Sir Wiliam Emmet Kyle (1752-1793) History is elusive. Presumably, based on family lore, he was born in Scotland, knighted by the crown in Northern Ireland for putting down the Irish, and had his daughter Margaret Kyle marry Thomas Gibboney of County Tyrone.
His descendant Dr. Mark Baldwin has this to say,
"Hello Mr. McCabe and Cousin Brian,
Ah the elusive Sir William Emmett Kyle. For about 50 years I have been researching my family's history and associated lines as far as as the mid 1300's. Here is what I have found and several cousin's have found. It seems a number of generations of our family were told about "Sir William "The Best" Kyle from the late 18th century. My great grandfather wrote about as a 16 year old corporal in the Confederate army, he took "Sir William's" sword into the First Battle of Manassas in July 1861, early in our civil war, and lost it in the heat of battle-never to be found.
A few years back I contacted some government office in London (Kew?) to ask if a William Emmett Kyle was knighted on the 18th century. They had no record-ever. Something reminds me that he may have been in the British army, so maybe an officer or NCO evolved to a knighthood? I believe that there were a number of Scottish (hence Protestant ) soldiers assigned to Ireland, especially in the north. As you may know there was a steady migration from Scotland and Ireland (mostly Protestant) to the Shenandoah Valley region in west central Virginia down to North Caroline and west into Tennessee and Kentucky. There are records of Kyles in Virginian in the 1730-40's, but our William Kyle is elusive.
My understanding was the William Kyle was from Ayr.Ayrshire in Scotland. His daughter, Margaret Kyle married Thomas Gibboney from near Armaugh. He owned a "scutch mill" that scutched flax for fabric.I believe but I am not 100$ sure.he sold this and came to America in 1814 or 5, shortly after our War of 1812. One of his daughter's, Jane Kyle Gibboney remained in some Anglican convent or convent school in that area, In Armaugh there is no record, as I could find, she came to Virginia a few years later. Margaret Kyle come one and lived out her years in Wytheville, Virginia and she is buried there.
I will have to review some specific and get back to you this weekend.
This is right off the top of my head and I will follow up in a few days.
Sincerely,
Mark Baldwin"
There is a 1774 marriage record for William Kyle and Margaret Gibson- Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, from County Armagh, Ireland.
