And on that farm, he had everything!
They had cattle, crops, modern equipment, a turpentine distillery, a sugar cane mill, a gas station, a store, housing for workers, an electric generating …
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And on that farm, he had everything!
They had cattle, crops, modern equipment, a turpentine distillery, a sugar cane mill, a gas station, a store, housing for workers, an electric generating plant and 10 children. In fact, it was so self-sufficient that articles in the 20th century called his farm a plantation. By 1950, the family had built the largest and most prosperous farm owned by African Americans in Alabama.
Way back when I was helping Gartrell Agee and others develop the Black Education Museum in Daphne, I was lucky enough to meet many fabulous leaders who graduated from Baldwin County Training School. Among those were members of the Jenkins family, and I was especially intrigued by Dr. Matthew Jenkins who was the speaker at the opening ceremonies for the museum. We became good friends and talked each other through several writing projects, one of which is his book "Positive Possibilities." This book needs to be in every library and in every home – an inspirational and powerful story of an amazing family. Each of the other 10 Jenkins children were just as remarkable. Everyone who lives in Baldwin County drives on Highway 90, Samuel Jenkins Sr. Memorial Highway, named for the first African American county commissioner to be elected. I was privileged to pay a visit to Mr. Sam in his home in Daphne. He showed me WWII memorabilia and photographs with all sorts of famous people. Their sister, Connie, who founded an organization to assist Black entrepreneurs, was called the most powerful political broker of her time by Jimmy Faulkner. These are just three of the 10 outstanding Jenkins children raised on the Jenkins Farm. Farm managers, longshoremen, nurses, Tuskegee Airmen, all productive citizens and humanitarians added honor to the family name.
I well remember one of my phone conversations with Dr. Matthew. He said he was looking out over the pool in his California backyard where the first Miss America pageant was held. When Dr. Matthew read chapter three to me, I actually cried, picturing what his father had endured. The man behind this family heritage was born in 1874, son of a Mississippi sharecropper, which was as close to slavery as possible. As a teenager, John Wesley Jenkins was beaten for warning farmers of an impending KKK attack and put on a box car to be thrown off. It is hard to believe that this could have happened such a short century ago, but it did. John Wesley was "dumped" somewhere between Mobile and Pensacola, found and nursed to health by a Greek immigrant family. This started a lifelong relationship with the Malbis Colony in Daphne. He saved all he could earn working for the railroad, where he could lift a crosstie singlehandedly, and soon bought 20 acres near the Old Spanish Trail (Highway 90) between Malbis and Loxley. He and his first wife worked long hours and made enough profit to invest in more acreage. After he lost his wife, he married Amelia, a Daphne schoolteacher, who not only worked beside him but raised their 10 children and grew the farm year by year. Amelia was a member of the prosperous Taylor family on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, whose descendants include author Willie Taylor.
During these years, the Jim Crowe laws were in effect, and John Wesley, in addition to his Mississippi experiences, faced many more discriminatory situations. Once, his home was approached by members of the KKK, who claimed their truck was stuck and wanted John to bring his mule and pull him out. He told them he would at first light, and they became hostile. He simply got his shotgun from over the fireplace, and they never returned. Many stories of people coming to the farm and mistaking the family members as employed farm workers were met with humorous comebacks now told at family gatherings.
John and Amelia were founding members of Mt. Aide Baptist Church, and the children went to the one-room school in Ellisville for Black children. They all went on to high school at the only one for Black children, the Baldwin County Training School in Daphne, and all continued to further their education in various fields. Talk about hard work; the stories these children told me put my work ethic to shame and make my memories of farm chores seem like play. Eighteen-hour days were the norm, working all night during harvest season by the light of the tractors.
Amelia Jenkins continued to prosper after her husband's death and was dubbed "Boss Lady" by all the locals. This remarkable woman deserves a biography and documentary. She continually instilled the values of honor, hard work and service to others. Matthew says the most important lesson he learned from her was to never respond with anger. She often told the story of Connie massaging her father's scars and him telling her, "Never hate, Connie. Hate kills." How they were able to do that in those days amazes me.
By 1950, all debt was paid off, and the Jenkinses owned more than 1,000 acres and were awarded Tuskegee National Farm Family Award in 1952. Ebony magazine featured them in an article, "Alabama's Most Successful Black Farm Family." They employed people of all races and built Jenkins' Quarters for their workers. While three older brothers served in World War II, teenage Matthew drove the truck daily to the local POW Camp to pick up workers who were hired out to local farms. Of course, he made lifelong friends with some of them. By this time, the second son, Hilliard, was farm manger. Matthew describes some of the ways the farm turned a profit. One example is that they bought unwanted baby bulls from nearby Thomas Dairy for $1 each. Matthew was in charge of raising the feedlot. He inoculated and castrated them and arranged to get the scraps from Malbis Restaurant and used excess crops for feed. The sale of the bulls added to the prosperity of the farm.
John Wesley died shortly after he finished building the family home that is preserved today on Jenkins Farm Road. A visit to the Jenkins Family Farm gives a taste of the journey this family forged. Among those carrying on the family name is Dr. Marcia Littles who with her husband is the caretaker of the family legacy, as she describes herself. She erected a historic marker on the property and has lovingly restored the farmhouse and outbuildings. It is a working farmstead producing the same crops as her grandparents did a century ago.
Now, back to Matthew — even though his father died when Matthew was only 2, the family kept his lessons alive and Matthew felt his father's presence throughout his life. He credits his parents' values for his amazing success as a veterinarian, Air Force officer, real estate magnate, motivational speaker and interim president at his alma mater Tuskegee Institute. His advice was sought by several national presidents, especially during the administration of Barak Obama, and he was featured on the cover of Pulse magazine, titled "Dr. of Good Deeds," just to name a few of his honors and recognitions.
I miss talking to this outstanding son of our county and the other children I was privileged to meet, but I treasure those memories. I hope you readers are as moved as I am with the example this influential family sets. I agree this story sounds like a movie. Maybe I need to write a screenplay!
