Jaynes

(by Julia Geerts from Arkona Through The Years)

Joseph C. Jaynes (1835–1928) was born near the town of Whitby. When he was fourteen his father, Charles, moved the family, first to Keyser’s Corners just east of Arkona, and then to Eastman’s Corners (main intersection of Arkona). Both Joseph and his father were carpenters and found plenty of work in the pioneer settlement.

When the Jaynes family settled at Arkona, there was no mail delivery. They travelled to Adelaide, ten miles away, at regular intervals, to get their mail.

In 1856, when he was 21 years of age, Joseph married Margaret Jane Eastman (1841–1928), the fifteen year old daughter of Nadab Eastman. They raised five children, Ada, Melissa, Murray, Gordon and William. By 1927 all the children had moved out of the community.

Along with carpentry, Joseph repaired farm implements and household furniture in his little shop across from his home. He also made tools. The shop stood until 1920. It was located where the Jaynes Memorial Community Hall was later built, with donations from the Jaynes family.

Joseph Jaynes was a member of the Arkona Village Council for over 25 years. He served as Reeve for eight years between 1901 and 1915.

During a 1927 interview, at the age of 92, Joseph recalled the days when Highway 7 was nothing but a muddy trail and when the village was surrounded by dense bush. The only place of worship was a little log Baptist church west of the cemetery, which also served as a school.

Margaret, at the age of 87, during the same interview, told the story of the funeral of a Scottish settler who had died for lack of medical attention. Her father fashioned a crude coffin from a few coarse boards, then painted it black with a homemade paste of ashes and milk and took it to the family. Margaret remarked that the coffin “was just as good as those one pays $125 for now.” On the day of the funeral, the coffin was put on a crude homemade sleigh pulled by oxen. Even though it was summer, that was the hearse of the times.

Both Joseph and Margaret are buried in the Arkona Cemetery. They were married for 72 years.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Jaynes Family

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