MORGAN'S HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY CONFERENCE Page 49
fourteen children. His father was a slave until twenty-eight years of age. When free he entered into a contract to purchase his wife, who was a slave for life. By his industry and self-sacrificing efforts all the children were saved from slavery save two. One of them died while quite young. The other is living in New York City, and goes by the name of Joshua W. Jenkins and is a local deacon of the Sullivan Street A. M. E. Church. His father was a trustee in the first Allenite Church or meeting house built at a place called Church Branch, Sussex county, Del. William was the youngest son and was taken to Frankford, Phila., in 1835, where he made his home with his brother, James O. Watson. He was converted at Frankford, and joined the A. M. E. Church there, under Rev. Israel Scott, in October, 1842. He was appointed Secretary of the Trustee Board, and also of the Board of Stewards, before he had stood out his probation. He remained in these positions until 1848, when he moved to New York and entered the A. M. E. Church, located on Second street, where he remained, filling the office of Steward and Sunday-school Superintendent until 1853, when he was taken up by Bishop Nazery when only six months an exhorter and was licensed to preach by Israel Scott, in his first quarterly conference at Bethel Church, N. Y. He was appointed by the Bishop to Lockport, N. Y., where he remained one year; was then transferred to the New England Conference and stationed at Boston City charge, where he remained one year, being very successful. He was ordained Deacon in 1855 by Bishop Nazery and transferred to the New York Conference, and stationed in the Melrose Circuit, consisting of Melrose, Abington Center and Wilkesboro, Pa. He remained two years and built his first church. In 1857 he was ordained Elder by Bishop Paul Quinn, in old Bethel Church, Second street, New York City. He was then appointed to the New York Circuit, which consisted of Second Bethel, N. Y., Bergen, N. J., and Harlem, N. Y. After remaining one year, in 1858, he was appointed to Hunterdon Circuit and was very successful. In 1859 he was appointed to Weeksville Circuit where he remained one year, and was sent back to the New York Circuit and remained two years. He was then appointed to Kinderhook Circuit, and from there sent to Morristown Station, where he
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