Historian's notes

 I want to announce some sad news which was already noted on the companion blog which you see linked in the above masthead - Burns. The Hunter-Burns Tribal Historian had married into the Jenkins family and even when working on this side of the tree she was my greatest collaborator and was amazed by some of the discoveries I had made.

My mother Lois Burns Jenkins passed away in late August and I missed sharing some of the new discoveries that were made. Sadly I never had the chance to tell her of my visit to a reunion of the extended Jenkins family. Also attempted to share pics of my visit, however, she had become so ill that she wasn't thinking about any of her electronic devices.

Lois B. Jenkins ✝

While thankfully I do have other family members who are interested in these discoveries the main person who was part of this now has a new home.

She was an important part of the story I had written months ago. She said that she had attended a funeral on the West Side of Chicago and we both worked to guess who the funeral was for. My conclusion was that this was the funeral of Great Uncle Will Jenkins' widow Cora Dancy Jenkins.

From those extended family that I met in August a cousin gave me some great details about Cora Jenkins living in the family home on the West Side of Chicago. This cousin does agree that it probably was Cora's funeral that my mother being a young newlywed at that time had attended years ago.

My mother mentioned two names she remembered at the time Hollis and JayGou Jenkins. I querid her not too long ago whom Hollis resembled. It turns out many Jenkins have some strong features which causes some in the family to say "He's got the look". My mother couldn't remember unfortunately.

And then I found a picture and it's confirmed to be Hollis Jenkins and his wife Daisy Bennett Jenkins. I used Ancestry.com to enhance it. And to give credit where it's due, the picture came from a Facebook group that has members of Will Jenkins' lineage in it.

Now to establish the relationship Uncle Will is a brother to my great-grandfather Tom Jenkins. Hollis would be Tom's nephew. Thus Hollis would be my grandfather Levi Jenkins' first cousin.

Daisy & Hollis Jenkins

I'd say if looks can determine who's related to whom, I think Hollis sort of favors my brother. This is one picture that would've been shared with the late Hunter-Burns Tribal Historian.

Meanwhile, it's my duty to become the Jenkins Tribal Historian. If she had never started with her side of the family tree, perhaps I'd never had the interest.

I wish to have put her on record and I hope to do with my elders. At least she wrote a lot of stuff down but to have her on record, especially to get her on video talking about family history I'm sorry to have not done that. If any of you have the interest in your family history, get your elders on record.

Take out your iPhones (or whatever smart phone) and hit record or take some paper and write this stuff down.