The people involved with the planning of the Jenkins Family Reunion in Memphis, TENN had asked me to get some information on some of our key ancestors to be shared in a booklet for this year's reunion. So here's what I have on Uncle JayGou Jenkins . To start I'm giving credit to his granddaughter who at the start of this journey gave me a lot of family background and especially informed me of family I didn't know about. She at least provided the basic story as far as how our "Head of the Table" Tom Jenkins arrived in the Mississippi Delta. JayGou Jenkins (1894 - 1984) I heard so much about Uncle JayGou (son of Garrison Jenkins & the former Delia Newman) and until fairly recently I had little idea about his relationship to the family. I never knew he was an uncle to my grandfather Levi Jenkins and thus a brother of his father (my great-grandfather) Tom Jenkins. His full name was Jay Gould Jenkins and was said to be named for a 19th century financier and ...

If I had to write this Jenkins' line family history the only way I could talk about it is through the lens of this branch - the Tom Jenkins branch. To be honest a lot of the information shared here was very new to me. Long before starting this project for all I knew Tom just came to be. He was so far in the past, him having parents or even a brother or sister wouldn't have even occurred to me. And to find so much information on his family before even my grandfather (his oldest son) came into the picture it's been amazing. And to be able to meet and speak with so many of his great-neices and nephews who know a lot more about the history than I do has been very awesome. Also to know, that Tom has been remembered over the years leading me to believe he left with something of a reputation. Anyone I ever spoke to about our family history whether I'm speaking to the descendants of Uncle Levi, JayGou or even Aunt Catherine every one seems to know about their uncle Tom. Tom Jen...

Someone had messaged me and asked me about the brothers and sisters of our head of the table Tom Jenkins. Here's what I know so far, and let's start with Tom's known sisters. Children of Garrison Jenkins and the former Delia Newman. Catherine Jenkins Manning - DNA matches confirm, paper-trail shows her father Garrison Jenkins enrolling her in school in Pike County Maggie Jenkins  (Garner) Sartin - DNA matches confirm a relationship. All we have is oral history - possibly Maggie's son naming Garrison as his mother's father. Emaline Jenkins Haynes - DNA matches confirm and it took me a minute to make the connection. The one match I found had Burns on their tree and was more focused on that until looking at our mutual matches. Also was seen in the 1900 US Census with her parents Garrison and Delia in addition to her brothers. Catherine Jenkins Manning Here are his known brothers George Jenkins - primarily through census records and social security. Possibly the ol...

We did a feature on this blog about the "other" Levi Jenkins , perhaps you may be interested in the Levi Jenkins that I know. I never had the chance to meet Levi Jenkins Sr. - my grandfather - who made his transition before the time of my birth. I spent my childhood and my teen years with my father Levi Jenkins Jr. My Levi Jenkins (1948 - 1997) Levi Jenkins Jr. grew up near Mound Bayou, Mississippi on his grandfather Tom Jenkins' land with his brothers and sisters in addition to his paternal grandmother the former Georgia Johnson . His mother was the former Evelyn Liggins  - a detail that became important later, as I’ve shared with family members: Dad’s passing at a young age involved both his own personal demons and the hypertension that ran in his mother’s family. My uncle spoke of my dad in recent years and noted that he never cared much for farm work. Ultimately when he came of age he followed his older brother & sisters to Chicago. For most of his twenties he l...

Happy New Years, Jenkins fam! First, the exciting news: This year's Jenkins Family Reunion is set for July 17–19 in Memphis! Expect a banquet, the classic family cookout, and plenty of good times reconnecting.   I've created a graphic below with contact info for the Family Reunion Committee—reach out to them for details, registration, or questions. Now, let's dive into some genealogy updates from my recent phone conversations with relatives over the past month. I've been digging deep into the origins of our Jenkins line, starting with Grandpa Garrison Jenkins and his parents. From the 1900 US Census in Pike County, Mississippi, Garrison and Delia (along with their children: Uncles Will, Marvin/Monroe, George, Levi, JayGou, Grandpa Tom - " Head of the Table " - and Aunt Emiline) listed his parents as born in Virginia. Other likely brothers - Bob, Willie (William), and John - also recorded Virginia-born parents in censuses, suggesting connections. DNA matche...

Allow me to lead the approximate time of the Jenkins Family Reunion 2026 to be held in Memphis, Tennessee. Look forward to Memphis BBQ and some Memphis Blues. I was told the first or second week in July and it will include a banquet. We can't have a reunion without a cookout, surely. More details when I receive them, of course. I created this graphic, whenever the official graphic comes out will be shared with you all. Jenkins Family Reunion July 2026 Memphis, TENN Digging into the Archives: What the Death Certificates Revealed While we're dreaming of dry-rub dreams, I've been knee-deep in genealogy rabbit holes. Recently, I ordered copies of death certificates from the Mississippi Department of Archives & History for some of our foundational figures: Garrison and Delia Jenkins, plus not one, but two for our legendary "Head of the Table" Thomas "Tom" Jenkins. These yellowed documents aren't just paper - they're portals to whispers of resilien...

Welcome to Jenkins Reunion 2025 This year’s Jenkins Reunion 2025, also held at Dan Ryan Woods, was even more special, bringing together a larger group of descendants of Garrison and Delia Jenkins—parents of Uncle Will, my great-grandfather Thomas (Tom), Uncle Levi, Uncle JayGou, Aunt Catherine, and Aunt Emaline. Following up on last year's Jenkins Reunion where I shared our family lineage, this post recaps the highlights, new connections made, and exciting updates on my ongoing family history projects. Reunion Highlights A heartfelt thank you to the Jenkins Reunion Committee, including the granddaughter of Clementine Jenkins White (daughter of Uncle Will), who invited me last year and helped organize this year’s event, alongside representatives from Tom Jenkins’ family. Their dedication made this vibrant gathering possible. The 2025 reunion was a joyous occasion, uniting cousins from across the country with a shared focus on the descendants of Garrison and Delia Jenkins. New Faces...