Brickwall 4x Great Grandfather. Any advice?

[xMrsKennedyx]

I really need help with a brick wall I have faced in my genealogy research for a long time. I cannot find parents for a 4th Great-Grandfather Peter Kennedy. I will add the information I do have on him and then if anyone can point me in a direction to possibly extend my research.

Birth.
Peter Kennedy was born around 1802 as on his Trinity House documentation is states that he went to sea at the age of 16 in 1818 and was employed in the Merchant Sea Service for 29 years.

Marriage & Children.
Peter Married Margaret Hunter on 27th August 1830 in Newton on Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland. They had 6 children (in order of birth) Margaret Caldwell Kennedy, John Kennedy, Adam Kennedy, Peter Kennedy, Elizabeth Jane Kennedy and Gilbert Kennedy. According to all children’s birth certificates they were born in Newton on Ayr.

Death.
According to Trinity House documents Peter died on the 10th July 1847 from Typhus fever when he was transporting immigrants from Ireland to Quebec during the famine in Ireland.

What I think but I can't prove.
I believe that Peter’s parents could have been named John Kennedy and Elizabeth based on the tradition in Scotland for naming children. As their first daughter and second son were named after Margaret’s parents. I also believe that Peter may have had a brother named John as there is a name John Kennedy on the trinity house documents. How can I confirm who his parents were? I have a list of the ships he was on but I cannot decipher them due the handwriting.

[goldie61]

link to post on Handwriting Deciphering Board for help with transcription of this list of ships.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=838476.0;topicseen

[goldie61]

Where is he in 1841?
Is he on a Census, or at sea? (on the clip of ships the last date I can see there is 1822).
At least if he was at home, even if it just said he was born in 'Scotland', that's a start.

From the list of ships on the other post, it looks likely he WAS from Ayr - the first ship he was apprenticed on went from Ayr to Quebec.

[Bookbox]

Have you already seen the petition for assistance submitted by his widow to Trinity House? It’s entered in the Calendar as ...

Book 59 - KENNEDY Margaret Hunter, 43, wid of Peter, of Newton on Ayr, 1848

If not, you can order a copy from the Society of Genealogists (London), from this link.
http://www.sog.org.uk/books-courses/books-publications/trinity-house-petitions
(They are only partially open at present, so it may take a while.)

[xMrsKennedyx]

Where is he in 1841?
Is he on a Census, or at sea? (on the clip of ships the last date I can see there is 1822).
At least if he was at home, even if it just said he was born in 'Scotland', that's a start.

From the list of ships on the other post, it looks likely he WAS from Ayr - the first ship he was apprenticed on went from Ayr to Quebec.

I think he may have been at sea. I have found his wife and children on the 1841 census in Newton on Ayr. I cant find any records for a Peter Kennedy being born in Ayr around his time of birth on ScotlandsPeople.

[xMrsKennedyx]

Have you already seen the petition for assistance submitted by his widow to Trinity House? It’s entered in the Calendar as ...

Book 59 - KENNEDY Margaret Hunter, 43, wid of Peter, of Newton on Ayr, 1848

If not, you can order a copy from the Society of Genealogists (London), from this link.
http://www.sog.org.uk/books-courses/books-publications/trinity-house-petitions
(They are only partially open at present, so it may take a while.)

Thank you, I have received the petition and this is where the ship information is from. The information unfortunately hasn't lead me to any new answers as the writing is so hard to decipher!

[Jomot]

I think the ship he served his apprenticeship on may be the Brig Sussex (?) of Rye,

Another one is the whaling ship John of Greenock, which was wrecked in 1830.

After that I think is the ship Lord Hungerford from Sydney to London

[xMrsKennedyx]

I have managed to find a register ticket that states Peter's birth as 17th October 1802 in Ayr but I can't find anything on ScotlandsPeople. Does anyone know where I could possibly look for documentation ?

[MonicaL]

Scotlands People is the only source for this info. Some points to note. Not all births were registered for all sorts of reasons at that time. Even when they were, many registers have been lost or destroyed over the years unfortunately. The majority of the parish register entries are for the established Church of Scotland, ie Presbyterian. If the family belonged to another denomation, their entries may not be on SP.

Sometimes, whilst you cannot see the birth entry you need, there may be some showing for siblings. Worth checking to see whether any names could help you. There are 24 births between 1795-1810 in Ayr. A number of couples having children then, including a Gilbert and his wife Elizabeth. Note Peter had some children with those given names. However, this couple married in 1803.

Worth noting that sometimes extended family were also having children at the same times (uncles and aunts) with possible clues on names etc. Going sideways can help sometimes when you are stuck.

Monica