Thomas Jenkins (abt. 1645 - bef. 1727)

Born about 1645 in Wales

Husband of Ann (Spalding) Jenkins — married 1669 in St. Mary's, Maryland

Descendants

Died before 31 Oct 1727 before about age 82 in Charles County, Maryland

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Biography

This profile is part of the Jenkins Name Study.

Thomas Jenkins was born about 1645 in Wales, as he was about 25 years of age in 1670. He is thought by some to be the son of Lionel Jenkins, ^[1] by others to be the son of William Jason Jenkins, ^[2] however, it seems highly unlikely that Lionel Jenkins be his father, and there is no documentary proof that a William Jason Jenkins even existed.

The name Ap Jenkin means [son] of Jenkin in Welsh: it is a patronymic. In the period of transition from the use of patronymics to the use of surnames, names with the prefix ap most often lost that prefix, acquiring instead the suffix s. Thus Ap Jenkin became Jenkins.

Thomas wed Ann Spaulding in 1669 at Saint Mary's. The Reverend Father Altham, S.J. performed the ceremony. ^[3]. They had the following children together, according to both Colonial Settlers of Maryland & Virginia ^[4] and Genealogy of the Jenkins Family of Maryland, although the two sources give differing dates of birth for son Wiiliam:

1. Edward Jenkins, b. 1671, Charles Co., MD, d. 19 Nov 1760, Charles Co., MD;
2. George Jenkins, b. 1675, Charles Co., MD, d. 11 Nov 1727, Prince George's Co., MD; ^[5]
3. Elizabeth Jenkins, b. 1679, Charles Co., MD, d. Bef 1731, Prince George's Co., MD;
4. Anne Jenkins, b. 1681, Charles Co., MD, d. 17 Feb 1761, St. Mary's Co., MD;
5. William Jenkins, b. 1673, ^[6] or 1683 ^[7], Charles Co., MD, d. 31 Mar 1755, St. Mary's Co., MD;1673-1755, wed Mary Courtney 1718;
6. Mary Jenkins, b. 1685, Charles Co., MD, d. Apr 1745, Prince George's Co., MD.

On 15 November 1670 Thomas Jenkins was granted 100 acres of land in Charles County, Maryland Province. In 1680 Thomas owned a one-hunderd acre tract of land called Popular Point.

On 15 November 1670 "came Thomas Jenkins, of Charles County, Maryland, and proved his rights to 100 acres of land for transporting himself and wife Ann into the Province, to inhabit".

On 20 December 1670, his wife Ann joined him in a deed, and at the time a warrant was issued in the name of Thomas Jenkins for 100 acres "for transporting himself and his wife, Ann, into the Province to inhabit", he obtained by purchase 400 acres of plantation called St. Thomas' Manor.

Thomas Jenkins died in 1727 in Charles County, Maryland, and was buried at Saint Thomas Catholic Church[yard]. ^[8]

Thomas Jenkins left a last will and testament, wherein son George, son William, only daughter, and wife Ann Spaulding are named as heirs. ^[9]

Research Notes

Origin and Meaning of the Surname

Jenkins, originally Ap Jenkin, is a well-known surname in Wales, where it came to from Cornwall, and is ultimately derived from the name Jehan (old French for John) with the old English diminutive ending kin (akin to Dutch ken, German chen) attached to it; thus Jenkin means Johnny, and Jenkins with the s is the English plural or possessive form used instead of the Welsh ap Jenkin. ^[10]

Parents Unknown

The parents of Thomas Jenkins, Maryland colonist, are unknown. "William Jason Jenkins" is an entirely fictitious person who never existed and is not attested in any contemporary sources, only appearing in apparently false 19th century genealogies. Sir Llewellyn "Leoline" Jenkins, claimed to be brother of "William Jason Jenkins", is not mentioned as having a brother of that name; further, Sir Llewellyn "Leoline" Jenkins was from Glamorgan, not Anglesey.

"It is a family tradition that our progenitor, Thomas Jenkins, was the son of William Jason Jenkins of Anglesey, Wales, who was the younger brother of Sir Lionel (Leoline or Llewllyn) Jenkins, who was First Lord of the Admiralty under Charles II and a friend of William Penn. At this writing, I have not found any documents to prove this." - F. O'Connor 27 Aug 2017

Sources

1. ↑ Genealogy of the Jenkins Family of Maryland, p. 24
2. ↑ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970, Ancestry.com. Text: "Name: Thomas Jenkins; Birth Date: 1642; Birth Place: Wales; Death Date: 1727; Death Place: Charles, Maryland; SAR Membership: 81750; Role: Ancestor; Application Date: 11 Mar 1957; Father: Wm. Jason Jenkins; Spouse: Ann Jenkins; Children: George Jenkins."
3. ↑ Genealogy of the Jenkins Family of Maryland, p. 20 See Image.
4. ↑ Colonial Settlers of Maryland & Virginia: Thomas Jenkins
5. ↑ Genealogy of the Jenkins Family of Maryland, p. 24. Text: " George Jenkins, third son of Ap. Thomas, was born 1675, married Susannah Gardiner, 1698, died 1727, both of Charles County." See Image.
6. ↑ Genealogy of the Jenkins Family of Maryland, p. 21. See Image.
7. ↑ Colonial Settlers of Maryland & Virginia: William Jenkins
8. ↑ Genealogy of the Jenkins Family of Maryland, p. 14. See Image.
9. ↑ Genealogy of the Jenkins Family of Maryland, p. 13 See Image.
10. ↑ Wikipedia Jenkins

• Jenkins, Edward Felix. Thomas Jenkins of Maryland 1670: His Descendants and Allied Families. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, Inc., 1985. Page 1 for discussion: [1]

See also:

• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I14205&tree=Tree1
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LYM2-HGT

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to Frances Doyle who imported the data for WikiTree profile Thomas Jenkins from Doyle-Eisenzimmer_McNeir Famil.ged on 15 Jun 2011. Click to the Changes Page for details of contributions.
• Thanks to Albertus for making WikiTree Profile Thomas ap Jenkin on 13 March 2021. Whilst making this profile, the following WikiTree message showed up on the screen: No close matches found. Proceed to Step 3. This profile was merged into Thomas Jenkins on 7 Jul 2021.