The amazing account of Pvt. Jennie Jenkins has been documented previously in secondary sources. Apparently, she enlisted openly as a woman in the Butternut Valley Guards. This was in 1862, and I began to wonder if this is the first instance of a female serving under her true identity as a documented soldier in the ranks in our country's history.
This article will detail my adventure in researching Jennie Jenkins, which will serve as another installment in my Finding series. Other women soldiers I have previously included in the series include Elizabeth Quinn (Frances Hook), "William Bradley," and Sophronia Hunt Smith.
The primary source for Jennie Jenkins' service in the Butternut Valley Guards is Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861-1865. Charles E. Flandrau composed the book using rosters from the Adjutant General's Office. Here is the one for the Butternut Valley Guards
The Butternut Valley Guards was one of dozens of home guard units mustered to protect Minnesota communities from an increasing Indian threat in 1862. The Adjutant General's Office sought to compensate citizens for their service in these units by creating pay vouchers which enabled these soldiers to collect their sum. Flandrau utilized these pay voucher ledger sheets to create rosters. On the roster for the Butternut Valley Guards you can clearly see Jennie Jenkins listed as a private. And out to the side under the remarks section, you can see a comment by C.E.F., who is Charles E. Flandrau, noting that it is unknown as to how Jenkins became a member of the company but that she received $13 for her service. This amount is the same pay her fellow male soldiers received. What a truly remarkable account! Here we have a woman soldier serving openly and earning the same pay as a man in 1862.
The first thing I did in my quest to learn more was to acquire a copy of the actual muster sheet to see if it was a case of misinterpreting someone's handwriting.
It's clearly Jennie Jenkins who was paid $13, which was the average pay for a Federal soldier.
What is also remarkable about this account is the fact that Flandrau himself mustered this company into service.
So he should know how Jenkins "came to be a member of this company," right? How could he not recognize or recall a woman who apparently enlisted as herself?
Those were questions that would soon be answered after I did a little genealogy investigation. I did not find Jennie Jenkins in any of the census records. But I thought maybe Jennie was a nickname, so I pursued another angle. I noticed there was a William E. Jenkins listed above Jennie's name. And thinking he was was a relative, perhaps a father, I looked him up. What I learned is that there were several Jenkinses in the area and that they were Welsh. That led to the next piece of the puzzle, which was the discovery of a book entitled History of the Welsh in Minnesota. This turned out to be the key component in my investigation because it included a slightly different roster.
There, at the top of the third column is "Jennie Jenkins." Indeed, "Jennie" was really Rev. Jenkin Jenkins. Honestly, if your parents gave you the same first name as your last, you'd probably go by a nickname, too. I wonder if the guy at bottom of the first column, Thomas Thomas, also used a nickname. Probably Tom Thomas. Or what about William Williams at the bottom of the third column? You'd expect it to be "Bill," since that is a common nickname for William. But did Jenkin Jenkins have to use Jennie? I have encountered Civil War soldiers with "girlie" names. When considering another Jennie, Jennie Hodgers who served as "Albert Cashier," in her company of the 95th Illinois Infantry, there is a Carrol, Leslie, and Shirley. Yes, there are male actors named Carroll and Leslie. You probably recall Leslie Nielson's famous line, "Don't call me Shirley." So I find it humorous that a guy named Leslie served with a guy named Shirley in Jennie Hodgers' company.
But speaking of Jennie Jenkins, there are a couple of humorous stories in the Minnesota Welsh book about the reverend. One involved him fleeing two Indians in his ox cart. After arriving into camp and relaying his harrowing tale of his narrow escape, a squad was dispatched to deal with the savages. As it turns out, it it ended up being two of Jenkins' comrades trying to catch up with him to ask for a ride in his wagon.
And thus my investigative adventure came to an end. I had found Pvt. Jennie Jenkins.
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| Rev. Jenkin "Jennie" Jenkins from Find a Grave |
Until next formation.....rest.
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