Texas Johnny
Corporal
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2019
- Location
- Texas
I acquired a U.S. Navy Jenks carbine last month, and it tweaked my interest in the carbine’s designer, William Jenks. Jenks designed a different type of carbine having a sideways mounted firing mechanism, which was nicknamed the “Mule Ear” carbine. The carbine during the years up to the Civil War went through a number of iterations, including originally having a flintlock firing system, later switched to a percussion cap system. The Confederacy captured some of an earlier Naval version of the carbine and issued them to Virginia cavalry units. The U.S. Ordnance Department purchased 1,000 Jenks carbines during the war, although they were modified to accommodate a self-contained linen cartridge.
I attempted to find more information about Jenks, but I quickly realized there was not many details about him. Online references were limited, although I did find quite a bit about a different William Jenks (1778-1866), a Massachusetts clergyman and scholar. I did find Jenks’ first firearm patent which had been granted to him while Jenks was living in Columbia, South Carolina. Jenks also had another patent in 1834 for a cotton seed hulling device, again while he was living in Columbia. I also found, online, a 1916 Remington Centennial Celebration in Ilion, NY, which mentioned the former William Jenks’ home.
After checking many sources, I could not even find where or when Jenks was born or where and when he died. To me he had become a mystery man. The Jenks carbine is listed in many firearm books, so I scoured the sources they used, when they bothered to list footnotes. From John McAulay excellent books, Civil War Breechloading Rifles and Civil War Carbines, Volume II, I found that there was a series of six articles on the Jenks carbine written in 1964 by Andrew F. Lustyik in The Gun Report. Fortunately, I was able to find and purchase all the 1964 issues of The Gun Report. I also found that Lustyik was likely the premier research on the Jenks carbine. Alas, I would find out about the mystery man! When I opened the first article low and behold there was an oil painting portrait of Jenks, but unfortunately, Jenks the man was apparently as elusive to Lustyik as he was to everyone else. Although there was an abundance of information on Jenks’ firearm, in the Lustyik articles, there was very little about Jenks’ personal life. In fact, Lustyik even stated in the first article, “The dates of Jenk's birth and death are unknown.” I found another Jenks carbine article written by Lustyik in the April 1969 issue of The American Rifleman, and I was able to find and purchase a copy of it off eBay. Unfortunately, that article was also short on details about Jenks life.
When Jenks got his first carbine contract, one with the U.S. Navy in 1841, he turned to Ames Manufacturing Company in Chicopee, Massachusetts to manufacture his carbine. By 1845 Jenks and Ames had a new contract from the U.S. Navy for another 1,000 carbines. Eliphalet Remington of Remington Arms began, after he learned of the Navy contract, negotiations to acquire both the Navy contract and the Ames gun making machinery. From Lustyik’s article, I learned that when Remington met Jenks, he was apparently favorable impressed with him. Remington purchased the Ames contract and machinery and he recruited Jenks to come and work for him in Ilion, NY. I found Jenks, listed at age 45, in the 1850 U.S. Census residing in Ilion with his wife, Elizabeth age 47, daughter Sarah age 18, and son Winfield age 7. His occupation is listed as “government agent” and he had real estate valued at $6,000.
With that information I began searching for Jenks using Remington Arms sources. I found a footnote reference to Jenks, which listed the source as, Remington Arms In American History by Alden Hatch. I was able to find a used copy of the book and when I received it was surprised to find an entire chapter on Jenks and the Jenks carbine. According to the book, Jenks did move to Ilion, NY where he worked for Remington. In the book Hatch gives us a description of Jenks, “Jenks was a Yankee, of Welsh descent, with curly hair, round eager eyes, a straight chiseled nose, and a thin, unhappy mouth. He looked like a minor poet, but his appearance of delicacy was strangely deceptive. For Jenks had the fire and imagination of a true genius, and a resilient inner core that had enabled him to buck bureaucratic indolence and red tape for nearly a decade, until by sheer perseverance (plus the excellence of his invention) he had dragooned the Navy into ordering a few of his guns. In Remington, he saw a chance to realize his ambitious dreams.”
I picked up a key piece of information in the book, that being the year of Jenks’ death, 1859. Apparently, at some point in time Jenks left Ilion and moved to Arlington, VA, seemingly to work on securing government firearm contracts. According to Hatch, Jenks purchased a 100-acre farm outside of Arlington. Hatch also mentions the death of Jenks in 1859 when he was accidentally killed when he was knocked off a hay wagon while the wagon entered his barn.
With an approximate date of birth and year and location of his death I began to search genealogical records and I fairly certain I have found Jenks. He was born 26 May 1805 in Lyme, New Hampshire and died in 1859 at the age of 54. Thus far I have not yet been able to determine his exact date of death. He apparently married Elizabeth Beach in 1832 in Lyme. Elizabeth survived Jenks and died in 1863. They are buried together in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C. It is interesting to note that Jenks and U.S. General Winfield Scott were friends, according to Hatch’s book. Hatch claims that Scott was a frequent visitor to the Jenks farm. It is also interesting to note that Jenks’ last child is a son is named Winfield S. Jenks (1843-1914).
There is still much to discover about Jenks. I really have not yet done any serious genealogical or records search work on him, but I hope to find more about this mystery man Jenks. If you have any additional information or sources, I would be most interested in hearing from you.
I attempted to find more information about Jenks, but I quickly realized there was not many details about him. Online references were limited, although I did find quite a bit about a different William Jenks (1778-1866), a Massachusetts clergyman and scholar. I did find Jenks’ first firearm patent which had been granted to him while Jenks was living in Columbia, South Carolina. Jenks also had another patent in 1834 for a cotton seed hulling device, again while he was living in Columbia. I also found, online, a 1916 Remington Centennial Celebration in Ilion, NY, which mentioned the former William Jenks’ home.
After checking many sources, I could not even find where or when Jenks was born or where and when he died. To me he had become a mystery man. The Jenks carbine is listed in many firearm books, so I scoured the sources they used, when they bothered to list footnotes. From John McAulay excellent books, Civil War Breechloading Rifles and Civil War Carbines, Volume II, I found that there was a series of six articles on the Jenks carbine written in 1964 by Andrew F. Lustyik in The Gun Report. Fortunately, I was able to find and purchase all the 1964 issues of The Gun Report. I also found that Lustyik was likely the premier research on the Jenks carbine. Alas, I would find out about the mystery man! When I opened the first article low and behold there was an oil painting portrait of Jenks, but unfortunately, Jenks the man was apparently as elusive to Lustyik as he was to everyone else. Although there was an abundance of information on Jenks’ firearm, in the Lustyik articles, there was very little about Jenks’ personal life. In fact, Lustyik even stated in the first article, “The dates of Jenk's birth and death are unknown.” I found another Jenks carbine article written by Lustyik in the April 1969 issue of The American Rifleman, and I was able to find and purchase a copy of it off eBay. Unfortunately, that article was also short on details about Jenks life.
When Jenks got his first carbine contract, one with the U.S. Navy in 1841, he turned to Ames Manufacturing Company in Chicopee, Massachusetts to manufacture his carbine. By 1845 Jenks and Ames had a new contract from the U.S. Navy for another 1,000 carbines. Eliphalet Remington of Remington Arms began, after he learned of the Navy contract, negotiations to acquire both the Navy contract and the Ames gun making machinery. From Lustyik’s article, I learned that when Remington met Jenks, he was apparently favorable impressed with him. Remington purchased the Ames contract and machinery and he recruited Jenks to come and work for him in Ilion, NY. I found Jenks, listed at age 45, in the 1850 U.S. Census residing in Ilion with his wife, Elizabeth age 47, daughter Sarah age 18, and son Winfield age 7. His occupation is listed as “government agent” and he had real estate valued at $6,000.
With that information I began searching for Jenks using Remington Arms sources. I found a footnote reference to Jenks, which listed the source as, Remington Arms In American History by Alden Hatch. I was able to find a used copy of the book and when I received it was surprised to find an entire chapter on Jenks and the Jenks carbine. According to the book, Jenks did move to Ilion, NY where he worked for Remington. In the book Hatch gives us a description of Jenks, “Jenks was a Yankee, of Welsh descent, with curly hair, round eager eyes, a straight chiseled nose, and a thin, unhappy mouth. He looked like a minor poet, but his appearance of delicacy was strangely deceptive. For Jenks had the fire and imagination of a true genius, and a resilient inner core that had enabled him to buck bureaucratic indolence and red tape for nearly a decade, until by sheer perseverance (plus the excellence of his invention) he had dragooned the Navy into ordering a few of his guns. In Remington, he saw a chance to realize his ambitious dreams.”
I picked up a key piece of information in the book, that being the year of Jenks’ death, 1859. Apparently, at some point in time Jenks left Ilion and moved to Arlington, VA, seemingly to work on securing government firearm contracts. According to Hatch, Jenks purchased a 100-acre farm outside of Arlington. Hatch also mentions the death of Jenks in 1859 when he was accidentally killed when he was knocked off a hay wagon while the wagon entered his barn.
With an approximate date of birth and year and location of his death I began to search genealogical records and I fairly certain I have found Jenks. He was born 26 May 1805 in Lyme, New Hampshire and died in 1859 at the age of 54. Thus far I have not yet been able to determine his exact date of death. He apparently married Elizabeth Beach in 1832 in Lyme. Elizabeth survived Jenks and died in 1863. They are buried together in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C. It is interesting to note that Jenks and U.S. General Winfield Scott were friends, according to Hatch’s book. Hatch claims that Scott was a frequent visitor to the Jenks farm. It is also interesting to note that Jenks’ last child is a son is named Winfield S. Jenks (1843-1914).
There is still much to discover about Jenks. I really have not yet done any serious genealogical or records search work on him, but I hope to find more about this mystery man Jenks. If you have any additional information or sources, I would be most interested in hearing from you.