in Creating Val Verde County: He personally lobbied the Legislature in Austin for county formation.
5. Texas Legislator: Served in the 26th Texas Legislature (1899–1901).
6. Connection to Early Del Rio Government: He helped organize the county government from the ground up in 1885.
7. Burial Location: Westlawn Cemetery in Del Rio, where several of Val Verde County’s earliest civic leaders are buried.
References:
The Spirit of Val Verde
Texas Legislative reference library
