This post summarizes my efforts to reconstruct the family of James Kennedy and Rachel Baker.
We know the identify of James Kennedy, originally from Chester County, Pennsylvania, through four main sources: his marriage record, tax lists, DNA evidence, and a history recorded by his grand-nephew William Kennedy in “A History of the Russell and Kennedy Families” dated 23 November 1858. In that history, William stated that “James Kennedy I know almost nothing of. They went south in an early day. They preferred being Quakers. I think from what I can gather he was apt to get drunk.”
This is a summary of the likely children of James Kennedy (and Rachel Baker):
1. Joshua b. circa 1758 (inferred from appearance as single male in tax record in 1779). He was taxed in Frederick County Virginia in 1790 and 1791. He married Ann (Sill) Gray (his cousin, the daughter of his father's sister Isabella). He died after 1820 in Clermont Co, Ohio. It is unsure who he is named for? No known descendants?
2. Jesse b. circa 1760? Presumably named for maternal grandfather Jesse Baker. He presumably married Elizabeth Bailey on 27 Oct 1789 in Cumberland Co, PA. He was taxed in Frederick County Virginia from 1793 to 1804. He then lived in Greene County Pennsylvania through 1830 census, and then removed to Licking County Ohio, where he died after 1840. A descendant of his hypothesized son, Daniel Kennedy (b. 1806 in Pennsylvania) does not match Kennedy Y DNA but instead matches Curry men with ties to Virginia. However, there are clear autosomal DNA connections between the descendants, this suggests that Daniel's mother was a daughter of James.
3. Jane b. circa 1769? She married James Morford 12 Oct 1790 in Frederick County VA, with surety by John Marford (probably John Morford, older brother of her husband). She died 3 Jan 1837 in Greene Co, PA. She was presumably named for her paternal grandmother Jane Gray Kennedy, a matrilineal descendant is a mitochondrial DNA match to a matrilineal descendant of Rachel Baker’s aunt.
4. William b. circa 1767? William married Esther Romine on 4 Sep 1795 in Frederick County, Virginia. He appears to have lived in a separate household in Frederick County from 1795-1804 according to property tax records, while other Kennedys (other than the Hugh below) had left (to Pennsylvania?). He was presumably named after his paternal grandfather. He is a Y DNA match to descendants of his uncle William.
5. James b. circa 1769? Married Elizabeth, maiden name unknown about 1800. He moved to Licking County, Ohio by 1820 and died in Paulding County, Ohio, after 1850. He was presumably named for his father James Kennedy. I have been attempting to contact direct patrilineal descendants, but most lines have died out except for possible descendants of William Herbert Kennedy. There is also a family of a Francis Ziegler from Ohio whose mother was a Rachel Ziegler and whose father was unknown on his marriage certificate, but some trees have identified his father as a "Cannaday" and there were descendants of James in Muskingum County Ohio during the period.
6. Mother of David Kennedy b. 1793 of Greene County Pennsylvania. She was likely born in the late 1760s or early 1770s. A descendant of David Kennedy does not match the Y DNA but matches autosomal DNA.
7. Mother of Mary Buchanan, she was likely born in late 1760s or early 1770s. Mary Buchanan was born on 10 October 1789, in Virginia, United States. She had at least 3 sons and 4 daughters with Mahlon Hartley Junior. She lived in Macon Township, Bureau, Illinois, United States in 1860 and Stark, Stark, Illinois, United States in 1870. She died on 18 March 1881, in Laurel Township, Hocking, Ohio, United States, at the age of 91. Her descendants are autosomal DNA matches to others in this family. I am seeking a matrilineal descendant to do a mitochondrial DNA test.
8. Unknown?
One possibility is that Sarah Kennedy, the daughter of Ann Sill, is another child if Rachel died and James remarried to Ann Kennedy, but that is speculative. There are no records for this Sarah after 1779 will.
Another possibility is that John Kennedy who married Isabella Gray in Frederick County, Virginia on April 2, 1797 could be a son of James Kennedy. Some correspondence by researchers (at Family search full text) suggested that they are parts of a different family (son of a Samuel Kennedy and an unrelated Gray family).
There is confusion regarding whether the Hugh Kennedy who was a large property owner (and owner of slaves) in Frederick County before moving to Kentucky is related. He seems to be distinct from the Hugh Kennedy of Allegheny County who was James’ brother.
Timeline
| Year | Name | Land | Horses | Cattle | Income | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1779 | James Kennedy | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1779 | Hugh Kennedy | 153 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1779 | William Kennedy | 15.6 | Miller | |||
| 1780 | James Kennedy | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1780 | Hugh Kennedy | 153 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1780 | William Kennedy | 15.6 | Miller | |||
| 1781 | James Kennedy | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1781 | Hugh Kennedy | 150 | ||||
| 1782 | James Kennedy | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1783 | James Kennedy+ | 12 | ||||
| 1783 | Joshua Kennedy++ |
- +Note that these records show a James Kennedy living in a household of 9 in 1783, which suggests an older man who had a large family.
- ++Joshua Kennedy listed as a single man in the taxable inhabitants of Warrington Township, York County, Pennsylvania, for the year 1783. His father James Kennedy was listed as a married man with a property valuation of 12 pounds.[12]
By 1784, James Kennedy appears to have moved to neighboring Newbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania, where he appears in tax records with his sons Joshua Kennedy and Jesse Kennedy.[11]
| Year | Name | Land | Horses | Cattle | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1785 | James Kennedy | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1785 | Joshua Kennedy | ||||
| 1786 | James Kennedy | ||||
| 1786 | Jesse Kennedy | ||||
| 1787 | James Kennedy | 100 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1787 | Jesse Kennedy | Ph? | |||
| 1788 | James Kennedy | 139 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1788 | Jesse Kennedy | Sho? | |||
| 1789 | James Kennedy | 130 | |||
| 1789 | Joshua Kennedy | ||||
| 1789 | Jesse Kennedy | Sho? |
By 1790, James may have moved to Frederick County, Virginia, where he appears in tax records with his sons Joshua Kennedy and Jesse Kennedy.[11]
| Year | Name | Males>16 | Land | Horses | Cattle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | Joshua Kennedy | 1 | |||
| 1791 | Joshua Kennedy | 1 | |||
| 1793 | James Kennedy | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1793 | Jesse Kennedy | 1 | |||
| 1794 | James Kennedy | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1796 | James Kennedy | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1796 | Jesse Kennedy | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1797 | James Kennedy | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1798 | James Kennedy | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1798 | Jesse Kennedy | 1 | 18 | 2 | |
| 1799 | James Kennedy | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1800 | James Kennedy | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1800 | Jesse Kennedy | 1 | 2 |
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