Why did I (Merrell) write this book?

My great-great-great-grandfather was Jonas Jenkins, Sr., born c. 1772 in Virginia and died in 1856 in Macon County, North Carolina in what is now Bryson City. Like many genealogical researchers, I wanted to know more about my family. As I worked on the family tree (with a lot of help from other researchers), I discovered the impact Jonas Jenkins, Sr. had on the extreme western part of North Carolina. One of those impacts was the large number of descendants. Many residents of Swain and surrounding counties can count him as one of their ancestors.

This series of books of Jonas Jenkins, Sr. Identifies over 14,000 descendants. Are you one of his descendants?

Jonas Jenkins, Jr.

Jonas Jenkins, Jr. was born c. 1804 in Tennessee, married Margaret Juliet "Peggy" Sellers and Rachel Hyde. Initially, it was believed that Jonas Jr.'s first wife was Juliet Burkholder from Virginia; however, more recent research indicates that Margaret Juliet "Peggy" Sellers, daughter of John Sellers, was Jonas Jenkins, Jr's first wife. Interestingly, there was a Jonas Jenkins, Jr. who married a Juliet Burkholder in Virginia, but most of that family remained in Page County, Virginia.