James Hardy Jenkins

Beat But Not Beaten

James Hardy Jenkins

1822- 1898

We imagine it happened this way…. James lifted his throbbing head up off the crusty ground. He peered through the underbrush to be sure that no one was following him. He didn't know how long he had been laying there, all he knew was his body hurt, his head throbbed, and he felt like he was whirling. He knew he would never go back to that farm where he had been beaten. He liked working for Mr. Hardie but never wanted to see Mr. Hardie’s son again. James was a very conscientious young man and most always got along with everyone. But for some reason he and that vindictive son of farmer Hardie clashed. Maybe because Mr. Hardie trusted James and sot out advice from him instead of relying on his son.  Maybe his son just did not like him as he was assigned to feed James each day. The farmer’s son tormented James, beat him several times and this was the last time.  Today he had beaten James with a fury until James had barely gotten away. 

Back to Aunt Susan is where he made his way now. The last thing he wanted to do was be a burden, but he knew that aunt Susan and grandpa would help. 

Aunt Susan was furious when she saw his condition, she fed him, fixed him up and then went herself, to visit the farm of Mr. Hardie and demanded James’ earnings. After the beating, James’ head hurt especially in the evenings and he had trouble focusing his eyes.

(In James personal history he wrote, “I engaged with one by the name of James Hardie …for six months. It was an inn about half way between Falkirk and Stirling. …they had a farm….I did not stop my time out for one of the sons, even the one that fed me, he and I could not agree and he beat me. After one of the times that he gave me a beating, I left... My aunt Susan Hardie went and got the most of my fee from them. Although she had the same name of Hardie, they were not friends. After I came home, I took very sore eyes and did not work for about three months.”)

The Follies of Youth

James Hardy Jenkins was born in Laurieston, Falkirk, Scotland in 1822. 

[My father's name was John Jenkins and my mother's name was Helen Hardie. My father was a collier or underground worker. There were times he left it and labored above the ground, but mostly he wrought at the coal trade.  I did not stop much with my father and mother but was brought up by my grandfather and my aunt Susan. They were my mother's father and sister. My grandmother died when I was a young child and they took me and brought me up until I was able to work. The name of my grandfather was Henry Hardie….]

Some said his father spent time in the pubs when he was not working in the coal mines.

James was lucky he was not in the coal mines. Boys living in the coal miner’s housing begin working in the coal mines at age 8 or 9. Long days sometimes started at 2 am and ended at 5 pm, the work was grueling, with many accidents in the mines. 

James lived with his maternal Grandfather and his Aunt Susan in Louriston, he took his first job at a brick field for two summers. The next summer he worked for a farmer. Then he had the ill-fated job with Mr. Hardie.  

Back to work after the beating a farmer, named John Simpkins, hired him. James said, “They were very good to me. While I was there I herded the rye and stumped the boiler, bound sheaves…. I learned to cut hay with the servant man and many other things. I took a thought about being religious and would have liked to have been beside someone who would help me to follow it out. But it went away and after that I did many things that were unrighteous, for which I hope the Lord will forgive me.”

James was a hard worker and good farm hand. He had several more jobs working farms. By the time he was about to the end of teenage years he stayed again with Aunt Susan and her new husband Alexander Gibb for a few months, then he went to work in the mines with his father. James lived and moved around with his father from mine to mine as work permitted.  When theystayed in one place for about a year he met a very nice young lady and fell in love.  

His journal reads, “I married a young Lass by the name of Janet Laird. Her father and mother were both dead. She resided in Stellhall about three miles south of Falkirk, so I went and stopped there along with her. She had a child shortly after we were married. It was a girl but was dead and was buried in Falkirk in the old Churchyard. Also, January the 17th, 1844 she gave birth to a boy and I called him after my father, John Jenkins.”

His father moved in beside them and they lived by each other for the next three years They lived in places called Black Tongue and Stand.  He talked about the reverends of the church in those places as being servants of Satan.  It is at this time that James felt the power of the Holy Ghost working in his life and found religion again.  

Bullied for Being a Saint

When James believed the Latter-Day Saints, the bulling started at work.  From his journal we read.

“…there was one day while I was at my work… William Celton and William Howson, two oversemen came to see the place where I was working. After speaking about different things…they commenced to call down the Latter Day Saints. But I determined not to mind them for I knew I had been told the truth by the Saints…”

 I always thought when reading the scriptures that I would like to live in the days of Jesus Christ and his apostles for I thought there was something about them or that they had a power that the hired priest in this day had not. And when I grew to manhood, I did not attend the churches of the different sects very much. I rather inclined to stop at home on Sundays and read…

While I resided in the Stand, there was a good brother of mine the name of John Henderson who resided there also and we wrought both in one pit. He happened to be working next room to a man by the name of Alexander Wilson and he was a Latter-Day Saint. He began to teach John the doctrines…and told him to come up to Airdire to Church.... John promised to do so and he came and told me and wanted me to do also…IWhen Sabbath came we went up to the Church to hear them. They sang a hymn and then knelt down on their knees and called on the Lord in prayer. I thought this way of worshiping God to be very strange as 'it was different than the rest of the churches which I had been in. The man who preached was Matthew Crothers and he did speak to the point. He spoke very slowly but he was very sure. I never in all my life heard such a powerful sermon. I could not resist the powerful truths, which fell from his lips. I believed it as quickly as he spoke it. 

…We went in the afternoon and they took the bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's death.After that an opportunity was granted them to bear Testimony to the knowledge they had received since they had obeyed the gospel.

…A good number of them stood up and bore testimony that they knew it was the work of God they had engaged in and that it was true and a great deal more they testified of. Well, I thought they were all ministers…and I had a liking towards them. We went back on the next Sunday and heard them again. They taught us faith in the Lord, then repentance, then baptism by immersion for the gift of the Holy Ghost. And if we would obey these laws, we would receive a knowledge from God whether we were doing right or wrong….

We went to Church next Sunday to hear them again and were well pleased with them. It was on the Monday following that we were in Airdre when we saw two of the Latter-Day Saints. We… told them to come and baptize us…. They took a piece of money and threw it in the air for heads or tails to see whether they would come out to our place, so the night was set and Andrew Henderson, and Elder and Robert Grigton… came out that set night and we went down to the Camron Glen and Elder Andrew Henderson baptized us in the Burn. 

We came home to my house and a report of bread and oil was put down before them to partake of and after that they went home. This was done on the 5th day of May 1847. We went to Church Sunday which was the 9th day of May and we were confirmed. Elder Peter Moffet confirmed me by the laying on of hands and from that time forward I have had great joy. 

My wife Janet Laird …was baptized by Peter Moffet on the 27 day of May 1847 and confirmed on the 30th by James Wilson.”

James Jenkins spent the next few years preaching the gospel and serving as branch president. Every Sunday James went with other Elders and Teachers to preach to all the little villages around New Craig.  Places like Barleyside, Shieldhill, Burnrow, Ironloss, Russels Row, and Black Braes.

As they preached they shared the story of the restoration. They sometimes received a house to preach in and sometimes taught out in the open. Amidst the antagonistic spirit they found success, “…We had one for baptism out of Russels Row. This is the first in their row, while we were attending to the ordinance of baptism, one by the name of Alexander Wilson came and opposed us, calling the Prophet Joseph Smith everything that was bad and brailing out that we were imposters. But we left him. He was so full of the devil, he was frothing at the mouth…”

And a visit to Black Braes brought baptism. “I visited Black Braes and preached to the saints there… After I was done, I had two to baptize….I went back to them again and I confirmed the two I baptized the sabbath before. The distance of miles going and coming these times was about 32 miles…. June 23, 1849 I went along to Black Braes and preached to the saints again. The reason that I go to Black Braes is because I received the President of the same.”

Preaching every Sunday for many years James shared the gospel and warned everyone in his ability to warn.  Some were baptized but from his journal we see they did not always have success but they always had hope…One day he wrote: “We sowed the seed well but received none for baptism. There were some good hearers but bad obeyers so they are not justified in the sight of God as yet….”

Another entry reads, “They gave good attention unto what I did say. After I was done, I asked how they liked the doctrine. Some said they could say nothing against it yet would not obey it although it was true.” And later James records, “Brother Stephens, an elder and I… preached and testified unto them that our garments were clear of their blood for they had been well warned.”

James had 4 younger brothers. We don't know if they all lived to adulthood but the youngest one who was about 9 years younger than James was healed by the power of the priesthood. 

“My Brother Robert Jenkins on the 16th day of April, it being Monday, was afflicted with a pain in his side which made him cry for more than an hour…When we were coming home we was informed by a brother and we went strat on to my father's house where he was. When we came in, we shut the door and Brother Paterson and all united in prayer… We anointed him and rebuked the pain. When we were done, the pain left him and came back no more. I was eye witness along with William Paterson of that manifestation of the power of God.”

The Key to our Belly

James left Scotland for England in 1851. He was hoping to make it to America and send money for his wife and family to follow.  That did not happen. The integrity of James is shown by this journal entry.  

“After I landed in England for some weeks, I was grieved and dull in spirits for I thought I had grieved-the spirit of God in coming away from New Craig. My reason for thinking so is this. John Nismeth kept a store and I got a few shillings into his debt. Our work was not very good, and he would get all our money on pay day and if the pit did not go very well…they stopped the store and would give us no food. They held the key of our bellies and opened and locked when they pleased. There was one time we sent up for some things when my wife was bad. She having a child and they would… give us nothing… A man that was able to go to Falkirk with his money could get as much for 16 shillings as we would get from the store for one pound. So, this sort of tyranny I hated so I was a little in their debt when I left them. That was one thing that grieved me, but when I get it in my power I will pay them.”

When James left for England he was ill and sea sickness had made it worse. Upon arrival he found the saints and secured a job but was not able to do much for over 8 days.  It wasn’t long before he sent for his wife and family to join him, but they also arrived weak and sea sick. James did not let this sickness beat him.  Just three months after arriving in England a branch was organized in Camperdown and James was called as Branch President.  He again began proclaiming the gospel to all that would listen.  

The other preachers were not happy with the Mormons…James told about preaching in England, “So many came at times the room was not able to hold them all. This cheered our hearts greatly to think the Lord was calling the people to come in such numbers to hear us.”

This upset the preacher in Bellington who had several churches with a good number of hearers in each one.  James explains what this preacher did to keep people from the truth.  “He filled the Newspapers with lies for the purpose of stopping the progress of the work of God. Some crying when summer comes our blood will flow like water and many was the story that was told about the Prophet Brigham Young and other of the servants of God. But all they could say did not stop our progress in the least.”

Even the police got involved, “… one of the Police informed us that if we would preach anymore at the Cross, he would give us a summons… Every other night we was baptizing one, two and three at a time and this caused some of them to rage at us everything that was bad, but we still went ahead preaching and baptizing till we baptized 28 in the short time of about three months.”

Being a good teacher must run in the family. A story told about his son demonstrates what a great teacher James Jr. was, “… quite often--sometimes on a Sunday morning he would go as far as Bishop Okelberry's store, and there would be a group of boys sitting on the store steps, and he would tell them a story half-way through; then look at his silver watch, and then only half-way through he said he didn't have time to tell the rest of the story, but if they would come to Sunday School he would finish it.”

Twelve years after moving to England James and his family were able to emigrate to the US.  They crossed the plains with the Thomas E. Ricks wagon company. The journey began August 10, 1863 with James, his wife Janet, John 19, Jane 15, Helen 12, Janet 10, Henry 4, Elizabeth 2 and baby Agnes. Charles 18 must have hired out and come with another wagon train. They settled in Goshen, Ut. Near Utah lake. 

Once in Goshen James Taught in the newly organized Goshen school.  He built an adobe brick oven and he and Janet resumed their bakery business.  Two of James’ sons, John and Charles found work in the Bingham mines.  Gradually James and Janet collected swarms of bees and soon they were producing and selling honey.  James also began a tree and plant nursery, planted mulberry trees and had silk worms to produce silk.  He set up a shoe shop in his home. In addition to all of these activities, James taught music, made violins and was an active member of the church.  James possessed an unusual amount of musical ability as he played the violin, organ and accordion. He had an outstanding voice for singing and was chorister of the Goshen Ward until his declining years. His daughter wrote that James was a musician and taught music.  He was also a florist and a horticulturist of rare ability.  

The entire village of Goshen suffered near disaster in the late 1860’s when UT was again attacked by another grasshopper or locust invasion.  Seagulls again arrived to help end the deadly infestation.  

Prison

James and Janet were deeply devoted to each other.  He always called her "Jenny" and she called him "Jimmy" with their Scotch accent added which they never really outlived.

A granddaughter wrote, “After the children were all grown and had left the parental home seeking careers of their own, James and Janet mutually agreed that he should marry a second wife in accordance with the law of the Church which was being practiced at that time. So, James married another woman, the young beautiful Mariam Saunders. We all called her Aunt Mariam. 

Mariam was 18 when she crossed the plains. She came with her mother and 6 siblings.  Miriam was not married at age 28 and that is when James Hardy Jenkins took her to wife and made it possible for her to rear a family. She and Janet became very congenial companions more like mother and daughter. Aunt Mariam did the house work while grandmother managed affairs and cared for the second family, two boys and two girls. 

When the youngest child was less than a year old, the Manifesto came declaring that each man should have one wife. After fifty years of married life "Jimmy was not about to part with "Jenny", his Scotch Lassie, regardless of the Law's demands. Neither could he discard the young Mariam and four small children.  

During the polygamist trouble James had built a hiding place beneath the floor of one of the rooms in his home.  His wife, Janet Laird, kept a rug and her rocking chair over the trap door leading to the secret hiding place.  The house was searched a number of times with no one being detected.  However, one day one of the searching marshals tripped over the rug, saw the cut of the trap door in the floor and James Hardy Jenkins and his plural wife, Miriam, were discovered.  James Hardy Jenkins was taken to prison … for the cause of polygamy.  Hearing that James was ill and near death in prison, his son John, returned early from his mission in England. John got up a petition to have his sick father released from prison.  He was successful in doing so, but his father died before they could reach home.  When he arrived in Goshen, he said to Alice, his daughter, "Tell Grandma to have the bed ready but don't tell her Grandpa is dead."

James was beat but not beaten because he has a family sealed together for time and all eternity.

Father – “I Want to Go In There”

A grandson of James shares this story with us, “John Jenkins, (Father of James) would not accept the Gospel in Scotland.  He had the opportunity but felt he couldn't live it.  In those days they cut them off the Church if they did not live it They couldn't drink or fight in what we call saloons now or pubs…he would go and get a drink of Scotch whiskey, and somebody would say something about the Church, and he would get into a fight…

I made arrangements to seal husbands and wives together and children to the parents."  

I went on a particular day to do it.  I don't know whether you know the layout of the Logan Temple--the annex, where the people meet, goes straight out to the East Gate.  On the corner is a driveway--comes in from the north-west corner, and I came along that way.  As I came along I saw several men at the front gate looking back and forth, looking as if they were looking for someone.  I continued along the driveway half way between the Temple and the gate and attempted to walk hurriedly toward the door of the Temple, and they had to run to meet me there.  By the time I got to the door one said, "I want to go in there; I want to go in there."  I said, "You can't go in there."  He said, "I want to go in there anyhow."  I said, "You will have to change your ways if you go in there."

I went on in, and the last thing I heard was, "I want to go in there--I want to go in there."  I went in and had the sealings done, and as I came back out and turned the corner of the hallway to go out through the annex door--they have a waiting room there-and it was full of people.  I thought, "that's funny.  They don't have endowments on a Saturday--what are these people doing in there."  I went on out, and as quick as I opened the door and went out, the people all jumped up and rushed toward me, shook my hand and thanked me for what I had done.  I walked down the hall--they crowded in from both sides and thanked me for the things I had done that day, and how happy they looked and acted.

I have never had anyone describe Great-Grandpa Jenkins to me—but, I believe he was the man who wanted to get in there, he and his wife, Helen Hardy, were the first ones to shake my hand when I went out into the room.  I am sure they accepted the work that I have done.  I am convinced the work is divine, and is being carried on, and that the family relationship will be carried on."

Notes: Inspite of all the bullying James taught and baptized over 25 people.  [baptized, Helen Burt, Mary Walker, Elizabeth Fru, Robert Watson, Andrew Arable, Robert Mcloude, Helen Graham Wilson, David and Elizabeth Duncan, George Noble, Mary Noble, Marion Anderson, George Archable, Isabell Archable, Margaret Smith, Thomas Smith, Jane Sowell, Isable Gladson, James Archbold, Joseph Archbole, Elisabeth Archbold, Thomas Archbold, Thomas Thomson, Kirk Archbald, and Robert Scott]