Hi Again, dcgb, and other Roots Chatters:
I’m certainly glad you came across this chat. This has all been extremely rewarding, due to the website format, and the kind folks who have given their time and expertise for our benefit. You have added a lot of information that I was unaware of.
My great-grandfather is Ralph, Robert’s brother. Your first paragraph parallels my data.
Robert’s wife, I have as having been born in Hull Township (Aylmer), but her father, William was born in New Hampshire, and her mother, Rachel Benedict, was born in Vermont. A small point. I have 11 children, which includes Mary (1852) and a second Edwy (1843) These two likely died very young.
I have visited Tim Kenny, Buckingham (Gatineau) Quebec who is a Robert Kenny descendant. Tim gave me a booklet on the Robert Kenny line, which I can forward if you can supply a safe mailing address.
Garvary has Tattinbar(r) as the townland of our Kennys. It is 4-5 km E-SE of Maguiresbridge, and might have been considered the closest town of significance. I would love to have a copy of the letter you have from your grandmother’s brother. This is mostly new info to me. I have information on Robert’s successful lumbering and farming efforts, mostly taken from Anson Gard’s ‘Pioneers Of The Upper Ottawa and Humors of the Valley’ (1906).
Gard reports that Robert ‘came from Ireland to Aylmer in 1830.’ Tim Kenny reports that the rest of the family came later. The first Canadian census in 1842 has part of the family in Robert’s home in Aylmer and the rest in Ralph’s home in Chelsea, Quebec. I can account for Ralph’ descendants (that is me) and Letitia’s. Her info is at:
http://www.heyland.ca/individual.php?pid=I80&ged=heypub22102005.ged. John died young, and I know little at this time.
Ralph’s third son is named Thomas (1858 – 1879).
William Walton Kenny (1835 – 1909) died in Manitoba. Some descendents moved on to California.
Robert and all siblings married in Canada, so 1832 sounds like it might be the right year for the balance of the family.
I am working to get Thomas Kenny’s Royal Artillery records from the British National Archives. There have been setbacks, so I am still a long way from being successful.
So, that is about it for now.
Don.