Your Grandpa Jenkins

Henry Evan Jenkins was born Febuary 22, 1855 at Kanesville, Iowa to Evan and Anne Jenkins, imagrants from England.

He was adventureous, mischievous and often teased other children. When he was four years old he was playing with a neighbor girl named Jennie Duncan, who one year older. He pushed her into Misquito Creek. She floated down the creek crying for help and grabbed onto a willow bush. Henry got frightened ran down the creek and pulled her out of the water. When his parents learned of the incident they asked him why he pushed her in and he said, 'Cause she's always bossing me around.'

One day older children showed the little children that when you drop a cat it always lands on it's feet. So Henry decided to try it out on the family cat. He and the cat climbed to the roof of the house which was about eight feet high. Henry tried to throw the cat off but the frightened cat caught Henry's clothes with it's claws and pulled him off the roof too. Henry landed on the cat and both were just fine.

One day a neighbor lady was babysitting and very being busy with the younger children she didn't know that Henry and William, an older brother, were fighting over a hatchet. Henry wanted it and put his hand on the chopping block. I'm sure he thought that this would make William forfeit the hatchet. But no way, William chopped down on Henry's middle finger cutting it off at the first joint. The babysitter sewed the finger on with needle and thread all the while Henry cried. She bandaged it the best she could to stop the bleeding. Henry carried his hand with his fist doubled up so that when it healed he his middle finger grew back bent and remained that way the rest of his life.

Another time he rolled down a hill in a barrel and got so skinned up and dizzy that he never did it again.

These little stories help us to know the real person our Grandpa was. He had hard times and good times and we appreciate his life.