This work is a brief biography written by Dr. Carl Russell Gross on the singer Matilda Sisseretta (Joynor) Jones. It is proceeded by clippings and notes from his research in preparing the biography. The biography itself is part of a larger lifetime work by Dr. Gross, an unfinished manuscript (Manuscript D, MSS-0002-b01-f04), which he described as "something of the history of our race in (Rhode Island)."

On the history of this specific biography, Dr. Gross wrote, "a request came from a student at Syracuse University, N. Y. to the Rhode Island Historical Society for information concerning Madame Jones and they referred her to me. Her doctoral dissertation is on the Negro's role in the 19th century concert life, her central figure being Madame Matilda Sissieretta ( Joynor) Jones who had lived here in Providence, R. I. This caused me to type a brief history of Madame Jones, this and other material I had collected was made available to her. In the meantime I heard that Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Mass., had sought information from her church here as they were sponsoring a biographical encyclopedia on Noted American Women which would include her. I also sent them a copy of my notes and they sent them to Mr. William Lichtenwanger of the music · division, Library of Congress, Washington, D. C, who is to write the article about her. It has been a privilege and an honor to have personally known Madame Jones, the World's Greatest Negro Singer of her time and to have been able to collect the following information about her."