Life History

Notes

• Family information from the previous generation indicates that in hisyouth Joseph Asa was called Jode (I think it was pronounced Jodie).  An early family notation also spells his middle name as Acy.  My dad, Orville Lee Jenkins, also called his brother Asa by this name all his life.
  
  Joseph Asa was born in Cass County, Texas.  In about 1890, when he was about 45 years old, he moved his family across the border into Indian Territory at Healdton, Chickasaw Nation, near the Texas border.  His father Joseph Sanford Jenkins moved with the family, and died in 1893 in Marlow, Stephens County, Chickasaw Nation.  It is not clear if JS' wife Louisa Christian Jenkins also moved with the family.  We have no death and burial information for her.  It is possible that she remained, since some of the Christian family remained in Cass County, and Louisa had continued to maintain her family farm, which adjoined the Jenkins farm, after she and Joseph S married.
  
  Healdton was in the western side of what became Stephens County, Oklahoma.  They were in Chickasaw Nation by 1893, because Sallie was born in December 1893 in Wapanucka, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory.  Wapanucka is in what became Johnston County, also in what was Chickasaw Nation.  It is in the eastern part of Carter County, some distance east from Ardmore, and even further from Healdton.  But Marlow, where Joe's family are living in 1900, is even farther away than these two towns.
  
  Joseph Asa with wife Hester (Hattie) and family are recorded in the 1900 Chickasaw Nation (Stephens County, Oklahoma) census.  They are in Marlow, later county seat of Stephens County.
  
  1900 Census, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, District 164, Marlow, Page #310, Family #133
  Jenkins, Joe    Head    W M  JUN 1866  33 M-13 TX SC GA Farmer
  Jenkins, Hattie   Wife   W  F  JUL 1870  29 M-13 TX TN TX (6-4 CH)
  Jenkins, James   Son   W M  JAN 1888 12          TX TX TX
  Jenkins, Joseph B Son  W M  OCT 1889 10        TX TX TX
  Jenkins, Sallie H  Dau  W  F  DEC 1893   6          Ind Terr TX TX
  Jenkins, Mary N   Dau   W  F  OCT 1897   2        Ind Terr TX TX
  
  They moved after a short while to Marlow, where Joe leased a farm fora while.  He moved into Marlow town shortly after Sallie was born in December 1893.  From about 1902 he lived on a farm near Bradley.  In December 1903 or January 1904 (after the birth of Thomas Asa on the farm 3 November 1903), the family moved into Bradley town, to run a store and serve as postmaster.  They lived there till after the birth of Nannie May in October 1905, probably moving after the winter in 1906.
  
  At any rate they were in Marlow before the death of Nannie May in September 1906-7.  Nannie May was buried in Marlow Cemetery.  Soon after Nannie's death, Joseph became the city marshal in Marlow, serving for about 3 years.
  
  1910 Federal Census, Stephens County, Oklahoma, 2 May, District #239,p #18A, Wall Township, Marlow City, Fourth Ward, Family #347:
  Jenkins, Joseph A  Head M W 43 m-2 9-yrs TX SC MS City Marshall
  Jenkins, Julia V  Wife F W 29 m-1 9-yrs 5/4 GA GA TX (should be NC)
  Jenkins, Sallie  Dau F W 16 s OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Mary  Dau F W 13 s OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Mabel  Dau F W 8 s OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Asa  Son M W 7 s OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Rondafay  Dau F W 3 s OK TX TX
  
  In this census, the birthplace of Julia is reported as Georgia.  There are a couple of other reports of Georgia as her birthplace, but most censuses report Texas as her state of birth.  In fact, her parents are reported in the 1880 census in McLennan County, Texas.  Julia was born a few months later that same year.  We do not see Bud (Arthur Carthal) in this census, though the date I have for his birth is 28 December 1909.
  
  This date is reported by Harold Christian from family source, and wasalso given to me directly by Bud's nephew Asa Lee Jenkins.  Bud's gravestone in Fairlawn (Chickasha, Oklahoma) Cemetery has only the year 1909.  At any rate, we would expect to see Bud here with an age of about 4 months.  But in May 2009, Bud's son (my cousin) Carthal Trent told me he had always heard that his father was born in Mt View.  This would mean that Bud was not born until 1910, which would account for his not being recorded in the May 1910 census in Marlow.  But did family members remember the year of Bud's death incorrectly?
  
  According to information compiled by Harold Christian for the Jenkinsfamily, Joe Jenkins moved his family to Mountain View shortly after the 1910 census.  He first farmed on a farm of his brother-in-law Bill Christian, then moved to an Indian lease farm.  Harold Christian tellsthe story:
  
  "By about 1910 he had decided to move his family from Marlow to Mountain View, Oklahoma, where he was to settle for a few years supporting his family by farming. ...
  "[Some time after the marriage of daughter Sallie and Cleve Christianin November 1911] Joseph is believed to have moved his family from Bill Christian's farm at Oakdale [north of Mountain View just across thecounty line into Caddo County] to an Indian lease he subsequently obtained southeast of Mountain View."
  -- Jenkins Family History (private paper) by Harold K Christian
  
  There is a story of their moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, fora period before World War I.  Joseph Asa mentions this in his television interview on WKY-TV in Oklahoma City in 1955.  Some comments from the story, by Joseph or from some of his children's memories, are unclear whether the whole family or just some of the family moved to Canada.  They returned to Mt View after this interim of working in Vancouver.
  
  In March 2009, I found out more specific details about the trip to Vancouver in a newspaper story that my step mother gave me among items that had belonged to my father.  This clarified that Joe had moved to "Vancouver, B. C., where Mr. Jenkins worked on the Canadian-Alaskan Highway project.  When war [WWII] broke out in 1914, they returned to Mountain View."  [See full story below.]
  
  The move to Vancouver had to be sometime after 10 April 1912.  This is when my father Orville Lee Jenkins was born in Mt View, Oklahoma.  The THe bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese was 7 December 1941.  The Jenkins family probably mvoed back to Oklahoma in January 1942 after the US and its allies began operations in the Asian theatre.  So they were in Vancouver about 2.5 years.
  
  The Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian, p 19, reports that "[After the birth of Netheline in December 1918] Joseph is believed to have moved his family from Mountain View first to a farm south of Fort Cobb and sometime thereafter into Fort Cobb."
  
  1920 Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma, 3 January, Mt View, District 14,Page 1A, Hse/Fam #1
  Jenkins, Joseph A  Head  M W 54  TX NC MS Farmer
  Jenkins, Juliva  Wife  FW 39 TX GA NC
  Jenkins, Ronda F  Dau F W 12 OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Author C  Son M W 10 OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Orville L  Son M W 7 OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Gladys L  Dau F W 5 OK TX TX
  Jenkins, Matty N  Dau F W 1 OK TX TX
  
  Harold Christian continues:  "[After moving to Fort Cobb], it is believed he managed an orphan's home for about the first year.  Apparentlynot satisfied with that he again entered the profession of law enforcement, first serving as a deputy to the Town Marshall and subsequentlyas Town Marshall."
  
  There is some discrepancy over the times as given by Harold, from family memories he collected.  In the 1920 census, he is still farming inMt View Township.  He moved to Fort Cobb some time later, or perhaps he became town marshal of Ft Cobb while retaining the farm near Mt. View, and the family was still living there during the 1920 census.
  
  A report from his daughter Mabel would place the beginning of the Marshall job in October 1921, though they could have been living in the town already before that time.  Harold Christian quotes Joe's daughter Mabel as saying:  "When Kerwin was about 3-4 days old, Poppa was made City Marshall."  Kerwyn was born in October 1921.  If Mabel's memory is right, then Joseph Asa became Marshall of Fort Cobb in October 1921.
  
  Joe was a peace officer for a total of 20 years, serving as chief of police in Marlow, deputy sheriff in Mountain View and city marshal of Fort Cobb.
  
  Here is the information for this family from the 1930 census record from Fort Cobb, Caddo County, Oklahoma.
  
  Note that birthplace of Julia as well as Joe is given as Texas.  Thiscorroborates earlier reports that she alone of all the Terry childrenwas born in Texas, though those after her were born in Georgia until the final child born in Oklahoma.  In the Notes for Julia Virginia Terry I detail the 1880 census record reporting Julia's parents in McLennan County, Texas, where Julia was born in Lorena in December 1880.  The Terrys appear to have moved to Texas with other Terrys, but then Thomas Duncan decided for some reason to move back to the Terrys' home area in Murray County, Georgia.
  
  1930 Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma, 1 April, Fort Cobb, District 26,p 9A, Hse #181, Fam #215
  Joe A Jenkins  Head  M W 63 TX MS MS
  Julia Jenkins  Wife  F W 49 TX GA NC
  Carthel Jenkins son M W 20 OK TX TX
  Orville Jenkins son M W 17 OK TX TX
  Lahoma Jenkins dau F W 12 OK TX TX
  Netheline Jenkins dau F W 11 OK TX TX
  Virginia Jo Jenkins dau F W 4 yrs 8 mos OK TX TX
  Rondafaye Jenkins dau F W 22 OK TX TX
  
  Note that Rhonda's name is written all as one name rather than two, as the family seem to have it.  This was the case in 1910 also, when her name was spelled Rhondafay.  It is also unusual that in 1930 her name is entered last, though she is the oldest child still at home.
  
  Joe and Jennie lived in Ft Cobb till 1935, when he moved to Chickasha.  This is where he lived during my childhood.
  
  Here is the news story of Joe and Jennie's 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1951, which provides rich detail about their life and the places they lived.
  
  ==================================
  
  J. A. Jenkinses Celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversary
  Six of Seven Children Plan Open House
  
  Fifty years ago last Thursday, a 20-year-old girl slipped unnoticed through a window of a neighbor's house in Marlow and drove away in a buggy with her fiance to be married.
  Today, fifty years and three days later, the couple will celebrate their golden, wedding anniversary.  They are Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Jenkins,1016 South 20th.
  The 1901 wedding ceremony was performed by the preacher as the couplesat in the buggy in front of his house.  Plans for the dreamed-of church wedding were forgotten after the bride’s parents voiced objectionsto the wedding.
  Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, ages 84 and 70, will be honored at an open house from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. today in the home of son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Jenkins, 1522 South 17th.  Six of the honorees' seven children will be hosts.
  A gold-and-white color scheme will be used in decorations for the reception.  Punch and cake will be served from a table centered with a layout of California golden fruit.  Over the mantel will be a large gold-and-white framed picture of the couple taken shortly after their wedding.
  The Oklahoma pioneers were both born in Texas.  Mr. Jenkins moved in 1890 to the site of what is now Marlow where he farmed and later served as City marshal.  Mrs. Jenkins, then Julia Virginia Terry, moved with her family from Georgia to Marlow in January of 1901.  Two and one-half months after their meeting, they were married.
  Mr. Jenkins moved his family to Mountain View in 1910.  But soon theywere off to Vancouver, B. C., where Mr. Jenkins worked on the Canadian-Alaskan Highway project.  When war broke out in 1914, they returned to Mountain View.
  The family lived in Fort Cobb from 1921 until 1935.  There also Mr. Jenkins farmed and served for a time as city marshal.
  Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins have lived in Chickasha since 1935, when Mr. Jenkins retired.
  Mr. Jenkins is still quite active, but failing eyesight has slowed down his reading habits.  However, a reading record machine has solved this problem pretty well.  His main interest is his church work, and hetakes a lively interest in world affairs.  Both he and his wife are members of the 12th Street Missionary Baptist church.
  Mrs. Jenkins is particularly interested in her flower garden and, of course, her grandchildren.  Three who live in Chickasha, the children of the A. C. Jenkinses, "spend lots of time with us," she says, proudly.  They are Carthel Trent, 13, Mike Thomas, 8, and Larhonda, 5.
  Mrs. Jenkins says she and her husband have had a full and most interesting life together, although nothing spectacular has ever happened tothem.  She perhaps considers today as spectacular as any other day intheir lives.  For numerous daughters, sons, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives and friends have descended upon Chickasha to honor them.
  The six children who are their hosts for the day are Mrs. Mabel  Hilland Miss Netheline Jenkins of Oklahoma City, Asa Jenkins of Anadarko,Mrs. Russell Boyd of Amarillo, Texas, Orville Jenkins of Quanah, Texas, and A. C. Jenkins of Chickasha.  One other daughter, Mrs. Charles R. Henry [Hendron] of San Gabriel, Calif., was unable to come for the reunion.
  Also here are daughter-in-law [Mrs.] Asa Lee Jenkins Jr [should not be Jr] and son, grandson and family, Mr. and Mrs. Asa Lee Jenkins Jr [should be Asa Jenkins] and son Ronnie, Oklahoma City; son-in-­law Russell Boyd and grandson and family, Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Hill and son, Charles Mark, Amarillo.
  Mrs. Cleve Christian, Chickasha, is the only one of Mr. Jenkins’ fourchildren by a previous marriage who will be here for the anniversary observance.  The other three are James E. Jenkins and B. J. Jenkins ofBuena Park, Calif., and Mrs. Neil Yates of Aledo, Texas.
  Four sisters and one brother of Mrs. Jenkins who are also here are:  Mrs. W. C. Madison, Mrs. Elmer Wagnon, Mrs. Best [Bert] Lewis and Arthur Terry of Marlow, and Mrs. E. P. Hill of Duncan.
  Mrs. Annie Tabors, Mountain View, a niece of Mr. Jenkins, also will be present.
  The listed relatives are only those who sent word they would join Mr.and Mrs. Jenkins in the celebration.  But Mrs. Jenkins points out thepossibilities for a larger group are great.  For there are 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.  In addition, Mr. Jenkins has 28 other grand-children and 39 other grandchildren.
  And then, of course, there is a 50 year accumulation of friends.
  
  -- The Chickasha (Oklahoma) Daily Express, Sunday, 1 April 1951
  
  ==================================
  
  Joe and Jennie had been residents in the Chickasha Nursing Home, Chickasha, Grady, Oklahoma, for some time before Joe's death in 1962.  I have not found in family information exactly when they moved to this assisted-care living.  I remember visiting them there on occasion, when our family would visit Chickasha from our Texas home.  I was also present there when Pappa Joe died.  I remember my father and some of his siblings being in the upstairs room with their father.  He was not fully conscious at that time, as I remember.
  
  Funeral Services were held on Thursday, 4 April 1962, at the Sevier Funeral Home in Chickasha, with burial following in Fairlawn Cemetery, Hwy 81 North in Chickasha.

Sources

• 1. Gravestone of Joseph Asa and Julia Virginia Jenkins, Fairlawn Cemetery, Chickasha, Oklahoma
• 2. Jenkins Journal, July 1982, by Harold Keith Christian
• 3. Obituary of Joseph Asa Jenkins, Oklahoma City paper, name unknown, June 1962
• 4. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • pp 14-15
• 5. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • p 13
• 6. Jenkins Journal, April 1982, by Harold Keith Christian
  • p 2
• 7. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
• 8. 1900 Federal Census, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory
  • 19 June, Marlow Town, District 164, page 8A (scan page 310A), Hse #131
• 9. 1910 Federal Census, Stephens County, Oklahoma
  • 2 May, District 239, page 18A, (scan p 251), Wall Township, Marlow Cit
• 10. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • p 18
• 11. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • p 15
• 12. 1920 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
  • 3 January, Mt View Township, District 14, Page 1A, Hse/Fam #1
• 13. 1930 Federal Census, Caddo County, Oklahoma
  • 1 April, Fort Cobb Town, District 26, p 9A, Hse #181, Fam #215
• 14. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • p 19
• 15. Jenkins 50th Wedding Anniversary, Chickasha (Oklahoma) Daily Express,Sunday, 1 April 1951
• 16. Orville Boyd Jenkins, Personal Knowledge
• 17. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • p 17
• 18. Chickasha (Oklahoma) City Directory 1938
  • p 107
• 19. 1920 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
  • 3 January, Mt View, District 14, Page 1A, Hse/Fam #1
• 20. 1930 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
  • 1 April, Fort Cobb, District 26, p 9A, Hse #181, Fam #215
• 21. Gravestone of Mabel Jenkins Hill, Fairlawn Cemetery, Chickasha, Oklahoma
• 22. Social Security Death Index
• 23. Jenkins Family Notes by Lou Ila Jenkins, uncertain source, 1950s
• 24. Marlow (Oklahoma) Cemetery List
  • Name: http://www.rootsweb.com/~okstephe/MarlowCem2.txt;
• 25. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • Joseph Asa Jenkins Family Group Record
• 26. RootsWeb Death and Interment Records
  • Interment Record for Rhonda Fay Boyd, http://userdb.rootsweb.com/cemet
• 27. R Christian GED
  • Joseph Asa Jenkins Family Group Sheet
• 28. Asa Jenkins Family Interview by Orville Boyd Jenkins, 29 May 2007
• 29. Texas Death Index, 1903-2000
  • Certificate 47522
• 30. 1920 Federal Census, Kiowa County, Oklahoma
  • Mt View, District 14, Page 1A, Hse/Fam #1
• 31. 1930 Federal Census, Caddo County, Oklahoma
  • 1 April, Fort Cobb, District 26, p 9A, Hse #181, Fam #215
• 32. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • p. 16; and Joseph Asa Jenkins Family Group Record
• 33. Joseph Asa Jenkins Family Group Report, Harold Christian GED
• 34. Harold K Christian, Pedigree Chart, January 1990
• 35. Julia Virginia Terry Jenkins, personal interview by Lou Ila Jenkins, about 1955
• 36. 1900 Federal Census, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory
  • 19 June, Marlow Town, District 164, page 8A
• 37. U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
• 38. California Death Index, 1940-1997
• 39. 1920 Federal Census, Washita County, Oklahoma
  • Oakdale, District 192, page 8A, Farm House #129, Family #127
• 40. 1910 Federal Census -- Oklahoma
• 41. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
  • p 16
• 42. 1900 Federal Census, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory
  • 19 June, Marlow Town, District 164, page 8A, Hse #131, Fam #133
• 43. 1910 Federal Census, Stephens County, Oklahoma
  • 2 May, District #239, p #18A, Wall Township, Marlow City, Fourth Ward
• 44. 1920 Federal Census, Wichita County, Texas
  • 13 January, Burkburnett Town, District 197, page 8B, Hse #157, Fam #20
• 45. 1930 Federal Census, Caddo County, Oklahoma
  • 4 April, North Cobb Township. District 44, page 3A, Hse/Fam #40
• 46. Marriage License
  • Cass County Marriage Bk 6, p14