The Jackson Family Legacy

The story of the Jackson–Gross family is one of resilience, achievement, and dedication to education and community leadership. It begins with Matthew H. Jackson, Sr., and Ruth M. Jackson Sr, who laid a foundation of scholarship and service that would influence generations.

Matthew, born in Atlanta, Georgia, was a letter carrier, civic leader, and Deputy Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Illinois. He played a key role in the construction of the Prince Hall Masonic Home in Rock Island, Illinois, a project that symbolized progress and self-determination for African Americans in the Midwest. His wife,  a Washington, Wilkes County, Georgia native,  Ruth M. Jackson Sr,  was a pioneering educator and school principal in Chicago whose dedication to academic excellence and youth empowerment shaped her daughters’ futures. Together, Matthew and Ruth built a household centered on faith, scholarship, and civic duty.

Their three daughters—Dorothy Jackson Newsom, Ruth M. Jackson, Jr., and Margaret Jackson Gross—carried forward their parents’ vision, each excelling in distinct yet complementary ways.

Willis Ivy Jr. Information unavailable at time of publishing.