Life History

Other facts

Notes

• I have noticed a variation in the various family references to Joseph Benjamin Jenkins.  Throughout his life, he went by Benjamin.  He is listed as Benjamin in many public sources, and much of our family correspondence about him.
  
  I have seen public references to him as both Joseph Benjamin and Benjamin Joseph.  His family commonly called him Ben, and we nephews and nieces called him Uncle Ben.  In the Christiansen and Winans genealogies, he is listed only as Benjamin Jenkins.
  
  The common way I have seen or heard his full name is Joseph Benjamin Jenkins.  I found that on the JenkinsLife.com website, members of his family have referred to him there as Benjamin Joseph Jenkins.  That site is managed by a grandson, and one of the contributors is a daughter of Ben. In previous email correspondence, a great grandson refers to Ben as I have known his name, Joseph Benjamin.
  
  Information from Julia Virginia Jenkins, Ben's step-mother, gives his name as Joseph Benjamin.  This is in family information given to Lou Ila Jenkins in the 1950s.
  
  Ben's grandson Bruce Jenkins says his father Brian told him that Ben changed the order of his names after an event in the army, when he and some army buddies in San Francisco were attacked by a Chinese gang.  Ben was so badly injured doctors had to put a plate in his head.  At some time after that event he changed his name by switching the order of his two given names.
  
  Since early sources, such as the 1910 census cited below, show his name as Joseph B(enjamin), it appears that this was the original form of his name.  This would follow the pattern of names in his father Joseph Asa and grandfather Joseph Sanford.  Also note his cousin Joseph Benjamin Christian.  He is in the 1900 Chickasaw Nation census as Joseph B Jenkins.
  
  In his 1917 WWI registration Ben reported that he was born in Texarkana, not too far from Linden, where the family was living at the time. In the Jenkins Family History, Harold Christian reported from his research that the Ben's birth place was Linden, Texas, where the family farm was located.  I tend to think Ben's report is correct.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, 19 June, District 164, Marlow, Page #310, Family #133
  Jenkins, Joe    Head    W M  JUN 1866  33 Married 13 yrs TX SC GA Farmer
  Jenkins, Hattie   Wife   W  F  JUL 1870  29 Married 13 yrs 6 children/4 living TX TN TX
  Jenkins, Joseph B Son  W M  OCT 1889 10  TX TX TX
  
  Joseph Benjamin Jenkins married Bessie Amanda Ann Winans in October 1907.  Though the marriage register spells the name Wynans, other family sources, including a letter from a grand-daughter to Jenkins family members, uses the spelling Winans.
  
  JENKINS, J B 18 WYNANS, BESSIE M 19 13 OCT 1907 MARLOW K©471
  --  Chickasaw Nation Marriages, Ardmore Courthouse, transcribed by Mary Kinard, http://www.okgenweb.org/~okgarvin/kinard/chickjmarr.htm
  
  Oklahoma, County Marriage Records, 1890-1995
  J B Jenkins, Age 18 (born abt 1889)
  Bessie M Wynans, Age 19 (born abt 1890)
  License #1956 issued 9 October 1907
  Marriage 13 October 1907 Marlow, Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory (later Stephens County, Oklahoma)
  Ceremony by John R Terry, Minister of the Gospel
  Recorded 14 October 1907, Indian Territory Marriage Book p 571 (now kept in Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma)
  
  Ben was a few days short of his 18th birthday, and his age on the license was stated as 18.  Bessie was 19.  Harold K. Christian reports this as a short marriage.  I estimate that the marriage lasted between one and two years.  The marriage register gives his age as 18.  His brother Everett also married in 1907.  Ben is known to have moved to Mountain View to work with his brother Everett in a dry cleaning business, but it is not certain when this move occurred.
  
  This marriage took place less than 1 month before Indian Territory was merged with Oklahoma Territory and part of Texas to become the State of Oklahoma.  The Texas county had been ceded to the US for incorporation into Oklahoma Territory in 1896.  The new state also included what had been called the Cherokee Stip, now the Panhandle of Oklahoma.  This had originally been Texas territory and had been ceded earlier.  One of the counties in the Panhandle of Oklahoma was named Texas County in honor of its earlier status in Texas.
  
  No record has been found for Ben in the 1910 census.
  
  Ben's registration for military service for WWI, his card has the name Benjamin J and he signs his name as Benjamin.  In most records in his early life he was Joseph Benjamin, but always wenbt by Ben.  This seems to indicate he changed the order of his names while still a teenager, before he entered the service.  His address is given as Healdton (Carter County), Oklahoma.  In later life Ben is flexible with the order of his names.  He is found both ways in records without clear demarcation of time or situation.
  
  U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
  Benjamin J Jenkins
  Residence Healdton [Carter County], Oklahoma
  Age 27, Birth 21 Oct 1890 Texarkana [Bowie Co], Texas
  [actual birth was in Linden, Cass County, which is not very far south of Texarkana]
  Employed by Empire Pipeline Co, Healdton, Oklahoma
  Supports wife and mother
  Height 5'10" Medium Build, Black Eyes, Black Hair
  Registered 5 June 1917 Ardmore, Carter Co, Oklahoma
  Signed Benjamin Jenkins
  
  Note that Ben reports the year of birth as 1890, instead of 1899, which is the date in family history info and in the 1900 census.  Variations in dates often differ in that era.  Names do too.  A person might have a totally different name from one census to the next.  Most census enumerators recorded only one name, not the full name of the person.  In earlier years they wrote whatever the family told them the child's name was, and many nicknames appear as the only name in censuses.
  
  People were not oriented to the formalities of dates in the objective sense that we are.  Ben probably had not focused so much on the actual date, and the slight difference in dates could reflect a lapse of memory on the exact details.  The variations in name could also represent a cavalier attitude toward a name.  Your name could be whatever you wanted it to be.  Many cultures are still that way today, and a person will change a name at a particular stage or event in his life.
  
  In the 1920 census in Oakdale, Washita County, Oklahoma, he is listed as Benjamin J Jenkins.  He and his second wife Lena Stinson have a son reported here as 1 year and 2 months old..  The exact birth date of their first child was 29 October 1918.  So we can estimate they married in 1917.
  
  1920 Federal Census, Washita County, Oklahoma, 23 January, Oakdale, District 192, page 8A, Hse #128, Fam #127
  Jenkins, Benjamin J  Head  Rents M W 30  TX TX TX Farmer
  Jenkins, Lena F        Wife   F W  18  OK MO KY
  Jenkins, Benjamin J  Son    M W   1 yr 2 mos OK TX OK
  
  Oakdale was an early name for Mountain View.  That portion of Washita County later became Kiowa County.  Children were born in Healdton before and after the 1920 census.  It appears that Ben and Lena lived on the oilfield assignments, but maintained a permanent residence address in Oakdale/Mt View, where they were registered in the census, rather than Healdton, where they lived in somewhat deprived conditions.  As work diminished during the recessions and conditions worsened, they joined many other Oklahomans and migrated to California in 1924 or 1925, after the birth of Robert in Oklahoma, settling in Los Angeles County.
  
  In 1928, they were listed int eh city directory for Santa Monica, California.
  
  U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
  Santa Monica, California, City Directory, 1928, p 284
  Jenkins Joseph B (Lena F) chauf h 1411 25th Santa Monica
  
  In the 1930 census in Los Angeles County, he is listed as Joseph B.  This probably indicates that this was still his formal legal name, as my father thought.  That would also follow a common pattern in our Jenkins line with the name of Joseph in each generation.
  
  1930 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California, 9 April, Artesia, District 19-1191, page 7B-8A, 3260 Bell Drive, Hse #180, Family #168
  Jenkins, Joseph B  Head Rents 39  First married at age 27 TX TX TX  Rotary Helper, Oil Well Drilling
  - page 8A -
  Jenkins, Lena F 29  First married at age 17  OK MO KY No Occupation
  Jenkins, Benjamin J 11 OK TX OK No Occupation
  Jenkins, Billy 9 OK TX OK No Occupation
  Jenkins, Edgar 7 OK TX OK No Occupation
  Jenkins, Robert 6 OK TX OK No Occupation
  Jenkins, Betty Lou 4 Calif TX OK No Occupation
  Jenkins, Joan 5mos Calif TX OK  No Occupation
  
  ----------------
  Joseph Benjamin or Benjamin Joseph:
  Like the chicken and the egg, don’t ask me which came first, but I’ll tell you what was relayed to me by my dad.  When Grandpa was young he was in the army in San Francisco.  One night he was on leave with an army buddy when they were attacked by a Chinese gang.  His buddy was killed and grandpa was sent to the hospital.  The doctors had to put a plate in his head.
  
  Now this is where the story gets strange - dad told me he wasn’t sure if grandpa went awol or left somehow, but he changed his name from Joseph Benjamin to Benjamin Joseph (or visa versa) at that time.  Dad now believes that grandpa’s drinking was due to the pain he had from the plate in his head.
  
  He also suffered a back injury later in his life. Yet he took care of 9 children through the depression and owned a large house in Bellflower.  When WWII broke out and some of the older boys enlisted, he joined the merchant marines to do his part for the war.
  
  Later in life, he lived with my Aunt Betty Lou in Anaheim for awhile.  Her oldest son, my cousin Bill Strickland told me a couple good stories of his life there.  Bill could give you a more accurate account than I of what happened then.
  
  I attended Uncle Ben's [They called their grandfather Uncle Ben.] funeral in Westminister, CA - I believe it was 1977.  It was only time I saw my Aunt Kathy cry.  In fact there was a large turn out.  Everyone except Grandma Lena, who would never even mentioned his name.  Yet I loved my Grandma, who was always kind and caring towards me.
  --  Bruce Jenkins, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 9 March 2007
  ----------------
  
  In 1934 and 1936, Ben and Lena were lsited in the Whittier City Directory.
  
  U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
  Whittier, California, City Directory, 1934, p 94
  Jenkins Jos B (Lena F) h 438 S Comstock av
  
  U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
  Whittier, California, City Directory, 1936, p 90
  Jenkins Jos B (Lena F) h 24 N Whittier av
  
  By 1940, the family had moved to Bellflower, still in Los Angeles County,  In 1935 they were living in Whittier.  The entry for Kathlyn would indicate that the family still lived in Whitter, in the same county, when she was born.  So they moved from Whittier to Bellflower after 1935.  In 1940, Ben is listed as Benjamin J.
  
  1940 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California, 3 April, Bellflower, District 117, page 2A-2B, 947 E Center St, Hse #31 Owned, Value $6500
  Jenkins, Benjamin J Head M W 50  Grade 6 b Texas lived in Whittier CA in 1835 Cattle buyer
  Jenkins, Lena Wife F W 39  Grade 9 b OK lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  Jenkins, Ben Jr Son M W 21 Single HS-2 b OK lived in Whittier CA in 1835 Sewing mach repairman, own business
  Jenkins, Wilmar Son M W 18 Single HS-4 b OK lived in Whittier CA in 1835 Pin setter, bowling alley
  Jenkins, Edgar Son M W 17 Single Grade 8 b OK lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  Jenkins, Robert Son M W 31 Single Grade 1 b OK lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  - page 2B -
  Jenkins, Betty Lou Dau F W 14 Single Grade 7 b CA lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  Jenkins, Joe Ann Dau F W 10 Single Grade 4 b CA lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  Jenkins, Harry Son M W 9 Single Grade 2 b CA lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  Jenkins, Marion Dau F W 7 Single Grade 1 b CA lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  Jenkins, Kathlyn Dau F W 5 Single b CA lived in Whittier CA in 1835
  
  Bruce Jenkins says Ben "took care of 9 children through the Depression and owned a large house in Bellflower [California].  When WWII broke out and some of the older boys enlisted, he joined the merchant marines to do his part for the war."
  --  Bruce Jenkins, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 9 March 2007
  
  U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
  Joseph Benjamin Jenkins
  Age 52, Birth 21 October 1889 Linden [Cass County], Texas
  Residence 947 Center St, Bellflower, Los Angeles Co, California
  Contact Mrs Lena F Jenkins (wife), same address
  Employer Consolidated Steel Co, Wilmington, LA County, California
  Signed J B Jenkins
  
  "When Grandpa [Joseph Benjamin] was young he was in the army in San Francisco.  One night he was on leave with an army buddy when they were attacked by a Chinese gang.  His buddy was killed and grandpa was sent to the hospital.  The doctors had to put a plate in his head.  Now this is where the story gets strange.  Dad [Brian Jay Jenkins] told me he wasn’t sure if grandpa went awol or left somehow, but he changed his name from Joseph Benjamin to Benjamin Joseph ( or visa versa ) at that time.  Dad now believes that grandpa’s drinking was due to the pain he had from the plate in his head.  He also suffered a back injury later in his life."
  --  Bruce Jenkins, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 9 March 2007
  
  Note that while Brian remembers the change of name in reference to Ben's leaving the army, the 1940 census above indicates he already, at least at times, was reporting Benjamin as the first name.  In 1930 and in the 1934 directory, he was Joseph B.  From this time sequence, we take it his original name was Joesph Benjamin, as remembered by Orville Lee Jenkins and the Oklahoma set of the family.  At any rate, he went by Ben.
  
  We also find that in the 1946 Bellfower City Directory Ben was listed as Joseph B Jenkins, indicating the "change" of name order was not so permanent and significant and later thought by some.
  
  In 1951, Ben was arrested in Tulare, California, for passing hot checks (non-sufficient funds).
  
  Tulare County, California, Sheriff's Office and Jail Records, 1874-1963
  Joseph B Jenkins
  Age 61, Birth (abt 1890) Texas
  Occupation Machinist
  Received 11 September 1951
  Jail, Tulare (Tulare County), California, USA
  Charge Passing NSF Checks
  Jail Register, 1951-1952
  
  Kathlyn Jenkins Lanford reports that her parents divorced after 30 years.
  
  "After thirty years and nine surviving children later, my parents divorced.  My mother, who desperately tried to keep the family intact, ended the marriage emotionally scarred but not defeated."
  --  Kathlyn Jenkins Lanford, in family life website stories, no longer online
  
  "About Uncle Ben I remember dad talking about he would drink a lot so I asked mom to see if I was remembering correctly and she said dad said that Uncle Ben and Uncle Everett both did."
  --  Beverly Michele Jenkins, daughter of Orville Lee Jenkins, email to her brother Orville Boyd Jenkins, 31 August 2008
  
  Bruce Jenkins also reports that later in life,  Ben lived with his daughter Betty Lou Strickland for a while.  The California Death Index has an entry for him under both sequences of his name,  Joseph B[enjamin] and Benjamin Joseph.  This probably reflects the uncertainty or confusion over his name even with his children, notably his daughter Betty with whom he lived his last days.
  
  California Death Index, 1940-1997
  Benjamin Joseph Jenkins
  Birth 21 Oct 1889 Texas
  Death 10 Mar 1978 Orange County
  Social Security #564247106
  
  California Death Index, 1940-1997
  Joseph B Jenkins
  Birth 21 Oct 1889 Texas
  Death 10 Mar 1978 Orange County
  Social Security #564247106
  
  U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
  Joseph Jenkins
  Born 21 Oct 1889
  Died Mar 1978
  Last Residence Anaheim, Orange County, California 92804
  Last Benefit Westminster Orange County, California 92683
  SSN 564-24-7106 issued California (Before 1951)
  
  "I attended Uncle Ben's funeral in Westminister CA."
  --  Bruce Jenkins, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 9 March 2007
  
  Westminster is the last address his Social Security benefits went to, though his last residence address with Social Security was Anaheim, also in Orange County.  His funeral in Westminster is a strong indication that he was also buried in Westminster or nearby in Orange County.  An excerpt of an obituary is available.
  
  "BENJAMIN JENKINS BENJAMIN AGE 88 of passed away March 1978.  He Is survived by his daughters Betty, Marian, Kathy, Joanne;  sons Edgar, Brian, Wilmer K, Robert Harry;  38 Great grandchildren.  Chapel Service today at MasonMcKltrlck Funeral Home, Arlington Avenue, Internment in Crestlawn Memorial Park [Riverside, California]...."
  --  Orange County Register, Santa Ana, California, Mar 14 1978, NewspaperArchive.com
  
  --------------------
  My great Aunt Betty-Lou was a member of AA and would time and time again go find him on "the nickle" (skid row) in LA as they lived in Bellflower, CA.  When Ben would leave on a drinking binge she had to find a way to make ends meet so she ran a boarding house on the property which is now Bellflower Chevrolet whom she sold it to.  Then she moved on some property which the house she lived in was on and also three rentals.
  
  Grandpa Ben eventually was found for the last time on skid row in September of 1964, the reason I'm aware of this date is because he was at my first birthday party.  They I've been told) put me on his lap and as he was smiling proceeded to feed me his porterhouse steak.  There was a picture taken of this but I'm not sure who has it at this point.  After that he lived with Aunt Betty-Lou until he was put in a rest home on Ball Road in Anaheim, CA where he stayed until, as far as i know, he died.
  --  Richard Kevin Jenkins, email to Michelle Park and Orville Boyd Jenkins, 2 September 2018
  --------------------
  
  I established the following memorial for Ben in June 2015.
  
  -----------------
  Joseph Benjamin "Ben" Jenkins
  Birth Oct 21, 1889 Linden, Cass County, Texas
  Death 10 March 1978 Orange County, California
  
  He went by Ben, and in several records his name is Benjamin Joseph or Benjamin J. His California Death Record has both forms.
  
  Ben was born in Cass County, Texas, then moved to Chickasaw Nation with his father and other Jenkins and Christian family members.  After a short early marriage in 1907-1908, Ben married Lena Fairy Stinson in 1917.  They had 8 children.  His drinking and related problems led to a divorce about 1947.
  
  Burial location is uncertain.  He died in Orange County, California, where his residence was in Anaheim.  But no burial information has been found. Burial is likely in Orange County, but could have been in Riverside County, where he lived for many years.
  
  Parents:
  Joseph Asa Jenkins (1866 - 1962)
  Annie Hester Jenkins (1870 - 1900)
  Spouse Lena Fairy Jenkins (1901 - 1987)
  Siblings:
  James Everett Jenkins (1886 - 1963)
  Sallie Hester Jenkins Christian (1893 - 1982)
  Ocy Belle Jenkins (1896 - 1896)
  Mary Nettie Jenkins Yates (1897 - 1991)
  Mabel Clare Jenkins Hill (1901 - 1990) Half-sibling
  Thomas Asa Jenkins (1903 - 1969) Half-sibling
  Nannie May Jenkins (1905 - 1906) Half-sibling
  Rhonda Fay Jenkins Boyd (1907 - 1963) Half-sibling
  Arthur Carthal Jenkins (1909 - 1955) Half-sibling
  Orville Lee Jenkins (1912 - 1987) Half-sibling
  Gladys Lahoma Jenkins Hendron (1914 - 1991) Half-sibling
  Martha Netheline Jenkins Callaway (1918 - 2007) Half-sibling
  Virginia Jo Jenkins (1925 - 1930) Half-sibling
  
  Burial Crestlawn Memorial Park & Mortuary, Riverside, Riverside County, California
  
  A partial obituary seems to indicate burial was in Crestlawn Cemetery, Riverside, Calilfornia, but no other record of him in Crestlawn has been found.
  
  Created by Orville Jenkins Jun 18, 2015
  --  Find A Grave Memorial #148003186, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=148003186
  -----------------

Sources

• 1. Jenkins Family History by Harold Keith Christian
• 2. California Death Index, 1940-1997
• 3. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
• 4. Epperson Genealogy
  • Name: Jimmy Epperson;
• 5. 1920 Federal Census, Washita County, Oklahoma
  • 23 January, Oakdale, District 192, page 8A, Hse #128, Fam #127
• 6. 1900 Federal Census, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory
  • 19 June, Marlow Town, Page #310, Hse #131, Family #133
• 7. 1940 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California
  • 3 April, Bellflower, District 117, page 2A, 947 E Center St, Hse #31 Owned, Value $6500
• 8. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
• 9. Julia Virginia Terry Jenkins
• 10. Oklahoma, County Marriage Records, 1890-1995
• 11. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 12. Tulare County, California, Sheriff's Office and Jail Records, 1874-1963
• 13. JenkinsLife.Com -- Benjamin and Lena (Stinson) Jenkins
• 14. Bruce Jenkins
• 15. 1920 Federal Census, Washita County, Oklahoma
  • 23 January, Oakdale, District 192, page 8A, Farm House #128, Family #127
• 16. Obituary of Joseph Asa Jenkins
• 17. 1930 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California
  • 9 April, Norwalk Township, District 1191, page 8A, 3260 Bell Drive, Hse #180, Family #168
• 18. Richard Kevin Jenkins
• 19. Social Security Death Index
• 20. 1930 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California
  • 9 April, Norwalk Township, District 1191, page 7B, 3260 Bell Drive, Hse #180, Family #168
• 21. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
  • Whittier, California, City Directory, 1934, p 94
• 22. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
  • Santa Monica, California, City Directory, 1928, p 284
• 23. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
  • Whittier, California, City Directory, 1936, p 90
• 24. Kathlyn Jenkins Lanford
• 25. 1930 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California
  • 9 April, Norwalk Township, District 1191, page 7B-8A, 3260 Bell Drive, Hse #180, Family #168
• 26. California, Marriage Index, 1960-1985
• 27. Honolulu, Hawaii, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1900-1959
• 28. U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2
• 29. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
• 30. U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
• 31. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
• 32. Clore - Pitts Family Tree
  • Name: Name: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/RequestTreeAccess.aspx?tid=155052&pid=-2102926575;;
• 33. California, Marriage Index, 1949-1959
• 34. U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006
• 35. U.S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1
• 36. 1940 Federal Census, Los Angeles County, California
  • 3 April, Bellflower, District 117, page 2B, 947 E Center St, Hse #31 Owned, Value $6500
• 37. California Birth Index, 1905-1995
• 38. California, Death Index, 1905-1939
• 39. MyLife
• 40. California, County Marriages, 1850-1952
• 41. JenkinsLife.Com -- Benjamin and Lena (Stinson) Jenkins
  • http://jenkinslife.com/stories/jlife-stories9.htm
• 42. Dolores Bess Christiansen Frank, Letter to Joseph Asa Jenkins, 14 Nov 1956
• 43. Chickasaw Nation Marriages, Kinard
  • Name: Ardmore Courthouse, Kinard Transcription; Location: http://www.rootsweb.com/~okgarvin/kinard/chickjmarr.htm;;
  • Book K, page 471