John P. Jenkins (1827 - 1908)

Born 13 Apr 1827 in Red Mills, Hardin, Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Martha Ann (Shirley) Jenkins — married 18 Oct 1849 (to before 26 Dec 1854) in Richland, Illinois, United States

Husband of Lydia Catherine (Bruner) Jenkins — married 26 Dec 1854 (to before 16 Feb 1868) in Edwards, Illinois, United States

Husband of Catherine Caroline Cottrell — married 16 Feb 1868 in Jasper, Illinois, United States

Descendants

Died 28 May 1908 at age 81 in Blair, Washington, Nebraska, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sarah Beth Houser [send private message]

Biography

Note: In marriage documents and other official records, John consistently used "P" as his middle initial; we don't know what the initial stands for, but may make a guess later.

Summary of Obituary

According to his obituary in the Blair, Nebraska, newspaper The Pilot, John P. Jenkins was born 13 April 1827 in Red Mills, Kentucky. He and his parents moved to Illinois when he was eight years old. He died of paralysis at a farm near Blair on 28 May 1908. The obituary says that his first wife was Lydia C. Bruner, whom he married in 1854. She died in August 1866 (six children, two surviving). John's second wife (and widow) was Catherine Cottrell, whom he married in 1868 (seven children, five surviving). ^[1]

Note: An internet search for Red Mills, Kentucky, the probable birthplace of John P. Jenkins, returns only one reasonable hit: the unincorporated town of Red Mills in Hardin County, Kentucky. ^[2] The best way to find Red Mills may be to search for coordinates (37.56806, -85.87092) for Red Mills Cemetery in an online map; or see the cemetery entry at findagrave.com. ^[3]

Known and Probable Spouses

The obituary mentions Lydia C. Bruner as John P. Jenkins' first wife, and their marriage in Edwards County, Illinois, on 26 December 1854, is confirmed by sources. ^[4]

And the obituary mentions Catherine Cottrell as John's second wife, with their marriage in Jasper County, Illinois, on 16 February 1868, again confirmed by sources. ^[5]

But there was probably a wife prior to Lydia C. Bruner. First of all, there is a record of a marriage joining John P. Jenkins and Martha Ann Shirley, on 18 October 1849 in Richland County, Illinois. ^[6] Then the couple appears (without children) in the 1850 US Census for Lawrence County, Illinois. ^[7] And finally, although the 1860 US Census for Richland County, Illinois, shows John with wife Lydia C. Bruner, there is a child in their household, Andrew J. Jenkins, who is too old to be the legitimate son of John and Lydia, and so is likely the son of John and Martha Ann Shirley. ^[8] What happened to Martha Ann Shirley is unknown.

Known and Probable Census Data

The goal of this section is to use census data to give an accurate picture of where John P. Jenkins lived and with whom, making sure there is continuity across censuses concerning John's age and birthplace, his spouse and her age and birthplace, and similarly with children that might appear in censuses. We will give additional notes after each census is presented to standardize names and give other information that seems relevant.

According to the 1850 US Census, John P. and Martha Ann Jenkins lived in Lawrence County, Illinois. John (age 22) was born in Kentucky, and his wife Martha Ann (age 21) was born in Mississippi. There are no children listed. ^[7]

According to the 1860 US Census, John P. and Lydia C. Jenkins lived in Claremont Township, Richland County, Illinois. John (age 32) was born in Kentucky and gives his occupation as "laborer", and his wife Lydia C. (age 21) was born in North Carolina. Their children are listed as son "And J" (age 10), daughter "S Vic" (age 4), and daughter Frances J (age 2). All the children are listed as born in Illinois. ^[8]

Note: Childrens' names: Andrew J., Sophania V., Frances J.
Note: Andrew is probably the child of Martha Ann Shirley, given his age.

According to the 1870 US Census, John and Catharine Jinkens lived in Flat Branch Township, Shelby County, Illinois. John (age 43) was born in Kentucky and gives his occupation as "farmer", and his wife Catharine (age 27) was born in Kentucky. Their children are listed as daughter Hannah (age 1), daughter "Saffora" (age 14), and son James (age 9). All the children are listed as born in Illinois. ^[9]

Note: Childrens' names: Hannah, Sophania V., James M.
Note: Sophania and James are likely children of Lydia C. Bruner, given their ages.
Note: On the same page of this census, in the household of W.H. Snell, is listed an Andrew Jinkins (age 20, born in Illinois, farm laborer). This is almost certainly the same person listed in the 1860 census, in other words the son of John P. Jenkins and Martha Ann Shirley. ^[10]

According to the 1880 US Census, John P. and "Caroline" Jenkins lived in Pleasant Home, a township in Polk County, Nebraska. John (age 53) was born in Kentucky, as were both his parents, and he gives his occupation as "farmer". His wife is given as Caroline (age 36); she was born in Kentucky, as were both her parents. Their children are listed as son "Cornealus A." (age 9), daughter "Delley" (age 7), son Ralph A. (age 5), son Fred S. (age 4), and son Frank (age 1). Cornealus, Delley, and Ralph were born in Illinois, and Fred and Frank were born in Nebraska. ^[11]

Note: Childrens' names: Cornelius A., Delley, Ralph A., Fred S., Frank.
Note: The fact that son Ralph was born in Illinois circa 1875 and son Fred was born in Nebraska circa 1876 suggests that the family moved to Nebraska around 1875.

According to the 1900 US Census, John P. and Catharine Jenkins lived in Arapaho, Furnas County, Nebraska. John (age 73) was born Kentucky, as were both his parents, and gives his occupation as "farmer". His wife Catharine (age 55) was born in Kentucky, as were both her parents. Their children are listed as son Fred (age 24) and son Frank (age 21), both born in Nebraska. ^[12]

Note: Childrens' names: Fred, Frank.

Research

Who Was John's Father?

The 1850 census and John's marriage records suggest that John P. Jenkins spent his early years in the counties of Lawrence and Richland, which are contiguous in the southeast corner of Illinois. In fact, before 1841 there was no Richland County: it was formed that year, mostly from the western part of a larger version of Lawrence County. ^[13] Since John's obituary states that he came to Illinois with his parents when he was eight years old (circa 1835), it makes sense to look for "Jenkins" households in the 1840 US Census for Lawrence County, Illinois. There are three such households; their census entries are summarized below.

The John Jenkins household has one male 20 <= age < 30, one male 40 < age < 50, one female 40 <= age < 50, and one female 70 <= age < 80. ^[14]

The James Jenkins household has one male age < 5, one male 5 <= age < 10, one male 10 <= age < 15, one male 30 <= age < 40, one female 5 <= age < 10, one female 10 <= age < 15, and one female 30 <= age < 40. ^[15]

The Samuel Jenkins household has one male 5 <= age < 10, one male 20 <= age < 30, one female age < 5, and one female 20 <= age < 30. ^[16]

In 1840, John P. Jenkins would have been about 13 years old. The only one of the above households having a male child 10 <= age < 15 is that of James Jenkins, and so that seems the most likely candidate for John's father.

We can also look at the 1850 US Census for the James Jenkins household to find the names of the children: Achilles (age 14), Samuel (age 10), Eliza J. (age 10), and Adeline J. (age 2), all born in Illinois. It appears that James remarried, since the adult woman in the household is Mary A. Jenkins (age 29, born in Ohio); she seems too young to be the mother of Achilles, and is definitely too young to be the mother of the unnamed male child (10 <= age < 15) from the 1840 census. ^[17]

There is some anecdotal evidence that Achilles Jenkins and John P. Jenkins were brothers. Ignoring details, Achilles had a son named Ira Elmer, who seems to have been close to John's daughter Sophania. He appears is a photogragh taken in Nebraska with Sophania, her brother James and their half-brother Ralph. Ira Elmer and Sophania were not siblings, but may have been first cousins, with James Jenkins the grandfather of both.

Who Was John's Mother?

The answer is Virginia Scott, based on a marriage document from Hardin County, Kentucky, dated 5 July 1826. Some details need to be checked to be confident that this document refers to the parents of John P. Jenkins, such as finding a James Jenkins in the 1830 US Census for Hardin County, then verifying that this is the right James Jenkins by showing that he lived near Red Mills, and by comparing neighbors of James Jenkins in 1830 with names that we see in the 1840 US Census for Lawrence County, Illinois; but we save this analysis for the profile for James Jenkins. Among other things, the marriage document shows that James and Virginia were both 21 years old, and that someone named Jonathan McCandless attested to Virginia's age. ^[18]

John's Paternal Ancestors (DNA Evidence)

Bryan Smith, a descendant of Phillip Jenkins (1748-1818) and Jane (Allison) Jenkins (1747-abt.1806), noticed several DNA matches with descendants of John P. Jenkins. It was seen that these matches were due to DNA overlap with parts of the chromosome Bryan had already assigned to the Jenkins/Allison couple. Their son Phillip Jenkins Jr. (1776-1859) had several children who moved to Lawrence County, Illinois, from Hardin County, Kentucky, between 1820 and 1840, including children named John, James, and Samuel. This is the basis for speculating that John P. Jenkins was a descendant of Jenkins/Allison through Phillip, Jr.

Note: It has been asserted on various websites that the parents of John P. Jenkins were George Washington Jenkins (1795-1879) and Penelope (Wells) Jenkins (1795-1839), both born in Warren County, New York, and died in Hillsdale County, Michigan. Given that the 1880 and 1900 US Census both show that John's parents were born in Kentucky, and given the DNA evidence, it seems nearly impossible that this couple were John's parents."

Sources

1. ↑ The Pilot. Blair, Nebraska. Wednesday, June 03, 1908, edition.
   https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pilot-john-p-jenkins-obituary/81312545/
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardin_County,_Kentucky
   (See the section under the heading "Unincorporated Communities")
3. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2190606/red-mills-cemetery
4. ↑ "Illinois Marriages, 1815-1935", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2PG-DBL : 13 January 2020), John P. Jenkins, 1864. Lydia R. Bruner
5. ↑ "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q28Z-RZK4 : 22 July 2021), John P Jenkins and Catherine Cottrell, 16 Feb 1868; citing Newton, Jasper, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,312,611.
6. ↑ "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK92-R2G3 : 19 February 2021), John P Jenkins and Martha Ann Shirley, 18 Oct 1849; citing Richland, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,221,093.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} "United States Census, 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8R3-NMC : Mon Jul 17 20:16:27 UTC 2023), Entry for John P Jenkins and Martha Jenkins, 1850.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXHX-Y9K : 18 February 2021), Jno P Jenkins, 1860.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6W6-7C7 : Mon Aug 21 22:39:57 UTC 2023), Entry for John Jinkens and Catharine Jinkens, 1870.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6W6-74B : Mon Aug 21 22:13:37 UTC 2023), Entry for W H Snell and Ann Snell, 1870.
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1880", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8YK-MV6 : Thu Aug 03 14:30:36 UTC 2023), Entry for John P. Jenkins and Caroline Jenkins, 1880.
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3B9-MV2 : Fri Aug 04 05:36:02 UTC 2023), Entry for John R Jenkins and Catharine Jenkins, 1900.
13. ↑ https://www.mapofus.org/illinois/
14. ↑ "United States Census, 1840", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHB8-TV8 : Thu Jul 20 18:26:31 UTC 2023), Entry for Jno Jenkins, 1840.
15. ↑ "United States Census, 1840", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHB8-TKW : Thu Jul 20 19:38:28 UTC 2023), Entry for Jas Jenkins, 1840.
16. ↑ "United States Census, 1840", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHB8-TKR : Fri Jul 21 00:55:53 UTC 2023), Entry for Saml Jenkins, 1840.
17. ↑ "United States Census, 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M85M-3K9 : Mon Jul 17 19:45:57 UTC 2023), Entry for James Jenkins and Mary A Jenkins, 1850.
18. ↑ "Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2QD-WR51 : 9 March 2021), James Jenkins and Virginia Scott, 5 Jul 1826; citing Marriage, , Hardin, Kentucky, United States, various county clerks and county courts, Kentucky; FHL microfilm 390,788.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113534525/john-p-jenkins : accessed 12 May 2022), memorial page for John P Jenkins (Apr 1827–28 May 1908), Find A Grave: Memorial #113534525, citing Blair Cemetery, Blair, Washington County, Nebraska, USA ; Maintained by John Rueter (contributor 47818694) .