SLO Islay Kennedy

 

Welcome to the SLO Kennedy Islay blog. We happen to be the happy and lucky residents in 2021 of the location of where Ralph C. Kennedy and his family settled in San Luis Obispo, CA in the early 1900's. We are both librarians and love doing research and especially love family history research. Our hope is to share information that we have collected from various sources and share this with those interested to entertain, inform, educate and possibly motivate others to join in and contribute to this family's history.

According to our research, and others, the Kennedy family that we are following originated in Northern Ireland. There was a Thomas Kennedy who was born in 1703 and came to America early, and is reported to not have had any siblings. There is an estate paper (4039) that lists the heirs of Thomas as Ann, his wife at the time of his death, his son Thomas, and his daughter Elizabeth. Thomas was buried in 1789 at the Forks of the Brandywine Cemetery which is located in Brandywine Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. A tree of the descendants of Thomas Kennedy is located at the bottom of this blog.

There is no record that proves that Thomas had a son named James. But, early records, and other Kennedy family researchers indicate that there was a James Kennedy (1747-1819) who residing in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania around this same time as Thomas Kennedy. 

James and his wife Ann Gilles would have 8 children, including a Thomas Kennedy, being the seventh born in 1782. Here is an image from the 1790 federal census that lists a James Kennedy in Huntingdon County, PA with one male above the age of 16, three males below the age of 16, and four females. James did not own any slaves.

Here is another image from the 1800 federal census that lists James with one male under the age of 10, none between the age of 10 - 15, one between 16 - 25, none between 26 - 44, and one over 45. It also shows three females under the age of 10, one between 10 - 15, one between 16 - 25, and one between 26 - 44. 

From details collected about this Kennedy family it is understood the James and Ann Gillies had the following children listed in the tree below. The focus of this blog is to follow only the direct line ancestors of those that eventually ended up in San Luis Obispo, specifically, living at 482 Islay. James is reportedly recorded as being buried in the Alexandria Presbyterian Cemetery in Porter Township, Huntingdon County, PA.

Here is an except from a Find-a-Grave website that describes additional detail about James:

School master of the Woodcock Valley was a surveyor and teacher who probably married about 1777 and lived in Barree township, Bedford County, PA before Huntingdon County existed. He then showed in Huntingdon Twp., Huntingdon Co. I think his wife was named Ann as she was in Porter Twp. in the 1820 U.S. census. James' year of birth was provided by Debbie Riley and he was probably born in Scotland, but not confirmed. (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159897294/james-kennedy#source)

The Thomas Kennedy of this blog is reported to have been born on September 7th, 1792 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania which is located halfway between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Thomas would have been the one male recorded on the 1800 federal census listed under the age of 10. Thomas married Nancy Belle Kerr on June 15th, 1815 at the Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church in Spring Run, Fannett Township in Franklin County, PA. A thorough examination of online records for this township and county have produced no evidence of this document. Fannett Township is about 45 miles Southwest of Huntingdon County.

By 1840 Thomas is listed as living in Tully Township in Marion County, Ohio. The following census record lists that he had had one male under the age 5, two between the ages of 5 - 10, one between 15 - 20, one between 20 - 30 and one between the age of 40 and 50. This record also lists one female under the age of 5, one between 5 - 10, one between 10 - 15, two between 15 - 20 and one between 40 - 50.

Details about this census record can be found by examining the tree posted below that list the descendants of Thomas Kennedy and his wife Nancy Belle Kerr.

In 1845, the northern 2 miles of Marion County were transferred to Crawford County. That left Thomas' 40 acres just north of the county line in Whetstone Twp., Crawford County. Therefore, Thomas Kennedy is listed as being buried in the Sixteen Cemetery in Crawford County, Ohio. Thomas died January 7th, 1847. His family would remain in the original location. A copy of his will also follows.

William Kerr Kennedy was born on February 16th, 1818. Census records indicate that he was residing in Lack, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in 1830. By his 26th age he would marry Margaret Shank on May 26th, 1844 in Marion County, Ohio. This map from 1852 lists a W.K. Kennedy living in Section 17, Township 17 and Range 4, the same location as his father.

Here is an image of William with his wife Margaret Shank.

 Here is a copy of the recording of their marriage.

Here is an later image of William Kerr Kennedy.

And here is a much later picture of him.

And here is a wonderful story about William Kerr Kennedy that describes his heritage.

Thomas Shank Kennedy, son of William and his first wife Margaret, was born on October 23rd, 1848 in Marion County, Ohio. Thomas would marry Hester Frances Monnett on November 5th, 1874 and this marriage would produce 12 children. Here is a copy of that marriage record.

(Thomas Shank Kennedy family tree)

Below are two images, the first is of just Thomas, and the second of him, his wife, and 11 of the children that would survive to adulthood.

Thomas S. Kennedy would eventually die on November 7th, 1920 in Dallas Township, Crawford County, Ohio which is just 9 miles Northwest of Tully Township where he originated from. Below is a map his property in Dallas Township, as well as a copy of his death certificate and his obituary.

And here's an image of his headstone where he was buried along with his wife Hester in the Oakwood Cemetery which is located in Bucyrus, Crawford County, Ohio.

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And this is where this blog will do a bit of a transition. As previously mentioned, the purpose of this is to share information about the ancestors of the individuals who resided at this location of 482 Islay St in San Luis Obispo. The Kennedy family of Crawford County, Ohio were respectful members of a their community, but only one of those members headed out to California, and therefore, the tree that is listed below only shows details about Ralph Clarence Kennedy, as will what follows after.

Here is a copy of the corrected version Ralph's birth record. Evidently the original was incorrectly recorded as having been born August 21, 1888 and not having been named.

And since I am only writing this blog without having ever met any of the family members mentioned, details about why Ralph deciding to head West are unknown. What is known is that he is recorded in the 1900 and 1910 federal census for Dallas Township, Crawford County, Ohio.

Ralph C Kennedy enlists in World War I on June 5th, 1917 listing his occupation as farmer and using his brother Almet's address of Martel, Ohio as his address. Martel is about a mile and a half Southwest of Tully Township.

From the image above it looks as though Ralph served from June 1918 till September 1919 when he was honorably discharged, possibly in Sacramento, California.

According to the images below Ralph is back on the East Coast where he is marrying Ethel Vera Ford in the District of Columbia on September 14th, 1919. Notice the misspelling of Kennedy and Ford in the newspaper article announcing the marriage.

Ethel Vira Ford was born December 27th, 1886 in Wessington Springs, Jerauld County, South Dakota, the daughter of  Joseph Arnold Ford and Charlotte May Kierer. Details about how Ralph and Ethel met would be greatly appreciated by the author of this blog.

And so by 1920 Ralph Kennedy is shown to be a lodger, married (though living alone), and working for the rail line, living in Sacramento, California on G Street with his Uncle David Baker.

Here is a wonderful picture of Ethel at what I believe to be the very window that I am looking at right now. Her dress appears to be about the 1920's style, and the window sill is very similar. Please share if you have more information about where this picture was taken.

According to records obtained from the Clerk Recorders office of San Luis Obispo the house located at 482 Islay St was built in 1907. For this deed posted below dated April 29th, 1925 it appears that Ralph C. Kennedy took possession via a deed of trust through the Pacific Southwest Trust and Savings Bank for property located as part of lot six in block fifty-three for the sum of $1,350 plus interest in monthly installments of $17.55. I am also attaching maps of the area with citations listed below the image. It appears that lot 6 was sub-divided into lots 13, 14, 15 and 16. Ralph's property was measured as 50 ft by 50 ft by 50 ft by 50 ft as registered on the final map.

1894

And so now we can see that Ralph and Ethel Kennedy are actual residents of 482 Islay with their new sons Ralph Clarence Kennedy Jr and Mervin Monette Kennedy.

 A quick video of 482 Islay.

And by this time Ralph was venturing out on his employment pursuits to include being a real estate agent, a notary of the public, and from one ad, lists him as county coroner.

And from this 1940 federal census record we can see that the value of the property at 482 Islay St is still listed as about $2,000. 

Here is a copy of Ralph's World Was II draft registration card. Check out that signature!!!

But here's the part I really love, not only did Ralph Clarence Kennedy almost reinvent himself into something completely different from his heritage of farming, but he took on the community spirit and tried his hand as civic leadership and was actually elected as mayor to the town of San Luis Obispo, serving from May 1945 to May 1947. He was actually serving as a council member from May 1939 until May 1945.

 

This is probably one of my favorite images of this post, as I see this image every day when I approach the entry of my current residence. We're still not sure why there is the date of  October 5th, 1942, maybe that's when they poured the concrete of the steps, or when Ralph celebrated some event. If you have more information, please share. 

Finally we get to the point where as much as I want to continue details about this blog, I have also reached the point where those members of the Kennedy family that I have been writing about are still alive, and therefore feel it inappropriate to write about them without consent. 

Ralph and Ethel Kennedy are both a peaceful resting place in Los Osos, California.

 

I am adding an ancestral tree of Ralph's line to make it easier to understand the family line through to him.

This is a picture that a family member recently sent to me and I find it appropriate to end this blog with this image, as it looks about the time when Ralph and Ethel moved out of this house on Islay, and though they moved away, and this blog is coming to a close, it doesn't mean my interest in the family ceases, nor my love of loving in such a wonderful and enjoyable location, as I'm sure that the Kennedy family that preceded me also felt.

Thanks for reading!!!