Person talk:Thomas Kenyon (5)

Identifying the parents of the Thomas Kenyon who married Hannah Kenyon.

Capt. Howard N. Kenyon in American Kenyons, page 57, says that Thomas Kenyon, son of John and Elizabeth (Remington) Kenyon married Catherine Ney. Admitted.y, this source has numerous errors.

In her will dated 26 Oct 1746, proved in South Kingstown 18 Nov 1746, Sarah Ney of South Kingstown names her daughter Katherine Kinyon a grandson George Kinyon and a granddaughter Phebe Ney (Alden G. Beaman, Rhode Island Genealogical Register, "Abstracts of South Kingstown, R.I. Wills, 12:111). So we know that a Katherine Ney married a Mr. Kinyon (Kenyon).

The will of Thomas Kinyon of Richmond dated 21 Oct 1778, was proved 7 Dec 1778. In the will he names his wife Katherine Kinyon, and children. Among the children are George and Katharine Kinyon (Lucille B. Beaman, Rhode Island Genealogical Register, "Abstracts of Richmond Rhode Island, Wills, IV:221).

Arnold's Vital Records of Rhode Island, V:Charlestown:23, list the births of five children of Thomas and Catherine Kenyon, including the two eldest, George and Elizabeth, born 4 Feb 1733 and 5 Mar 1735, respectively.

But Arnold also reports on Charlestown, page 11 that Thomas Kenyon of John married Hannah Kenyon of David, both of Charlestown, 13 Apr 1746. Hannah, daughter of David and Mary was born 21 Dec 1727 (Charlestown:23). Thomas Kenyon, son of John and Elizabeth (Remington) Kenyon, was born in North Kingstown, 28 Dec 1708 (North Kingstown:84). There is a 19 year difference in their ages. There were also several contemporary John Kinyons in this area of Rhode Island at this time. How do we know which John was the father of the Thomas who married Hannah Kenyon?

Capt. Kenyon dodged this question by saying that Hannah Kenyon, daughter of David, married Samuel Kenyon, son of John (and Elizabeth). He went on to report that Hannah married second, Simeon Watson. Arnold lists this marriage as recorded in Richmond, 24 Oct 1748 (Richmond:20).

John and Mary (Gardiner) had children whose births were recorded in Charlestown between 1730 and 1743. John and Mary's marriage was recorded in South Kingstown, 23 Mar 1726/7. The Richmond Land Evidence, 1:10 (also Arnold, V:Richmond:16) records the marriage of Penelope Kenyon of Richmond, daughter of John Kenyon, Jr., 13 Apr 1749, to Simeon Perry. Penelope's birth was not recorded in Charlestown with the children of John and Mary (Gardiner) Kenyon, but she is generally regarded to be their daughter, with an estimated year of birth of 1728. Could the Thomas Kenyon, son of John, who married Hannah Kenyon also have been a son of John and Mary (Gardiner) Kenyon? If we were to say that Thomas was born about Jan 1728, and Penelope came along near the midpoint between the birth of Thomas and the oldest know child, John, born 29 Sep 1730, say Penelope born about May 1729. This puts 14-15 months between the births of Thomas, Penelope and John. The second known child of John and Mary was Remington and he was born 14 months after the birth of John.

There was also John Kenyon of Westerly, wheelwright, son of John and Ruth Wells. He executed a deed in Westerly in 1725/6 with his mark "I" (Westerly Land Evidence, 4:110,252). When the John Kenyon who married Elizabeth Remington executed a deed he wrote his mark as a "K" rotated 90 degrees clockwise (South Kingstown Land Evidence, 1:43). Capt. Kenyon lists two daughters for John Kenyon of Westerly, wheelwright: Sarah and Abigail, who married in 1740 and 1746 respectively. We probably do not know the names of all his children. So the Thomas who married Hannah Kenyon could be a son of John of Westerly, wheelwright.

Despite the myriad of problems and errors in American Kenyons by Capt Kenyon, I am inclined to think that he is on stronger ground saying that Thomas, son of John and Elizabeth (Remington) Kenyon, married Catherine Ney, rather than saying this Thomas married Hannah Kenyon, who was 19 years younger than he was.--Bill Wright 15:44, 1 March 2009 (EST)