Alba Jenners was born 15 January 1811 at Hamilton Farm in
Loudoun Co., Virginia. He was a son of
Abiel and Deborah (Young) Jenners. His
name is sometimes found as “Alva.” He
may have gone to school at a Quaker school near the family farm. By 1822, his parents had moved the family to
the William Wright farm near Waterford, Virginia. In September 1824, Alba’s father, Abiel,
died. Alba was 13 years old.
Alba was mentioned in a letter written 27 July 1826 by
his brother, Martin, to their mother, Deborah Jenners: "Let me know how
Alva comes on & is he going to school or what is he about? I still think
you had best put him to a Machinist, on this subject I will write Mr.
Buchanan."
In 1828 Alba traveled with his mother and several
siblings from Loudoun Co. to Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana. He seems to have lived in the Lafayette area the
rest of his life.
In 1831, he was working for his brother-in-law, Burr
Braden. In June 1832, Alba was working
as a cabinet maker. He was mentioned in
letter from Ann Jenners to Elizabeth Braden, "He is quite a beaux and has
grown remarkably tall." And in
April 1835, Ann said he was working as a mill wright and his health was not
good.
In May 1842, when Alba was 31 years old, his mother,
Deborah, died. Alba was named
administrator of her estate. There were
a number of estate-related documents that Alba handled, but I will include
those on Deborah’s biography, not here.
Once that bio is written, I will provide a link.
On 24 January 1847, when he was 36 years old, Alba
married the widow, Drusella (Brown) Spring.
They were married in Lafayette by the Rev. J. H. Hull.
Drusella (also found as "Drusilla") Brown was born about 1811 in either Ohio or
Pennsylvania. I have not yet found her
parents or exact birth information. She
married Elijah Spring 27 November 1836.
They had the following children:
Harriet A. Spring (born ca 1837; married James Carnahan; died 1901); Henry Spring (born 1840; married Mary Jane
Braden, daughter of Burr Braden and Mary D. Jenners, died 1901); and Alba
Spring (born ca 1843; died 1865). Elijah
Spring died 5 January 1845 of “winter fever.”
Drusella may have married next to a Mr. Bowser or Bowers, but this marriage needs
confirming. It would have been between
about February 1845 and January 1847.
This Mr. Bowser must have also died; there seem to be no children. It is also possible that the marriage to Mr.
Bowser was her first marriage and was before 1836. Additional research is needed to determine
the truth about her marriages.
We have confirmed three children of Alba and Drusella
and there was possibly a fourth. A news
article about Alba says that Alba and his wife Drusilla had 4 children
together, but we have not determined who this fourth child is. Alba and Drusilla were married in January
1847 and Drusilla was dead by ca 1856, so this child was probably born between 1847
& 1856. This child does not appear
on the 1850 or 1860 Census of Tippecanoe Co. with Alba and his family. It seems likely that the child was born and
died between January 1847 and June 1850 when that census was taken; or that the
child was born after the census was taken in June 1850 and died before the next
census in 1860. More research needs to
be done on this.
The first confirmed child of Alba and Drusella was
Charles C. Jenners, born about 1848 in Indiana.
On the 1850 Tippecanoe Co., Indiana
census, all the children are listed with the surname “Jenners,” though clearly
the older three children are actually Alba’s step-children and had the surname “Spring.” The household was shown as follows: Alba Jenners, age 43, Male, Plough Maker,
Real estate valued at $2500, born Virginia;
Druzella Jenners, age 40, female, born Ohio; Harriet Jenners, age 13,
female, born Indiana, in school; Henry Jenners, age 10, male, born Indiana, in
school; Alby Jenners, age 7, male, born Indiana; Charles Jenners, age 2, male,
born Indiana.
About 1851, their daughter, Anna
DeNeale Jenners was born in Lafayette.
It seems likely that Anna was named after Alba’s aunt, Ann (Young) DeNeale,
wife of James DeNeale and sister of Deborah Jenners (Alba’s mother).
A son, John C. Jenners, was born about
1854 in Lafayette.
On 15 November 1856, Drusella Jenners
died in Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana.
She was 45 years old. She was
buried in Greenbush Cemetery in Lafayette.
When I visited Greenbush in November 2015 and took the above picture, her tombstone was lying on the ground near the plot of David Jenners and his family.
On the 1860 census, the family was
listed with these individuals living together in Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co.,
Indiana: Alba Jenners, age 49, male,
Plow Stocker, real estate $2,500, personal $500, born in Virginia; Chas C. Jenners, age 12, male, born Ind,
attended school this year; Anna Jenners, age 9, female, born Ind, attended
school this year; John C. Jenners, age 6, male, born in Ind; Anna
O'Brien, age 40, female, born Ireland; Maggie O'Brien, age 6, female, born Ind.
On the 1870 census for Lafayette, the
family included these individuals living together: Alba Jenners, age 59, male, white, Plow
Stacker, Real estate=$8,000; personal = $500; born Virginia; Anna Jenners, age
19, female, white, at home, born Indiana; John Jenners, age 16, male, white, at
school, born Indiana.
The family’s residence was at 6th
and Ferry Streets, Lafayette.
On 26 August 1874, daughter Anna
married Charles H. Wallace in Lafayette, Indiana. I have not found any children for them.
A letter from Clara Richards to Laura
(Watt) Braden dated 17 March 1878, mentions that Clara (Jenners) Butler
(daughter of David and Maria Jenners) and her husband, George, had moved into
Alba’s home on Ferry Street. Alba was
apparently not living there at the time. Based on other information, he was probably living with his daughter, Anna, and her husband.
In mid-October 1878, Alba’s son,
Charles Jenners, died. He was 30 years
old.
An undated newspaper article (date
estimated at about 1879 based on his age as given in the story) gives this
information about Alba: "ALBA JENNERS: Among those whose identification
with Lafayette has reached a half a century, is enrolled the subject of this
article. Mr. Jenners is a son of the
'Old Dominion,' having been born in Loudon [sic] county, Virginia, in the year
1811, and is now 68 years of age. His
early days were spent on a farm, in the vicinity of his birth place, in
connection with a limited schooling among the Quakers, one of whom was his
teacher, and a firm believer in the old time maxim, 'spare the rod and spoil
the child,' as would appear from the sharp flagellations he daily administered
to his pupils. In 1828 he imigrated with
his father's family to Dayton, Ohio, where they remained during the winter, and
in the spring of 1829 - now fifty years since - came to Lafayette. The family first occupied a log cabin, corner
of Third and Ferry streets, opposite the Journal office, and afterwards removed
to the corner of Fourth and Ferry Streets, opposite the post office. Young Jenners commenced the trade of cabinet
making, combined with that of mill-wright, working at these trades for several
years. He repaired and remodeled mills
on the Wea and throughout this period for a long time, and then went into the
plow business. He was quite successful
in this, and the reputation of 'Jenners plows' spread far and wide. This was the last active business in which he
engaged and from which he retired a few years ago. Mr. Jenners married his wife, Mrs. Drusilla
Bowser of Ohio in 1847 and by her had four children. He now makes his home with his daughter, Mrs.
Charles Wallace in Chanfrey[?]. Charley
Jenners, the popular clerk of the U.S. Express office, deceased a year ago was
his son. At the time of Mr. Jenners'
settlement in Lafayette, there was little of the currency in circulation, all
business being done through the medium of orders and trading at the
stores. Eggs sold on orders at two cents
per dozen, and at times were so abundant as to be given away by the tub
full. Butter was dull at six cents and
the staple articles of bread stuffs, corn and wheat, respectively sold at 10
and 25 cents per bushel. Wood commanded
$1 per cord, honest measure. Mr. Jenners
has been emphatically a 'home body,' scarcely being out of Lafayette since his
first advent into the city. His railroad
travelling has been limited to a trip to Michigan City and once to
Crawfordsville. At the time of his
settlement in Lafayette, Samuel Hoover filled the offices of clerk of the court
and postmaster. Mr. Jenners enjoys fair
health for one of his years and is quite youthful in his spirits. He is a Republican in politics and a
consistent member of Trinity Methodist Church." Handwritten note written beside
this article: "David Jenners was the inventor of said plow." This was found in a scrapbook compiled by
Clara (Jenners) Sweetser, daughter of David Jenners, in possession of the
Tippecanoe County Archives.
On 27 February 1880, Alba Jenners died
of lung fever or pneumonia at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Anna and
Charles Wallace. He was 69 years
old.
The following obituary was written
regarding Alba. It was found in the
Sweetser Scrapbook with the date "Feb 1880" handwritten next to it:
"DEATH OF ALBA JENNERS: One by one the old settlers are being gathered to
their last long home. Alba Jenners, one
of the oldest citizens of LaFayette, and personally known to almost every one,
died about half past 5 o'clock yesterday of pneumonia, at the residence of his
son-in-law, Charles H. Wallace, Deputy Clerk, on Sixth Street, near Ferry. Mr. Jenners was taken sick just a week to the
very day, before his death. He was born
in Loudoun County, Virginia, in January 1811, and was sixty nine years of age
last month. About fifty years ago this
whole family connection then numbering sixteen, left Loudoun County and came to
the West. LaFayette was then in its
infancy. Of those sixteen persons only
one survives, David Jenners at the advanced age of seventy-eight years. Martin, Colonel William M., David, Saurine
and Alba were the names of the brothers, ranging in age in the order
named. The sisters were Mrs. Bradfield,
Mrs. Braden, and Mrs. P.S. Jennings (his first wife). All are now dead except David. Alba Jenners was of strongly marked character
and had many peculiarities, but a thoroughly honest and true man, abounding in
genuine kindliness of heart. He leaves
only two surviving children - Mrs. Charles H. Wallace and John Jenners, of the
Express Company. The arrangements for
the funeral will be announced hereafter."
Another obituary, again no date or
newspaper: "Alba Jenners, one of
the oldest and most esteemed citizens of Lafayette died on Friday evening,
February 27th, of pneumonia, at the residence of his son-in-law Charles H.
Wallace, on Sixth street, near Ferry, after an illness of one week. The deceased lived to the age of sixty-nine,
being born in Loudon County, Virginia, in 1811.
In 1828 he imigrated with his father’s family to Dayton, Ohio, where he
remained one year, coming to Lafayette in the spring of 1829, now fifty-one
years ago, and commenced the business of cabinet making, combined with that of
mill-wright. Afterwards he gave special
attention to the manufacture of plows, the reputation of the "Jenners
Plow" spreading far and wide. Mr.
Jenners married Drusilla [3 words marked out] in 1847, by whom he had four
children. No man ever lived in Lafayette
that had a higher reputation for honesty and integrity than Alba Jenners. He was a devout member of Trinity Methodist
Church and was a practical, every day Christian. The funeral will take place this afternoon at
3 0'clock, from Trinity Church, Rev. Stephens officiating. The… [balance of clipping cut off]"
Alba was buried in Greenbush Cemetery. When we visited there in November 2015, we could not find his tombstone.
Another undated newspaper article
found in the Clara (Jenners) Sweetser Scrapbook has this story about Alba:
"ALL YOU CAN DO: The late Alba Jenners was one day 'talking religion' to a
'friend and sinner,' when the said sinner remarked, 'You say for me to join the
church. Now if I did, it would be the
Second Presbyterian, and I can't help but think that Messrs. ____, ____, and
___ (naming several well-known 'worldly' members) are not much nearer heaven in
consequence of their church connection.' 'Never mind those men,' replied Alba,
'you can't do them any good and you won't be asked to. You'll have all you can do to take care of
yourself!'" Handwritten below this article is "The
above is so like dear old Uncle Alba - so quaint and original in his speech.
CJS"
I will follow up with more information
on the descendants of Alba and Drusella at some point.
Alba Jenners, b. 15 Jan 1811 at Loudoun Co., VA, d. 27 Feb 1880 at
Tippecanoe Co., IN
+Drusella Brown, b. circa 1811 at Ohio or Pennsylvania, m. 24 Jan 1847 at
Tippecanoe Co., IN, d. 15 Nov 1856 at Tippecanoe Co., IN
├── (--?--) Jenners, b. after 25 Jan 1847, d. before
Jun 1860
├── Charles C. Jenners, b. circa 1848 at IN, d. circa Oct
1878 at IN
├── Anna DeNeal Jenners, b. circa 1851 at IN, d. 24 Feb
1885 at AL
│ +Charles H. Wallace, b. circa
1841 at IN, m. 26 Aug 1874 at Tippecanoe Co., IN, d. 6 Jul 1883 at NV
└── John C. Jenners, b. circa 1854 at IN
+Eva Brown, b. circa
1864
└── Cornelia Anna Jenners, b. 25 Dec
1889 at Tippecanoe Co, IN
+Clarence George Hodgson, m. 27 Oct
1909 at Tippecanoe Co, IN
└── (--?--) Hodgson, b. 10 Aug 1917
at IL
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