Joseph Jenks

Background

Although the exact date of Jenks' birth is not known, it is stated that he was baptized on August 26, 1599, at St. Anne church, in London, England.

Education

Nothing is known of Jenks' education.

Career

Bog iron had been found in considerable quantities at Saugus, near Lynn, and the colonists were eager to make use of it. As a skilled worker Jenks was induced to come to America to assist in the development of the new enterprise. He was a man of unusual inventive ability, and not content with casting the much-needed utensils and tools required by the settlers, he was soon occupied with new and original projects.

In 1646 he petitioned the Court "for liberty to make experience of his abillityes and Inventions for the making of engines for mills, to goe with water and mills for the making of sithes with a new Invented Sawemill. "

His reputation as a metal worker spread in the colony, and when, in 1652, a mint was set up in Boston, he was chosen to cut the dies for the first coins. His daughter-in-law is said to have provided the design of a pine tree which gave to the new piece of money its popular name. In 1654 the Boston selectmen arranged to have Jenks make "an Ingine to carry water in case of fire, " said to be the first fire-engine in America.

Meanwhile the iron works sold to Jenks the right to build a forge of his own for the manufacture of scythes. It was here in 1655 that he produced a scythe of a distinctly new type, "for the more speedy cutting of grasse. " This was an improvement on the old English model, and its adequacy is suggested by the fact that there has been little change in the shape or size of scythes since that time.

In 1667 Jenks was petitioning for aid "to commence a wire factory. " He was not successful in obtaining financial support in this venture, however, The iron works had not proved in the long run a remunerative project. There were plenty of people who needed its wares, but few with ready money to pay for them. Litigation caused by the flooding of adjoining property arose, and there is a tradition that the settlers became apprehensive lest a scarcity of wood might result from the amount of charcoal consumed. In any case, the works, after continuing with some difficulty, suspended operations about 1688. He died at Saugus at the age of eighty-one.

Achievements

• Jenks is known as the person who cut the dies for the first coins minted in Boston (1652) and built the first American fire engine (1654). The scythe he designed in 1655 has remained basically unchanged to the present.

Personality

Jenks was known as a man of unusual inventive ability.

Connections

Jenks was a widower when he came to America. He had left in England a son, who later joined his father, learned the parental trade, and established himself in Rhode Island where he became the founder of the city of Pawtucket. After coming to Lynn the elder Jenks married a certain Elizabeth, whose family name is unknown. They had four children, two sons and two daughters.

References

• History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts: Including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscott, and Nahant, 1629-1864 (Classic Reprint)
• Genealogy Of The Jenks Family In America
• Historical Sketch of the Town of Pawtucket ri
• An illustrated history of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and vicinity: a narrative of the growth and evolution of the community - Scholar's Choice Edition