Jenks's personal and professional papers contain correspondence with Harvard classmates and professors; material related to his private teaching in Cambridge including letters from parents of pupils concerning their children's welfare and progress (1797-1805); and papers related to his association with Christ Episcopal Church in Cambridge in 1797. Jenks's ministry in Bath, Maine is documented with copies of addresses, notices, pastorate records, and correspondence (1806-1818). Papers related to Bowdoin College (1807-1818) largely pertain to Jenks's position as secretary of Bowdoin's Board of Trustees. They contain information about undergraduates; laws of the college; notes on college business; Sarah Bowdoin's letters to Jenks upon the death of her husband, college patron James Bowdoin; and papers related to the sale of Jenks's library to the college.

Many 1820s papers pertain to religious meetings for seamen initiated by Jenks on Boston's wharves; the formation of a Marine Bible Society (1820) and the American Seaman's Friend Society (1822-1825); and supplying Bibles to sailors and the needy. Jenks's participation in the Society for the Religious and Moral Instruction of the Poor is reflected in letters, annual reports, Sunday School records, and accounts (1822-1828). Records of the Society for Propagating Faith Among the Indians include letters, society and mission records, and meeting notices. A large amount of papers are related to the founding of the Green Street Church (1823-1844). They include records of the founding, building, subscribers and parishioners, testimonials, baptisms and funerals, and church business. A series of 1833 letters document a schism when many members removed to other parishes. When in 1844 the Green Street Church merged with the Leyden Chapel, a sizeable correspondence indicates a dispute over authority. See also Series I.F.iii, Notes and memoranda, for prayer notes of Jenks's parishioners.

The 1830s and 1840s contain correspondence with Josiah Holbrook and publishers Fessenden and Co. regarding the publication of the Comprehensive Commentary on the Holy Bible. Also included are papers related to Jenks's term as a Harvard overseer and his duties on committees, reports on the Harvard Law Library, and letters from Josiah Quincy.

Additional correspondence includes letters from Kiah Bayley about the Maine Missionary Society and organizing a school in Maine (1800-1820); Charles Lowell about preaching, Oriental studies, and Massachusetts Historical Society lectures and publications (1802-1861); Susanna Hill describing Boston and charitable societies such as the school of industry championed by Hannah Mather Crocker (1807-1816); John Eliot about literary interests and the MHS (1806-1811); Noah Webster about philology and his editions of the dictionary (1807-1843); Jacob Abbott about Bowdoin College (1806-1835); Thaddeus William Harris about the MHS and exchange of books (1807-1828); Alden Bradford about Jenks as chaplain to the Mass. General Court, the MHS, and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Indians (1808-1843); Jesse Appleton about Bowdoin and literary interests (1810-1818); Sereno Edwards Dwight about preaching and editing the papers of Jonathan Edwards (1810-1827); and Peter S. DuPonceau about philology and Cochin Chinese language (1837). Other correspondence includes that of William Bentley of Salem, John Pickering, James Bowdoin, Rufus Choate, Francis Parkman, Jared Sparks, Isaiah Thomas, and George Ticknor.

The Massachusetts Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge was founded in 1803 to promote religious instruction through the distribution of religious books to the poor and to inhabitants of new settlements in Maine, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire; and by supporting charitable schools and missionaries. Jenks was elected a member in May 1821 and became secretary of the Board of Directors in 1823. Records in this series reflect Jenks's services in that capacity. They include correspondence from committees of towns requesting a minister or missionary and from prospective or current missionaries; lists of members; missionaries' annual reports, some containing detailed information about the communities; meeting minutes; treasurer's reports; grants and aid requests; and an 1821 printed constitution. Jenks used the missionaries' reports and journals to compile detailed annual reports from 1825 through 1831.

Missionary journals chronicle ministers' daily visits with families, preaching, travel between towns, observations of new settlements, and sectarian divisions among congregations. They include Thomas Holt's missions in Raymond, Sandown, Meredith, and Centre Harbor, N.H., and Paris, Bethel, Albany, and Lowell, Me.; Stephen Bailey's mission to Raymond, N.H.; Ira Hart's mission to Rhode Island, including a short history of the religious settlement of Block Island; Jotham Sewall's missions to Wilton, Me. and Meredith Bridge and Gilmanton, N. H.; Timothy Hilliard's mission to Gorham and Bethel, Me.; and John Turner's mission to Hawk and East Kingston, N.H. Mr. Bingham's undated journal describes his work at the hospital in Charlestown and the prison in Boston, including names of prisoners, their charges, and a description of the condition of the Black women prisoners' cell.

Included in this subseries are accounts and receipts of Jenks's expenses while at Harvard, including tuition, room and board, books, clothing, and incidentals. Later records document family expenses, services, and household repairs. Family accounts consist of memoranda related to money received by Jenks from his adult children after his retirement from the ministry. Volumes include cash books, waste books, and household account books that detail the family's income and expenses.

This subseries contains sermons preached at the First Church in Bath, Me., on Boston's wharves, at the Mariners' Church, at the Green Street Church, and at ceremonial occasions. Jenks numbered most sermons, and recorded the dates and locations where they were preached, many on multiple occasions. Some appear to be rough drafts or outlines.

School essays and orations include Jenks's 1793 Latin valedictory oration, a 1796 Hasty Pudding oration, and 1797 divinity dissertations. Jenks's poetry includes some verses written in college and in Bath, although most were written in his later years, some signed as "Basil." They include sonnets, poems to family members, religious and patriotic odes, and published verses.

Among Jenks's many speeches are addresses to the militia and the Masonic Order in Bath, an 1809 address to the Theological Society of Bowdoin College, a first anniversary address to the American Antiquarian Society in 1813, a speech at the formation of the Marine Bible Society in 1820, and addresses at numerous religious ordinations and local cultural and historical organizations. Eulogies and memorials written by Jenks include those for James Bowdoin (1812), Abiel Holmes (1837), Thomas Winthrop (1840), Charles Lowell (1861), and his wife, Betsey Russell Jenks (1852).

Jenks's essays and publications include religious and genealogical works as well as drafts of his New Testament Concordance (1833) and New England Gazetteer (1845-1851). Miscellaneous writings and drafts consist of religious essays and proposed addresses, memoirs, prayers, and book reviews.

Jenks's research papers and notebooks reflect his lifelong interests in Eastern languages, religious studies, and history. They include alphabets and inscriptions in Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Sanskrit, and Persian; translations of the Koran; Arabic grammar notebooks; and collections of "Orientalia." Religious studies include extracts and indices of religious texts, catalogs of religious publications, and study notes. Historical research consists of notes and extracts from Welsh, British, and French historical works as well as New England topics including early Boston schools and the histories of Bath and Lincoln Co., Me.

Notes and memoranda primarily consist of small scraps of paper on which Jenks recorded information about religion, history, Eastern languages, and book collection. In many instances, notes on multiple subjects are written on the same scrap of paper. Some lists and notes are related to his teaching and ministry, such as "prayer requests" which include the names of individual parishioners and their requests for prayers on behalf of deceased or sick family members. Most memoranda are individually dated, the bulk from 1827 to 1830.

This series includes pedigrees, genealogical charts, extracts of genealogical works, biographical sketches of ancestors, handwritten facsimiles of vital records and other documents, and Jenks's volumes of genealogical research related to the Jenks and Russell families and their Welsh ancestors.

See also Series I.J., Oversize papers.

Throughout his life Jenks kept several series of diaries and journals. Unique journals include his "Somnia" or dream journal, kept sporadically between 1798 and 1810, and his journal "Private devotions." Others include his "Journal during a visit to Boston and its neighborhoods" (1806) recording daily activities, people met, and books purchased; "Journal of a trip to Portland" (1809); and "Visit to Indians" (1811) which describes his missionary work in Maine with the Penobscot Nation, including copies of letters sent to Indian agents, lists of families, and his experiences with the Penobscot. "Journal of the Lord's work in Boston" (1822) describes his visits with the underprivileged, among them Black and Chinese families. Jenks's "Journal of Evangelical Labors" (1824-1827) contains occasional entries describing his ministerial work. "Reminiscences," begun in 1850, includes several pages describing his youth in Boston.

The series of Jenks's numbered diaries is incomplete, beginning with #6, missing #7, and stopping briefly in the 1830s before resuming (using the numbers 14-18 a second time) in 1838. They contain detailed daily entries of activities, visitors, ministerial calls, travels, and thoughts related to Jenks's personal and professional life, including some retained copies of correspondence and records of letters sent, sermons preached, and meetings attended. After the 1830s, diaries are smaller and contain more abbreviated entries, including genealogical information.

Jenks's almanac diaries run from 1838 to 1864, written in Robert B. Thomas's Farmer's Almanac (published in Boston by Jenks's son, John Henry Jenks). They contain brief annotations including the activities of family members, birthdays, letters written and received, and other daily activities. Entries after 1856 are sparse.

See also Joseph William Jenks's indices to his father's diaries from 1844 to 1866, Series III. F. vi. (Joseph William Jenks papers -Indices to William Jenks's diaries, ca. 1883.)

See also additional volumes 1797-1828 in Series I.A. ii (William Jenks-Personal and professional papers-volumes.)

Papers include letters from Jenks's family announcing his death in Nov. 1866, letters of condolence, and material related to his funeral. Estate papers consist of inventories, a copy of his will, and other legal documents. Papers related to the auction of Jenks's library on 12 December 1867 include a bound catalog of his books listed by shelf number. Also included are newspaper obituaries and articles about Jenks's funeral, a manuscript memorial by Robert C. Winthrop, and a printed memoir by George W. Blagden.

Oversize material includes Jenks's 1797 Harvard diploma, as well as those of classmates Jabez Kimball, Joshua Bracket, Nymphas Hatch, William Emerson, Jacob Richardson, and John Shirley Williams. Also included are hand-drawn maps of Syria and Wales, a chronology of Boston ministers, samples of eastern writings and inscriptions, Jenks's 1806 certificate of appointment as chaplain of the eighth division of Massachusetts Militia, and membership certificates for numerous religious, educational, and historical organizations. Oversize genealogical papers include pedigree charts of the Jenks, Russell, Haynes, and related families, as well as charts of French, Norman, Saxon, and Welch ancestors.

This series contains papers related to early family members of William Jenks and his wife, Betsey Russell Jenks. They include manuscript copies of the 1646 and 1655 patents of Joseph Jenks of Lynn, William's great-grandfather, to build saw mills and grass-cutting engines; court testimony of William's grandfather, John Jenks of Lynn in 1678; papers of William's uncle, John Jenks of Lynn, including military warrants, property deeds, and receipts (1746-1755); the 1764 will of William's grandfather, New York mariner Francis Haynes; and papers related to the settlement of Haynes's estate by his widow, Hannah Haynes. The correspondence of printer Ezekiel Russell of Boston, father of Betsey Russell Jenks, includes a 1767 letter from Newport in which Russell refers to himself as a "son of liberty."

The papers of William's father, Samuel Jenks, include 1759 rights to land in Nova Scotia, Jenks's 1760 military appointments of others to the Mass. 1st Battalion, Regiment of Foot at Crown Point; a muster roll of a company of miners with the Royal Regiment of Artillery (1760); papers related to the protracted administration of the estate of Samuel's father, John Jenks (1764-1796); a subscription for the Medford meeting house with a 1769 floorplan; warrants for the town of Medford; and bonds related to the payment of William's Harvard tuition in 1798. Also included is a typescript of Samuel's 1740 French and Indian War diary. MHS holds the original of this diary, Ms. SBd-101, and it has been published in the MHS Proceedings, 2nd series, Vol. 5, pp. 352-391, 1890. Samuel's Crown Point account book includes a payroll account of the men who died, deserted, or who were discharged in the campaign, as well as an account of men who returned their arms and an inventory of clothing.

Betsey Russell Jenks (1783-1850) was the daughter of Ezekiel Russell and Sarah Hood Russell, and the wife of William Jenks. Her papers contain personal correspondence with friends including Harriett Hilliard and Elizabeth Boynton in Boston, largely with news of family and friends while Betsey lived in Bath. After 1818, many of her letters were from friends in Bath with news of the community, particularly the religious society. Also included are invitations, letters of thanks for her charitable assistance, and correspondence related to the education of her daughters. Many letters are undated. Volumes include a 1796 school copy book; an account book listing receipts, donations, and parishioners called on, with sporadic entries from 1836 through 1850; and an account book of household expenses from 1843 to 1845.

Theodore Russell Jenks (1802-1883) was the eldest son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks, and the husband of Mary E. Mann Jenks. His papers include financial correspondence, letters related to Theodore's interest in establishing the Industrial Institute for the Education of Children, a proposal for a textbook about agriculture, and Theodore's 1883 obituary and estate papers.

Sarah Judith Jenks Merritt (1805-1877) was the daughter of William and Betsey Russell Jenks and the wife of Jerome Merritt. Included in her papers are personal correspondence, invitations, poetry, and landscape sketches.

Frederick Craigie Jenks (1807-1821), the son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks, died at the age of 14. His papers include children's correspondence, a notebook of school arithmetic studies and exercises, and a copy book of writing exercises.

Joseph William Jenks (1808-1884) was the son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks and the husband of Anna Maria Goldsbury Jenks. His papers document his service as schoolmaster with Matthew Perry's expedition on the U.S.S. Concord, his studies and travel throughout Europe and the Middle East, his career in teaching and in biblical and linguistic scholarship; and his family's financial and legal affairs. They consist of professional papers, legal and financial documents, writings, research notes, indices to his father's extensive diaries, and personal correspondence, including letters and poetry from Newtonville neighbor Celia Thaxter.

John Henry Jenks (1810-1869) was the son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks and the husband of Mary Rand Fitch Jenks. His papers include correspondence related to the collection of debt for subscriptions to his publication, the U.S. Literary Gazette and other publishing business (1830); mortgage deeds, interest payments, and other papers related to a trust account of his wife; papers related to inventions and patents for a locomotive "spark catcher" (1847), a ventilating flue (1848), and a coal fastener (1851); plans to develop the Boston Biblical and Theological Library; and papers related to the sale of his father's library in the 1860s.

Francis "Frank" Haynes Jenks (1812-1888) was the son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks and the husband of Nancy Gardner Mankin. The bulk of Frank's correspondence is related to his work as a debt collector for subscriptions to the U.S. Literary Gazette for his brother, John Henry Jenks. His papers also include those related to his commercial shipping agency in Baltimore and New York.

Russell Edward Jenks (1814-1876) was the son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks and the husband of Louisa Goodwin Jenks. His papers are related to his work in shipping and commission trade in Havana and Matanzas, Cuba; Charleston; and New Orleans. They include business correspondence, shipping papers, advertising circulars, and property leases. 1870s papers include various poems.

Harriet Newell Jenks (1816-1894) was the daughter of William Jenks and Betsey Russell Jenks. Included in Harriet's papers are childhood correspondence, accounts and receipts, memoranda, sermon notes, 1892 correspondence related to a portrait of her father, poetry, invitations, and sketches. Volumes include several sketchbooks with landscapes, family portraits, and copies of works of art; commonplace and memoranda books containing original and copied poetry, botanical observations, Christmas lists, family birthdays, and other notes; a bank book, later maintained by Harriet's niece, Cornelia Russell Wright; and several pages of an undated diary discussing daily activities and thoughts.

Mary Elizabeth Jenks (1819-1838), the daughter of William and Betsey Russell Jenks, died at the age of 18. Her papers include school essays, writings, and personal correspondence with classmates from her boarding school in Andover.

Lemuel Pope Jenks (1819-1898) was the son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks. Included in his papers are letters of introduction; 1845 contracts to extract iron ore in Pennsylvania; correspondence with mining companies, iron works, and furnaces; and articles of agreement, stock certificates, meeting minutes, and correspondence related to the Susquehanna Copper Mining Co. (1846-1847). Lemuel's papers also include correspondence and contracts about the inventions and patents for a rock-drilling machine, water meter, and polishing box; and improvements in mining and textile machinery. Other papers are related to the Belvedere Copper Mine in Virginia (1853-1854) including the sales of mining rights and inspection papers. The bulk of later correspondence is related to the extension of a patent on a rock driller, largely with G. A. Gardner. Papers also include a small amount of personal correspondence and an account book with a few non-specific entries.

Craigie Phillips Jenks (1827-1908) was the youngest son of William and Betsey Russell Jenks. Craigie's papers largely consist of his writings and poems. 1850s correspondence is related to his position as a schoolteacher in Andover, Illinois. Writings include an essay describing Moline, Ill. (ca. 1854), and essays written for The Workman and Gleason's Pictorial describing the difference between life in the eastern and western U.S. Also included are papers related to Boston's Tremont St. Baptist Church, also known as "Tremont Temple," including an 1859 list of members. Craigie's commonplace books contain original and transcribed poetry as well as newspaper clippings.

William Jenks (1843-1917) was the elder son of Joseph William Jenks of Newtonville, and the grandson of William Jenks (1788-1866). His papers include sketches for a patent design for a lever faucet (1867); papers related to the settlement of his father's estate (1884); poetry about politics and nature (1871-1894); political writings and letters to the editor, largely on taxes and socialism (1894-1898); miscellaneous essays and short stories, some written for publication; an undated essay "Notes from the history of Old Boston"; and various genealogical papers. His 1860 and 1904 farming diaries, the latter kept at Newtonville, contain information about plantings, egg collection, crops, care of livestock, and weather. Also in this subseries are a small amount of the papers of William's daughter, Louise M. Jenks, including personal correspondence and genealogical papers.

Joseph Jenks (1845-1907) was the younger son of Joseph William Jenks of Newtonville, and the grandson of William Jenks (1788-1866). His papers include letters of introduction, applications for entering the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal Church and aid from the Evangelical Aid Society (1869-1871), personal correspondence, and religious writings. His theology notebook contains class notes, drafts, and memos from his 1870-1872 divinity school classes. Also in this subseries are the papers of Joseph's daughter, Agnes Blake Jenks, including an 1876 baptismal card, Wellesley College records (1895-1898), diplomas, and various receipts.

Correspondence and other papers in this series document Cornelia's marriage to Timothy Wright in 1859; the education of Cornelia's stepchildren, Rose, Lincoln, and Annie; the career of Rose's husband, Dr. Joseph Bryan; the family's financial difficulties beginning in 1873, including the sale of assets and efforts to recover property; Lincoln's death in St. Louis in 1881; Timothy Wright's move to New York and his literary submissions to publishers; Rose's medical studies at the University of Michigan in 1886 and her medical practice; the death of Rose's daughter Katherine and Rose's mental instability (1889); Rose's correspondence with William Q. Judge of the Theosophical Society in 1890; Rose's hospitalization and care at the Hudson River State Hospital; the deaths of Annie Wright Morgan (1893), Cornelia Jenks Wright (1894), and Harriet N. Jenks (1894); and the settlement of Cornelia's estate (1898-1899).

The papers of Cornelia Russell Wright include those related to her kindergartens at Lansingburg, N.Y. and Providence, R.I., including correspondence, inventories, and advertisements; personal correspondence; correspondence with medical staff regarding Rose's care; personal and kindergarten accounts and receipts; notes and writings related to kindergarten teaching (1894-1898); letters from parents and students; and papers related to the death of Timothy Wright in 1901.

This subseries contains two poetry volumes written in the hands of multiple family members, including original poetry and extracts from other authors. Original poets represented here include William Jenks, Joseph William Jenks, John Henry Jenks, Russell E. Jenks, Francis H. Jenks, Sarah J. Jenks Merritt, Harriet N. Jenks, Lemuel P. Jenks, Cornelia H. Jenks Wright, Craigie P. Jenks, and Theodore R. Jenks. Loose poems are largely unidentified.

Included in this subseries are genealogical records and pedigree charts of the Jenks, Smith, Goldsbury, Haynes, Wright, and other related families.

For genealogical material specifically collected and researched by William Jenks, see Series I.G., William Jenks--Genealogical papers.

This subseries contains papers that have unidentified authors or are unrelated to the Jenks and Wright families. They include letters to Sarah Morse Rogers from L. Whiting of Ann Arbor, Mich. (1848-1850); a diplomatic dispatch from Canton, China responding to a request for a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Robert M. McLane (1854); and an abstract log of the ship City of Canton between Glasgow, Calcutta, and London (1860-1861). Unidentified material includes correspondence, writings, memos, and sketches.