Kennerley - Kennerly - Kenerley - Kenerly - Kindley - Kinley - Kinly Kenley - Kendley - Kenley - Kenly Family History & Genealogy Family Tree DNA Project

October 2023

Past Postings

This past year we continue to contact and correspond with Kennerly's (variously spelled) around the world, from Australia and New Zealand to England as well as across the US and many places that aren't so in between, such as Brazil and South Africa.  Several "new" contacts have discovered links to the family either in records or through DNA testing.  Related surnames include:  Kenley, Kinley, Kynnersley, Kynnardsley, etc ... 

This year, I'll continue to focus on helping people figure out their "specific" connection (versus general research) using DNA testing to determine connections and relationships.  The DNA test "populations is in need of additional "English" and Australian Kennerley, Kennerly, Kynnersly etc members to participate to widen the data pool.  To date, we have over 80 DNA test participants.  DNA testing is a valuable tool to help discover whether you are or are not related to the Kennerly family; and, if you are related, you may also learn how closely related you are to the family.

DNA project website at:  https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Kenerley

JOIN here:  www.familytreedna.com/group-join.aspx?Group=Kenerley&Code=J56608

My research is founded on "proof", which means that every "conclusion" I propose about a Kennerley ancestor will have sufficient credibility to be accepted as "proven" or I will tell you the difference between proof and conclusion.  I strive to ensure that my conclusions meet the "Genealogical Proof Standard" (GPS). The GPS consists of five elements:

• a reasonably exhaustive search;

• complete and accurate source citations;

• analysis and correlation of the collected information;

• resolution of any conflicting evidence; and

• a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.  

In other words, if you ask for help in determining your Kennerley relationships, I will assist to "prove" a relationship -- I won't just speculate, guess or make it up.  If I can't prove it, of course, I'll do the best I can to come to a conclusion but I will be honest in my assessment with you.  If I don't have citations from credible, original source documents or if I have suspect info or conflicting info, as well as, incomplete info ... then like it or not, we may hit a brickwall.

In my research, I've spent a great deal of time at the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Daughters of the Revolution Library, the Library of Virginia, the University of Virginia Library, in addition to searching at numerous courthouses across Virginia.  I grew up in Virginia and I know the state very well.  I've also scoured the North Carolina State Library and Archives in Raleigh and numerous court houses and libraries in the state, too.  I have personally visited and researched the Newberry Library in Chicago, the LDS Library in Salt Lake City, the Allen County Library in Indiana, the holdings of the National Genealogical Society stored at the St Louis County Library in Missouri as well as the St Louis Public Library and Missouri Historical Society Museum and Library.  I have researched the Kentucky State Library and Archives and visited local Kentucky courthouses and libraries.  I have researched at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.  I hold subscriptions or have held subscriptions to most all the online genealogical databases.  In the past 10 years, I have conducted exhaustive searches on our "name" and at times, have ordered documents that otherwise would be unavailable, such as documents from the British Archives and other state libraries and archives that I have not visited.  In addition, our family newsletter has been sent (somewhat sporadically of late) to over 300 "family" members or interested people, who in turn have shared it widely. 

My family lineage can be found here:  The First Kennerly Families in North Carolina

Based on this and with the help of several other serious family history researchers, I believe if you're interested in learing more about the family, I can either help or point you to someone who can.  The key is sharing info in an honest manner which in turn will benefit all of us and our family in the future.  We share a common ancestry - it's interesting, funny, sad and more ... it's ours.  I look forward to hearing from more of you in the next year.

Regards

DR

Previous Years Notes 

A new book on Cabarrus County NC land records by Mitch Simpson is available from Dr A. B. Pruitt at:

Bruce Pruitt; Box 815; Whitakers, NC 27891     http://abpruitt.tripod.com/id2.html  Sorry, this website no longer works but I'm looking for sub!

Item #  27. Cabarrus Co, NC Land Warrants (1792-1916) & Surveys (1747-1916); price $37.00

If your relatives lived in Cabarrus Co and owned land, this is a wonderful resource! 

I've not sent an email Newsletter in several years, but email me at for the latest updates: 

kenerley4   (No spaces and note my last name spelling variation!)  @  (I've stuck this in to stop email spammers)     msn.com

My Google web page has over 1400 books with Kennerly info: 

http://www.google.com/books?hl=en&uid=13266016443203288305

Search my books by typing in a subject word such as a name (Samuel Kennerly for instance) with an area (Cheshire, Georgia, etc ...).  "Kinnersley" +"Cheshire" for instance.  There are over 2000 books online with references to our name.

Is there a Kinnersley and Kynnersley connection?  Learn more about a document that supports this conclusion or go to this link:

Kinnersley and Kynnersley connection

Recent DNA tests show that few Kennedy's are related, and we've had one Kenly test but  no match yet.  However, there are also Kinleys that match, too.  Take the DNA test to figure out your family line,  help build the database and distinquish family lines.

Feb 09 NEWS -- The Georgia Kenerly - Kennerly families are related to the other US Kennerly's thru Thomas Erastus Kennerly.  A descendant of Thomas Erastus has tested with an exact match and even has the unique distinquishing marker that all other Kennerly's to date possess.

Dec 08 NEWS ... and we have some news ... the Maryland Kennerly's are definitely related to the Virginia Kennerly's and as a result of DNA testing, we've also learned that at least some Kinley's dating back to the 1700's in North Carolina are also related.  So, our "family" is much bigger than previously thought.  And all go back to Cheshire England, where the family can be found as far back as the 1500's at least.

22 Oct 08 NEWS - Several new DNA project test results have revealed surprising connections.  In addition, we have 4 tests pending to include test on Maryland, Kentucky, English, and North Carolina descendants.  Check out the DNA project website for more info at:  https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Kenerley

For English/UK Kennerley - Kennerly etc family info, check out previous Newsletters (links below). 

For additional info not posted, contact me at:  kenerley4  @  msn.com                                 

No spaces and note my last name spelling (my grt grndfather changed it from Kennerly in the 1800s!!!).

The purpose of this website is to help identify and sort out the various Kennerly, Kenerly, etc ... family lines from England, Ireland, and Scotland who immigrated to the US.  After extensive genealogical research, we've found "Kennerly" lineages range further across Europe and the US than previously thought: From  England, Scotland, Ireland, and even Germany, "Kennerly's" immigrated to VA, MD, SC, GA, FL, AL, AR, TX, KY, TN, CA, IN, IL, OR, SD/ND, MI, OK ... almost every state in the US as well as Canada.

We'd like to hear from you -- Where was your Kennerly family from?  We'll help you find out!  We have several researchers assisting this effort and have a tremendous amount of information on the family from all over the US - 49 states!!!   I'm sure we can find evidence in Hawaii and Canada, we just haven't looked.  But ask about New Zealand and Australia!

A big challenge to research is that the Kennerly name was (more often than not) mispelled!!!  Varations in offical records/documents include: Kennerly, Kennerley, Kenerly, Kenerley, Kinnerly, Kinnerley ... Kennery, Kemmery, Kinnery ... Kinly, Kinley, Kenly, Kenley ... and even McKenderly, McKinly and Kennedy ... Cannerly, Connelly ... and every combination of lettering of the above, too.  This was because record keepers and census takers either misunderstood, our ancestor's mispronounciation, or transcription or transposition errors ... and so, some of those (mis)spelling variations have continued to present day.  No matter how the spelling variations occured, it greatly complicates tracking the Kennerly family lineages.

This website is a work in progress and we rely on your contributions, as well as your suggestions, comments and of course, your correct information.  We hope to add more births, marriages, deaths, census extracts, land deeds and other documented proof of the different Kennerly lineages as time goes on. 

Participate in our Kennerly - Kennerley - Kenerly - Kenerley - Kennersley etc ... DNA project and figure out your lineage with certainty.  We'll help you with your research, too, just for joining!  Recently we've discovered surprising connections and relationships with Kinley's in NC and Alabama, certainly the result of a record taker's spelling error that the family somehow continued.  We're also certain there are others that today have names like Kennedy and Kennelly, but they are actually Kennerly's.  Join the project and find out if your dead end is really a new Kennerly beginning for you.

Visit the Kennerly - Kenerley DNA project website:  http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Kenerley/

CLICK BELOW  for additional page links:

Kinnersley and Kynnersley Connection

Newsletter Aug 2008

Newsletter Apr 2008

Newsletter Jan 2008

The First Kennerly Families in North Carolina

Kennerly - Kenerley Family History Links

NC Kennerly Marriages

NC Civil War Kennerly's

Kennerly Gravesites

Links to Genealogy Websites with Kennerly Info

Kennerly's in Brazil are buried here:

http://ericandemilysadventures.blogspot.com/2009/10/gravestones-in-english-of-people-we.html

Arkansas Kennerly family:

http://flackgenealogy.com/newtng/getperson.php?personID=I40482&tree=Tree703J

Kentucky Soldiers War of 1812

http://books.google.com/books?id=7xBhkk6aDFIC&pg=PA115&dq=1812+whitsett&hl=en&ei=MSZBTPLTO8LYnAeA-4wE&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=snippet&q=kenerly&f=false

Phillip Kennerly:

http://books.google.com/books?id=0nkRAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA399&lpg=PA399&dq="augusta+county"+"philip+kennerly"&source=bl&ots=wSsYR-omfk&sig=2F-EZd0neHcObWcKMF3CTGO0T-M&hl=en&ei=fik5S4KTO5W0Nsre0PYI&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CBwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22augusta%20county%22%20%22philip%20kennerly%22&f=false

https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/kenerley/about/background

https://www.cyndislist.com/surnames/surnames-k/specific/?page=6

https://blog.eogn.com/2019/11/18/white-house-photographer-david-kennerly-to-keynote-rootstech-2020/

https://media.familysearch.org/white-house-photographer-david-kennerly-to-keynote-rootstech-2020/

http://www.interment.net/data/us/ar/pulaski/kennerly/kennerly.htm

http://ahc.galileo.usg.edu/ahc/view?docId=ead/ahc.MSS941-ead.xml;query=strother;brand=default

https://bob6k.tribalpages.com/

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=378688.0

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1915249?seq=1

https://books.google.com/books?id=TOYQAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=kennerly+genealogy&source=bl&ots=w9n7O2VimQ&sig=ACfU3U3fyryU-PH76-872U1L336syGmK4w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivm-6uxL7oAhUFKKwKHTqHBGs4MhDoATAQegQIJxAB#v=onepage&q=kennerly%20genealogy&f=false

http://www.shelbycountyindiana.org/biographies/bio_KennerlyJ.htm

https://westernkentuckyuniversity.pastperfectonline.com/bysearchterm?keyword=Kennerly+family

http://www.franklincountytnhistory.com/?page_id=239

http://kenerly.com/

For more links, check our DNA page and my NC Kennerly pages!

Webmaster:  ken4af@gmail.com 

March 2015

On behalf of the Kennerly family, we'd like to express our greatest appreciation to Nora L. Zimmer, Co-Chairman of Historic Preservation and members of the Olde Towne Fenton Chapter National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (Linda Kanevsky, Kelly Adams, and many others) who put together a wonderful memorial service to place a Memorial Marker commemorating the Revolutionary War Service of Private Samuel Kennerly at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St Louis MO.  The memorial service was held on 17 May 2015.