A syndicated
comic strip by cartoonist
Arthur R. Momand which ran in
American newspapers from 1913 to 1931. Originally, the title was to be "Keeping up with the Smiths", but Momand decided to change the name to "Joneses" just before first
publication, giving us the
cliché we still use today to describe neighborly
competition.
Several sources list this as the true source of the phrase. I've heard of at least three other possible sources, mostly wealthy 19th century individuals named "Jones", but they all seem aprocryphal in comparison to the evidence supporting this source.