JENKINS, John

  General Notes:

John was born circa 1609 at England.2 He married Mary Wallen on 2 Febru ary 1652/53 at Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts 02630, USA.3 ,4 John died after 1684/85 at Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachuset ts 02630, USA.2



John Jenkins was born perhaps in Kent, England, came over in the Defence and settled in Plymouth. Edward Bostock, Master, which sailed th e last of July 1635 and arrived at Boston 8 October following with about 100 passengers. He was admitted a freeman of the Colony, 3 January 1636 . At that date he was allowed to enlarge his grounds at Willingsley in P lymouth, showing that he had been an inhabitant of that town previous to the date of his being admitted a freeman. May 5 1640, three acres of me adow between the south ponds and Eeel River, forty acres of upland "ther eby it" and six acres of land above Willingsley were granted to him. Nov . 2 1640, six acres in the Colebrook meadow were assigned to him.


In June, 1637, he volunteered as a soldier from Plymouth in the P equot war, and in 1645 was a soldier in the Narraganset Expedition. He f requently was a juror and in 1644 was constable of Plymouth and was then called Senior.


His early admission to the freedom of the Colony indicates that h e was a man know to the first settlers before he came over and a member of an Independent Church. He was a large land owner and a house holder, facts from which it might be inferred that he had a family; but the reco rds afford no evidence that he was then a married man.


In 1646 he removed to Eastham, his name appearing on the most anc ient list of the freeman of that town which has been preserved. He did n ot remain long in that town. He was of Barnstable in 1652. His name is o n the list of freeman in Barnstable in 1558, 1670 and 1684.


June 7, 1659, the Colony court granted liberty to Mr. Thomas Hinc kley, Henry Cobb, Samuel Hinckley, John Jenkins and Nathaniel Bacon, " t o view and purchase a tract of land at Saconesset, so much as they can c onveniently and they are to have each of them a considerable protion the reof as the Court shall think meet and the rest to be disposed of by the Court." Mr. Thomas Hinckley and Mr. Richard Bourne were authorized to p urchase the said lands of the Indians. Subsequently others were added to the list of grantees or proprietors.


At the first division of the lands at Suckinesset, Dec 3, 1661, S amuel Hinckley signs for himself and John Jenkins. In 1668 he was admitt ed an inhabitant of the plantation but he did not long reside there, for four years after he is called of Barnstable. June 4, 1686, Suckinesset was incorporated as a town. Previous to that date Suckinesset plantation was annexed to Barnstable and it seems difficult to fix precisely that status of the residents there on they had to bear arms in Barnstable and the territory was in fact a part of Barnstable, as Maine was a part of Massachusetts before it was admitted to be a State of the Union.


In 1684 John Jenkins was a freeman of Barnstable. He had deceased in 1690, when his son John of Falmouth was made a freeman of that town. He died between 25 September 1683 when he made his will, and 26 October 1685, when it was proved. He probably died during the time of the usurp ation of Sir Edmond Andros when it was required that the estates of dece ased persons should be settled in Perogative Court in Boston. This was a rbitrary act and unpopular with the people and to avoid it, some divided their property by deeds, not by will. John Jenkins probably did so; but as the records are burnt, it cannot now be verified. He was living in 1 684;; and probably died soon after, aged about 76 years.
.
John immigrated to (an unknown value) in July 1635.2



Children of John Jenkins and Mary Wallen:
Sarah Jenkins (15 Nov 1653)
Mehitabel Jenkins (02 Mar 1654/55)
Samuel Jenkins (12 Sep 1657)
John Jenkins (13 Nov 1659)
Mary Jenkins (01 Oct 1662)
Thomas Jenkins (15 Jul 1666)
Joseph Jenkins+ (31 Mar 1670 - 13 Oct 1734)

[S328] NEHGR Volume CXLIX, October 1995.
[S49] Gen.Notes Barn. Fam., Otis, Amos, pg 90.
[S49] Gen.Notes Barn. Fam., Otis, Amos, pg 91;.
[S70] NEHGR, vol 2 pg 195.

  Death Notes:

Death: 1684/85