Duncan Kennedy, Wainui sheep farmer

[Bugly]

I am trying to track the Duncan Kennedy family who arrived at Canterbury from Scotland on the ship “Indiana” in November 1858. The shipping list for the “Indiana” shows Duncan Kennedy arrived with his wife Margaret and children Angus, Alexander, Coll, Mary, John and Ronald.

Through NZETC I can track Duncan to a sheep farm at Wainui, Angus and Alexander (g.grandfather) to sheep farms in Canterbury, but little mention of the rest of the family.

The following link to Papers Past at http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS19040801.2.22&srpos=5&e=--1903---1905--10-TS-1----0duncan+kennedy-- is the death notice of Duncan, and mentions him dying at Wainui. It also says that the funeral will leave Wainui for the Akaroa Cemetery the following Tuesday.

My question … where is the Akaroa Cemetery? Has it been renamed? I can find no mention of Duncan Kennedy (d. 30 Jul 1904) in any cemetery database in Christchurch or Canterbury. Can anybody help me please? I believe that the family was Catholic.

Regards - Bugly

[AMBLY]

Hi Bugly

http://shrinkalink.com/52991

Banks Peninsula, Akaroa  Cemetery/ Catholic, ocated on Onuku Road.
The first known burial was 1863

Cheers
AMBLY

[Bugly]

Thanks Ambly, that was quick! I assume the Akaroa Cemtery does not have an on-line database?

[AMBLY]

Hi Bugly

Unfortunately not yet it seems, but apparently the records will be included in the future within the ChCh database:
http://librarydata.christchurch.org.nz/Cemeteries/

Here's a Photo of the (Catholic) Akaroa Cemetery:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/canterbury-places/13/5

Cheers
AMBLY

[Beg Clonrode...]

EDIT:
You might want to read my next post first then come back to this post.
The Akaroa cemetery records in the next post confirm that these are the children of Duncan and Margaret KENNEDY


Hello...

This may (or may not) be the probate/will of the son John.

KENNEDY John - Waiau - Farmer - 1922
http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=20180669

There is a John KENNEDY d.1922 aged 65 years, buried at Akaroa Catholic cemetery, the same cemetery as Duncan KENNEDY.
SOURCE: NZSG Burial Locator CD

The death it most likely relates to at BDM NZ is...

1922/1725 - KENNEDY, John - 65Y

BDM NZ Search
https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/search/

-------------------

1922 (year of death) minus 65 (age at death) = 1857 (year of birth), which doesn't tie in with the "Age: 3 years" given for John on the 1858 passenger manifest.

But 1904 (Duncan KENNEDY year of death) minus 89 (age at death in PapersPast death notice) = 1815 (year of birth), which also doesn't tie in with the "Age: 40 years" on the 1858 passenger manifest.

So I'd have a look at the probate just to eliminate it.

1858 Indiana passenger manifest
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11575-12570-17?cc=1609792

And here's an earlier post of mine giving info about ordering a probate from Christchurch Archives
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,583466.msg4369004.html#msg4369004

-------------------

There is also a Mary KENNEDY d.1927 aged 71 years and a Colin KENNEDY d.1927 aged 75 years buried at Akaroa Catholic cemetery.
SOURCE: NZSG Burial Locator CD

Don't know if they're Duncan's children or just people with the same names.

Possibly these deaths relate to the following BDM NZ entries.

1927/10975 - KENNEDY, Mary - 71Y

1927/8390 - KENNEDY, Colin - 75Y

No harm in asking for a look-up of these two probates as well.

KENNEDY Coll - Rangiora - Farmer - 1927
http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=20183109

KENNEDY Mary - Rangiora - Railway Servant - 1927
http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=20183165


Apparently there are memorial/headstone inscriptions which may be on the Akaroa Catholic cemetery microfiche - Q14.02

Maybe some kind soul can look them up for you at their local library (or I can do it later in the week)

--------------------------

The NZSG Burial Locator CD also mentions a Ronald KENNEDY d.1866 aged 8 years. The location simply says Akaroa.

There is a note saying "More information available from the NZSG Canterbury Pre-Adamite index". I'm not familiar with that index so you may want to google it. Christchurch Library has a little bit of info about the index.

Halfway down the page...
http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/FamilyHistory/Biographical/


Regards
Beg

[Beg Clonrode...]

Hi again...

Managed a flying visit to the library. Here's what the Akaroa Catholic Cemetery fiche says...

---------------------------

Plots 94 to 97

ILMO Duncan KENNEDY who departed this life 30 July 1904 aged 89 years
Late of Lochaber, Invernesshire, Scotland
"So loved, so mourned"

ILMO John, 4th son of Duncan and Margaret KENNEDY
"Wainui"
Died 8 Jan 1922 aged 65 years

ILMO Colin, 3rd son of Duncan and Margaret KENNEDY who died 27 August 1927 aged 75 years

ILMO Mary, beloved daughter of Duncan and Margaret KENNEDY who died 5 Oct 1927 aged 72 years
R.I.P

Source: NZSG Cemetery Fiche Q14.02

------------------------

If you put the above dates of death into the "Search From" and "Search To" boxes on the BDM NZ Search website, as well as the BDM NZ reference numbers I gave in my previous post, it will confirm that these are the correct BDM NZ reference numbers.

If you intend to purchase the death certificates it's best to purchase printouts ($20.40) not certificates, as printouts often have more information.

Having said that, the BDM NZ website has the date of death for Mary KENNEDY as 4 Oct 1927, not 5 Oct 1927 as written on the headstone.

And the website also has the date of death for Colin KENNEDY as 25 Aug 1927, not 27 Aug 1927 as written on the headstone.....so who knows :-)

-------------

While I was at the library I also managed a quick look at the electoral rolls on ancestry.com

I think that John, Coll and Mary all remained unmarried. After their father's death they are the only KENNEDY's mentioned as residing in Wainui. John and Coll are sheep farmers and Mary is a spinster. This is on the 1905 and 1914 Ellesmere electoral rolls.

Regards
Beg

[Bugly]

Hi Beg – Thanks for that, looks like we’re winning!

Last night I think I found Margaret (wife of Angus) (edit: whoops ... wife of Duncan!) in Papers Past: http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TS18960916.2.17&srpos=1&e=--1896---1896--10-TS-1----0kennedy+cooper--  I have no idea who in 1896 would have been connected to a “Cooper” … a bit early for the husband of one of the grand-daughters. The PP reference back to “Wainui Bay, Akaroa”, and her “eightieth year” is too strong a link to ignore though. I wonder where Edgeware Road was? May have been a hospice of some type.

I think I found Angus hiding in the Horsley Downs cemetery, and Alexander in the Timaru Cemetery. So with your success in locating Coll, Mary, John and Ronald, that all of them. Our Kennedy line descends down from Alexander, and his youngest son Ronald. He is a bit of a mystery too. It almost sounds like the passenger list of the “Indiana” showed the ages of the Kennedy family to be younger than they actually were. I guess this happened often back then, to gain “immigrant points.”

Beg, thanks for your assistance in all this, it is very much appreciated!

Cheers - Bugly

[Beg Clonrode...]

Last night I think I found Margaret (wife of Duncan) in Papers Past

Hello Bugly...

The Margaret KENNEDY you found in PapersPast seems to be buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch.

According to the cemetery website she was a native of Scotland and resident in NZ for forty years.
Her date of death is given as 15 Sep 1896

Christchurch Cemeteries database
http://librarydata.christchurch.org.nz/Cemeteries/

Ties in with....

BDM NZ Deaths 1896/1064 - KENNEDY, Margaret - 80Y

....which gives her date of death as 14 Sep 1896

The only way to confirm whether or not this is your Margaret would be to purchase a death register printout from BDM NZ

BDM NZ Search
https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/search/

-----------------

The 1896 NZ electoral roll has a Richard Alfred COOPER living in Edgeware Road, St Albans, Christchurch.

His occupation is given as builder. He was also a bricklayer.

He may be married to a Sarah Maud Ethel COOPER. She is listed on the 1893 and 1896 electoral rolls as also living in Edgeware Road and BDM NZ has an 1884 marriage between a Richard Alfred COOPER and a Sarah Maud Ethel WHITE

BDM NZ Marriages 1884/1031 - Sarah Maud Ethel WHITE - Richard Alfred COOPER

Can't find a cemetery record for Richard but a Sarah Maud Ethel COOPER died in 1931 and is buried in Kawakawa Cemetery, which is a long way from Christchurch so caveat emptor etc

Regards
Beg

[Bugly]

Thanks very much Beg, that gives me a few leads to work on now. I'll then get closer to following Alexander's children ... I believe that his youngest son Ronald was our grandfather. The other children of Alexander may have been Duncan, Jane, Mary, Robert and Margaret.

I posted off to NZBDM today a request for the death printouts for Duncan (d.1904), Alexander (d.1914) and Ronald (d.1964), and also the Cyril Roy Kennedy birth printout. (I already have Ronald's birth printout). Cyril was the son of Ronald and our father, and died in NSW in 1994. This hopefully will tie the whole line together!

I'll keep this post live for a bit, and let you know if the death printouts confirm the lineage.

Cheers - Lou