Jameson Jenkins

Jameson Jenkins was born in North Carolina around 1810. Presumably upon his arrival in Springfield, Jenkins filed his Certificate of Freedom papers with the Sangamon County Recorder of Deeds, on March 28, 1846. He worked in town as a drayman, or teamster, who transported goods and on occasion, people. Jenkins was an abolitionist while living in Illinois and likely had connections with the Underground Railroad. In January 1850, he is believed to have assisted a small group of freedom seekers to evade capture by local constables during the Springfield “Slave Stampede.” Jenkins drove Abraham Lincoln's carriage to the Great Western Depot where Lincoln would depart for the White House in 1861.

1810-1850

Jameson Jenkins was an African American man born in North Carolina around 1810 who moved to Illinois in the mid-1840s with his wife Elizabeth Pelham and daughter Nancy. Not much is known about Jenkins' early life as there are currently no records that indicate whether he was born into enslavement or freedom or why he chose to move to Illinois. However, by 1835 he lived as a freeman in Waco County, North Carolina and soon made his way to Indiana, likely utilizing help from people on the Underground Railroad. It was there that Jenkins met Elizabeth Pelham, whom he would marry.

After spending some time in Indiana, Jenkins and his wife moved to Springfield between 1844 and 1846, which was also around the time they had their daughter, Nancy. In Springfield, Jenkins and his family moved into a two-story house just a few houses down from Abraham Lincoln and soon after, he would begin his career. Jenkins worked as a drayman, or teamster, transporting goods and occasionally people throughout the city of Springfield. One of those people was his neighbor Abraham Lincoln whom he gave a ride to the Great Western Railroad Depot when he was leaving Springfield for the presidency. Jenkins and his family were also members of the Second Presbyterian Church, the Westminster Presbyterian Church today, which was also known as Springfield’s abolitionist church.

The "Slave Stampede" of 1850

While Jenkins led a fairly normal life in Springfield, his potential involvement with the Underground Railroad and the 1850 “Slave Stampede” makes him an important figure in the city’s history. This event took place on the evening of January 16, 1850, in which a group of around seven freedom seekers were avoiding capture on their way North to Bloomington, Illinois. Jenkins is believed to have successfully collected the group and hid them before transporting north by rail. At the time of the event, both the Springfield Journal and Register had printed various, confusing, and sometimes contradictory stories about the event. One said that Jenkins had betrayed the freedom seekers and allowed for their capture, while in actuality, he was riding with them on a train north to Bloomington. It is believed that this story and others published after it were one of the main reasons he was able to help the group and return without suspicion.

When Jenkins assisted these formerly enslaved people, he risked everything to make sure that the freedom seekers he helped could attain a life outside of enslavement in the north. As many people in Springfield at the time were against abolition and freeing the enslaved, Jenkins had to be careful in order to keep his livelihood intact. Even with his careful work and efforts, however, five people were captured by the local constable during the stampede under the impression that they were freedom seekers, one being a man named Hempstead Thornton. This would lead to an important case in the Illinois Supreme Court that directly links Jenkins’ potential work on the Underground Railroad to the Old State Capitol State Historic Site. As a final note, while we cannot say for sure of Jenkins’ involvement with the Underground Railroad in Springfield, his silence on the matter of this event may be telling of his involvement.

1851-1873

Jenkins returned to Springfield and his life after the events of the "Slave Stampede'' had concluded, seemingly without anyone learning about his possible involvement. A year later, Jenkins’ membership to the Second Presbyterian Church had been revoked, on account of failing to attend Church meetings and for apparent licentiousness, or inappropriate behavior.In returning to his work as a drayman, he drove his neighbor Abraham Lincoln to the Great Western Railroad Depot (today the "Lincoln Depot") to begin his journey to the White House on February 12, 1861. After this, Jenkins made a living later in his life as a courthouse messenger in Springfield.

Jenkins and his family would later leave their home on Eighth Street in 1866. Outside of this, not much more is known about Jenkins near the end of his life, but his connection to the underground railroad in Springfield helps fill in some blanks for its greater historical narrative. Jenkins passed away on February 4, 1873 and is buried with his wife in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Sources Used:

- “Jameson Jenkins,” National Parks Service (U.S. Department of the Interior, n.d.), last modified May 14, 2021, https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/jenkins.htm.

- "Jameson Jenkins," SangamonLink, accessed June 28, 2023, https://sangamoncountyhistory.org/wp/?p=527.

- Richard Hart, Lincoln’s Springfield: The Early African American Populations of Springfield, Illinois (1818-1861), (Spring Creek Series, 2008).

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