Jenkin Davis was the ninth child of Titus and Mary Gwenllian Bowen Davis. He was a twin of a sister Hannah, who was still-born. They were born the 18th of June 1855, in Pencarreg near Llanwenog, Cardiganshire, Wales. 

(a headshot photo of a man on the upper, right hand side of the page, assuming it is Jenkin Davis.) 

His parents had rented a little home on a small farm where they lived when Jenkin and his sister was born. It was small and inadequate and was far from what they needed. They lived there only one year and then moved to another farm near the city of Llandilo. 

At the time of Jenkin’s birth, his Mother had a very difficult time, having twins, without the proper medical care. His older brother, Thomas, remembers at that time realizing that something was wrong. He was aware that this Mother was very ill. He remembered watching his Father and a carpenter building a coffin and then walking down the lane with the casket to the Llanwenog Church yard where they buried the little girl baby, alongside three other babies they had lost, namely, Joseah Bowen, Evan Thomas, and Daniel John. 

When Jenkin’s father, Titus, and older brother and sister, Gwennie, joined the Mormon Church [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] and decided to go to America, his Mother was strongly against joining the church and emigrating to America. She gave permission for all the older children to go with their Father, except Jenkin, who was then seven years old, saying that she needed him to help her with the farm. Also, it was reported that Jenkin ran and hid when they were ready to go. He did not want to go and leave his Mother. No one has ever been able to understand why this Mother let her children be taken from her and left alone with only a small child to help her. 

It surely was a lonesome life for Jenkin and he surely missed his brothers and sister very much. Also, much responsibility was put upon him to help take care of his Mother and to help her on the farm. 

Mary’s parents had been very much against their daughter marrying Titus as she had come from a well-established family and home where all the advantages of a young girl of that day could want. With so little help, life was very difficult for her and her son, Jenkin. 

When Irene Edwards Staples visited the daughters of Jenkin where they lived at London House, Penygroes, Llanelly, Camarthenshire [Carmarthenshire?], South Wales, she found a great deal of resentment amongst the descendents of Jenkin. They had been told of the trials and tribulations of their Grandmother, Mary Gwenllian, and also the hardships of their Father, Jenkin, who were left without a home or family. They complained of how Jenkin’s Father, Titus, had never sent the Mother or Jenkin any money to live on. They were not aware of the hardships that Titus and his family had to endure when they arrived in Utah and he did not have any money to send to his family, even if he had desired to do so. 

They lived in a house called London House and it was a hive of activity. It had a large workshop at the rear of the house where their children carried out a repair shop of many activities, mainly bicycles. Also their main trade was Painting and wood graining. At that time the young men of the village gathered because cycling was the main source of travelling around the countryside, before the automobile. The sons of Jenkin were very forward thinking in that day. 

It is not known when Jenkin died, but Sarah lived until 1923. 

(Photo of a couple, the center of the page. A gentleman is standing with his hand on the lady’s shoulder. The lady is sitting down. Caption says: Jenkin and Sarah Davies when they were married.)