Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/91

 JEFFRIES

JENCKES

the original inscription wos transcribed with the additional data added by the state, " Born April 2, O.S., 1743; died July 4, 1826." "Thomas Jef- ferson still survives," were the last words of John Adams. Each man had greeted the dawn of that fiftieth natal day of American independence and died before its sun had set, Jefferson at 12:40 P.M. and Adams a few hours later. His name was placed in the Hall of Fame for great Ameri- cans, New York university, receiving in the elec- tion in October, 1900, ninety votes out of the ninety-seven possible, a number exceeded only by Washington, Lincoln, Webster, Franklin, who received ninety-seven, ninety-six, ninety-six, ninety-four votes, respectively.

JEFFRIES, Benjamin Joy, physician, was born in Boston, Mass., March 26, 1833; son of Dr. Joiin and Ann Geyer (Amory) Jeffries; grandson of Dr. John and Hannah (Hunt) Jeffries, and a descendant of David Jeffries, who came from England and settled in Boston in 1676. He was graduated from Harvard, A.B., 1854, A.M. and M.D., 1857. After two years' study in Europe he practiced medicine in Boston, becoming a special- ist in diseases of the eye and skin. He was oph- thalmic surgeon to the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear infirmary, the Carney hospital and the New England Hospital for Women and Chil- dren, He was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of state, national and international special societies. He made a special study of color blindness and is the author of: Color Blind- ness; its Dangers and its Detection (1873-82), He also published: The Eye in Health and Disease (1871); Animal and Vegetable Parasites of the Human Hair and Skin (1872), and numerous re- ports and essays on eye and skin diseases.

JENCKES, or JENKS, Joseph, inventor, was born in Wolverton, Shroi^shire, England, in 1602; son [probably] of Francis and Frances (Westfall- ing) Jenckes. When Robert Bridges took speci- mens of iron ore to England from the colonies and told of the great need of iron tools by the colon- ists, he procured the foundation of a comjDany to develop the working of the ore. Joseph Jenckes was induced to come to America as master-me- chanic to establish works in Saugus, Mass. He superintended the construction of the first fur- naces and moulds, and the manufacture of the first domestic utensils, machinery and iron tools on the Western continent and introduced the idea of patenting inventions in America. He re- ceived from the general court of Massachusetts, May 6, 1646, patents " for the making of engines for mills to go with water," for the making of scytlies and other edge-tools, and a new inven- tion for a saw mill, for which lie patented an im- provement in May, 1655. He cut the dies used

in the manufacture cf the " Pine Tree" coins at the mint established by John Hull in Boston in 1652, which were the first coin issued in America. He made a contract with the selectmen of Boston in 1654 to build

' ' an engine carry water case and

to

in

of fire,"

patented

aiiil

an improvement in scythes, 1655, and the Jenks riNETREE shilling.

scythe, but little niodified for two hundred and fifty years, came into use all over the world. He obtained the government's aid to enable liim to erect machinery to be used in wire-drawing in 1667. He died in Saugus, Mass., March 16, 1683.

JENCKES, Joseph, manufacturer, was born in Buckinghamshire, England, in 1632; son of Joseph Jenckes. His father was the inventor of the grass scythe, and a manufacturer of edge- tools. In 1648 he followed his father to Saugus, Mass., and was connected with him in- the iron and brass works there, the first established in America, On account of the large amount of charcoal needed for smelting and refining iron ore, the forests around Lynn were rapidly becom- ing extinct, which caused much alarm among the manufacturers. Jenckes, in order to establish himself in the iron business, followed Roger Williams to Rhode Island, and Avas granted land in Warwick, in 1669. He purchased a tract of woodland at Pawtucket Falls, near Providence, on the Blackstone river, in 1671. Iron oi-e was discovered near the falls, and Jenckes built a foundry and forge, which were destroyed during King Philip's war in 1676. He rebuilt the works and laid the foundation of the great iron works of Providence. He was the founder of Paw- tucket, R.I. In 1661 he was elected a member of the governor's council, and served as assistant, or lieutenant-governor, and subsequently was a member of the house of deputies. He married Esther Ballard, of Lynn (born in England, 1633), and they had six daughters and four sons. His son Joseph became governor of Rhode Island. He died in Pawtu(!ket, R.I., Jan. 4, 1717.

JENCKES, Joseph, governor of Rhode Island, was born in Pawtucket, R.I., in 1656; son of Joseph (the founder of Pawtucket) and Esther (Ballard) Jenckes. He was a land survej'or, and in this capacity was employed by the Rhode Island colonial government in the boundary dis- putes with adjoining colonies. He was said to liave been of remarkable stature, measuring seven feet and two inclies in lieight. He was elected to the general assembly in 1679, was clerk and speaker of the assembly until 1693, was commissioned to reply to a letter of the King as