John Paul was the Head Gardener for Arbigland in the parish of Kirkbean. He died in 1767 and his tombstone in the local churchyard records that he was ‘universally esteemed’.
In July 1747, John Paul had a son born at Arbigland. This son was named after his father, but later added Jones to his name.
John Paul Jones (1747 – 1792) was the United States’ first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. His actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day. As such, he is sometimes referred to as the “Father of the American Navy”.
