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Billy Jones papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS1106

Scope and Content

This collection contains magazine and news clippings collected by Mr. Jones that relate to Atlanta's gay clubs, performers, and members of the LGBTQ community. Some clippings more directly reflect Jones's participation in the community, including his judging of drag pageants. The collection also contains correspondence, personal documents, and travel brochures created and collected by Jones.

Dates

  • 1928-2003, undated
  • Majority of material found within 1975 - 1995

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

William Allen "Billy" Jones (1921-2003) was born in Griffin, Georgia, to Henry Hiram Jones Jr. (1898-1983) and Myrtle Barber Jones (1901-1992). He had six siblings: Frank Hiram Jones (1919-1995), Roselyn Jones Wilson (1922-2016), Raymond Jones (1926- ), Aurie Jean Jones Brown (1927-2016), Henry Hiram Jones III (1929-1929), and Myrtle Jones Hunt (1932- ). Jones was an entertainer in Atlanta in the 1960s-1980s. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the late 1920s. He served in the United States Navy during World War II, then gained notoriety as a window dresser for the Franklin Simon department store for thirty years. In 1961, Jones started his career as one of the first drag queens in Atlanta; he performed under the pseudonyms Phyllis Killer and Shirley Temple Jones at bars such as Club Centaur and Joy Lounge, becoming a central figure in Atlanta's LGBTQ community. Known as "Atlanta's Still Living Legend," he judged various drag competitions and hosted the Phyllis Killer Oscar Awards from 1968 to 1985.

Extent

4.09 linear ft. (five document cases, one oversize box, one oversize folder, and one flat file)

Language

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 2003, with subsequent additions.

Related Archival Materials

Visual materials have been separated from the collection. Please contact an archivist for access to these materials.

Description Control

This collection was processed in 2017.

Title
Billy Jones papers
Author
Hannah Givens
Date
January 2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040