KENNY: The proverbial betenoire faced by historians involved in genealogical research lies quite frequently in the fact that they invariably find themselves at an impasse of lost records destroyed by fire. This is precisely the case why it has been thus far impossible to determine the exact county origin of the Kennys of Ireland who eventually settled in Waterford, Prince Edward Island. Would it not, however, be logical to assume that because of their family name they would have originated from County Kilkenny? Many Irish settlers who found settlement on our Northumberland Strait shores came from the counties of Waterford and Wexford, and it so happened that Kilkenny is wedged slightly north between both. It must be noted that the origins of practically all the Irish settlers who came to West Prince may be found in the Irish counties along the entire south of Ireland bordering the sea. We are not certain of the place of Kennys origins because the first Kenny to emigrate here was Daniel, who was born on Frasers Island which came under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chatham in the Miramichi Valley of Northern New Brunswick, and some parochial records there were destroyed by fire. Apart from giving us the names of Daniels parents, such records quite possibly would have indicated from whence they came in Ireland. However, we must not despair entirely. We do know that Daniel was born in 1817 and later died at Waterford, P.E.I. in 1913 at 96 years of age where he had settled. He is interred in the Palmer Road Roman Catholic cemetery. When Daniel settled at Waterford the area was named Horse Head because of the horse head contour of the local cliffs jutting into the sea. It also had the name of St. Andres. Legend has it that when the Sheas settled here they changed the name of the area to Waterford to denote the county they came from in Ireland. Daniel was twice married. His first wife was Leticia Shea who died in about 1860 and is buried in the old Roman Catholic cemetery at The Green where Tignish was founded in October 1799. As far as is known there were four boys and two girls born to them. They were John, Richard, Daniel-Norman, Martin, Ann (Mrs. Green), and a Mrs. May. Daniel-Norman and Martin were twins. His (Daniels) second wife was Ann McInnis ( c. 1838 - c. 1922). Both Daniel and Ann are buried at Palmer Road. At Waterford they raised nine children who were Maurice (m. Bridget Murphy); Robert (m. Mary FitzGerald); Patrick (m. Mary Clare); James (m. Anastasia FitzGerald, daughter of Patrick FitzGerald and Bridget McKenna - James and Anastasia were parents of Paul U. Kenny who resides at Waterford today); George (m. Mary Shea); Isaac, who died as an infant; Elizabeth (m. George Brett - they lived in Maine); Leticia (m. 1. - Chaisson from Portland, Maine and m. 2. - Perry (Poirier) from P.E.I.); and lastly, Mary (m. George Bagley from Portland, Maine.) When Daniel Kenny came to settle at Waterford, P.E.I. in about 1850 he lived in a log cabin he built, like most of the first settlers. He later constructed a house on the 150 acres of land he had acquired there before this period. Part of this old homestead still survives today on the same spot bordering Northumberland Strait. His grandson, Paul Kenny, lives in it today with his wife. Daniels brother-in-law Tom (?) MacKay was to share the payment of quit rent on 75 acres of the 150-acreage and eventually owned that share of it. Quit rent involved a system of land rental payment whereby the amount of money paid was gradually diminished in exchange for public service. In a sense it was similar to renting land with an option to purchase. Today Daniels 75-acre parcel of land remains in the hands of Paul Kenny, his grandson, where the latter raised a family of his own. The 75-acre MacKay portion has passed on into the hands of other proprietors, namely Gallants from Piusville, P.E.I. and German emigrants. Daniel led a rather quiet, sedentary life on his farm at Waterford, but there is something about the nature of this man which makes him rather noteworthy. While the present Roman Catholic Church at Tignish was being built in 1857 under the direction of its first resident pastor, the Rev. Peter McIntyre, who had come to Tignish in 1843, he walked every day from his home in Waterford, some six miles west of Tignish, to help build it. Daniel Kennys estate passed on to his son James after his death in 1913. James, as we have already stated, had married Anastasia FitzGerald, daughter of Patrick FitzGerald and Bridget McKenna. The family they raised at Waterford, P.E.I. was rather unique, since nine boys and not a single girl was born to them. Their sons certainly merit the admiration of Canadians when we consider that all of them were to serve their country with pride and distinction during the Second World War (1939 - 1945) either in Europe or on the North American Continent. First there was Leavitt (1907 - 1970) who served in the United States Navy. His wife was Alice Doyle of Skinners Pond. They lived in the Boston area where they passed away and are buried. Next there was Elliott (June 29, 1909 - 1995) who served Canada in the R. C.A. F. (Royal Canadian Air Force). His wife was Thelma Freeman from Woburn, Mass., where they are interred. The third son was Edward (July 6, 1910 - April 7, 1965). He served in the R. C. N. (Royal Canadian Navy). His wife, Dorothy (Dora) Maillet (Myers) was from Palmer Road. She resides today with her son Patrick Kenny in the Boyd Bernard Apartments in Tignish. Patrick was the next son. Born in 1912 he married Jean Leslie of Ottawa, Ontario. A daughter named Margaret was born to them. Patrick served in the R. C. N. and has become a reputable artist. One of his artistic endeavors may be seen in the dining room of the Parochial House at Tignish. It is a large 1971 oil painting of the Church of St. Simon and St. Jude of Tignish which he gave to Tignish in August, 1973 commemorating the Islands Centennial of its entry into the Canadian Confederation. Patrick resides in Florida but spends his summers near Victoria-By-The-Sea, P.E.I., a cherished haunt for artists. There then followed a son named Daniel-Norman (1914 - 1985). His wife was Dorothy Knox of Skinners Pond. Daniel had served in the R. C. N. They had three children who were Norman, Joan and Pauline. The family lived in Vancouver, B. C. where Daniel and Dorothy died and are buried. The sixth son who saw service in the R. C. N. and the RCMP was Sidney (1916 - 1997). His wife was Penelope McGrath who still lives in Vancouver, B. C. Her parents were Jack McGrath and Sadie. They raised two daughters namely Maureen and Alayne who dwell in Vancouver, B. C. Stephen (1917 - 1967) was the following son who served in the R. C. N. He remained single in Boston where he died. His remains were transferred to his native parish where they are interred in Palmer Road. Paul U. (Urban) Kenny (b. Oct 5, 1918) who dwells with his wife Rosella OBrien, was the next son to be born to James Kenny and Anastasia FitzGerald. Rosella is the daughter of the late Roch OBrien and Winnifred Donahue of Roseville, P.E.I. She had been previously married to Roy Kennedy of Waterford, P.E.I. (1919 - 1950) who succumbed to cancer. Two children were born to them, namely Helen (1945) and Robert (1948). The latter is retired from the RCMP and is a navigator with Pacific Sky Cruise Ships. He lives on Vancouver Island, B. C. Paul, as we have seen, lives in the original Kenny homestead at Waterford. During the Second World War he served in the R. C. N. And was a Petty Officer Stoker on board the HMCS Rimouski, which was engaged in the infamous invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Paul and Rosella engendered four children who are Janet (b. 1954) married and resides in Calgary, Alberta; Paula (1956) whose husband is Harvey Mazerolle (teacher); and Patricia (1958) who married Larry Tonita. They reside in Yarmouth, N. S. James Kenny and Anastasia FitzGeralds youngest son is Leonard (b. 1925). He is married to Rita Kennedy from Almer, Quebec. They have three children who are Eileen, Mary Jo, and Michael. The family once lived in Ottawa, Ontario where Leonard was a carpenter. The family then moved to Boston where Leonard continued his trade. All are living in Boston at present. While on Prince Edward Island Leonard served in the Reserve Army Militia. Among all of these nine sons there were only two who, after going elsewhere, returned to settle and raise families at Waterford, P.E.I. One was Paul Kenny, living on the original Daniel Kenny property, and the other was his brother Edward, who lived on about 50 acres of land which were once owned by Jim FitzGerald, then by John M. Doucette, who operated a lobster factory there, and then by Hudson McKenna. Ernest (Ernie) Watterson, who is married to one of Edwards daughters named June, lives there today. The house they live in was built by John M. Doucette well over 100 years ago, before Edward Kenny lived in it. One of Edwards sons, Terrance, lives on part of this same land at present. The 50-acre land site borders the Strait and extends across the Skinners Pond Road. The following are Edward Kennys children: Richard (died in an accident in Nova Scotia in 1965); Clare married and settled in Thunder Bay, Ontario; Patrick who lives with his mother in Boyds Apartments, Tignish; Terrance married to Gladys Ellsworth. They have three children who are Leah Ann, Edward (Tignish Co-op employee) and Shauna. Others are June, married to Ernie Watterson; John (Island Tel employee) married 1. Joyce Gaudet (deceased) 2. Ruth Harper; Joseph married to Shirley Keough (Bobby Keough and Lottie Jones); Phillip married to Whilimina Skerry (Alberton); Barbara married to Stewart McRae, living in Point Prim, P.E.I.; and Jean married to Dave Wilcock, residing in Palmer Road. Daniel Kenny, the first settler, had had a son named Robert from his second marriage to Ann McInnis. His wife was Mary (Minnie), daughter of Patrick FitzGerald and Bridget McKenna. They had five children named Robert, Fred, Margaret, Francis, and Imelda. All are deceased except Imelda who lives in Charlottetown, P.E.I. and Margaret who lives in the United States. Robert Srs family lived on 105 acres of land adjacent to his brother James. There remain no descendants of this family at Waterford today. So ends our sojourn with the Kennys rooted in Waterford, Prince Edward Island.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 16:27:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015