August 30, 1956
Transcribed by Mary Knight
* CAL’S COLUMN *
We have recently learned
that the name Jenkins as applied to a family, means son of John and is a
variant of Jonkins. The name, Jenkins,
appears in " Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire," in the year 1379.
The name is worn by a
large number of citizens of Macon, Smith and Sumner Counties. The first Jenkins in Smith County in the
census of 1820 was Wilson Jenkins, who was well advanced in years in the census
of 1820, being then above 45 years of age.
He was the only member of family in that year. He had then 10 Negro slaves.
We do not know just where he lived, but he is listed in the Smith County
census. Smith County then included all
the present Macon County except that part lying now from just west of the Gap
of the Ridge to the present Sumner-Macon line, near Westmoreland.
James Jenkins was another
man of the Jenkins family, who was above 45 years of age. However, in his family there were: One
female under ten, one from ten to 16, two from 16 to 26 and one above 45 years
of age, Mrs. Jenkins, we presume. He
also owned 21 Negro slaves 136 years ago.
From this we learn that he was wealthy for his day and time. But we have no idea as to the name of his
father or of his children.
Thomas Jenkins is also
listed in the census of 1820. He had:
One son under 10, one from 10 to 16, and he was himself above 45. Females: One
under 10, one from 10 to 16, and one above 45, Mrs Jenkins, we suppose. He owned no slaves in 1820. We have found that he purchased a horse on
July 4, 1807 in the sale of the personal property of William Jenkins, who died
in March of that year. This William
Jenkins was the great-great-great-grandfather of the editor's wife, Mrs. Betty
Jenkins Gregory, the daughter of William F. Jenkins, the son of George W.
Jenkins, the son of Jimmie Jenkins, the son of Noah Jenkins, the son of William
Jenkins, whose sale took place on July 4, 1807. His wife was Nancy but we do not know the last name. She could not read nor write, signing the
papers connected with the sale by mark.
There was a William
Jenkins in the census of 1820, but he was a comparatively young man. He had in his family, Males: Three under
ten, one from 26 to 45; and Females: Three under ten, one from 10 to 16, and
one from 26 to 45. He did not own any
slaves. We have not the slightest idea
as to who he was.
Listed next to the name of
William Jenkins is the name of Samuel Jenkins who had: Males, three under ten,
and one from 26 to 45, William Jenkins himself, we are quite sure. He had one female from 16 to 26, presumably
his wife; and one above 45 years of age.
The next Jenkins head of a family in the 1820 census of Smith County was
Noah Jenkins, above referred to as the son of William Jenkins who died in
1807. This was the
great-great-grandfather of our wife, and resided on Long Creek about five miles
northwest of Lafayette. He is said to
have married Miss Martha Walton. He had
in 1820: One male under ten, one from
10 to 16, one from 18 to 26. and one above 45. Females: One above 45, presumed
to have been Mrs. Jenkins. He had at
that time nine slaves and was well off for that day and time.
Listed next in the family
was Averett Jenkins, who was then between 36 and 45. Females: One under 10, and
one from 16 to 23, Mrs. Jenkins, we are sure.
He owned one slave. Averett was
the son of Noah Jenkins.
Roderick Jenkins is listed
in the census of 1820. He was the only
male in the family, and was above 45 years of age. He married an Indian woman named Pack, who we presume, is listed
in the census of 1820 as being above 45 years of age. Roderick Jenkins was a brother of Noah Jenkins. Two other sons of William Jenkins appear in
the Jackson County census for 1820.
John Jenkins and Jacob Jenkins, both above 45 years of age. It is believed that Jake Jenkins at present
a merchant on Route four, Red Boiling Springs, Tenn. is a descendant of the old
Jake or Jacob Jenkins. Miss Emmaline
Jenkins, who died at Westmoreland a few years ago at the age of 104 years, was
a descendant of John Jenkins. This is
the old lady who furnished some information to the writer about our own
great-grandmother, the former Miss Kate Boston, who died in 1875. We asked her if she could remember our own
great-grandmother Kate Boston. Her
reply was decidedly in the affirmative.
We knew that our great-grandfather Major Gregory, had married a Miss
Nash, about 1822, that she bore him two sons, John and Thomas Gregory, the
latter born, if our memory serves us correctly, on Dec. 25, 1825. His wife died soon thereafter and Gregory
went "a-courting" at the home of Christian Boston, who had a daughter
about 26 years old, old enough to be counted in 1826, "an old
maid." He married this woman who
became the mother of our grandfather, Stephen Calvin Gregory, for whom the
writer was named. We asked Miss Jenkins
above referred to if she could remember Kate.
When she replied that she remembered her well, we asked her, " What
sort of looking woman was she?" Her reply was: "She was a
fine-looking woman except she had an ungodly nose." We presume by this that she meant that Kate
had a crooked, Roman nose, the same sort that our grandfather and our father
had and the same sort of "handsome?" nose that Cal has.
Roderick Jenkins was
sometimes called "Roddy" Jenkins.
He made his home on the ridge to the southeast of the present Russell
Hill and is the ancestor of scores of Jenkins in sections of North Middle Tennessee. Both Noah and Roderick Jenkins died between
1820 and 1830, we would judge because of the fact that neither of them is
mentioned in the census of 1830.
The family came to
Tennessee about the close of the 18th century in the 1790's or in the very
early part of the 19th century. They
came to Middle Tennessee from Bumcomb County, North Carolina.
According to our records,
Roderick Jenkins was twice married, but we do not have any idea as to who his
first wife was. Our records indicate
that she was the mother of two sons, William Jenkins and Roderick Jenkins,
Jr. The other Children were by the
Indian woman named Pack. His children,
according to our records were: William Jenkins, Roderick Jenkins, Junior, by
the first wife; and James Jenkins married Susan Goad; Samuel Jenkins married
Sabrey Goad, a sister of Susan; and Ruth Boston, a relative of the editor's
great-grandmother, above mentioned; a daughter, Jennie Jenkins, who became the
wife of Billy Donoho; another daughter, whose name is not known, who married a
Cummings: and another daughter, whose name or husband, we do not know.
William Jenkins, son of
Roderick, married Sabrey Witcher, and became the father of: Daniel Jenkins, married to Susan Pryant:
Nicholas Jenkins married Susan daughter of George Boston, who was a brother of
our own great-grandmother, Kate Gregory, mentioned previously in this article;
Booker Jenkins, to South side of Cumberland River and we have no further
information; King William Jenkins, and we have no further information: Susan Jenkins, married Alex Cassetty, and
later Jim Hunter; Sallie Jenkins, married John Hauskins; Sabrey Jenkins, married Silas Reeves; Rachel
Jenkins, married Booker Witcher; and Malcolm Jenkins, who died in the Mexican
War.
We have no information on
Roderick, Jr. except that he went to Illinois.
James or Jimmie Jenkins, husband of Susan Goad, was the father of: Dick Jenkins, who married Nancy Jenkins, his
first cousin; Jim Jenkins, Jr. who married Oma Dycus: Archibald Jenkins,
married Polly McDuffee, daughter of Neal and Barthenia Gregory McDuffee,
Barthenia being a daughter of the writers great-great-grandfather, Bry Gregory;
Ralston Jenkins, married Barbara Hesson; Hulda Jenkins, married Henry Hunter;
Marie Jenkins, married Chesley Thomas; Ran Jenkins, married Tom Thomas; brother
of Chesley Thomas; and Jeff Jenkins who married Martha Parkhurst.
Archibald Jenkins, at the
age of about 35 years, was killed by Buck Smith, a guerrilla of the Civil War,
who shot Jenkins off a stump and left his body lying on the ground and later
eaten by buzzards.
Samuel Jenkins, married
Sabrey Goad, as sister of Susan goad, the wife of Jim or James Jenkins was the
father of: George Jenkins married a
Hesson and removed to Illinois; Dutch Jenkins, believed to have married a Hesson;
Coleman Jenkins, first wife's name not known; second wife, a Davis; third
wife's name not known; and fourth wife a Miss McClard; Henry Jenkins, married
Lucinda, daughter of Joel Gregory, son of Jeremiah Gregory, the editor's
great-great-grandfather, and a brother of the Major Gregory above mentioned;
Reuben Jenkins, married Martha Hargis and later Maria Williams; and Buck
Jenkins, who married Polly Boston, a daughter of George Boston, mentioned above
as the editor's great-grandmother, Kate Boston Gregory's brother.
We are informed that
George Jenkins who married a Hesson and removed to Illinois, was the father of
two daughters, but we have no information.
Dutch Jenkins was the father of: George, Bill and Lee Jenkins, all born
in Georgia; Mary Jenkins and one other child, name not known.
Coleman Jenkins, who was
married four times and whose first and third wives' names are not known, was
the father of Margaret Jenkins, married her relative, George Jenkins, and
became the mother of a large number of sons and daughters, one of the sons
being our neighbor who resides over the printing office. Lon Jenkins; Elizabeth
Jenkins, who married a relative, Jim Jenkins and later another Jenkins, Lon
Jenkins, formerly of Pleasant Shade; Cis Jenkins, no additional information;
Bud Jenkins, married Matilda, a daughter of George Boston, above mentioned; and
later a Whittemore; Calvin Jenkins, who went to Texas; Garfield Jenkins who
went to California, and we have no further information; Bertha Jenkins, married
a Russell, Jim Jenkins, who married Delia, daughter of Tom Jid Gregory, a
relative of the writer; Grant Jenkins, who married Fannie Gregory, daughter of
Bob Gregory, our father's uncle; Sabrey Jenkins, married Ben Wilburn, son of
Ben Wilburn; Coleman Jenkins, no
further information; and Elder Willie Jenkins, former Register of Macon County,
and also a Baptist minister.
Henry Jenkins, son of
Samuel Jenkins, and his wife Sabrey Goad Jenkins, married Lucinda Gregory,
daughter of Joel Gregory, the editor's great-uncle, and became the father of:
Mary Jenkins, married Ben Coley; William Chesley, commonly known as Bill Sam
Jenkins and sometimes called "Dooby" Jenkins, who married Jane
Boston, daughter of George; and later to Loretta Hale Lyons: John W. Jenkins, married Nancy Boston, a
sister of Jane; Matilda Jenkins, married Bill Nick Jenkins; Bettie Jenkins,
died young, Henry L. Jenkins, died young; and Martha Jenkins no further
information.
Reuben Jenkins, son of
Samuel and brother of Henry Jenkins, just mentioned above, and others, married
Martha, daughter of Jackson Hargis; and later Maria Williams, and was the
father of Henry Jenkins, Alexander Washington Jenkins, who died earlier this
year in Lafayette; John Jenkins, Shade Jenkins, Coil Jenkins, who married Oma
Russell; and Mary Jenkins, no further information; and one son who died in
infancy.
Buck Jenkins was the last
of the sons of Samuel Jenkins, so far as our records go. He married Polly, daughter of George
Boston. He was the father of: George Jenkins, a Baptist minister, who
married Martha Gammon; Reuben Jenkins, who removed to Texas, and whose wife was
a Miss Glasgow; and Sam and William Jenkins, both of whom went to Texas, and we
have no further information. George
Jenkins, the Babptist minister mentioned earlier in this paragraph, was the
father of Richard Jenkins, whom many of our readers remember. He married Viola, daughter of Timmie
Gregory, son of Joe Red Gregory, Sr., son of Ambrose Gregory, son of Bry
Gregory, the editor's great-great-grandfather.
We have some more Jenkins information that we shall try to give in a later paper, but the above is all we have room for at present. If any reader knows of any error in the above, let us know the correction and we shall be glad to publish same. If any reader can furnish us with additional information on the family, let us have it and we shall be glad to publish same.
____________________
September 20, 1956
This Article
Appeared In The Times
But Was Not
Actually Titled Cal’s Column
We are so full of errors
and mistakes that sometimes we are made to feel that we can "go
backward" as speedily as we can go forward. The error was recently made in our account of the Jenkins family.
We stated that the name of the second wife of Coleman Jenkins was not known to
the writer. We are informed that he
married a West, who became the mother of: Bud, Calvin, Elizabeth and Cissie
Jenkins. We are sorry for the errors made and apologize for same.