Person:Mary Murff (1)

This excerpt from "Elm Forks Settlement". Mrs Mary Kennedy is the third widow who pioneered here. There is no evident explanation for her coming here with two sons, James M. and Henry. She is listed as head of the family on the 1850 census. Mary Kenady, 51, born in South Carolina with two sons James M. 21 and Henry 18 both born in Alabama. According to Connor she came prior to July 1, 1845, received a land certificate for 640 acres from Ward; it was sold unlocated and later patented in Dallas County. Another source indicates she took a homestead claim of 320 acres in the Peters Colony, north of Carrollton and east of Trinty Mills on the Dallas-Denton County line, while her son James. M. homesteaded 160 acres east of Carrollton on present day Columbian Club Drive. Family files indicate that her maiden name was Murff, that she was born in South Carolina about 1799, that she married Samuel Kennedy, that they lived part of the time at least in Tallapoosa County, Alabama , where Mr. Kennedy probably died around 1840, that there were eight children in the family. One source indicates that Mr. Kennedy left a large estate, but much of it was lost in the settlement after his death; some of his older children were married when the father died. His widow moved to Arkansas with three of the children around 1843 and then on to Texas with two as explained above. Though much material has been gathered on Kennedys both in South Carolina and Alabama, to date the names of the other children have not been determined.. Mary Kennedy died April 8, 1861.

1.   1850 census Dallas County, Texas PAREN: Y.
2.   Book "The Elm Forks Settlement" PAREN: Y.
3.   1892 Biographical History of Dallas County PAREN: Y (Chicago, Lewis Publishing Compay)
   pp 511.