Here's all I could find...

wooden "spinning jennies", a water-powered yarn spinning machine
OR ...an early type of spinning frame with several spindles, invented by
James Hargreaves in 1764

"coal or ore jennies"...a type of railroad car

"Curtiss made a big name for itself by turning out World War I trainers,
the famous JN-4s, which would become better known for its post-war work as
Jennies, highly favored by fearless fliers on the barnstorming circuit
throughout the 1920s."

"Our ancestors were known fondly (along with other Cornish people who
immigrated) as "Cousin Jacks" and "Cousin Jennies."

Side note: a 'cousin jack' is term for a semi-subterranean
shelter...associated with Cornish folks (from County Cornwall).  They made
such structures (in mining towns?) when they came to the US (and elsewhere,
I imagine).

And..."the Jenny" is a term applied to the "most famous US stamp"...that
was printed in 1918 (1 sheet of 100) with the airplane upside down.  (I did
not know of this term)

"Burglars call their short crowbars for forcing locks Jennies and Jemmies.
'Jenny' is a small engine"

And here is a line from an article written in 1669:
"Two gimlet eyed jennies dressed in an appallingly gauche style accompanied
a pair of hatchet faced brothers."
http://members.optushome.com.au/bletch/seventh/pages/journal/mirror3.html

And under Newfoundland heritage...found this glossary definition:
Mummer
Also called themselves Jennies or Fools. Someone ridiculously disguised who
participates in various group activities during Christmas such as visiting
local homes.
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/glossary.html

Or simply the plural of:
Jenny - A familiar or pet form of the proper name Jane. [1913 Webster
dictionary]

Perhaps this list of synonyms will shed some light on your search....from
the Moby Thesaurus words for "jenny": Partlet, Rocky Mountain canary, ass,
biddy, bitch, bossy, brood mare, burro, cow, cuddy, dickey, doe, donkey,
ewe, ewe lamb, filly, guinea hen, gyp, heifer, hen, hind, jack, jackass,
jennet, jenny ass, lioness, mare, mule, nanny, nanny goat, neddy, peahen,
roe, she-bear, she-goat, she-lion, silkworm, slut, sow, spider, spinner,
spinning frame, spinning jenny, spinster, throstle (spinning machine),
tigress, vixen.


And...elaborating on what you already knew/mentioned:
"Breeding males are stallions (horse or zebra) or jacks (donkeys or wild
asses).  Females are mares (horses, zebras, mules) or jennets/jennies
(donkeys or wild asses).  Male mules should be gelded before age 2 and are
called Horse mules, geldings, or sometimes "johns" (Mare mules may locally
be called "molly mules")."


At 05:02 PM 11/11/2004 -0800, you wrote:
>I have a question about a woman's name which might be descriptive or maybe
>a noun. Other than with reference to mules or donkeys (and I think that's
>spelled jenny?), has anyone out there heard of historical period women
>being referred to as "Jennies"? Anyone know if "Jennie" was a slang or
>common word for perhaps a female servant, or was commonly applied to women
>who had no last name, circa 1860? Kinda like Jane Doe?
>
>Anne Stoll
>Statistical Research, Inc.
>P.O. Box 390
>Redlands, CA 92373