Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-03-11


John Shacklet Jenkins was born near
Elizabeth, Mead County, Kentucky,
Oct IA, 1899. His wife was Malinda
Miller. He was a stone mason by
trade and also farmer. They lived
i'm Mead county until 1874 and then
moved to Dablonega Wapello County,,
Iowa.
This locality did not please them
and in the spring of ls5l they started
west again without amy particular
place in view, to discover a suitable
place for home They brought with
them, three yoke of oxen, a COW and Il
horse for live stock. At the Quaker
divide near Winterset, they fell in
with Nathaniel Hamlin and his party
who were on their journey to settle in
Audubon County. They were also
Kentucky people and he decided to
accompany Mr. IIamlin.
As stated elsewhere they arrived at
Mr.. Hamlins claim on May 6. Mr.
Jenkins entire family consisting of
his wife, four sons and two daughters
accompanied him.
When they arrived Troublesome was
out of its banks and overtlowing
The next morning Mr.. jenkins star
ted out to explore the country. He
went alone and not with any compan-
ions as previously stated. | ann ena-
| bled to make this correction thro the
| courtesy of John Il. Jenkins Esq. of
| Brayton, who is the only survivor of
the family and came With his father.
He was then lad Is years old and re-
members the incident perfectly, be
sides many other events of the early
settlement. He says his father fell
and lodged a tree against another tree
on the opposite bank of the river and
"Cooned:it over on the fallen tree.
His horse was led with a longrope and
SWAN the river. He then mounted
the horse and rode over to where the
town of Oaktield is now situated and
selected claim for his home at the
Big Spring
To make the site of his claim he
blazed a Eastwood tree and wrote on
it, "This is my Claim
A few days later party of men
came up the Botna from about Indian
Town OF Lewis, among whom was one
Jerry Bradshaw, who took a fancy to
the same location and proceeded to
blaze trees to mark it.. Mr. Jenkins
soon learned about Bradsllaw's opera
| tions and came to his claim TO ascer-
tain what he was doing. William
Hamlin, who went with him narrated
the event to me many years ago.
They We're at first i'm doubt as to
whether Bradshaw was attempting to
Jump Uncle Johnny's claim, but
found where he had blazed trees on
Jenkins claim and soon found where
| he had cut down one of Jenkins wit
ness trees and threw it into the river.
| This aroused his temper and referring
to the destroyed WetnesS tree, said to
| Mr.. Hamlin '"This shows me they are
| not innocent progressors!"
Then they came to Uncle Johnny IS
| blaZed Eastwood and found that
Bradshaw had written beneath Jen-
kin's claim 'This is my claim and you
| had better get Off We shall have
occasion to relate later how these two
aggressors were gotten rid of. Mr..
jenkins held his claim and built a ca
bin near where the old schoolhouse in
Oakfield wasafterwards located.
This claim he sold to one Samuel b.
Hopkins in 1854 and soon after located
i'm Section %. AT first he built log
cabin, later commodiouS house
which, if not the first, was among the
earliest plastered houses i'm the coun-
ty. 1T was one of the few houses
which were plastered when came
here in 1865. This place he also sold
about 1870 and located near the pre-
sent town of Brayton.
Mr.. Jenkins was kentuckian of
the old school, a stern manly man,
physically and morally, and of lofty
aspirations y man Of the stricteSl
integrity, honorable and Trustworthy
in every way His word was reliable
and always nronptl V defended and
sustained. No thing insulted him
more than to cast dispute on doubt
Iinon If In ~ larua cencn he was one