The Jenkins Family

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.

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September 20, 1956

This Article Appeared In The Times

But Was Not Actually Titled Cal’s Column

A Correction

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.