Our History
The history of Jones Funeral Home dates all the way back to 1901. Our story begins with George M. Kilvin, who was born in Columbia County in 1874. He graduated from Valatie High School in 1890, and then attended Albany Business College, graduating with a diploma in 1893. After working as a private secretary for three years, he took a course at the United States College of Embalming. Upon receipt of his diploma, he worked in the undertaking profession in Albany and Brooklyn. He moved to Schenectady in 1901 and began his business, successfully operating it at 772 State Street.
Thomas F. Campbell was born in 1897 and moved with his family to Schenectady in 1902. He was educated at St. Joseph’s School in Schenectady and then Niagara University. He later studied embalming and upon returning to Schenectady, entering into a partnership with George Kivlin in 1933 to form the Kivlin & Campbell Funeral Home, located at 772 State Street.
In 1939, the funeral home was moved to 1503 Union Street. The building at 1503 Union was originally the home and offices of Dr. Stillman S. Ham, a local physician. Before the turn of the century, it was one of the few houses on Union Street, as the area was mainly home to farmland and orchards, with cross-streets such as Plum and Apple Street, named for the orchards they traversed.
At the behest of Campbell and Kilvin, a significant remodel was completed on the building before the funeral home operations moved in. The large house was lifted and rotated, bringing the original front door to the side of the house. The process was somewhat perilous, as a filling station had been built on the nearby corner with underground gasoline tanks, and the remodel required the construction crew blast through the Schenectady shale to expand the cellar. Fortunately, this was accomplished without incident. The original carriage barn was left in place but updated with overhead doors to accommodate automobiles. In subsequent years, the building was expanded to allow space for a chapel and other gathering areas, nearly doubling the size of the original building.
Campbell had an interest in politics, and after holding several local offices, served on the Schenectady City Council from 1935-1945. He left the Council after being elected to the New York State Senate. He served with distinction in the Senate until his death in 1957.
Thomas C. Jones, Jr. began managing the funeral home in 1962. A United States Navy Veteran who served in World War II, he received his training at the Simmons School of Embalming and Mortuary Science in Syracuse, earning his funeral directors license in 1949. Roslyn Jones, Thomas’s wife, received her funeral director’s license in January 1972. Later that year, the couple announced that the funeral home would be known as both Jones Funeral Home and Kivlin-Campbell Funeral Home. In 1974, Thomas was elected first vice president of the New York State Funeral Directors Association. By 1987, Roslyn was recognized as the proprietor of the funeral home.
Brian P. Lansley graduated from Colonie Central High School and later completed an associate’s degree in mortuary science from Hudson Valley Community College in 1979. After completing his internship, Brian received his funeral directors license in 1981. He joined Jones Funeral Home in 1991, and purchased it in 1997. In 2000, the funeral home celebrated its 100th anniversary, recognizing Brian Lansley and Roslyn Jones in an ad in the Schenectady Gazette. In 2022, Jones Funeral Home moved to 2020 Central Avenue, to share facilities with Cannon Funeral Home. We are proud to continue this long and distinguished tradition of family ownership and superior service to our community.