Early on in my research into how my 4 times great-grandparents had migrated to Oakland County, Michigan, I was online in a genealogical site and when I mentioned my Jenks line, a distant cousin from New York told me I needed to get ahold of the Tioga County Gazetteer. When I asked where I might find one, the answer was quite simple: The Tioga County Historical Society had created a reprint of the original 1888 volume in 1985 and had some in inventory. I got that order in immediately.

As an example of the Jenks family information contained:

p 149:

“Elisha Jenks lived on lot 300, east of the creek road, and north of the hill road. It is said that he was a cousin of Michael Jenks, the first settler there [Town of Berkshire]. Laban Jenks was his brother. Elisha Jenks was born about 27 June 1774, and died 13 Nov. 1840. His wife, Anna, was born about 27 Sept. 1771, and died 15 June 1854.”

p 156:

“Leman Case was a carpenter, came from Litchfield county, Conn., and married with Polly Jenks, daughter of Laban Jenks, an early settler at Speedsville. He settled in a house that was built by Job Hall, on lot 380, west of the road, some thirty of forty rods south of his brother , Phineas Case. He moved to Michigan not far from 1824.”

There are a great number of citations that occur though out the volume, referencing my 4 Times Great-grandparent, Laban and Prudence White Jenks and their children, siblings, and cousins. Based on family records, the Jenks brothers and cousin arrived in the 1790s and had moved on to Michigan by the early 1820s.