Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Tracking the Kennedys in Lincoln County

After my dad died in 2015, I became interested in knowing more about his family, especially my grandfather's family, which I knew little about, only that there were quite a few of them in his generation (4 sisters and two brothers). I know most of their names from my grandmother and her clipped obituaries. Unfortunately, the last sibling died the year before my dad, and he may have been a good resource on family history.
I never remember hearing anything about my Kennedy great-great-grandparents. I say I developed the interest, but I didn't do much about it, except start rummaging in Jasper Stahl's two-volume History of Old Broad Bay and Waldoboro but didn't find much. (More on that later.)
 That's where a family-history hound husband comes in. As he starting finding census data through Ancestry.com, we quickly learned that my ancestors lived in the neighborhood where I remember visiting my great-grandparents on Orff's Corner Road when I was a very little girl. At very start of that road was where my last living great uncle lived, and his daughter still lives on the road today as well. We also learned that the old name of the neighborhood corner (located in Jefferson) is named for the Kennedys, and we discovered that many of them are buried there as well. During this research my husband had a client who lived on that road and in talking with her she told him that Kennedys are listed on the title history of the old place, a Mary Kennedy, which would be my great-great-grandmother. I have traveled these roads and crossed this corner often but had never noticed the cemetery as it sits back from the road. (Also years ago we looked at a piece of land near here. How strangely our roots call us home!) So, we went graveyard stamping as I'd like to call it. And this is what we found:


We are fairly certain, based on census records, that each of these guys are direct ancestors of Guy C. Kennedy Sr., my great-grandfather. Edwin is listed in Guy's obituary as his father, and a Mary, but we also have a Maynard married to a Mary in the census records, too. My first greats, Guy C. Sr. and his wife Mildred, and a some of their children are buried up the road at Fairview. That is also where my dad, his parents Guy C. Kennedy Jr and Christine Eugley, his brother, and his infant son are buried. My great-parents are the only Kennedy relatives I ever remember hearing about. My grandmother made sure we faithfully visited over Memorial Day weekend to place flowers on the sites.
Because I visit Fairview more regularly than that now, I went searching through Fairview for more Kennedys. There are some, and I found Maynard with no spouse or children buried near him.

So eeny, meeny, take your pick. Who is my great-great-grandfather?

Before all these names, dates, memorial markers came to light, I skimmed through one of the  Jasper Stahl histories of Waldoboro to track any Kennedys in it illustrious history. A Henry Kennedy was fairly prominent, and I having been wondering if the Jefferson Kennedys had any connection with Henry. So today I visited another very old rundown cemetery in downtown Waldoboro and found the Waldoboro Kennedy clan, including the prominent Henry.


Jefferson census data lists Henry as being born in Jefferson, and while I don't have the crossover relative yet, I hope to. Its very cool what you can dig up with some patience and a good Internet connection.The large family stone and plot is well marked and lists everyone there, including his three children, Lincoln, Semandel, and Henry. Then each member has their own stone with just their name. The stones are somewhat fancy. From what I remember in my reading Henry was prominent and wealthy. I guess none of that side of the family's wealth trickled over to our side unless it was his wife's money, a Rachel Lincoln from Waldoboro.

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