Re: Nancy JERKINS (ca. 1791-?) of NC
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In reply to:
Nancy JERKINS (ca. 1791-?) of NC
john patterson 8/09/02
I cannot say whether your Nancy Jerkins is related to Thomas Jerkins or not, because I have never proven his lineage, and I am not familiar with her.My own Jerkins line left that area in the 1780s, and I have not done a great deal of study on the later folk.I suspect, however, that there is probably a connection -though it may not be a direct one.
In my study of the Jerkins in the 1690 - 1780 period,I have found a couple of things that you may or may not be aware of and which may be of value to you. The first is the Judkins/Jerkins connection.A number of the Jerkins appearing in the records of north eastern North Carolina descend from Samuel Judkins of Surry County, Virginia (died there in 1671).These descendants have the disturbing habit (disturbing from the researcher's point of view, anyway) of appearing on some records as Judkins and on others as Jerkins. His sons Samuel and Robert, for example, purchased land together as Jerkins and sold it as Judkins.
If you have seen any of the literature on Thomas Jerkins, you may have come across an article from his church newsletter that spoke of his youth.This story tells of his failed first attempt to run away to sea - and of how he changed his name from Judkins to Jerkins because he did not get along with the Judkins uncle who became his guardian when his father died.I do not believe that he changed anything, of course - I believe that the two names appeared interchangeably because of the way they were pronounced.Another
So, in looking for this Jerkins lady, you should also take note of any Judkins in the vicinity.
I would be very interested in what you find.