Joseph Jenckes
Three prominent, early New England men were named Joseph Jencks.
Joseph Jencks I
(b. England 1602, d. Lynn, MA 1682) Joseph Jencks settled in Lynn, Massachusetts by 1643, arriving as a widower. On March 6, 1646, he was awarded the first patent in North America by the General Court of Massachusetts, for making scythes. This basic scythe design remained in use for over 300 years. In 1654 he built the first fire engine in North America, commissioned by the city of Boston. The remains of the Jencks ironworks survives on the site of the Saugus Iron Works National Park.
Joseph Jencks II
(b. England 1632, d. Pawtucket, RI 1717) Arrived in Massachusetts in 1645, having remained in England until his father was settled. He was the earliest known settler of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1671. He built and operated the first sawmill in the area, which was destroyed by fire during King Philip's War. He was a Deputy to the Rhode Island Assembly for a number of terms in the late 17th century, also Counselor of the Governor in 1681.
(b. Pawtucket, RI 1656, d. Providence, RI 1740) From 1691 through 1732, he continuously held high offices of public trust in Rhode Island, culminating as Governor from 1727 to 1732.
References
- "Founders of Early American Families", 2nd Revised Edition (2002) by Meredith B. Colket, Jr. and Keith M Sheldon
- "The Jenks Family of America" by W.B. Browne (1952)
- "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island" by John Osborne Austin (Revised 1969 Edition by G. Andrews Moriarty)
- "History of the United States Patent Office" by Kenneth W. Dobyns (1994)
External links
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Judges of Portsmouth
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Judge of Newport
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Governor of Newport and Portsmouth
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Chief Officer (Providence
and Warwick) (1644–1647) |
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Presidents of Rhode Island
(Patent of 1643) (1647–1663) |
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Governors of Newport and Portsmouth
(Coddington Commission) (1651–1654) |
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Governors of Rhode Island
(Charter of 1663) (1663–1686) |
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Governors under Dominion
of New England (1686–1689) |
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Governors of Rhode Island
(1690–1776) |
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Italics: Gorton, Smith and Dexter were presidents of Providence and Warwick only, since Coddington had received a commission to remove Newport and Portsmouth from their jurisdiction, valid from 1651 to 1653; before and after these dates the President presided over all four towns of the colony. Under the Dominion of New England, Dudley only presided over the "Narragansett country," later to become Washington County, Rhode Island; the remainder of the colony later fell under Andros' administration.
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