Deborah Ann Jenners was born in Lafayette, Indiana on 26 January 1834. Her parents were David Jenners and Maria (Simpson) Jenners.
She was mentioned in letter from her Aunt Sarah Bradfield to her Aunt Mary Braden dated 3 October 1841. Sarah wrote that, "Debby took a chill, had a hard fit... the Dr gave her drops to stop the chill & I think she will have no more."
Deborah is found on the 1850 census in the household of her parents in Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana. She was 16 years old and had attended school that year.
In 1860, she is listed in the same place with her parents and is age 26.
In August 1876, Deborah's father, David Jenners, made his will. In it, he names her as his daughter, Deborah Jenners. She was not to inherit anything from his estate unless her sister, Sarah Y. Jenners, died.
In 1881, her father, David, died in Lafayette, Indiana. In 1899, her mother, Maria, died in Lafayette, Indiana.
Sometime in the mid-1870s, Deborah seems to have moved to California. I have not found her on censuses for 1870 or 1880. However, Deborah starts appearing in city directories for Los Angeles, California by 1888. She was working as a French teacher. I found entries for her in Los Angeles city directories for 1888, 1890, 1895, 1904 and 1907. She was single. On these documents she has started using the name "Anne D. Jenners."
On the 1900 census for Los Angeles, California, she was listed as "Ann D. Jenners, head, w, f, born Jan. 1838, 62 years old, single, born Indiana, parents born Virginia, French Teacher."
On the 1910 census, she is found on Second Street in Los Angeles, and is listed as "Anne Jenners, head, fw, 72, single, born Indiana, parents born Virginia, a teacher, working at home on own account." No one else lived with her.
Deborah Ann Jenners died in Los Angeles, California on 13 January 1917. She was 82 years old.
An announcement of her death appeared in what was apparently a Lafayette, Indiana newspaper (no newspaper noted on the copy of the clipping I saw): "MISS DEBORAH A. JENNERS. Announcement was made here recently of the death of Miss Deborah Ann Jenners which occurred January 13 at Los Angeles, Cal. Miss Jenners was the daughter of the late David and Marie Jenners and was born in this city January 26, 1834. She went to California about forty years ago and has resided there since that time. Miss Jenners is survived by a brother and sister, Martin P. Jenners and Mrs. Clara Sweetser, both of this city." Handwritten on clipping "1917."
Deborah was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. This very faded photo is identified as of her original tombstone:
