JONATHAN JENKINS, Sr. was born about 1752 in Virginia. He came to Kentucky with his wife, Margaret and their ten children, and settled in Mercer County. He first appeared in Kentucky records on February 18, 1790 when he purchased 69 acres of land in Mercer County. Over the next ten years or so Jonathan continued to make land purchases in Mercer County. In March of 1804, Jonathan sold 120 acres of land in Mercer on the waters of Dry Fork a branch of the Salt River. On July 2, 1804 Jonathan and Margaret JENKINS purchased 315 acres of land on Dix River in Garrard County, Kentucky and remained there until their deaths. ABEL JENKINS, Sr., son of Jonathan, Sr. and Margaret JENKINS, was born about 1779. He married Elizabeth Tracy, daughter of George Tracy, Sr. on March 25, 1805 in Garrard County, Kentucky. Seven sons and three daughters were born to this union. In late summer of 1833, Abel and Elizabeth moved their family to Franklin County and settled on 260 acres of land on Benson Creek. All of their children married and lived their lives in the Franklin and Shelby County area, except Thomas, who married Martha A. Miller and migrated west, eventually into Iowa where he died. Morgan married Jane Edwards; John married Eliza Parrent; Stephen married Mary Bailey; Abel, Jr. married Susan Scott Samples; William married Anna Scroggin; Ephraim married Margaret Baker; Mary married James C. Blythe; Martha married William Lowens and Julia Ann married George W. Sacra. Many of their descendants remain in this county today.