The Jennings Family of
the Caribbean (BVI)
In a recent correspondence from my
cousin, Jeanette Leonard, I was told that our Jennings family did some
research for a family reunion in 1986. The family found that our
Jennings were descendants of slaves from the Dutch West Indies, and
that the "Jennings" surname was the title of the
"owner" of the slaves.
It is not yet known when our Jennings
came to Tortola. These four children (their parents are
still unknown) are our Jennings ancestors:
(1 and 2) Twins, Louise Elizabeth
Jennings and Johanna Jennings:
Louise Elizabeth Jennings is my
third great grandmother. She was from the Fahie Hill
Area of Tortola, British Virgin Islands. She was most
commonly known as Elizabeth, and affectionately called
"Dippy" by her family.
Johanna Jennings, known as
"Joan", was Louise Elizabeth Jennings' twin sister. Johanna
married Augustus TODMAN in 1885.
(3) Jacob "Old Jake"
Jennings Sr. married a woman named Leah. Together they
have a huge family of grand and great grandchildren - descendants of
their children: Joseph Sr., Jacob Jr., Thomas, Andrew, Charles,
Alecia, Amelia, Isabella, William and Albert and Ebenezer Jennings..
(Note: William Jennings never married and had no offspring).
(4) William Isaac Jennings. (no
info)
My 3rd Great Grandmother:
Louise Elizabeth Jennings
I have not yet found record of Louise
Elizabeth Jennings marrying. However her children are listed
with Vanterpool surnames in parentheses on the family tree which
suggests that their father might have been a Vanterpool, but he and
Elizabeth were not married. (I will update this info as I have time to
research the records myself).
According to the Jennings Family Tree,
Louise Elizabeth Jennings was the mother of four children:
1. John Isaac (Vanterpool)
Jennings, born 1861.
2. Alice Louisa (Vanterpool)
Jennings, born 1867 in Bellevue, Tortola and died 1955 in Salt
Island. Alice is my 2nd great grandmother, the lifetime spouse
of my 2nd great grandfather William Henry
LEONARD of Salt Island (born 1864 and died about 1952).
Together they had nine children, including my great grandfather Halvor
LEONARD who was born in Salt Island, but died and is buried in
Virgin Gorda.
3. Henry (Vanterpool) Jennings, born
1869.
4. Theophilus Lettsome, born
1878 to Louise Elizabeth Jennings and James Alexander Lettsome of
Tortola. He married Julia C. Penn in 1910 and had six children
(the first and third child died in infancy).
Alice Louisa Vanterpool Jennings
My Great Great Grandmother
Alice Louisa (Vanterpool) Jennings was
the daughter of Louise Elizabeth Jennings of Tortola. Her father
was a Vanterpool, but his first name is still unknown.
Alice Jennings is my great great
grandmother. She was born in Tortola in 1867, and became the
life long spouse of William Henry Leonard of Salt Island (known as
"Bullah Leonard"). Bullah Leonard was born in 1864 on
Salt Island, the fraternal twin of his sister Rebecca Leonard. His
parents were Adam "Tardam" and Sarah Leonard.
Alice Jennings was charmed by Bullah
and migrated from Tortola to Salt Island. She never returned to her
homeland. No definite date has been found of Bullah's death - but it
is believed that he died around 1951 or 1952, and buried on Salt
Island. Alice also died on Salt Island in 1955. They were
never married but they shared their entire lives together as the
parents of nine children (three died in infancy):
1. Sarah Louisa Leonard, born
1898 and died 1954 or 1958 (no offspring)
2. Cornelius Leonard born
1899, died 1970. He married Maria White, the daughter of Adolph
White and related to the White family in Anegada, and the O'Neal
family in Virgin Gorda. Cornelius and Maria had 19 children;
five died in infancy.
3. James "Jim" Leonard,
born 1901, died 1992. He married Melvina SMITH and had five
children.
4.
Halva Leonard, is my great grandfather. He was born 1903
in Salt Island and died 1977 in Virgin Gorda. His first
child was with my great grandmother, Ruth Ann
Elizabeth Malone of Virgin Gorda. He later married
Sylvanita Stevens of Tortola and they had 10 children.
5. Beatrice Alberta Leonard,
also known as "Arbie", born 1906 and died in 1985. Arbie
married Clarence SMITH in 1930 and they had eight children. (Note
that her husband was the brother of her sister Clementine's husband,
Gerald SMITH.)
6. Helena Clementine Leonard
was born 1911 and died May 2002. "Clemmie" married Gerald
Smith of Peter Island, and they had nine children (one child died in
infancy).
7. Jacob Leonard birth date
unknown; died in infancy.
8. Marie Leonard birth date
unknown; died in infancy.
9. Louise Leonard birth date
unknown; died in infancy.
As I learn more about this family, I
will update this site. If you know more about the Jennings of
the British Virgin Islands, please write me at CaribbeanKingdom@yahoo.com.
