Joseph Jenckes Sr. (
baptized
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
August 26, 1599 – March 16, 1683), also spelled Jencks and Jenks, was a
bladesmith
Bladesmithing is the art of making knives, swords, daggers and other blades using a forge, hammer, anvil, and other smithing tools. Bladesmiths employ a variety of metalworking techniques similar to those used by blacksmiths, as well as woodworkin ...
,
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
,
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...
, and
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
who was instrumental in establishing the
Saugus Iron Works Saugus may refer to:
Places
* Saugus, Massachusetts, U.S.
* Saugus, Santa Clarita, California, U.S., named after its sister city in Massachusetts
* Saugus, Montana, U.S.
* Saugus River, in Massachusetts, U.S.
Education
* Saugus High School (Cal ...
in
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
where he was granted the first machine
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Jenckes was raised in a family of London
cutlers and found employment west of London at a sword factory. After his wife and daughter died, and about the time the sword factory closed, he left his only surviving child with family and immigrated to
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
.
About 1645, he was working at the Saugus Iron Works near
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...
. He is credited with making the first casting in North America, inventing and manufacturing a new kind of
scythe
A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor m ...
, and creating tools for the first North American-made coins.
The son he left behind in England,
Joseph Jenckes Jr., joined him at Saugus and later founded the town of
Pawtucket in the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...
. Other notable descendants include a co-founder of
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
and a governor of colonial Rhode Island.
Early life
![JosephJenckesBaptism1599](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/JosephJenckesBaptism1599.jpg)
Joseph Jenckes was baptized on August 26, 1599, at
St. Ann Blackfriars, London. His parents were John Jenckes Sr. (b. ) and Sarah Fulwater (b. 1573), both of St. Ann Blackfriars parish. He had an older sister, Sarah (b. 1597), and at least two older half brothers, John Jenckes Jr. (–) and Jonas Jenckes (–1622). His
patrilineal
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
line has been traced to 15th-century
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
.
Joseph Jenckes was raised in a family of
cutlers and trade guild members. His father, John Jenckes Sr., and his half brothers, John and Jonas, were cutlers and members of the
Worshipful Company of White Bakers, a London guild for bakers of light-grain bread. Jenckes's maternal grandfather, German immigrant Henry Fulwater (–1603), was a cutler and a member of the
Worshipful Company of Cutlers
The Worshipful Company of Cutlers is one of the ancient Livery Companies of the City of London. It ranks 18th in the order of precedence of the Companies.
The trade of knife-making and repairing was formed in the thirteenth century as a gui ...
.
London guilds—called
livery companies—regulated trade in the city and provided apprenticeships. Membership conferred social status and city voting rights. Livery companies would accept new members by
patrimony (inheritance) who no longer practiced their ancestors' trade, which is why some Jenckeses were members of a bakers' guild.
In 1627, Joseph Jenckes married in
Horton Horton may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Horton Glacier, Adelaide Island, Antarctica
* Horton Ledge, Queen Elizabeth Land, Antarctica
Australia
* Horton, Queensland, a town and locality in the Bundaberg Region
* Horton River (Australia), ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
, which is about 20 miles west of St. Ann Blackfriars, London.
Sword cutler at Stone's factory
![Joseph Jenckes Sr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Joseph_Jenckes_Sr._Hounslow_Sword_-_Powysland_Museum%2C_Welshpool.jpg)
Between and , Joseph Jenckes worked as a sword cutler at Benjamin Stone's sword factory at
Hounslow
Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in Gr ...
,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
, which is about 14 miles west of St. Ann Blackfriars.
In 1629, Benjamin Stone, a member of the Company of Cutlers in London, converted a grain mill into a sword factory on the Cutt River in
Hounslow Heath
Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow and at a point borders Richmond upon Thames. The public open space, which covers , is all that remains of the historic Hounslow Heath which covered more than . The prese ...
to meet the demand for military swords created by the ongoing
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
(1618–1648). Stone employed English cutlers and German sword makers from
Solingen
Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366, ...
. The swords were delivered primarily to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
's armory, with peak production between 1634 and 1637. By 1642, the
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...
had begun and Stone's sword factory was moved to
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.
The Powysland Museum in
Welshpool
Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
, Wales, has a sword in its collection made by Joseph Jenckes. The sword blade is inscribed with the words “JENCKES JOSEPH" on one side and "ME FECIT HOVNSLO” (Made in Hounslow) on the reverse.
Immigration to New England
While in Hounslow, Joseph Jenckes became a widower in 1635 and one of his two children died in 1638. In 1639, he petitioned authorities to build a newly invented blade mill at
Isleworth
Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...
, however it is not known if he followed through with his plans. In , Jenckes left his only child,
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
, in England with family and immigrated to New England. In 1642, Jenckes was mentioned in
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
records and, in 1643, he was mentioned in a deed for land near
Kittery
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals. The southernmost town in t ...
at the
York River in Maine. He was working at the
Saugus Iron Works Saugus may refer to:
Places
* Saugus, Massachusetts, U.S.
* Saugus, Santa Clarita, California, U.S., named after its sister city in Massachusetts
* Saugus, Montana, U.S.
* Saugus River, in Massachusetts, U.S.
Education
* Saugus High School (Cal ...
near
Lynn in Massachusetts Bay two years later.
Blacksmith at the Saugus Iron Works
Association with the ironworks
By 1645,
Joseph Jenckes was associated with the Hammersmith ironworks, later called the
Saugus Iron Works Saugus may refer to:
Places
* Saugus, Massachusetts, U.S.
* Saugus, Santa Clarita, California, U.S., named after its sister city in Massachusetts
* Saugus, Montana, U.S.
* Saugus River, in Massachusetts, U.S.
Education
* Saugus High School (Cal ...
. The Saugus Iron Works used the most advanced technology of the time and was the first successful integrated ironworks in North America.
![Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site Visitors Map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Saugus_Iron_Works_National_Historic_Site_Visitors_Map.png)
The business venture to build an integrated ironworks on the Saugus River began long before Jenckes arrived. In the late 1620s,
bog iron
Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite (FeO(OH)).
Iron-bea ...
ore was discovered in the
Saugus River
The Saugus River is a river in Massachusetts.
The river is long, drains a watershed of approximately , and passes through Wakefield, Lynnfield, Saugus, and Lynn as it meanders east and south from its source in Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield ...
marshes near
Lynn. In 1641,
John Winthrop the Younger
John Winthrop the Younger (February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was an early governor of the Connecticut Colony, and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unified colony.
Early life
Winthrop was born ...
had samples of the ore shipped to England and soon afterwards an investment consortium headed by Winthrop called "The Company of Undertakers of the Iron Works in New England" invested in the proposed Saugus River project. In 1645, Winthrop resigned his position as company agent and was succeeded by
Richard Leader Richard Leader (1609–1661) was an English businessman who was the first manager of the Saugus Iron Works, the first integrated ironworks in North America. He later engaged in business in Maine and Barbados.
Early life
Leader was born in 1609. On ...
. Leader chose the site and laid out the plan for the ironworks at the newly-formed company town called Hammersmith. The ironworks started operations in 1646 and, at its peak, engaged more than 200 workers.
In 1647, Richard Leader gave permission to Jenckes to erect his foundry and forge along the
tailrace
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...
(water channel) below the Saugus Iron Works
blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric ...
. In the mid-1650s, the Company of Undertakers entered bankruptcy and as part of the settlement much of the Saugus Iron Works—Jenckes's shop, the rolling mill, the slitting mill, and a corn mill—was awarded to a local businessman, Joseph Armitage. In 1656, Jenckes mortgaged his home and purchased these structures and the machines they contained. In 1678, the ironworks ceased producing iron, and in 1682 the
dam was removed above Jenckes's shop. Jenckes died the following year in 1683.
Archaeology at the Jenckes site
![Jenckes site Saugus Iron Works artifacts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Jenckes_site_Saugus_Iron_Works_artifacts.jpg)
Between 1948 and 1953, archaeologist
Roland W. Robbins
Roland Wells Robbins (1908–1987) was an American archaeologist, author, and historian who is known for discovering the site of Henry David Thoreau's house at Walden Pond. His other discoveries include the Saugus Iron Works and the John and Prisc ...
excavated various sites at the Saugus Iron Works. In 1952, Robbins excavated what he called the "Jenks Site" where Jenckes built his foundry and forge on the tailrace. He uncovered a wrought-iron tuyere (bellows pipe), an anvil base, axes, chisels, knives, four water wheels, a water wheel hub and shaft, a cannonball, a sawmill saw blade, a scythe, hoes, spades, ox and horse shoes, and other objects. He discovered the "likely remains of Jenks' forge hearth" and he found the remains of a slitting mill and evidence of a wire-making operation.
Career highlights
First machine patent in North America
In 1646, Jenckes was granted the first machine patent in North America. He received a 14-year patent for a new kind of water-driven machine to make scythes, sawmill saw blades, and other edged tools. In his application to the
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...
, he asked for “the usuall priveleg and liberty Granted by the high Court of Parliament in England to men that doe first sett upon workes of this nature”. He explained that he had “expended his estate, study, and labour, and have brought things to perfection; Another when he seeth it makes the like; and soe I loose the benefit of that I have studied for many yeeres before; which will tend to my Great damadg if not my utter undoeing”. The patent was issued by the General Court and bore the signatures of Governor
John Winthrop
John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...
and Deputy Edward Rawson.
First casting in North America
![Iron Works - Saugus MA - 1930 Marker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Iron_Works_-_Saugus_MA_-_1930_Marker.jpg)
Jenckes made the first iron casting in North America. The small pot with three legs, a lid, and bale (a handle) was presented by Jenckes to Samuel Hudson. Called the Saugus Pot, it is now displayed at the Saugus Public Library. Metallurgy tests confirmed that the pot matches metal fragments found at the site of the Jenckes forge.
Scythe patent
In 1655, Jenckes was granted a 7-year patent for an improved scythe "for the more speedy cutting of grass." The European scythe had a straight snath (long wooden shaft) and the scythe blade was short and thick, which reduced its efficiency. The Jenckes scythe had a double-curved snath and the scythe blade was longer, thinner, and lightweight. The blade was strengthened by a chine (a rib) on back. The Jenckes scythe became known as the "American scythe" and it remains substantially unchanged today.
Tools for the first coins in North America ''(probable)''
In 1652,
John Hull and Robert Sanderson were appointed mint masters for Massachusetts Bay Colony. According to tradition, Jenckes cut dies for the first coins minted in North America, such as
the pine tree shilling
The pine tree shilling was a type of coin minted and circulated in the thirteen colonies.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony established a mint in Boston in 1652. John Hull was Treasurer and mintmaster; Hull's partner at the "Hull Mint" was Robert S ...
. While there is no direct evidence for this claim, there is circumstantial evidence that Jenckes created steel punches, blank dies, and other tools for the Hull Mint.
Jenckes had an early interest in coin making. In 1654, Jenckes wrote a letter to Edward Hull, John Hull's brother, about recruiting a die maker. In 1672, Jenckes petitioned the General Court to make coins; however, the court rejected Jenckes's request: "In ans to the humble proposal of Joseph Jenks, Sen. for ye making of money etc the Court judgeth to meet not to grant his request." In the 1650s, Hammersmith had the only blast furnace hot enough to make steel or case hardened wrought iron punches, die blanks, crucibles, and other tools that Hull and Sanderson required.
First fire engine in North America ''(inconclusive)''
Boston suffered a serious fire in 1653 and the following year the selectmen of Boston approved the purchase of fire engines from Joseph Jenckes: "The select men have power and liberty hereby to agree with Joseph Jynks for Ingins to Carry water in Case of fire, if they see Cause soe to doe." In 1702 the selectmen referred to an old engine in need of repairs which may have been the Jenckes engine. However, no document confirming that Jenckes made the engine has been found.
The legend of Thomas Veale ''(folklore)''
In 1658, according to popular legend,
Captain Thomas Veale and three other pirates sailed up the Saugus River. The pirates visited the Saugus Iron Works at night and left a note on the door of Jenckes's forge requesting shackles. They hid in Lynn Forest at a place now called Pirates' Glen. The order was filled, but the shackles were used on three of the pirates. Veale escaped and buried his treasure in a nearby cavern, now called Dungeon Rock, where he died during an earthquake.
Family
Joseph Jenckes married Joan Hearne on November 5, 1627, at
Horton, Buckinghamshire
Horton is a hamlet (place), hamlet in the parish of Ivinghoe, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Slapton, Buckinghamshire, Slapton.
The name ''Horton (disambiguation), Horton'' is a common one in England. It derives fro ...
. Joan Hearne was born in in Horton and died on February 28, 1635 at
Isleworth, Middlesex. They had two children: Elizabeth, b. ; and
Joseph Jenckes Jr., b. 1628. His daughter, Elizabeth, died in 1638 in England and his son, Joseph, who remained in England when his father emigrated, joined him at the Saugus Iron Works in .
He married secondly Elizabeth in in New England. Elizabeth—whose maiden name and origin are unknown—died at Lynn in 1679. They had five children: Sarah, b. 1652; Samuel, b. 1654; Deborah, b. 1658; John, b. 1660; and Daniel, b. 1663.
His son Joseph Jenckes Jr. would be a founder of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and his grandson,
Joseph Jenckes 3rd, was the 19th governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. A descendant was
Nicholas Brown Jr.
Nicholas Brown Jr. (April 4, 1769 – September 27, 1841) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Providence, Rhode Island, who was the namesake of Brown University.
Early life
Nicholas Brown Jr. was the son of Rhoda Jenckes (1741– ...
, the philanthropist who gave his name to Brown University.
Legacy
![Marker -- Saugus First Iron Works 1898](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Marker_--_Saugus_First_Iron_Works_1898.jpg)
The Saugus Iron Works is considered the birthplace of the North American iron and steel industry. Some products of Joseph Jenckes's forge, a copy of his patent, and two historical markers mentioning his accomplishments are displayed in the museum at the
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site is a National Historic Site about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of Downtown Boston in Saugus, Massachusetts. It is the site of the first integrated ironworks in North America, founded by John Winthr ...
in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
Map identifying location of Jenckes "Jenks" Siteat peoplesworld.org
at drbenjaminchurchjr.blogspot.com
at nps.gov
*
ttps://historyofmassachusetts.org/dungeon-rock-lynn-ma/ Dungeon Rock in Lynn, Massachusettsat historyofmassachusetts.org
*
Famous Kin of Joseph Jenckesat famouskin.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenckes, Joseph Sr.
1599 births
1683 deaths
American inventors
Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony
American people of English descent
People of colonial Massachusetts
American blacksmiths
Cutlers
American patent holders