Daniel H. Jenkins
Surnames: Ellsworth, Miner, Smith, Spangle, Wood
Variations: Minor
From The Portrait and Biographical Album of Rock County, Wis., publ, 1889 - page 628, 629
DANIEL H. JENKINS, a retired farmer residing in Lima Center, was born in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson Co., N.Y., on the 27th day of December, 1822. His father, George JENKINS, was born in Vermont, Jan. 24, 1780, and in early manhood removed to Jefferson County, where he formed the acquaintance of Miss Parthenia WOOD, and on the 2d day of April, 1809, they were joined in wedlock. The lady was also a native of the Green Mountain State, where she was born Oct. 16, 1791. They began their domestic life in Jefferson County, where the family circle was completed by the birth of seven children, as follows: Esther W., born Feb. 25, 1810, died Oct. 12, 1863; Abiah, born Aug. 21, 1812, died in the Empire State, March 8, 1813; Frederick L. born July 17, 1814, died in Jefferson County Sept. 6, of the same year; Lidia O., born July 18, 1816, became the wife of Capt. John MINER, who for many years had command of a vessel on the lakes, and died in 1851; George A., born May 19, 1818 is a resident of Fort Atkinson, Wis.; A. W., born July 26, 1820, was numbered among the boys in blue of the 24th Wisconsin Infantry during the late Civil War, and now resides in Eau Claire, Wis.; and Daniel H., of this sketch, is the youngest. George JENKINS followed the occupation of farming throughout his entire life. He served his country during the war of 1812, and he and his wife were members of the Baptist Church. His death occurred in 1854. In speaking of the death of Mrs.. JENKINS, which occurred March 19, 1888, we quote from one of the papers of Fort Atkinson, Wis.: "Mrs. Parthenia JENKINS, aged ninety-six years, five months and three days, was without doubt the oldest person in the city. Her name was Parthenia WOOD, and she was born Oct. 16, 1791, in Middletown, Vt. Her father was a sergeant in the Revolutionary Army. At the age of twelve years, with her parents and an aunt, she removed to the wilderness of New York, near Lake Ontario. She was the youngest of a family of eleven children, and in April, 1809, married George JENKINS, a soldier of the war of 1812. She was the mother of seven children. Her husband died in 1854, and the following year she again removed to the then new country of Calumet County, Wis. She and all her family were members of the Baptist Church. Grandma JENKINS, as she was generally called, retained her faculties to a remarkable degree until the last. She was taken sick Friday, March 16, but was about and at the table Sunday night. Monday morning she recognized all those around her, but soon became unconscious, and quietly passed away at 3:30 p.m. Among the last words she spoke were some snatches of hymns, beginning: 'The Lord my pasture shall prepare,' and the Scriptural passages, 'Bless the Lord, O, my soul,' and 'All things shall work together for good of them that love God.' She was always ready with a word of advice for the young. She lived to a grand old age. Her tranquil life was as unselfish as it was useful,and the outside world, with its needs and progress, had a share of her interest and sympathy up to the last moment."
The subject of our sketch was educated in the district school of his native county, and on his father's farm he was reared to manhood. He remained under the parental roof until Feb. 9, 1843, when his union with Miss Mary ELLSWORTH, who were natives of Vermont. The young couple began their domestic life upon the old homestead in New York, where they resided until 1844, when Mr. JENKINS became a sailor, and for four years his life was spent upon "the boundless deep." At the expiration of that time he was called home by the serious illness of his father, by whose side he remained, tenderly caring for and administering to his wants, until his eyes closed in the last sleep. When the last sad rites were performed and the body was consigned to its resting place to await the sounding of the trumpet which shall summon both the quick and the dead, Mr. JENKINS determined to remain ashore, and as a means of providing a sustenance for his family turned his attention to farming, which occupation he followed while residing in Jefferson County, with the exception of a few years spent in the operation of a mill.
To our subject and his excellent wife have been born a family of three children: George G., who was born May 22, 1848, and died April 25, 1849; Cora O., born Sept. 11, 1852, became the wife of Edgar SPANGLE, a resident of Lima Center, and they are parents of two children, William, at home, and Edith, now deceased; Edith, born April 11, 1859, is the wife of Edward SMITH, now is engaged in farming in Benton County, Iowa, and to them have been born one child, Louie William.
In 1860, accompanied by his family, Mr. JENKINS left his home in the east, and with the desire of bettering his financial condition, emigrated to Wisconsin. He purchased forty acres of land in Jefferson County, and in the course of time by subsequent purchase, doubled that amount. He made many fine and beautiful improvements, placed the land under a high state of cultivation, and there continued to reside until 1881, when he sold his farm and removed to Lima Center, where he purchased a comfortable residence and now has a most pleasant home, where the hospitable door always stands open and the visitor receives a kindly welcome. By his own unaided industry, perseverance and energy, combined with good business ability, he has acquired a comfortable competency, which will enable him to pass his declining years in retirement from the more active duties of life. Mr. and Mrs. JENKINS have long been identified with the Baptist Church, and in the vineyard of the Master are earnest and untiring workers. They have done much to promote the interest of the society to which they belong, and their many kind deeds have won for them the love and respect of all. Mr. JENKINS takes an active part in political affairs, and is a stalwart supporter of the principles of the Republican party as taught by its eminent leaders and statement. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his wife belongs to the Rebecca degree of that lodge, and also to the Ladies' Aid Society. He is liberal in his views of public policy, and has been prominent in the promotion of the educational, moral and religious interests of the community. His life has been one of the strictest integrity, and his sterling worth has made him a valued citizen. Surely he is worthy of representation in the history of his adopted county, and we are pleased to record this brief sketch of his life.