Richard Jenkins

Richard Jenkins was born 23 April 1836 at Presteigne, Radnor, Wales. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 20 July 1846. His father's name was James Jenkins born 20 December 1803 in Presteign, Radnor, Wales. His mother was Elizabeth Wright, born 15 September 1805 in Leominister, Herefordshire, England. Richard's grandparents names were Richard Jenkins and Elizabeth Perks and Thomas John Wright and Elizabeth Wright. He married Mercy Ann Pitchforth in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah on 7 December 1861.

They left Liverpool, Sunday 22 April 1855 with 581 Saints aboard the "Samuel Curling". They arrived in New York Tuesday 22 May 1855. The next day after their arrival there they left by steamboat for Philadelphia. At Philadelphia they boarded a train and arrived in Pittsburg on a Sunday. From there they journeyed on to St. Louis and then on to Atchison, Kansas where they arrived on 4 August 1855. The mother and father, James and Elizabeth and their five children Ann, Richard, Elizabeth Sarah, Emma and James Jr., crossed the plains in the 8th Company under Captain Milo Andrus. The mother, Elizabeth Wright Jenkins died on the way, she was buried in Leavenworth, Kansas 20 June 1856.

After Richard and Mercy were married they lived at Millburn and then later came to Nephi where they resided for many years helping with the organization of that city and helping to protect themselves and others and their city from the Indians.

Richard and Mercy lived at Fourth East and First South in Nephi, known today as the old Will Jenkins home. This home consisted of two long rooms made of logs.

Richard married again to a second wife named Sarah Ann Ostler Ferner (she had married a Ferner and had 2 children.) This home was located in the canyon.

Richard went over to Provo, bought a big house there on Highway 91.

He later left for Canada with some of his sons. They were fording a river when an accident occurred and he was drowned on 17 July 1906 near Warm Springs, Deer Lodge, Montana and was buried there.

Eight children were born to Richard and Mercy, some of their children with their musical ability furnished music for dances and other recreational activities.

The eight children are as follows:

1. Annie Elizabeth who married Thomas Philemon Tidwell 
2. Richard Walter who married Alvira Tidwell 
3. James Edward who married Clarissa Owen 
4. Mary Alice who married Henry Harrison Hoyt 
5. Ada who died 1 July 1870 (twin) 
6. Ida Virginia who married Henry John Hawkins (twin) 
7. William Wallace who married Mary Melinda Hawley 
8. Rose who married Stanley Randolph Hansen

Eight children were also born to second wife Sarah Ann Ostler Furner and Richard:

1. Oliver 
2. Arthur 
3. Aaron 
4. Richard 
5. Ralph 
6. Nettie 
7. Violet 
8. Elizabeth

Richard's father James lived with Richard's family for quite a number of years. Blacksmithing was his hobby and he taught it to Richard who in turn did it as a hobby along with his farm work and other duties.

James Jenkins walked with a cane and took walks around the yard. James Jenkins died 17 November 1892 at Nephi, Utah at age 88.

Note: Emigration records of the British Mission Office show that James Jenkins, Sr. and his family sailed for America aboard the "Samuel Curling" on Sunday, 22 April 1855. The shipping lists read as follows:

Ticket #99, Permanent Emigration Fund 
Last address: Prestigne, Radnor

The following are James Jenkins and Elizabeth Wright's children and spouses:

Mary Jenkins, who died shortly after birth 
Ann Jenkins, who married Robert Henry Jarrett 
Richard Jenkins, who married Mercy Ann Pitchforth and Sarah Ann Ostler 
Elizabeth Sarah Jenkins, who married Gustive Henroid 
James Jenkins, who died the same day he was born 
Emma Jenkins, who marrired Willliam Cole 
James Jenkins, Jr., who married Margaret Grace 
Lucy Jenkins, who died at age one

IN 1895 DAVID SALISBURY RECORDED THE FOLLOWING IN HIS HISTORY:

Richard Jenkins, one of my neighbors, got another man by the name of Thomas Booth to go in with him and manufacture salt. They did not understand how to manufacture it. They had heard me talk about boiling salt on Salt Lake, so they came to me and wanted to have me go in with them. So we started in the business on a small scale. We had to make it out of rock Salt. There was a rock salt works, starting with 2 small boilers. One of them to dissolve the rock salt. We did this by boiling it. When we got it dissolved we would run it up in wooden vats and let it settle until it was clean, and then we would run it into a clean boiler and boil it down into fine salt. As it became finished, we would shovel it out onto a draining board, and what dirt was left in the salt would run back into the boilers and leave the salt dry. We used a lot of dry wood; one of us would haul wood as we had to keep two boilers going all the time. One of us would haul wood and the salt down to Nephi. We would make about five hudnred pounds a day, which sold for six cents per pound, and being on the road leading into Sanpete Conty we sold quite a lot to teams going up and down the canyon. Of course it was all trade in those days. We took everything that we could eat, drink or wear, and we sold quite a lot of rock salt for the farmers to salt their stock. We had the honor of making the first salt south of Salt Lake City. As we increased our work our salt was used as far south as St Geroge, and about all the settlements in Utah County and Sanpete and Levan, some going as far as Montana.