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.
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| 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 resilience, mystery, and maybe a snake or two. Let's unpack them one by one.
Garrison Jenkins: The Century-Old Patriarch (Or Was He?)
Mr. Garrison Jenkins is the paternal rock of our early line. Family trees on Ancestry had varying birth years such as 1820 (which is actually on his gravestone), 1827, 1835, or even 1838. Well his death certificate records him as being born in January 1827 at the time of his demise in 1933 and his age at death was recorded as 106. Cause of death was listed as senility.
The informant on Garrison's death certificate was his son [Uncle] Levi Jenkins, what's disappointing is there is nothing on his parents. Actually there's also nothing regarding on Mama Delia's death certificate (Uncle Levi was also the documented informant for her) regarding parents. Well get back to the early Jenkins matriarch.
Perhaps Uncle Levi just didn't know, although gratefully the info on Garrison's father Fox Jenkins was passed down through Uncle JayGou.
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| Garrison (Garson) and Delia Jenkins' graves at Spring Beulah Church |
The former Delia Newman: The Quiet Keeper of Secrets
As for our early matriarch Mrs. Delia Newman Jenkins. She was aged 78 when she passed away in 1929 from apoplexy (that was the old term for a stroke) which means she was probably born in 1851. Most trees that show her information shows either 1845 (which is also on her gravestone), 1850 or commonly 1855. I suppose since there are differing years for about when she was born that might be dubious also.
Her son Uncle Levi Jenkins was the informant. It's probably safe to say Garrison and Delia lived with Uncle Levi at the times of their death.
On Garrison's death certificate - at which point he was a widower - Delia's maiden name was Sibley. However, the Newman name got passed down to her descendants. Some family members had theorized that Delia had been previously married and there's another lead that may reflect this fact in the paper trail.
As noted under Garrison, there is no info on Mama Delia's parents per her death certificate. It has been noted through Uncle JayGou that Delia unfortunately didn't seem to talk a lot about her family.
Thomas "Tom" Jenkins: Head of the Table
Some of what I know about my great-grandfather Tom Jenkins' demise comes from one of my uncles. I'd have to ask him how he knows this information. He was the one who told me that our Head of the Table died as a result of a snakebite, one that effectively kept him very ill for about two years.
His death certificate from 1934 shows that he died as a result of an abscess of the liver. I had to ask AI what could cause this. To start the abscess could be the result of alcohol and it also could be from an infection from a snakebite. It appears there was an attempt at treatment by draining the abscess.
When I initially ordered Tom's death certificates, I found that there were two from the same year for the same man. I was thinking these can't be for the same man, turns out that they were. The main thing I wanted from his death certificate was to know whether or not his parents were listed, they were. The paper trail was solid - as well as other family trees and it also helps when you have DNA evidence.
On one death certificate, the informant was my grandfather Levi Jenkins and he evidently knew who his paternal grandparents were. That's my discovery, Grandpa Levi knew about his father's parents, though it's unclear if he had the chance to meet them. However, also noted by my uncle Grandpa Levi never seemed to talk a lot about his family just like his paternal grandmother Delia.
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| Levi with his mother Georgia in 1977 |
For the other death certificate, Uncle Will Jenkins was the informant. It would also track that he would know who his and Tom's parents where. However, why were there two death certificates?
I do want to add that the day of his death March 31, 1934 is known through the legal documents I have retained for the sale of Tom Jenkins Realty - the farmland outside of Mound Bayou, MISS. Uncle Will was mentioned in those documents also noting that he briefly held an interest and then returned that interest back to his brother Tom.
Finally, Grandpa Tom was only 44 years of age when he passed, which places his birth in 1890. The birthdate I saw on his First World War draft registration December 15, 1883 was likely erroneous. It's curious how that 1883 birthdate got recorded.
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| Tom or Tommie Jenkins 1st World War Draft Registration Card |
Tying It All Together: Roots That Run Deep
These certificates aren't just facts; they're fuel for our stories - the senility of a centenarian, a stroke-silenced past, a snake-felled farmer with dynamite-wielding kin. They remind me why we gather: to honor the unknowns, celebrate the knowns, and weave new threads at events like the 2026 reunion.What's your take? Got a wild Jenkins yarn or a lead on Delia's Sibleys? Send an e-mail. And if you're family, stay tuned for further reunion updates. Memphis awaits.
I really like how AI lists me - The Custodian - as the Jenkins Family Historian in-training. Yes I am, always in-training....
P.S. If you'd like copies or scans of those certificates, hit me up - happy to share with kin!
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| Send me an e-mail |
This post was edited & formatted with assistance of AI, to polish the prose while keeping my voice intact.