RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => New Zealand Completed Requests => Topic started by: Colin K on Sunday 15 April 12 10:44 BST (UK)
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Hi Group.
Over the last few years I have been adding every "Kennedy" event in New Zealand onto one tree to try and see if I could build a descending line of Kennedy families back to the founding Settlers to show the origins of the name in New Zealand, A kind of DNA record . Currently I have around 8000 names, My current problem at the moment is 3 x "Murtagh Kennedy's" all from around the Rangiora area , I assume that with this name they or one or two of them originated from Scotland. Can anyone tell me if they have researched this name and if so are they are linked by birth and or marriage. Any help would be appreciated.
Colin Kennedy
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Do you also have the variant spelling Murteigh
http://www.genealogy.org.nz/FF_Search_31.aspx
this is listed in NZSG frst families: Murteigh and Nora Kennedy
Bye
althea
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Hi Althea
Yes I do, as Mutagh Leonard Kennedy. But I am fairly certain that the NZSG transcriber has misread the "A" as "EI" as other records show the spelling as Murt"a"gh,
Of interest the wife Nora you mentioned is also spelt in 2 differnet ways on various documents, I am reasonably sure the correct spelling is Norah and her maiden name is Casserley. Thank you for the super quick responce, it certainly prompted me to do a quick recheck of my notes and files on this couple
Thanks again
Colin
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Hi Colin,
I have come across these Kennedys whilst researching mine in the same area.
Murtagh (1) d.3/1917 age 76 (Catholic) Sometimes known as Murtie, wife Rachel McClean, family John, Murtie Leonard wife Norah Casserley dau Thomas & Mary nee Connell, and Margaret.
Their son John was born in Belfast c 1860.
Murgtagh d.6/8/1922 age 67 (Catholic) (2) Son of Henry, wife Catherine Joyce dau of Thomas and Bridget.
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Hello Colin,
May I please ask a general question about your research :-)
I'm fairly new to genealogy and was unaware that NZ had a group of people thought of as founding Settlers. Is this similar to the "First Fleet" of Australia. Or the "Founding Fathers" in the US. Or is it less specific - e.g a general timeframe such as 1769 to 1840
Absolutely rapt if a KENNEDY was involved in a founding group as I'm a direct descendant, although my lot didn't arrive in NZ until 1880.
And am absolutely staggered at the amount of work involved in cataloguing 8000 people. Pre-1900 I may have found and researched about fifty of my family. Pre-1800, the grand total of a dozen definitely possibles and one possibly definite.
And the one possibly definite is a KENNEDY :-)
All the best
Beg
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Hi Beg
In the auckland Old Colonists register there is: (online Akld Lib)
Samuel Kennedy born 1864 NZ, parents Samuel and Margaret arrived 1862
John Kennedy born 1866, parents William and Robina arrived 1863
and brother Charles Kennedy b 1862 Glasgow
More details in register
Bye
Althea
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Hi Leandra:
Many many thanks, for the information: It will help me re-allocate 2 children that I had placed in the incorrect marriage. Thanks again.
Colin
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Hi Beg:
Firstly, being new, welcome to family history:
In answer to your questions I guess a better term of phrase would have been the First of each Kennedy family to settle in New Zealand: In a way they foundered the Kennedy name here in New Zealand. probably a better term could also have been "Colonists"
Yes just over 8000 Kennedy NZ BDM events and I still have a tea chest to go through of info collected over the last twenty or so years whilst researching my Mums maiden name and having put all those little slips of paper with the "found" information away for a rainy day: The rainy day arrived a year ago and so rather than dropping dead and having someone come in and burn the lot I decided to put the lot onto one family tree and have fun linking all the events back to the original families more to have a record of Country of Origin of the various families, be it Scotland, Ireland, Australia or other Country, It keeps the mind active and hopefully will allow other Kennedy researchers to add to and use in the future: ( and of course, correct any errors )
Of Interest, I have found new Kennedy arrivals to New Zealand as late as 1910 being described as "Settlers" so New Zealand is still in a way very young in terms of European settlement family history.
The DNA Term was meant to mean a chance to trace current Kennedy's back to those first family Events and from there to provide the Link or DNA back to Country of Origin. Hope that all makes sense
Trust this answers your questions
Kind Regards
Colin
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Hello Colin,
Thanks very much for the welcome :-)
And thanks very much for the explanation of what you've been doing.
Grandmothers and sucking eggs spring to mind but whatever you do make sure your efforts survive you. Have you considered organising your information on-line. Or at least uploading your efforts as you go.
WikiTree (http://www.wikitree.com/) seems the most "honest" of the collaborative websites. It's reasonably straight-forward to use. And it will save you duplicating the efforts of others by suggesting possible links into your tree. The website says there are about 5000 KENNEDYs listed on the WikiTree (but they mostly seem US-based to me).
But best of all the WikiTree will still be here, in one form or another, long after you and I are just memories.
The usual caveats apply when dealing with the efforts of others but there's no harm in having a look. If you want you can start your own branch of the tree and keep it private. No-one else can see it unless you invite them in. A good area in which to experiment.
It's free to browse the WikiTree but to start adding to it you need an invite. If you're interested let me know and I'll send you one.
All the best
Beg
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Hi Colin,
I have just found the marrige record of Murtagh Kennedy to Catherine Joyce whilst going through another file.
Murtagh was born in Antrim Ireland he was 31 when he married in 1888. His parents were Alexander and Bridget nee Gribben, so not a Scotsman.
regards
leandra
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Hi Leandra
Well that is interesting, Many thanks
Colin
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Hi Beg.
Interesting reading, Have looked at the Wiki site you mention, Reagrds Colin
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Hi Colin,
Would suggest your remove your email address and name from your post. It is a policy of Rootschat not to have our personal details on the board.
You can PM Beg with the above details.
If you aren't sure how to do it, go to your post, click modify, make the deletions, then click save
Cheers
KHP
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Thanks have done
Colin
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I have a note on my Kennedy family tree: "Murtagh, the Boer, went to NZ."
In recent months I have been trying to find some more definite information on this Murtagh and other siblings of my great grandfather John Kennedy (1836?-1930). If (as I was told) he was a brother of my g.grandfather John K. he would have been born in period 1830-1845 and could not be the Murtagh referred to in these posts.
However I also have recorded an Alex K., as a brother of John. I found a record showing an Alex Kennedy married to a Bridget Gribben (Griffen) in 1853. It is possible that the Murtagh I have recorded in my tree is not a brother of John K., but his nephew, being a son of this Alex and Bridget. The dates would be in more accord with a Murtagh shown as aged 31 in 1888. I dont know what to make of the nickname "the Boer".
My Kennedy family come from the parish of Duneane (also called Moneyglass) near Toomebridge in Co. Antrim where Kennedy was a very common surname in 19th century. Murtagh or Murty (sometimes anglicised as Mortimer) was also a common first name among people from this region along the Bann river. I know that two other Kennedys from this family went to NZ, in late 19th century; an Alexander, born around 1860 and a Patrick born 1885.
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Hi Carnlough
That adds another small bit of information, thankyou, After years of planning I am off to Ireland and will be in the Bann River area around Coleraine in Derry for 10 days at the end of this month doing some serious onsite research so will endeavor to find and confirm what you have added as its not that far from where I will be staying, many thanks.
Colin
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Hi Beg
Interesting reading, Have looked at the Wiki site you mention
Hello Colin,
Apologies for the delay in replying. I've emailed you an invite to Wiki Tree. Hope you find it of some use.
Let me know if you have any problems getting onto the website, not that I can promise to be of much help :-)
I am off to Ireland and will be in the Bann River area around Coleraine
Co-incidentally I've just returned from Garvagh, about 10 miles south of Coleraine. Whilst there I was curious to see where my gg-grandfather James KENNEDY lived and farmed in 1858 (according to Griffith's Valuation). His small holding is now the site of a huge wind turbine. I wonder what he'd make of it :-)
Regards
Beg
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Hi Beg.
Many thanks, Just arrived back from the "Emerald Isle" . Like you I found the ex Family Farm and so much more than is available by Web Searching, I stayed at Glen-Leary just a few ks from Garvagh, and found several Headstones relating to family in all 3 cemetery's so Garvagh was very productive in my search. The Coleraine Library staff are amazing as well, well worth searching the extensive Genealogy section there. Will check the Wiki Site out and see how we go. Many thanks again
Regards
Colin
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Hi Colin,
We may be related! I am a descendant of Bernard Kennedy of Moneyglass - he was my great grandfather. I have been out to NZ a couple of times and have met various relatives out there. Some of the Kennedys went to Christchurch and others went to Loburn. There are many Kennedys buried in the cemetery in Loburn, and others buried in Chch (I think it was Bromley cemetery there...)
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Hi Nessa, I wonder if you are related to me, of the Carnlough posting, rather than Colin? But perhaps we are all related! I think I know who you are, as I have only one Nessa in my extended Kennedy family tree, from the Irvine branch. If you are interested in exchanging information on the Moneyglass Kennedys we could email directly, if I could figure out how to pass on my email address in a secure manner.
Regards David K
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Hi David,
I'm new to this rootschat website, so not really sure how it works! But I see from earlier posts that email addresses are not supposed to be made public... do you have any other suggestions? you are right re the Irvine/M'glass link... but I will have to consult the family tree to see if I can find you? Are you in N.Irl?
Nessa
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Hi Nessa, I am also a novice user of this site but I now see from the Help menu that this site has a Personal Message (PM) section, but apparently both the Poster and Recipient of personal messages need to have made at least 3 posts before the PM can be activated. So if you were to make one more posting, then I think we could access the PM board.
I now live in Donegal, which some might say is the real northern Ireland! My information on the Irvines comes from the late Frank Irvine.
David
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Hi NessaG and Carnlough,
You are correct, Carnlough. NessaG only needs to make one more post for their Personal Message facility to become active. You could try sending NessaG a PM with your email address anyway in case they receive it.
To send a PM click on the scroll below the intended recipients user name on any on their posts on a topic, or click on their user name to open their public profile and at the bottom click the hyperlink saying something like, 'Send this member a Personal Message'.
Spades
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Hi again, will check out PM board.
Thanks,
NessaG
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Hi Colin K
Your Kennedys are from the same family as I am currently researching very slowly.
My GGG parents are:
Murtagh Kennedy b 1841 Ireland d 30/03/1917 in NZ and his wife Rachel McLean b 1840 Ireland d 02/4/1914 in NZ. Emigrated to NZ on the ship Mersey arriving in Canterbury Sept 1862.
I note that in a previous post she had been named as Rachel McClean. There is some disagreement around the spelling of her name ie McLean McLane, McBlane.
They had 3 live children at their date of death.
They had one child Henry who died aged 28 yrs in 1901.
1 Son John Kennedy who is my GG father,
2 Son Murtagh Leonard Kennedy junior b 1866 d 1944 aged 78 and
1 daughter I don't know anything about including her name.
Any help with more info will be much appreciated.
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Hi Bsidec, I am delighted to communicate with a descendant of Murtagh Kennedy, 1841-1917. Two years ago I gathered up whatever data I could find on the Internet about the Kennedys from Toomebridge area, Co. Antrim who had emigrated to NZ. I deduced from these Internet sources that that Murtagh had family, Murtie, Jack (John?), Henry, Margaret and Josephine. I reckon Jack would have been a first cousin of my grandfather Henry K. who lived in Ballymena. But I could find little information about other descendants of this Murtagh.
I would be happy to share whatever information I gathered about NZ Kennedys and information about the families of the brothers of Murtagh who stayed at home in Co. Antrim. If you you read the previous posts you will see how to set up a Personal Message so that we we could exchange email addresses and communicate directly.
Regards David