James Jenkins 1817-1904
2010
James Jenkins was the second child and first son born to his parents Thomas Jenkins and Mary Thomas in Wales. His older sister was named Harriett and his younger brother was named John. Nothing is known of his childhood. In 1842 he married Elizabeth Davis in Wales. In 1847 they heard the message of the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and were baptized. In 1854, the family emigrated to America after boarding their ship in Liverpool, England and sailing six weeks before reaching America. From their landing in New Orleans, they traveled to St. Louis where they outfitted for the trek west to the Salt Lake Valley.
James built the first log cabin west of the Jordan River in a place that is now an small airport. To earn a living, James felled trees with an ax, loaded the wood in his wagon and sold it. The family’s first year in the valley was bleak. Flour was so scarce that they and others were forced to live on roots. The next year, after the crops were planted and hope was alive, the infamous event known as the Miracle of Gulls took place. Crickets swarmed in black clouds and began to devour the Saints’ precious crop. After all efforts to kill and chase them failed, their prayers were answered. First-hand accounts say that black swarms appeared again and the Saints thought that more crickets were coming. Instead, seagulls swooped down and began to devour the crickets. The birds filled their bellies and then flew to the nearby lake where they regurgitated the bugs and returned for more. Most interesting is the fact that seagulls do not eat crickets . . . normally.
James is buried in the Pleasant Green Cemetery in what is now the town of Magna, Utah. He is next to his son John and surrounded by his posterity. His wife Elizabeth is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery but why, we do not know.
The migration of James Jenkins
Wales to Utah