Jones was formed in 1779 from Craven County.. It was named for Willie Jones of Halifax who was one of the leaders of the Revolution and an opponent of the adoption of the Constitution of the United States. It was largely due to his influence that the Convention of 1788 refused to ratify the Federal Constitution. Lying in the eastern part of North Carolina, Jones County is surrounded by Carteret, Craven, Duplin, Lenoir, and Onslow counties. The first court was held at Trent Bridge. By an act in 1784 the town of Trenton was authorized to be laid out, and it is now the county seat.