Notes for: James Silas Jernigan
This family information on James Jernigan comes from the family Bible record of Mary Jane Bodine Jernigan, from a grandson, Jerry Jernigan, in November of 1996. The Marshall County, Alabama census records, in most cases, have the family name spelled incorrectly (Jernagan).
From: FINCH64 at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Subject: Margaret Jernigan Wright
My grandfather was Frankie William Jernigan. He was the son of Franklin Henry "Frank" or "F.H." Jernigan and Ella Mae Lindsay.
Is your Margaret Jernigan, wife of Clarence Wright of these same Jernigans?
Frank Jernigan re-married after Ella Mae died. He married Ruth Elvie Ladd. Their daughter, Ruth Jernigan Ross lives in Alabama. I just sent her a letter about a week or so ago.
Thanks so much for any information you could provide about Margaret Jernigan.
Barry Jernigan
Son of Winston Eugene Jernigan (b. New Castle, Jefferson Co, AL)
Grandson of Frankie William Jernigan
Great-grandson of Franklin Henry Jernigan
GG-grandson of Rev. James Silas Jernigan - a founding member of the New Friendship Baptist Church in Arab, AL
From: Barry Jernigan [bjernigan7040 at bellsouth.net]
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Subject: Re: Something I noticed and just wondering
Hi Dave:
...
At any rate, you probably already have this but I thought I would send it
anyway. This is the route that I believe took my Jernigans from Sevier
County, TN to Marshall County, AL (just like the Bodines and Moons).
The information that I've found indicates that the Jernigan homestead in
Sevier County was probably right in Sevierville. They were neighbors to the
McMahans and information online about the library in Sevierville says it is
in the area of the former McMahan farm. I also found some interesting info
online about archaeology digs on that farm and artifacts of seemingly
European design mixed in with the Indian artifacts.
In reference to the DNA, there WERE Chandlers living in Sevier County at the
same time as our Jernigans. But DNA research indicates they were NOT related
to me.
There were also Chandlers living in Marshall County, AL (from Kennamers Cove
in fact) and they ARE related to me...
Some other interesting connections in Marshall County are those of John
Henry Jernigan. Cleo Malone Gartner is a descendant of John Henry Jernigan.
She has the information that his first wife was Margaret Whitworth, a
daughter of Joseph Whitworth and Susannah Bodine. And she and I both believe
the evidence indicates that James Silas and John Henry were related and very
probably brothers.
There are also Moon connections to the Jernigan family. Blanche Mae
Jernigan, a daughter of James Silas Jernigan and Mary Jane Bodine, married
Virgil Carthell Moon. They did live at one time in Marshall County, Alabama
and then moved to Jefferson County, Alabama. But I haven't done as much
research on those lines -- just searching in the online censuses plus some
info that I received from a Prosch cousin (another Jernigan daughter
marriage).
All this kind of makes me wonder if the Jernigans and Bodines knew each
other in Sevier County as well. And that it was natural for them to connect
in Marshall County later on.
I can hope that maybe James Silas' father got sentimental right before he
died and maybe left something for him in a will -- like the surrey that Deb
and Jerry claimed he could not have afforded himself on his salary as a
minister. The surrey that supposedly he drove when he came courting Mary
Jane Bodine. [Note from Dave: See correction to this in next message.]
Here's the census info that I believe shows the journey our Jernigan line
took from Sevier County to Marshall County.
Sixth Census of the United States, 1840
Sevier County, Tennessee, M704, Roll 535, Page 168
Enumerator: George W. Porter
Clement Jarnagan
Males under 5: one
Males 5 and under 10: one
Males 10 and under 15: one
Males 20 and under 30: one
Females under 5: one
Females 5 and under 10: two
Females 30 and under 40: one
U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880
Persons who died during the Year ending 1st June 1850 in 12th subdivision in
the county of Sevier in the state of Tennessee enumerated by me, S. Duggan
Drucilla Jarnagin
age: 49, female, married, place of birth: North Carolina, month died: May,
cause of death: unknown, number of days ill: 42
Seventh Census of the United States, 1850
Roll M432_895, Page 431
Eastern Subdivision 12, Sevier County, Tennessee
Enumerated on 27 Sep 1850 by Samuel Duggan
Dwelling 632/Family 632
Clem Jarnagin, age 42, male, farmer, Value of Real estate owned = none,
Place of birth: North Carolina
Isaac Jarnagin, age 21, male, place of birth: North Carolina
Hannah Jarnagin, age 18, female, place of birth: North Carolina
Elijah Jarnagin, age 17, male, place of birth: North Carolina
Margaret Jarnagin, age 16, female, place of birth: North Carolina
Champion Jarnagin, age 14, male, place of birth: North Carolina
Rachel Jarnagin, age 12, female, place of birth: Tennessee
Mary Jarnagin, age 10, female, place of birth: Tennessee
Samuel Jarnagin, age 8, male, place of birth: Tennessee
Martha Jarnagin, age 5, female, place of birth: Tennessee
Spencer Jarnagin, age 4, male, place of birth: Tennessee
Joseph Jarnagin, age 1/12 (1 month), male, place of birth: Tennessee
Eighth Census of the United States, 1860
Roll M653_16, Page 793
Eastern Division, Marshall County, Alabama
Post Office: Guntersville
Enumerated on 5 June 1860 by J. M. Scott
Dwelling 33/Family 33
Hannah Jernegan, age 32, female, washerwoman, No real estate or personal
estate, place of birth: South Carolina (?)
Spencer Jernegan, age 13, male, place of birth: Tennessee
James Jernegan, age 8, male, place of birth: Alabama
Henry (T.?) Jernegan, age 3, male, place of birth: Alabama
Ninth Census of the United States, 1870
Roll M593_29, Page 106
Town of Guntersville, Marshall County, Alabama
Post Office: Guntersville
Enumerated on 1 June 1870 by Arthur C. Beard
Dwelling 17/Family 17
J. N. Crutchen, age 25, male, white, farmer, value of personal estate = 500,
born in Alabama, #19
Catherine Crutchen, age 23, female, white, keeping house, born in Alabama
Ina Crutchen, age 1, female, white, born in Alabama
Hannah Jonocan, age 46, female, white, born in Tennessee
Moses Jonocan, age 6, male, white, born in Alabama
Edward King, age 22, male, white, day laborer, born in Alabama
Ninth Census of the United States, 1870
Roll M593_29, Page 199
Subdivision No. 45, Marshall County, Alabama
Post Office: Meltonsville
Enumerated on 20 Sep 1870 by Arthur C. Beard
Dwelling x/ Family x
Francis Provence, age 39, male, white, farmer, value of real estate = 5450,
value of personal estate = 570, born in Tennessee, #19
Margaret Provence, age 28, female, white, keeping house, born in Alabama
Joseph R. Provence, age 6, male, white, born in Alabama
Riley S. Provence, age 5, male, white, born in Alabama
Francis R. Provence, age 11/12, born in Alabama, born in Oct
Mary E. Provence, age 13, female, white, born in Alabama, #15
James C. Jonocan, age 18, male, white, farm laborer, #15
Almeda Provence, age 29, female, white, born in Alabama
In addition, James Jernigan signed the bond for the marriage of John Henry
Jernigan and Margaret Whitworth. Francis Provence witnessed the marriage of
James Silas Jernigan and Mary Jane Bodine. In the 1880 census of Marshall
County, Moses Jernigan, age 16, is listed as "Brother" to the head of the
household -- James Jernigan. Information by other researchers is that most
of Clement and Drucilla's children ended up in Franklin County, Tennessee
with the younger children living in the households of the adult children.
But Hannah is one of the older children not found in Franklin County,
Tennessee. And Spencer is not found there either.
I have copies of marriage licenses for both James Silas Jernigan and John
Henry Jernigan. I have a copy of Cleo Malone Gartner's descendancy report
for John Henry Jernigan and his several wives including Margaret Whitworth.
John Henry relocated to Oakalla, Burnet County, Texas which is where he
died. I also have a copy of his obit from Cleo. In it is stated that he had
two brothers. Two brothers could be James Silas and Moses.
Barry Jernigan
College Grove, TN
From: Barry Jernigan [bjernigan7040 at bellsouth.net]
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Subject: Corrections in my email about James Silas Jernigan
I misquoted Deb Young. I put together 2 ideas into one. Here is what she
actually said in the pages of the now defunct The Jernigan Home Page website
"When James first started courting Mary Jane, he arrived in his own surry
pulled by a beautiful horse. One wonders how a young man of about 20 years
(supposedly) had these costly possessions."
Later in the same article she stated,
"By the 1890's, James Silas Jernigan is a traveling minister preaching the
gospel. In 1900, he is in Birmingham and has his own J. S. Jernigan Dairy.
The big question here seems to be, how does a traveling minister have the
money to start his own dairy and yet at the same time have a large number of
mortgages and deeds from other people where this man would loan money to
these families?"
For the record I would not describe him as a 'traveling minister preaching
the gospel' as Deb Young did. It was quite common then (and perhaps still
is) for ministers to move on to different churches. One of the primary
reasons why they had so many ministers in succession. Most of them didn't
quit preaching. They moved on to other churches in other areas. So I would
not agree that he was a 'traveling minister'. He was actually apparently
quite typical in that regard as a preacher.
I thought about what I had said and it didn't make sense. How could James
Silas have already been a minister BEFORE he courted Mary Jane when SHE was
a founding member with him of his first church where he started out as a
clerk before later becoming a minister. So then I went back and found her
actual quotes and realized what I had done.
But the point is that it seems that she and I DO agree that he seemed to
have more money than what a man in his position might have had. Again I
wonder about a benefactor and if that benefactor may have in fact been his
real father (a Chandler or otherwise) because no father has ever been
identified for him to date.
Barry Jernigan