Hi Meabbie,
I have a Hessie Kennedy in my tree too (

) - but too contempory for you (

)
Can't really help you here, but I am interested in the name Hessie,
especially as "my" Hessies have connections to Antrim.
We have a tradition in my wife's family that the oldest daughter is always called Hessie.
Full story here:
http://www.margulies-chronicles.com/i-legends.php#hessieDo you have anything similar, or have you heard of any stories or rumours of this in any other branches of the family ??
Good luck,
Bob