Jenckes was born in 1632, in the neighborhood of Hammersmith, London, where his father, Joseph Jenks, was a skilled ironworker. The elder Jenks was induced to emigrate to America to undertake the development of the iron ore which had been discovered near Lynn, Massachusetts, and a few years later, probably about 1650, his son followed and was associated with his father in the iron works there.
The date of Joseph Jenckes's move to Rhode Island may not be stated with certainty. Bogiron had been discovered in the colony and this probably led him to move to the new locality. It is known that he purchased land on the Pawtuxet River in 1669 "for the employ of his saw-mill. " Two years later, in 1671, he bought sixty acres near Pawtucket Falls. Here he set up a sawmill and a forge. He was prosperous in his work and others came to settle in the district, thus developing the community known as Pawtucket. In 1675, when King Philip and his Indians opened warfare on the colonists, the settlement at Pawtucket was at once in danger, and most of the inhabitants sought refuge in the larger and better protected town of Providence. Jenckes's home and forge were in the path of destruction and were burned in 1676. When Philip's efforts to dislodge the English from his lands failed, Jenckes and other colonists returned to rebuild their ruined homes. Jenckes took active part in the affairs of the colony. In 1679 he was a deputy to the General Assembly, and with the exception of a few years he was Assistant from 1680 to 1698. All of the latter were men who held places of respect and distinction in Rhode Island, his namesake, Joseph, serving as governor for five years. Jenckes died on January 4, 1717, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Jenckes met and married Esther, the daughter of William Ballard, a none too Puritanical lady, evidently, as it is recorded that in 1652 she was brought before the Quarterly Court "for wearing silver lace. " He was the father of six daughters and four sons.
