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Decendants of Micah Jenkins

by Nancy Peeples


02/03/1998 Nancy has just sent this in the last week or so. It provides new and interesting information. Martin
Micah's father was Joseph Jenkins of Toogoodoo and Edisto. The Private Register of Rev. Edward Thomas while Rector of Trinity Edisto Island SC 1827 -1829 he refers to Joseph Jenkins deceased of Toogoodoo. This would give you the understanding that much of the land he held was off the island of Edisto. Ater doing a great deal of searching at the Archives in land records this proved to be the case as far as I could tell. I am sure that there are other researchers who may be able to find something that I missed. It appeared that by 1828 at Joseph Jenkins death he was living on Toogoodoo. The only property that he owned on Edisto was Brick House which the family owns to this day. There was one period in 1866 when the house was put up for sale. A letter from Aunt Eliza LaRoche to Rhoda Cornish dated October 22, 1866 ". . . Your Grand Ma met with quite a serious accident a few days ago she was walking in the piazza her foot sliped into a hole and strained it very badly it is dreadfully swolen and very black she is not able to walk a step at present and thinks she will never again. I hope she is mistaken about that but is is very bad for a person of her age, it has happened too at a very bad time as we have made all arangements to move to Rockville on the 30th of this month and will be obliged to go. I feel very sad at parting for I have been with Mother five years she will miss me so much particularly at this time. John and Eliza Ann will remain here some time yet which reconciles me to going. I could not leave mother alone. I suppose you have seen the advertisement of the old brick house, we have persuaded Father to sell to give Mother and himself something to live on, John gave it up very willingly and will take a place over here. Father divided his land among his children, he will retain the house and portion of land his life time afterwards it will be owned by George, who has the privilege of planting it at present. Tell your Father his place is the one owned by UNCLE MIKE between Pauls and this place each of us got (216 acres)..." (from the Cornish papers 1461 in the Southern Historical Collection University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) To verfy this I pulled the advertisement from the Charleston Daily News, October 11, 1866. This must have been an extremely difficult time for the Jenkins family as this property had been in the family since the late 1600 early 1700. Somehow they managed to hold onto it and John and Eliza Ann went back to Edisto and raised their family. They took with them Joseph Evans Jenkins (Micah's brother) and his wife Ann and they died at Brick House. What this tells us about Micah born 1796 is where his land was on the Toogoodoo. It was next to the Roxbury property that is there today owned by the King family. We also know from the Cornish Diary that the property that Micah had inherited had been Joseph Jenkins homesite. A Diary entry dated December 4th, 1867 "George and I called on Paul on our way passing over Cronish Manor. I was particularly delighted by the canopy of live oaks over the landing and in the rear of the spot where George's grandfather's residence once stood" A little background might be helpful here. The Rev. John Hamilton Cornish had married Martha Sarah Jenkins daughter of Joseph Evans and Ann Jenkins.
The letter written to Rhoda Cornish (duaghter of John and Martha) by her Aunt Eliza tells us which piece was owned by Micah before his leaving for Mackay's Point and that was the same piece that her father was to inherit.
I will give a brief genealogy to help clarify.
Jospeh Jenkins born 1761 married Martha Evans born Sept. 16, 1767. They married July 14,1785.
Joseph was the son of Richard Jenkins and Martha Rippon. Joseph and Elizabeth had: Edward Jenkins and Richard Jenkins who never married. Sarah Fripp Jenkins born 1789 married first Ralph Bailey and second John Laroche. They had children. Joseph Evans Jenkins born 1793 married Ann Jenkins Fripp and they had children. John Jenkins born 1794 married Elizabeth Grimball Clark had children. (These are the parents of Gen. Micah Jenkins.) Micah Jenkins born 1796 married his first cousin Martha Jenkins. They had children. Abigail Martha Jenkins born 1807 married George Chisolm Mackay. They had children. It is known that Joseph Jenkins left a will but the actual document has not been recovered by this researcher. Perhaps it was destroyed or perhaps it is held privately. Joseph Jenkins was named as the executor of the will of Thomas Baynard but Joseph died before the estate could be settled. In a document found at the South Carolina Archives dated March 28, 1839 the executors of Joseph Jenkins will are trying to settle the estate and be free of it. The executors of Joseph Jenkins will are his two sons Joseph E. Jenkins and Micah Jenkins. This is proof that a will did exist and it is hoped that some day it will be found. We know that Abigail Jenkins Mackay inherited her land at Mackay's Point a tract called Maderia from her father and it is assumed that Micah also inherited his original property from Joseph. Abigail and Micah were the two youngest surviving children of Joseph and Elizabeth Jenkins. Abigail being the child of their old age. The 1820 Mills Atlas shows the Jenkins name on Mackay Point/Grahams Neck. LaRoche's owned land there also but it is not known from whom all of the land that Micah born 1796 was obtained or how. That is something that I am still researching but with little luck so far.
Micah and Martha Jenkins had at least seven children that I can find records on. They are as follows: Ann L. Jenkins born February 1819 possibly on Edisto Island and died November 24, 1900 and is buried at St. John's Episcopal Church, Johns Island, SC.
She never married. Richard Jenkins born May 1824 possibly Edisto Island died in 1904 also buried at St. John's. Grimball Jenkins of which we only have one mention and no dates.
Elizabeth (Eliza) Jenkins born Oct. 9, 1826 possibly Edisto Island died February 2, 1901 also buried at St. Johns. She married Isaac Paul Grimball on November 25, 1845 at the home of her father. She and Isaac lived out there lives on Johns Island and have many ancestors there to this day.
Benjamin J.Jenkins born 1830 possibly Edisto Island died after 1901. It is unknown if Benjamin ever married or when he died. I have not been able to find him in a Census record after 1860 but did find that he and Richard got pensions for a short time until 1901. Sarah M. Jenkins born October 1833 possibly Edisto Island and died March 1880 in the Adams Run area. She is said to be buried at St. Paul's Meggett. She married John James LaRoche after 1870 as his second wife and they had no children. Micah Jenkins born about 1836 (my great-great-grandfather) on Edisto Island and died in Brunson, South Carolina between 1889 and 1893. This information was taken from Eloise Tucker Green Jenkins application for Pension benefits in the State of Georgia. Eloise and Micah were married January 15, 1861 in Greenville, South Carolina by The Rev. T. S. Arthur. All of the sons fought in the Civil War. Richard was with the Rebel Troop as was Benjamin who also served with the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery. Benjamin had been discharged due to losing and eye which we assume happened in the war but re-enlisted under his cousin Maj. John Jenkins of the Rebel Troop. Micah fought with the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery until the end of the war.
Would like to know the name of Micah's plantation but have not recovered that as yet. We do know that the area was extremely hostile after the war and all of the buildings of worth had been destroyed by the Northern Troops on October, 23, 1862. There was nothing to go back to and Micah had lost everything he owned. Other letters I have found written at that time from that area describe just how awful the situation was. So many people were murdered.
One of the Mackay sons tried to go back and was killed. Micah went back to Toogoodoo and lived near Abigail LaRoche a neice of his. Sarah, Richard and Ann were with him there in 1870. It is assumed he died in this area.
Micah Jenkins was born in 1796 the son of Joseph Jenkins, Sr. and Elizabeth Evans.
Mr. Wm. Albergotti has personal papers of his great great grandmother Abigail Martha Jenkins Mackay where she states that her parents had a total of 15 children.
Micah was fourth from the oldest that we have names and dates on. Abigail was the youngest.
Micah married Martha Jenkins his first cousin. Her father was Benjamin Jenkins of Wadmalaw Island. Micah has been somewhat hard to track as all family information on him has been lost so it became necessary to search all public records. What I have been able to find lets us know that Micah lived in the Adams Run area until 1838. I have a copy of the Private Register of Rev. Edward Thomas while Rector of Trinity Church Edisto Island SC 1827 - 1829. On April 16, 1827 Micah Jenkins was elected as a vestryman at Trinity. On April 15 Easter, Oct. 21, and Dec. 25, Christmas 1827 Mrs. Micah Jenkins took communion.The Sunday school ended for the season on Oct. 28, 1827 and Ann Jenkins, Micah and Martha's oldest daughter attended.
On Feb. 1828 the statement of the congregation of the Episcopal Church Edisto included Micah Jenkins, Mrs. Jenkins and children Ann, Richard and Grimball. This is the only record we have of Grimball. The dates for taking communion in 1828 are April 6, Easter Sunday, May 25, Whitsunday, Sept. 21, , Nov. 23 and December 25, Christmas. These were all for Mrs. M. Jenkins. The 1829 dates are July 19 and Sept. 4. We have copies of records from Christ Church Wiltown that show that Micah paid for the construction of a church at Wiltown. The cost was $1852.49. His pledge of $100 for the year is also shown and a statement of finances dated March 31, 1836 for the church with Micah Jenkins as treasurer. There is also a statement of payment for pews the says "Upon Mr. Micah Jenkins removing from the parish Mr. Henry Seabrook became the purchaser of his pew in 1838." At this time Micah has moved to Grames Neck in Pocotaligo. On April 19, 1838 we have a bill of sale that has been held in the Jenkins family of a mulato fellow named Joseph to Micah Jenkins from Thomas N. Gadsden for $1100. This is one of the only remaining pieces of paper the family still has and I believe it is in the possession of Buddy Jenkins, deceased, wife. Micah was on the vestry at Sheldon Church in 1841. The records of Sheldon church show that on Nov. 27, 1845 Mr. Micah Jenkins adopted Ella Elliott daughter of Geo. C. and Abigail Mackay. It is is not clear as to what it means as the Mackays always had Ella in their household as far as we can determine) , the marriage of Isaac P. Grimball to Eliza Jenkins, Nov. 25th 1845 at Mr. Micah Jenkins, the death of Martha Jenkins wife of Micah Jenkins d. Wednesday, 29 of January 1857 and buried on the 30th with the service and burial at Sheldon age about 60 years and Micah as the godfather of Benjamin Wyman the son of Charles F. and Anne L. Davis b. Sept. 5, 1860 and baptised April 17, 1861 Sponsors: Mother and Micah Jenkins. by DO. At Mr. Jenkins. Anne L. Davis was the sister of Micah Jr.'s wife Eloise Tucker Greene so it is not known if Micah Jr. or Sr. was the godfather. In 1841 Micah attended the Dicocesan Convention in Charleston as a delegate. He had a total of 127 slaves in October of 1860, sixty-two of which where working age between 15 and 55 with a total of 25 slave houses. He was taxed on Oct. 1, 1860 for 1731 acres and 127 negroes and paid tax of $252.03..The agricultural census staes that he had 900 acres improved land and 831 unimproved with a cash value of the farm of $34,600. The farm improvements valued at $360. He had no horses, 7 mules, 40 cows, 8 working oxen 92 other cattle, 50 sheep and 8 swine with a cash value of $2,600. He grew 2000 bushels of indian corn, 20 bushels of rice, 60 bales of cotton, 100 wool, peas and beans 100 bushels, 2000 sweet potatoes, 200 pounds of butter and 10 tons of hay with the value of the slaughtered animals at $250. In the book Rehearsal for Reconstruction the second largest tax payer and landowner in the Beaufort District was Micah Jenkins who was paying taxes on lands valued at $34,600. I have made a copy of a letter from Jospeh Jenkins to Rhoda Cornish dated Sept. 11, 1859 that gives a detailed account of Joseph Jenkins, Jr. going by boat to Grames Neck to vist Uncle Mike and Aunt Abby. He made this trip in an open boat. I will try and include the text of the letter later. It is three pages long but very interesting. Upon going through the John Jenkins letters I found many more references to Uncle Mike and Aunt Abby that give us some clue as to where they were during the Civil War. The first is from McPhersonville dated Sept. 18, 1864 where John is stationed. He writes "I will go out in a day or two Uncle Mike and borrow bedding." John is planning on a visit from his wife and he needs some things to make the place more comfortable. In another letter from McPhersonville dated Sept, Monday 1864 John writes "...that I have not ridden over much of the District nor been able to get out to Uncle Mikes. Cousin Ann and Miss Grimball called to see me for a few moments one evening,..." Later in the same letter John wrties "Cousin Ann says I must bring you up at once to stay with her till I can arrange leave but that would be double trouble." Letter dated October, Saturday, 1864 John writes his wife and says, "Tell Washie I have sent the filly mare up to Uncle Mikes farm for pasturage...". The letter dated Dec. 24, 1864 is telling of battles and forays against the enemy at which time he states " when I hoped to have a chance of punishing them for the capture of my pickets but they had retired to their entrenchments at Jenkins or Mackays Point." This letter was from headquarters at Pocotaligo. In November 1864 also at McPhersonville he states "Eliza Jenkins' family are coming tomorrow to Uncle Mikes so I fear I will not be able to borrow a bed of them. How shall we manage. Lis invites me to take my birthday dinner with her and to let you meet me there on your way here. What say you to all this." There is also a newspaper clipping from the Charleston Mercury dated Saturday June 18, 1864 a letter from John Bachman to the Editor Mercury: I gratefully acknowledge the following donation for the hospital: Miss Ann Jenkins, Pocotaligo - box containing 10 dozen egg." There is a letter from Ann which I shall include in its entirety in which she is requesting John's help to get pensions for Richard and Benjamin. The letter is dated March 22 with no year but due to the reference of Isaac Grimball health we know that it was written in 1898. This also tells us Benjamin was alive at this time though we cannot find him in a census. The next letter is from Pocotaligo dated Dec. 21, 1864 where John says, " I have advised Uncle Mike and an Aunt Abby Mackay to remove immediately and save what they could." The evacuation of Savannah has begun. We were able to locate the deeds to the Mackays Point land loss at the Beaufort RMC office. The first one says the land will be rented for 7 years beginning in 1867 by Ann S. Maybank. The final loss of land was May 2nd, 1882 when it was bought by Sallie A. Richardson for $100. Here the complaint was filed against Richard Jenkins, Benjamin Jenkins, Micah Jenkins, Ann Jenkins, Eliza Grimball and John LaRoche. ( This lets us know that Micah (1796) was dead by then and also that Sarah was dead by then). There are bounding and abutting statements in the deed as well as statements of the last surveys done. The John Cornish Diary, Cornish Papers #1461 in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina LIbrary, Chapel Hill makes several references to Micah. Wednesday, February 12, 1845 Shopped in King St. Met Mr. and Mrs. Micah Jenkins and Miss Eliza J. On Thursday, February 26, 1846 Martha Cornish wrote a letter to her Uncle Micah Jenkins. On Monday, May 18, 1846 in the Evening Mr. Micah Jenkins and his daughter Ann arrived from Pocataligo to Toogoodoo. On Wednesday May 20, 1846 there were long walks in the field in the morning with Col. J and Uncle Micah. Saturday, July 30th, 1853 Mr. Micah Jenkins called this morning in Aiken. Rev. Cornish called on Micah Jenkins and Mrs. Jenkins and children at Schwartz's. Tuesday August 2nd, 1853 Mr. and Mrs. Micah Jenkins called on us. Thursday August 4th 1853 Uncle Micah called. Monday, August 8th, 1853 Mr. Micah Jenkins called. Tuesday, August 9th 1853 Micah Jenkins dined with us. Monday, August 15th, 1853 Uncle Micah took tea with us. Sunday, August 21st, 1853 Called this evening Micah and Mrs. Jenkins to bid us goodbye. Tuesday, November 4, 1862 Raw morning. Uncle Micah Jenkins came today after dinner and is now with us. Wednesday Nov. 5, 1862 Uncle Micah Jenkins and I rode out to look at Cook's place where Mrs. Fripp and her daughter Mrs. Prileau are now staying. We called on Mr. and Mrs. Hayward. In the S. C. Claims books found at the S. C. Historical Society the index shows Micah Jenkins of Prince William Parish filing losses on pages 42, 48, 62 and 80. The first entry was for 110 slaves in Parish of Prince William 1861, Nov. 15 the affidavit of Geo. P. Elliott and W. H. Cuthbert, Jr. and self. 37 head of cattle, 7 hogs, Prince William Parish 1861, Nov. 15th affidavit of owner, 30 sheep and one mule May 25th 1861 Geo. P. Elliott and W. H. Cuthbert. DWELLING HOUSE and out building burnt Parish of Prince William 1862, Oct. 23 affidavit of owner. Provisions 100 bushels of corn 1861, Nov. 15th affidavit of owner 2000 lbs. of fodder 1861 Nov. 15th Geo. P.Elliott and W. H. Cuthbert. In a letter to John Cornish from George M. Jenkins from Roxbury dated July 26th 1871 George states "I spent a night last week with Uncle Mike Jenkins he has improved very much and enquired after you and family affectionitally and expressed a wish to see the girls again." This gives us the last known date that Micah was alive! This is followed by "Ben and Richard both have good corn crops and cousin Dick has a healthy cotton crop but he has the advantage of fertilizer under his which you and I have not." This could be our Richard and Ben and it could put them on Wadmalaw with Cousin Dick (Richard LaRoche) or at Toogoodoo with George. This letter is from the Cornish Papers #1461 in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill. S. C. Claims Losses due to the Enemy can be found at the SC Archives and the SC Historical Soceity in Charleston has the orginal log book. It is listed as SC Claims 1861-1862 vol. 1 #34/309. Micah Sr. can be found on pages 42, 48, 62 and 80. April 1867 Ann S. Maybank got a lease on the property "situate lying and being inthe District of Beaufort aforesaid in Prince Williams Parish bounded to the north by lands of Jno. E. Frampton and est. of Stuart to the east by Pocotaligo River to the south by lands of Mackay to the west by Tulifinny River and containing seventeen hundred and twenty acres more or less." IN May of 1882 Mrs. Sallie A Richardson (Sarah) buys the land for $100 and the bounding and buttings are part on the lands of George P. Elliott and part on the lands aforesaid, Mrs. Mary B. Stuart to the East part on the lands aforesaid the said Mary B. Stuart and part on Pocotaligo River to the South on lands of George C. Mackey and to the West partly on Tulifinny River and partly on land of James Frampton and having such figures and dimensions and descriptions mark as are represented on a plat drawn by Joseph Purcull in the month of December AD 1800 and a plat drawn by Daniel Brown on 21 November AD 1818 containing the parcel marked B and C on Purcell's plat and parcels marked C on Browns plat . . ." ( This is what I am looking for!) It is then sold to A. J. Salinas and Son of Charleston in 1885 for two thousand three hundred and forty dollars and ninteen cents and the assumption of a mortgage on the land. The same plats are still sited. The land is then sold to C. D. Witte, Arthur Lynah and Edward Sparkman for $1 to satisfy a mortgage I believe. This one is for June 1903.

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marc_h_b@rocketmail.com

MARTIN BALDWIN
34 COOSAW RIVER DR
BEAUFORT, SC 29902
United States

Email: peeplesb@conterra.com