It has been a busy and mind-blowing week. In the middle of trying to watch Rootstech 2023 I'm also doing my research on my Jenkins, and phew my head is spinning. I am nowhere near done, but I have found so much that I needed to stop and share my research notes where I'm at right now.
I continued looking at the Y-DNA connections and playing with the data from the test. I also learned to use the DNA data on FTDNA to create a dendogram. I’m still trying to learn how to use and read this, but if I am understanding it then M.O., Drury, William, and Gentry Jenkins are all connected with a common ancestor within that last 100 years. The name Gentry Jenkins is familiar. I believe I have come across him in my previous research. This is promising, but still does not connect Drury to M.O. or put him in the place of M.O. birth.
The paper trail will be necessary to move forward. I have begun researching Drury Jenkins born 1803 PA, the ancestor of N S Jenkins. He appears to be the closest ancestral connection to M.O. Online I’ve been able to learn that Drury Jenkins married Sarah McKee, possibly before 1831, so he was likely still single when M.O. was born. In 1840 he was in Newberry, South Carolina. Online I’m not seeing anything that puts him in Lincoln County, NC. around 1823 when M.O. would have been conceived. But in my research, I came across an interesting set of notes, unfortunately unsourced, and I’m unable to find them online anywhere. Here are the screenshots shared by *******Davis on Ancestry:
I wrote to Ms. Davis: (3/3/23)
I came across a set of notes about Drury Jenkins and my M.O. Jenkins that you shared. It was very interesting reading because we have been on this project for nearly twenty years (19 years for me, others in the group have been at it for longer) with several other Jenkins relatives. I even wrote a book with what I had been able to learn through the paper trail, but also making it clear we still didn't know the paternity of M.O. Jenkins and most of it was conjecture. Since that time DNA has taken us a long way only to leave us with more questions than answers.
A couple months ago a lovely young lady contacted me about my dad's DNA test and the research I had done. After comparing our family lines, I realized that her father was a direct male descendant of M.O. Jenkins and still alive! I asked her if she would be willing to ask him to take a Y-DNA test. She jumped on it and within a couple months we had his test. I've now joined a few groups with the Y-DNA test and I'm trying to solve this mystery.
The most interesting part is that a descendant of Drury Jenkins shows up as a Y-DNA connection to my tester, so I began looking into Drury Jenkins. That's when I came across your research. I would be interested to know the source of the notes, if you are willing to share. Until the Y-DNA pointed me to Drury I had not looked into him. I reset my tree with Drury Jenkins as a hypothetical father of M.O. Jenkins and today I find that this hypothetical father results in a possible DNA match in Thru Lines that I had not previously seen. He had been in the matches before, but just unable to see where he connected.
What the match eludes to if the research is correct, is that the tester is descended from David Jenkins, his daughter, and then a line of three Robert E Gays. This is the first time I've been able to see a DNA connection that doesn't descend from M.O., but goes back one generation further. I believe you are on to something with the connection between Drury Jenkins and M.O. Jenkins. I would be interested to know more if you would be willing to share the information about this connection.
Ms. Brown wrote back about a day later. From what I gather, these are her own notes and thoughts above. Well thought out and it looks like she's in the same place I am, still more questions than answers.
I also disconnected the family of Joseph Jenkins from M.O. Jenkins and put Drury Jenkins as the Hypothetical father of M.O. and even plugged in Anne Froneberger for now. Today when I checked the DNA connections, there is a tester that connects to my father possibly by way of Drury through his done David. This is the first time that any DNA connection is made further than M.O. All other Jenkins connections to this point had been through M.O.
Though I must add that having Anne Froneberger as the mother of M.O. has returned no matches, and I’m not seeing any connections in my dad’s DNA matches to the name Froneberger. Even her father is populating as a hint and also returning zero matches. I do not believe she is the mother of M.O.
I need to find this bastardy bond for Drury Jenkins. Could he have fathered more than one illegitimate child? How are Joseph Jenkins and the rest of the family connected to him?
Note his name is spelled both Drury and Drewry. Here is what I know so far about Drury Jenkins born 14 Sept 1808, PA and died 30 Oct 1884 according to the U.S. Find a Grave Index. He is buried in Rocky Mountain Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Daviston, Tallapoosa County, AL.
He married Sarah McKee before 1831. This marriage record still has not been found.
They had the following children:
Thomas M Jenkins b. 26 Nov 1831 in SC
James P Jenkins b. Abt 1835 in SC
Mary Jenkins b. Abt. 1839 in SC
William E Jenkins b. Abt 1841 in SC
David Monroe Jenkins b. 7 Dec 1847 in Alabama
John F Jenkins b. Abt 1848 in Alabama
George Jenkins b. Abt 1852 in Alabama
More work needs to be done on David Jenkins. His birth date is the same in records, but at a range of about 12 years apart. The closest record I have found to his birth is the 1850 census. In the 1850 census he is listed at 3 years old, therefore I believe his year of birth to really be 1847. I’ve now updated David’s year of birth.
The 1850 census can be used to correct a great deal more of this family. The 1850 census was taken in District 19, Chambers, Alabama.
Drury Jenkins is 36 years old a Farmer born in North Carolina. Now we can finally put him in North Carolina, however, if he is 36 years old. That puts his birth year at 1814 which would make him only 10 years old when M.O. Jenkins was born making it impossible for Drury to have fathered M.O. Jenkins. Either this census is wrong or Drury was too young. Here is the rest of the family and their ages:
Sarah - 39
Thomas - 18 born in SC (born 1832)
Jame P - 15 born in SC (1835)
Mary A - 12 born in SC (1838)
William E - 9 born in SC (1841)
David M - 3 born in Alabama (1847)
Next the 1860 census puts the family in Beat 16, Tallapoosa, Alabama, post office Dudleyville. Drury is 58 years old, born in North Carolina, putting his birth year at 1802. After all these years of research, I’ve come to the conclusion that our ancestors did not care about their age. So according to this census he could possibly be the father of M.O. Jenkins. The following family members are listed with Drury:
Sarah - 48 in SC
Mary - 21 in SC
William C - 20 in SC
David - 15 born in Alabama
John F - 12 born in Alabama
George W - 9 born in Alabama
The 1870 census puts the family in Daviston, Tallapoosa, Alabama. Drury is 68 years old and still a farmer. The only two children living with Drury and Sarah is David (23) and George (18).
The 1880 census finds Drury in Daviston, Tallapoosa, Alabama. Drury is 77 years old born about 1803 in North Carolina. Sarah is 70 years old. They are living with their son David M Jeknins (32). David’s family is below:
D. M. Jenkins - 32
Caldona (his wife) - 24
Allenttia - 6
Arcadia - July 1879
Going back to the DNA, we have a DNA connection to the great grandson of Allenttia. As of this morning we have many DNA match going another generation back to Drury’s father.
Excluding Drury’s age in the 1850 census the rest of the records and the DNA is creating a very strong case for Drury Jenkins to be the father of Michael Oliver Jenkins born 1824.
It’s worth noting that though we have 70 DNA connections to M.O. Jenkins, until now we never showed connections to Joseph Jenkins or his wife. Now to show connections that don’t show up when I look at just M.O., but that show up with each generation I go back after M.O. I think I’m on the right path. This IS NOT PROOF POSITIVE. Please keep that in mind, but the evidence I am not seeing in the DNA is very encouraging that I am on the right path and now need to establish the paper trial.
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