Contents [hide]

Jenks History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Jenks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales

Early Origins of the Jenks family

The surname Jenks was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat in the 13th century. The name could have also been a baptismal name as in "son of John" which was a diminutive of Jenkin and this was later modified to Jenks and Jinks. 1

Early History of the Jenks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jenks research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1241, 1396, 1439, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1542, 1600, 1602, 1632, 1642, 1645, 1646, 1654, 1656, 1671, 1675, 1682, 1697, 1714, 1717, 1724, 1740 and 1982 are included under the topic Early Jenks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jenks Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Jenks family name include Jenks, Jenkes, Jinks, Jinkes, Chenks, Chenkes and others.

Early Notables of the Jenks family

Distinguished members of the family include

Silvester Jenks (c.1656-1714), born in Shropshire, was an English Catholic priest and theologian
Benjamin Jenks (1646-1724), was an English divine, eldest son of John Jenks, vicar of Eaton-under-Haywood, Shropshireand and was baptised there on 29 May 1646. His family had long been resident at Wol...
Sylvester Jenks (1656?-1714), was an English Catholic divine, born in Shropshire in or about 1656, was educated in the English College at Douay, where he took the missionary oath, in the assumed name...

Jenks Ranking

In the United States, the name Jenks is the 5,871^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Jenks migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Jenks surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Jenks Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Jenks, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1643 3
William Jenks, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 3
Richard Jenks, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1666 3

Jenks Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David Jenks, who arrived in Ohio in 1798 3

Jenks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Theodore Jenks, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
James Jenks, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 3

Jenks migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Jenks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Jenks, English convict from Worcester, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4
Edward Jenks, English convict from Chester, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Mr. William Jenks, (Jenkins), (b. 1806), aged 25, English ploughman who was convicted in Kent, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Josiah Jenks, English Convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7

Jenks migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Jenks Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Rebecca Jenks, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Surat" in 1864
David Jenks, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Surat" in 1864
Rebecca Jenks, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1870 8
Fanny Jenks, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1870 8
Eveline Jenks, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1870 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Jenks (post 1700) +

Dave Jenks (1942-2021), American author and business person, known for The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, co-authored by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Francis Henry Jenks (1838-1894), American 19th century theater critic
William Jackson Jenks (1870-1960), American 70 year veteran of railroading
Almet Francis Jenks (1853-1924), American lawyer and politician
Arthur Whipple Jenks (1863-1922), American Episcopal theologian
Arthur Byron Jenks (1866-1947), U.S. Representative from New Hampshire
Phineas Jenks (1781-1851), American medical doctor and a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Alden Jenks (b. 1940), American composer
Jorian Edward Forwood Jenks (1899-1963), English farmer, environmentalism pioneer and fascist, "one of the most dominant figures in the development of the organic movement"
C. Wilfred Jenks (1909-1973), English international lawyer and director-general of the International Labour Organization
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html