Hello
While looking for information about Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, England, I ended up buying a book from the Blue Jacket Books bookstore in Xenia, Ohio, United States of America.
The book "Archie's Chances" was presented by the Long Buckby Board School to William George KENNELL in February 1896 as the third prize presented to William for his General Proficiency.
I was curious about William and why his prize had ended up in the USA. The staff in Blue Jacket Books were helpful but could only say that they had catalogued the book in 2007, several tens of thousands of books ago.
Using the census and other sources, I found out that William had been born in Long Buckby in 1885. His parents were William KENNELL and Sarah Jane MARRIOTT. In 1887 Sarah Jane died. In 1889 William remarried married Minnie LETTS, who gave birth to their daughter Evelyn KENNELL in 1890.
In 1891 Williams George KENNELL was living with his KENNELL grandparents in Long Buckby. And in 1901 he was living with his MARRIOTT grandparents, also in Long Buckby, and working as a painter and paper hanger.
In 1914 he married Amy Jane RUSSELL from Northampton. Soon after they emigrated to the USA arriving from Liverpool on The Cedric on 4 September 1914, having paid their own passage. Both were in possession of more than 50 dollars when they arrived and according to the ships manifest delivered to the State Immigration Officer they were going to William's sister Mrs HERITAGE 120 W Libert Str, Springfield, Ohio.
William was described as 5 foot 7 inches, fair complexion, dark hair and blue eyes. Amy was 5 foot 2 inches, with a dark complexion, dark hair and grey eyes.
On 9 Mar 1916 William and Amy became parents to Evelyn KENNELL. But on 11 February 1922 Amy died, as did her stillborn child. (I am waiting for a copy of the obituary for Amy from the Clark County Library.)
Both William and Evelyn were recorded on the 1930 census living in Princess Court, Springfield. William was still working as a decorator. Springfield was a town that had gone through an economic boom and there were lots of big houses to decorate. I've used Google Earth to have a look at Princess Court and it now seems to be a back lane to houses on neighbouring road.
After that the only piece of information I have found about William and Evelyn is the registration of Evelyn's death which occurred at 21:10 on 9 January 2004 when she was living in a nursing home in Xenia, Ohio (a neighbouring town to Springfield). Though having married, her husband had predeceased her. I don't know his full name only that his surname was BUELL.
I should like to find out a bit more about William George KENNELL, the sister Mrs HERITAGE, and Evelyn BUELL (nee KENNELL).
Can anybody assist?
