The Jenkins Family: Roots in Mississippi

There are several definitions of a family, including the descendants of a common ancestor or individuals living in the same household. This is our story about a family, rooted in Mississippi. We will write about Mississippi and the descendants of Larthey Jenkins and Mary Johnson-Jenkins, born over 140 years ago, and about our father, Cecil Jenkins Sr. that was born over 106 years ago. Larthey and Mary's first descendant was born in 1903 and the last known descendant was born in 2021, 118 years apart. We believe that part of a strong family is knowing family history.

In this publication, we will explore a few of what we believe to be factual things about the State of Mississippi; the celebrated, the good, the sad, and the horrifying but not innuendos. We intend to list some notable Mississippians and some historical markers. We will write about our family, the Jenkins, the descendants of our grandfather, Larthey Jenkins, Sr. (1878? - 1950), and our grandmother, Mary Johnson-Jenkins (1880? - 1977) on our father's side of the family. They were the first generation of our family members that were born after slavery was legally abolished in the United States of America.

We will also identify the second and third generations of Larthey and Mary, identify Cecil Jenkins Sr.'s family, and provide a short story of the life of several Cecil Sr. family members from the fourth generation. Additionally, we will provide some information on our mother and her parents. Our mother died when Lucy was a baby and Cecil Jr. was three years old.

Some of the good things about Mississippi include several Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), television personality Oprah Winfrey and National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame Quarterback Brett Favre were born there.

In 1825, Ben Jenkins was born into slavery in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. He married Mary from Georgia and to this union two children, Stewder and James were born. James Jenkins married Sopha Ford and our grandfather, Larthey Jenkins was born in about 1878 to that union. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution legally abolished slavery in the United States of America. Although slavery was legally abolished, some Black people were still caught up in a predicament.