Family talk:Israel Kenney and Rebecca Perkins (2)

Probably illegitimate birth [9 April 2015]

Middleton records give the birth of two Israels:

• KENNEY, Israel, s. Rebeccker Perkins, Jan. 6, 1745.
• KENNEY, Israel, s. Israel and Eunis, Oct. 12, 1746.

It appears, and some websites suggest, that the father of both is the same, namely Person:Israel Kenney (6), but no evidence has been found to confirm that. Presumably some church record or court record should exist. Regardless, whether he is the father, or another man, the first birth has every appearance of being illegitimate since only the mother is named, with her maiden name. It is not known if the first birth is 1744/45 or 1745/46.

Source:Robertson, Florance Alice Loveless Keeney. Genealogy of Henry and Ann Kinne : Pioneers of Salem, Massachusetts, p. 7, says, "But descendants of Israel Kenney, who m. 1763 Topsfield, Susan Hood & moved to Canada where he raised a large family state that he, Israel, was a son of Josiah, above. It this is true, & so far we find nothing substantiating this claim, he must have been the same as this Asa, since the dates make it impossible for any other children to have been b. to Josiah than those shown." On p. 181, a note that "Israel Kenney of New Bruswick" by E.W. Bell, "shows that Israel Kenney who m. Susan Hood ... was undoubtedly am immigrant direct from Irleland and could not have been a descendant of Henry and Enn of Salem as claimed by some of Israel's descendants." "Undoubtedly" meaning, ironically, there is no proof so there is doubt, and "could not have been" being dependent on the context, but generally not a state of fact. The Ireland theory sounds like an attempt to avoid what the vital records clearly show.

Websites seem to think Rebecca is the d/o Robert Perkins and Elizabeth Towne. Source:Perkins, George Augustus. Family of John Perkins of Ipswich, Mass, p. 18, identifies Rebecca, b. 12 Jan 1725-6, d. 15 May 1774, and nothing more [note: called "middle aged Woman" in her death record, still named Perkins]. Robert Perkin's will [Essex Probate 21405] makes small bequests to 2 married daughters, and then a larger bequest to each of his unmarried daughters, not explicitly named. So, nothing to confirm it was her, except that she never married.

Israel Kenney, the father of one, or both, children, d. 1747. On 20 Apr 1747 his widow Eunice was granted administration and also gave bond as guardian of their son Israel [Essex Probate 15325 and 15325]. She married (2) Mark How.

Topsfield records show the marriage of two younger Israel Kenneys:

• KINNEY, Israel, and Susanna Hood, June 9, 1763.
• KINNEY, Israel, and Hannah Balch, int. May 5, 1765.

Middleton records also have an additional marriage to consider:

• KENNY, Israel, and Hannah Wilkins, Sept. 18, 1764.

Though it may be mixed up (initial assessment, TBD) in its pairings of husbands and wives, the third Israel is probably the son of Daniel Kenney, b. Sutton 1739, as suggested by Source:Robertson, Florance Alice Loveless Keeney. Genealogy of Henry and Ann Kinne : Pioneers of Salem, Massachusetts. One of the Israel's and Hannah's, in Middleton in 1765, named their first son Daniel, supporting this idea. One of the Daniels and Hannahs went to Hollis, NH. The Kinne Genealogy seems to mix and match facts between Middleton and Hollis without regard to feasibility, so further investigation is needed to distinguish the two. But the Middleton Daniel and Hannah had a whole set of children, and the Hollis Israel and Hannah had a whole set of different children, and it appears to be the Middleton Israel, who apparently never left Middleton, his son being born there, marrying a girl from Beverly there and moving there, and so that is presumably the Israel who is recorded as buried in Beverly on 1 Jun 1817 (given by this source to the Hollis man). The Hollis Israel who served in the Revolution is a different man and there is no record of a 1817 death in Hollis.

There appear to be several questionable statements, on the page of the Israel listed on this page as a child. One is his possible birth in Ireland. There is confusion of his birthdate with various members of the Kenney family of Sutton. His daughter is shown born before his marriage. Vague sources may identify Susanna Hood as the daughter of Israel as stated, but no such family is found in Topsfield or elsewhere in Massachusetts, where birth records, and Source:Bosson, Jennie Hood. John Hood of Lynn, Massachusetts : And Some of His Descendants p. 8 [#76], and Source:Essex Genealogist (Massachusetts) (Essex Society of Genealogists) p. 18:56 (detail of #6.ii), all agree on Nathaniel as Susanna's father. --Jrich 21:36, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Conclusion

I have stumbled across Jeff Green's Internet postings original, first half of update, second half of update. While I think there might be one mistake in allocating children (explained below) and while I think the reasoning behind certain conclusions wasn't explained fully (which I hope to add below), I think it is generally very close.

The result did not come out the way I expected, nor I might add, the way this page was indicating. I will gradually be posting the changes in accordance with Jeff's research.

The main evidence that shapes the conclusion is a deposition (for a Rev. War pension) in Knox, Maine where Israel Kenney stated he was born 6 Jan 1745/46. He is living there with children of the Israel Kinney of Hollis, who can now be seen to be the son of Rebecca Perkins. He died there in 1820.

From snippets I catch of Source:Bell, Edwin Wallace. Israel Kenny, His Children and Their Families, it appears the Irish origins is family tradition, based on granddaughters telling this to their grandchildren. As indicated, it seems unlikely, and given that we have three Israel Kenney's born in the United States to match with three marriages, some kind of evidence removing one the three Israels from consideration would be needed.

Whose Child Died?

Source:Putnam's Monthly Historical Magazine (Eben Putnam), Vol. 3, p. 155-156, "A Record of Deaths Entered in the Old Church Book at Middleton, by Rev. Elias Smith, Pastor" has the following entries (also found in Middleton VRs):

• 1765. Aug. 19 A child of Israel Kenney's: still Born.
• 1766. February A child of Israel Kenny jr. - found dead in ye bed upon ye waking of Parents.

Add to this, Source:Worcester, Samuel Thomas. History of the Town of Hollis, New Hampshire, p. 380 which shows

• Rebekah, d/o Israel Kinney and Hannah, born 19 Sep 1766.

Add to this Middleton VRs, p. 31, which shows

• Daniel, s/o Israel and Hannah, born 31 Nov 1765.

Jeff Green gives to Israel and Hannah of Hollis the still-born baby of 1765, and then twins born 19 Sep 1766, one of whom is Rebecca, and the other a son Israel, claimed to be the child that died in its crib. They then had another son Israel on 14 Sep 1768 per the History of Hollis.

This seems to be trying to tie up all the loose ends a little cleaner than the records allow. As far as I know, there is no record that mentions twins, nor is there a record mentioning the first son Israel b. 1766. No explanation is given. What is this based on? This provides one solution, but appears to be simply a guess what could have happened.

One item worth note is the use of Israel one time, and Israel Jr. the other time in the deaths above. This suggests the two deaths might not have happened to the same family. Possibly the stillborn child belonged to Israel and Susanna, as the oldest Israel. The births of the first several children of Israel and Susanna are completely up in the air, some thought to have occurred in Massachusetts, but all is guesswork until some estimated births around 1770. This, plus the uncertainty of when Israel and Susannah left for Canada (generally thought to be 1767) could have implications on how to interpret Israel Jr. If the older Israel had left town, then the Israel who married Hannah Wilkins would become Israel Sr., and the Israel who married Hannah Balch was Israel Jr. Or had Israel who married Hannah Wilkins left for Hollis, this would promote the youngest Israel to Israel, Jr. Or did they mean the modern usage, meaning the Israel who was the son of Israel Kenney, i.e., who married Hannah Balch? Lots of ways that the baby who died in bed could work out to be the Daniel born in 1765. There are no marriages for a Daniel Kenney in Middleton VRs, though he could have moved... The Robertson book shows no information beyond his birth.

If the child who died in bed was Daniel, there is no reason to suppose Rebecca had a twin. Which is fine with the records, which don't seem to show a twin.

Further Reasoning and Questions

It is not explained how the two Hannah's got allocated.

Given the uncertainty of the early births, as explained above, the first event that can positively be attributed to the Hollis couple is the birth of Rebecca in 1766. This does not eliminate any of the marriages by date. There is circumstantial evidence, in that their son, Israel Jr. of Hollis m. Mehitable Wilkins, and his meeting and marrying of a woman in another state would be easiest explained if there was already a family connection.

The identity of Hannah Wilkins differs in various sources. Jeff Green says she is the daughter of Stephen and Hannah Wilkins, b. 1741. The Robertson books says she is the daughter of Israel and Margaret Wilkins, b. 1745. None of the children's names, or any evidence I have yet found argues one way or the other. Specifically there is no child named Stephen, Margaret, or even Jonathan (Stephen's wife's second husband and potential step-father). Israel and Hannah, as children's names, offer no clue, of course. Perhaps further information on the Revolutionary War pension identifies her, but if so, that was not communicated.

Israel and Hannah of Middleton do name a son John and a daughter Rebecca, suggesting she probably is Hannah Balch, who was daughter of John and Rebecca Balch. They also use the name Eunice, which appears to be after his mother Eunice (White) Kenney, and since she remarried Mark How of Middleton and remained in that town, it makes sense that the Israel of that town was her son. He and Hannah had no son named Israel, so it appears Jeff Green is right in supposing this is the man who married a "much younger" widow Judith Fuller and then had two sons (one dying young) named Israel.

The marriage of Susanna Hood in 1763 is thought by Jeff Green to be the son of Daniel Kenney of Sutton, b. 1739, who moved to Canada and has been the subject of much research. He is a blacksmith as was Daniel, and similarity of occupations forms a large part of the reasoning. [Daniel's son Archelaus seems to have spent most of his adult life in Middleton, and so there is a connection, even though different counties.] But the biggest reason is simply age. All the other Israels would have been 17 in 1763, so unlikely to be getting married. It was confusing that the Middleton couple named their first child Daniel, but once the Maine deposition fixed one Israel, the rest more or less followed. --Jrich 22:42, 10 April 2015 (UTC)