The tombstone reads:
Benjamin 1852-1876
Sarah 1854-1876
Rufus 1856-1876
Ella 1857-1876
Children of J. and H. Jenkyn
I found this tombstone at a very small church cemetery not far from my home. Not surprisingly, it made quite an impression on me. It reminds me that no matter how difficult I “think” my life might be some days, it has never come remotely close to this. For that I am very thankful.
I consulted Ancestry.com to see if I could learn anything about this family. I found that the parent's first names were John (b. 1805) and Hannah (b.1817) and they were both born in England. I was happy to find that they were the parents of six children all born in America. Kate was the oldest, born in 1849, and John their second child was born in 1850. Both Kate and John married and had children, so their parents were not alone.
Why did John and Hannah's youngest four children die (and likely at the same time?) I wish I knew, but the online sites do not contain any information about the cause. I hope to visit the local museum this summer (it is closed in the winter) to see if they have any information about this extremely sad event.