Showing posts with label Martha Booth Kernachan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martha Booth Kernachan. Show all posts

Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Sisters Kernachan

"Sister" KERNACHAN born Mecklenburg Co., Va., Nov. 3, 1791; died March 1, 1847; moved to Tenn. in 1818; married Abram Kernachan (died March 12, 1833), 1820, and settled in Lauderdale Co., Ala. the same year; four daughters and one son. She married, as a widow, to Robert Kernachan, May 1834.

April 2, 1847

GENEALOGICAL ABSTRACTS FROM REPORTED DEATHS
THE NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE 1847-1849

By Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith
Copyright, Jonathan K. T. Smith, 2003

In the above obituary for Martha W. Booth Kernachan, it mentions that she was the mother of 4 daughters and one son. I've so far concentrated on her son, Robert T. Kernachan, Jr.  and his descendants, today, I will take a quick look at the 4 Kernachan sisters. They were ladies of good breeding, and married well, but not ones of luck. 

The 4 were: Mariah C b 1822, Eliza Ann 1823, Matilda Bloomfield 1826 and Mary Lucy 1829.


Mariah and her husband Isaac B. are buried in the Kernachan cemetery in Colbert County, Alabama. 


WILLIAMS, Isaac B.      5 Apr AD 1812 5 Mar AD 1853 aged 39 yrs 11 mos 10 das
WILLIAMS, Maria C.**       6 Apr 1822    1 Sep 1851 aged 29 yrs 4 mos 25 das
   **Consort of Isaac B. Williams & daughter of Abram & Martha Kernachan


ame:Mariah Kernachan
Spouse:Isaac B William
Marriage Date:21 Nov 1838
County:Lauderdale
State:Alabama
Source information:Hunting For Bears

They were married in 1838, and appear in the 1850 census of Lauderdale County, Alabama. 


Mariah Williams
Age:28
Birth Year:abt 1822
Birthplace:Alabama
Home in 1850:Florence, Lauderdale, Alabama
Gender:Female
Family Number:906
Household Members:
NameAge
Isaac Williams30
Mariah Williams28

Sadly, both Mariah and her husband died within just a few years of this census, she in 1851 and he in 1853. There are no records or tombstones indicating that they ever had children, or what they died of. Mariah's death was reported in the Nashville Christian Advocate, a paper that was actually published by a relative. 
From the Nashville Christian Advocate: Oct 2, 1851

     Maria Williams, wife of James Williams, Daughter of Abram and Martha Kernachan, died September 1, 1851, in the 30th year of her age. 


Her husband was incorrectly named as "James". His tombstone and the marriage license both record his name as Isaac B. Williams. He was born in Kentucky and was the son of Daniel Williams, who also migrated to Alabama. 

The second daughter, Eliza Ann, also lived a very brief life. Born December 3, 1823, she died May 21, 1845, at the age of 21. She was the blushing young bride of her cousin, Frances Harwood Jones, who would remarry and have a family, and become a state representative. She may have died in childbirth, as many young women did in those days. 

From the Nashville Christian Advocate:

March 12, 1881

Colonel FRANCIS H. JONES born Mecklenburg Co., No. Carolina, June 1, 1809; died near Courtland, Ala., February 3, 1881; married (1) Frances Brown; (2) Ann Eliza Kernachan; (3) Antoinette A. Lile, six children; represented Lawrence Co., Ala. in state legislature several terms; had lived briefly years before in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The article mentions that Col Jones lived briefly in Cincinatti, Ohio. It was this time during his marriage to Eliza. The Kernachans had family in Cincinatti, and kept in touch for generations. They were the children of Andrew Kernachan, younger brother of Abraham and Robert, who had remained in Tennesee, after they had migrated there from Pennsylvania, where they first arrived after leaving Donegal, Ireland. The Kernachans kept in touch with and visited the Cincinatti family for generations. 

The third daughter was Matilda Bloomfield Kernachan. The first name "Matilda Bloomfield" was a name, like  "Minerva Tazwell" that was passed through the Jones, Booth and Simmons families that originated in Southside Virginia, for generations. They were likely the names of very early Matriarchs. Minerva Tazewell may have been a member of the Tazewell family for who Tazewell County was named, and had married into the Booth/Jones family. 

Matilda B was born May 16, 1826. She and her husband James Cary Jones, are both buried in the Kernachan cemetery as well. Not only was James C. Jones her cousin, he was also the brother of her sisters Eliza's husband Francis Harwood Jones. Although she was born in the Shoals, and buried there, she did not live there her entire life. 
Matilda B Jones
[Matilda B Noel
Age:25
Birth Year:abt 1825
Birthplace:Alabama
Home in 1850:Athens, Limestone, Alabama
Gender:Female
Family Number:644
Household Members:
NameAge
James C Jones31
Matilda B Jones25
Eliza A Jones4
Mary L S Jones0
Sarah noll Jones67
Rebecca Sammond39
Ellen Sammond21
Rebecca M Sammond17
Amanda Harriet36

In 1850, they had moved to Limestone County and daughters Eliza Ann and Mary "LuLu" had been born. Also in the household were great-aunt Sarah "Sallie" Booth Noel, (transcriber mistakenly named her 'Noll Jones' when it fact, it actually just says "Noel".) and sister-in-law Rebecca Ann Charlotte Jones Simmons with her two daughters, Ellen, who would marry Robert T. Kernachan Jr, Matilda's brother and Rebecca Minerva Simmons. I believe Amanda Harriett was a member of the Jones or Simmons family, but have not yet placed her.

By 1860, they had moved to Caddo Parrish, Louisiana with other members of the family, including Vinkler Harwood Jones.
M B Jones
Age in 1860:34
Birth Year:abt 1826
Birthplace:Alabama
Home in 1860:Ward 1, Caddo, Louisiana
Gender:Female
Post Office:Shreveport
Value of real estate:View Image
Household Members:
NameAge
J C Jones40
M B Jones34
A E Jones13
M L Jones10
S B Jones8
Daughter Sarah Bloomfield Jones had joined the family.

By 1870, the family had moved to Gavelston, Texas. By then, daughter Eliza Ann (or Ann Eliza as she is sometimes seen, has married William B Norris (transcription error in census again), and the young couple are living with her parents, along with younger children William and Sally and a sister of William Norris, an employee and an unknown young girl named Louisa Oakley.

Name:Matilda B Jones
Age in 1870:44
Birth Year:abt 1826
Birthplace:Alabama
Home in 1870:Galveston Ward 2, Galveston, Texas
Race:White
Gender:Female
Post Office:Galveston
Value of real estate:View Image
Household Members:
NameAge
James O Jones54
Matilda B Jones44
Lula Jones30
William E Jones9
Sally Jones1
Wm B Morris22
E amra Morris32
Jane C Morris13
M Littleford48
Louisa Oakley13
By 1880, the family has returned to Louisiana, to the Lake Charles area. Both James and his son-in-law W. B. Norris became sucessful lumbermen. 
Name:Matilda B. Jones
Age:52
Birth Year:abt 1828
Birthplace:Alabama
Home in 1880:Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisiana
Race:White
Gender:Female
Relation to Head of House:Wife
Marital Status:Married
Spouse's Name:James C. Jones
Father's Birthplace:Ireland
Mother's Birthplace:Virginia
Neighbors:View others on page
Occupation:Keeps House
Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:
Household Members:
NameAge
James C. Jones60
Matilda B. Jones52
Wm. E. Jones19
Sarah B. Jones12

James Cary Jones and Matilda B. Jones are both buried in the Kernachan cemetery, along with a number of their children, some who died as infants. 

JONES, Martha Tazewell     7 Apr 1845   15 Jun 1846 aged 1 yr 2 mos 8 das
JONES, Infant             22 Sep 1843    1 Oct 1843 
     inf son of James C. & Martha B. Jones
JONES, William Edward      2 Aug 1860   15 Oct 1882 
     son of James Carey & Matilda Bloomfield Jones
JONES, Sallie Bloomfield  11 Aug 1868   29 Mar 1883 
     dau of James C. & Matilda B. Jones
JONES, James Carey        30 Jul 1819   12 May 1885 father
       Matilda Bloomfield 16 May 1826   11 Oct 1885 mother; nee Kernachan

Many people have mistaken the fact, that since Matilda's middle name was Bloomfield, that her mother's maiden name must have been Bloomfield, but it was not, neither was it Tazewell. It was Booth, as her ties with her siblings and named in their wills, have proven.

The 1880 census shows Eliza and her husband living next door to her parents and siblings. But where is Lulu (Mary L. S. Jones)?

Wm. B. NorrisAnna E.Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisianaabt 1838New HampshireSelf(Head)
View RecordAnna E. NorrisWm. B.Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisianaabt 1847AlabamaWife
View RecordJames C. JonesMatilda B.Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisianaabt 1820North CarolinaSelf(Head)
View RecordMatilda B. JonesJames C.Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisianaabt 1828AlabamaWife
View RecordWm. E. JonesJames C.,
Matilda B.
Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisianaabt 1861LouisianaSon
View RecordSarah B. JonesJames C.,
Matilda B.
Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisianaabt 1868TexasDaughter


According to records, James C. Jones and Matilda B Kernachan Jones had 6 children. 

An infant son born in 1843 lived 2 months. Martha Tazwell Jones lived one year 2 months and 8 days. 


Annie Eliza (or Eliza Ann) Jones lived a long life from 1856 to 1932. She married a Norris. 


Mary L. S. Jones, or "LuLu"  born abt 1850, at least made it to adulthood, then I've lost track of her. 


William Edward Jones lived to be 22 and his sister Sarah Bloomfield "Sallie" Jones only made it to 15. 



They youngest of the Kernachan Sisters, also married well, also married a distant relative, and also died young. 


She was the first wife of John N. Malone. John Nicholas Malone was the son of George Booth Malone, and the family had migrated to Alabama from the Dinwiddie County area of Virginia. Again, they were distant cousins through the Booth line. 


Mary Lucy and John Nicholas would have 3 children together, but only one who would make it to adulthood. 


Algernon Kennon Kernachan Malone was born in April of 1846 and died as a toddler in 1848. His tombstone in Athens, Limestone County, Alabama designates him as the son of J. N and Mary Lucy. 


Sister Sarah A "Sallie" Malone fared no better. She was born in February of 1848 and died in December of 1850, not quite 3 years old. 


The only child to grow up was Robert Booth Malone, the second child of these three, born March 31, 1847, he lived until April 1, 1933. He remained a citizen of Athens and married Betty Custus and had 9 children. This one son made Mary Lucy Kernachan Malone the sister with the most descendants. 


Her widower, John Nicholas Malone, went on to marry Rebecca Minerva Simmons, the sister of Ellen Simmons who married Mary Lucy's brother Robert and daugther of Rebecca Ann Charlotte Jones Simmons, who is shown in the census above, living with her brother James C. Jones and wife Matilda Kernachan Jones, making this family tie nearly too entwined to explain. 


John N. Malone is featured in Biographies of Limestone County. See below. He was a farmer and statesman of reknown. He and R. M. Simmons Malone would have 6 children of their own. 

MALONE, JOHN N., Attorney-at-law, Athens, Ala., was born in Sussex County, Va. His parents, George and Sallie (Moyler) Malone, natives of Virginia, and of Irish descent, came to Limestone county in 1823, and here spent the rest of their lives, the old gentleman dying in 1847, at the age of sixty-two years ; his wife having preceded him to the other world by about four years. They reared a family of three sons and three daughters, of whom John N., and a sister are the only ones living. One of the sons was a doctor, another a farmer.  The subject of this sketch graduated from La Grange College, Franklin County, Ala., as A. B., in 1830, and subsequently in due course received from the same institution the degree of A. M. He studied law with J. W. McLung, Huntsville: was admitted to the bar in 1841, and practiced law for ten years. Then for the next succeeding ten years, though maintaining his office at Athens, he devoted his time to planting. In 1881, he was elected to the State Senate and was kept there for six consecutive years. After the war, he resumed the practice of law, and farming, and in 1881, was appointed probate judge to fill out an unexpired term of five years, the office having been vacated by the death of John M. Townsend.  Judge Malone was one of the trustees of the Alabama University from 1851 to the outbreak of the war, and has been one of the trustees of the Agricultural and Mechanical School of Auburn since its organization in 1874. Thus we find that he has nearly all his life been interested in the cause of education. He was a delegate to the National Convention at Baltimore in 1852, and supported Franklin Pierce and William R. King. He took an active part in the memorable presidential campaign of 1860; supported Stephen A. Douglas for the presidency ; was opposed to secession because he feared it would be followed by coercion and war; but after Alabama seceded, he cast his fortunes and fate with her, and was intensely Southern in his sentiments and in full sympathy with the Southern Confederacy. 
John N. Malone was married in Lauderdale County in 1844, to Mary Lucy Kernachan, who died in 1848, leaving one son, Robert, now a planter in Limestone County. His second marriage took place in the same county in 1854, to Miss Rebecca Simmons, and to this union have been born two sons and three daughters. The youngest son, Henry, is a farmer: George is a merchant; two of the daughters are married to merchants in Arkansas, and the third one is at home. The family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church and Judge Malone is a Mason. Source: Northern Alabama - Historical and Biographical by Smith & De Land, Birmingham, Ala 1888



Monday, May 13, 2013

The Kernachan's

In researching  my last post, Who was Jannett Mumford, I came across a lot of Scotch and Irish settlers, who arrived prior or during the time of the American Revolution and immediately became patriots. These sons of Eire or Scotia were not down-trodden, half-starved refugees of a potato famine, but educated and skilled craftsmen, doctors, lawyers, merchants and gentlemen farmers, like Robert Adam, the Maffetts, John Hogg, and many others. They came and married and did business with the sons of Quakers and daughters of Virginians. Patrick married Patience, Duncan married Phobe and all as well and the fabric of America was being woven.

William Malone

The Kernahans of Lauderdale County, Alabama were no different. They were not a large family, there was Abraham and Robert. Although I have not yet came across a document that identifies them as such, they were probably brothers.

In the 19 page Divorce Settlement of Dr. George Washington Booth and his wife Mariah Booth Winfield Maffett Booth, Robert Kernachan is a major player. It is to him, the trusteeship of the property of Mariah Booth and her daughter Mary Ann Maffett, is given, after it is taken from Dr. Booth and from Mariah's former brother-in-law, Dr. William H Maffett of Fayetteville.

Who was Robert Kernachan, so entrusted with her estate?

Link to Rebecca Elliotts will

In my prior post, linked above, Martha Kernachan is named as an heir and near kin of Rebecca Booth Elliott, the aunt of both Mariah and her husband/first cousin, George W. Booth.

Martha was a Booth. Robert was her husband, and therefore an 'In-law" of Mariah.

William Malone

The Kernachan Cemetery in Lauderdale County, Alabama, was surveyed  on April 5, 1989 by Orlan Irons. It is located off of Gunwaleford Road.

Listed are the following interments:



NAME                          Born          Died   Inscription/Comments
KERNACHAN, Robert                       14 Jan 1869 aged 76 years
WILLIAMS, Isaac B.      5 Apr AD 1812 5 Mar AD 1853 aged 39 yrs 11 mos 10 das
WILLIAMS, Maria C.**       6 Apr 1822    1 Sep 1851 aged 29 yrs 4 mos 25 das
   **Consort of Isaac B. Williams & daughter of Abram & Martha Kernachan
KERNACHAN, R. T.                        28 Mar 1868 aged 40 yrs 6 mos 9 das
JONES, Martha Tazewell     7 Apr 1845   15 Jun 1846 aged 1 yr 2 mos 8 das
JONES, Infant             22 Sep 1843    1 Oct 1843 
     inf son of James C. & Martha B. Jones
JONES, William Edward      2 Aug 1860   15 Oct 1882 
     son of James Carey & Matilda Bloomfield Jones
JONES, Sallie Bloomfield  11 Aug 1868   29 Mar 1883 
     dau of James C. & Matilda B. Jones
JONES, James Carey        30 Jul 1819   12 May 1885 father
       Matilda Bloomfield 16 May 1826   11 Oct 1885 mother; nee Kernachan
KERNACHAN, Abraham                      12 Mar 1833 aged 50 yrs; 
     born in County Donegall, Ireland
Some of these tombstones are broken, and some are out of place.

Location of Kernachan Cemetery

The Kernahans became entangled with other members of the Booth family as well.

Abraham Kernachan and Martha Booth had one son and 5 daughters:

First were the twins:

Muriel G Kernachan and Mariah C Kernachan were born on April 6, 1822.

There are no marriage  records on Muriel, so she likely died as a child.

Mariah C Kernachan married Isaac B Williams. Both are buried in the Kernachan Cemetery.

Eliza Ann Kernachan was born Dec 3, 1823. She married first cousin Francis Harwood Jones, son of Francis F Jones and Nancy Ann Booth Jones. She died a young bride at the age of  22 in 1845.

Matilda B Kernachan was born May 16, 1836. She married James Carey Jones, also a first cousin and a brother to Francis H. Jones who married her sister Eliza.

Only son, Robert Thomas Kernachan II (named for his uncle and probably his grandfather), was a Confederate Veteran who died in 1869. He married cousin Ann Elizabeth Ellen Simmons, daughter of  John J. Simmons and Rebecca Ann Charlotte Jones Simmons. Her mother would go on to marry John Nicholas Malone of Limestone County, Alabama. All present Alabama Kernachans are descended from their 3 sons: Robert T Kernachan III (1855), John Simmons Kernachan (1857) and William Jones Kernachan (1859). All three sons made their mark in Alabama history. More on them later.

Mary Lucy Kernachan, the youngest, was born September 24, 1829. She was the first wife of John Nicholas Malone, who later married her cousin Rebecca Ann Charlotte Jones Simmons, mother of her sister-in-law, Ann Elizabeth Ellen Simmons. They had 3 children together before Lucy died in 1849: Algernon Kernachan Malone (1846), Robert Booth Malone (1847) and Sarah A "Sally" Malone (1848).


In several newspaper articles and pieces of business, we found out a little of who the Kernachans were.:

From the Nashville Christian Advocate: Oct 2, 1851

     Maria Williams, wife of James Williams, Daughter of Abram and Martha Kernachan, died September 1, 1851, in the 30th year of her age. 

If you notice, in the cemetery, her husband is "Isaac B Williams".

From Newspaer Abstracts from The Huntsville Daily Mercury, contributed by KL Stacy, 

Florence Notes  Nov 22, 1885

A Young Man Kills himself accidentally

"Mr. Robert T. Kernachan, one of our most popular and worthy young men, was wounded  Thursday evening by the accidental discharge of his gun, and from  the effects of which he died yesterday. He leaves behind a wife and two little children, and a host of friends  to mourn his sad and untimely end. He will be buried today at the family burying ground in Colberts Reserve in this county. "


The Nashville Christian Advocate, about the same time reported:
Robert T Kernachan died near Florence, Alabama, November 20, 1885 in his 31st year of age of accidental gunshot wound; married Blanche Moore, Jan. 18 1881, two children.

The two children were John Simmons Kernachan and William J. Kernachan, both who grew up to be distinguished men.

NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, V. 29, #6. February 6, 1869
ROBERT KERNACHAN d Jan. 14, 1869, aged 73rd year; native of Ireland; came to Philadelphia, Pa. at age 6 and then to Lauderdale Co., Ala. where he died; joined MEC in 1821 or 1822.

Note: MEC stands for "Methodist Episcopal Church"


"Sister" KERNACHAN born Mecklenburg Co., Va., Nov. 3, 1791; died March 1, 1847; moved to Tenn. in 1818; married Abram Kernachan (died March 12, 1833), 1820, and settled in Lauderdale Co., Ala. the same year; four daughters and one son. She married, as a widow, to Robert Kernachan, May 1834.

PLANTATIONS IN ALABAMA

  



Kernachan PlantationLauderdale


In 1810, the Chickasaws complained that between 4000 and 5000 people had illegally invaded their territory. By 1816, Isaac Barker, a government agent reported 200 to 300 families living around the Shoals of the Tennesse River, which included the Muscle Shoals area in Lauderdale County, Alabama.

Abraham, or Abram, as he is often seen, was born in Donegal, Ireland. We know that he arrived first in Philadelphia, in 1799,  and that at some point prior to 1820, he had removed to Tennessee. The obituary for Martha Booth Kernachan states that they married in Tennesee about 1820. Younger brother Robert Thomas Kernachan would later join Abraham and Martha in Lauderdale County, Alabama, but another younger brother, Andrew, would remain in Shelby County, Tennesse. He was the father of two daughters who would remove to Cincinatti, Ohio. Several of the Alabama Kernachans would later visit Cincinatti. William Jones Kernachan is recorded as having been born there, and the obituary of Francis Harwood Jones, who married Abrahams daughter Eliza, states that they lived for a little while in Cincinatti. Francis H. Jones was also a cousin of Eliza Kernachan, being the son of Francis F Jones and Nancy Ann Booth, sister of Martha Booth Kernachan.

Inventory Book "A" of Lauderdale County, Alabama records 22 patents of land to Abraham Kernachan dated February 6, 1822 in Township 3 South, Range 12 West.

This township borders the Tennesee River (Pickwick Lake) to the south. It continues across the river into Colbert County, Alabama.

The Kernachan Cemetery which contains the remains of Abraham and his brother Robert lies in Colbert County. The Kernachan plantation lie in Lauderdale County.

April 6, 1822, Twins Muriel G and Mariah C Kernachan are born.

On April 25, 1822 Abraham Kernachan record his livestock mark as "a swallow fork in each ear". p 116

December 3, 1823 Eliza Ann Kernachan is born.

On October 20, 1823, Abraham is recorded as living in the community of "Smithsonia".

May 16, 1826 Matilda Bloomfield Kernachan is born.

1826 Abraham Kernachan files a lawsuit in Lawrence County, Alabama suing his brother-in-law, Harper Booth. Another party mentioned is another brother-in-law, Francis Jones, husband of Nancy Ann Booth Jones. Abraham wins the suit and Harper Booth has to pay him the $1279.25 that was borrowed in 1822.

September 19, 1827 Robert Thomas Kernachan II is born.

September 4, 1829 Mary Lucy Kernachan is born.

In the 1830 census, Abraham was the Head of Household of nearly his own town, with a total of 55 persons in his household. Many small towns did not have that many citizens.

He grew Cotton.


Abraham Kernachan
[Abraham Kernahan] 
Home in 1830 (City, County, State):Lauderdale, Alabama
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5:1 Robert T II
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:1 Likely an employee
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39:1  Robert
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59:1   Abraham
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5:1 Mary Lucy
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9:3 Mariah, Matilda, Eliza
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39:1 Martha
Slaves - Males - Under 10:6
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23:9
Slaves - Males - 24 thru 35:5
Slaves - Males - 36 thru 54:5
Slaves - Females - Under 10:8
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23:6
Slaves - Females - 36 thru 54:4
Slaves - Females - 55 thru 99:3
Free White Persons - Under 20:5
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:3
Total Free White Persons:9
Total Slaves:46
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored):55


The one male between 20 and 29 was probaly an employee, like the John Cradock living with Robert in 1850.


A history of Lauderdale County states that the major Cotton mills were established between 1836 and 1840.   The Cypress Creek area of Lauderdale saw the devopment of the Kernachan Mill and the Skipworth Mill, which would later be purchased by Mr James Martin and Mr. Levi Cassity and renamed the Globe Factory or called the Cypress Mill.


March 12, 1833 Abraham Kernachan died.

In May of 1834, his widow, Martha B Kernachan, married his brother Robert Thomas Kernachan, Sr.

The Kernachan name has many variations. There were quite possibly more relatives left in the Philadelphia area, some may have even moved to New York.

Variations found are: Kernighan, Kernohan, Kernachon, Carnachen, Carnaghan, Carnalan, Carnaman, Carnan, Carnilon, Kennon.

They were first found in County Donegal, Ireland, where they held a seat from early times. Abraham's Tombstone reads:

"Abraham Kernachan b 1783 Corrigan Co, Donegal, Ireland    d 12 Mar 1833 in Lauderdale County Alabama".

While the only siblings we can be sure of is Robert, who married his widow and John, who remained in Ireland and is mentioned in Robert's will, and whose descendants may have came to claim an inheritance, and Andrew, who remained in Tennesse, and whose daughters the family still had interactions with, there is a mention of a Revolutionary War soldier:
William Carnahan or Kernachan , enlisted 13 April 1791 Private Pennsylvania line. Enlisted at Little York, PA.
He applied for a pention Nov 1, 1818, at age 68, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The 1820 record lists him with wife Grissel, 74 and 2 children living in the home. (Grandchildren perhaps?). This would have William born about 1750. Maybe he was the father of the Kernchans, or some other relative.

There is an 1869 record of name changes in Pennsylvania wherein a William Henry Kernachan changed his name to William Henry Kenyon. Perhaps he wanted to sound less Irish.



Robs Kernahan
Home in 1840 (City, County, State):Lauderdale, Alabama
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14:1   Robert II  13
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29:1   Employee ?
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49:1   Robert    47
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14:1  Lucy 11
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19:2  Eliza 17, Matilda 14 (Mariah married, Muriel deceased)
Free White Persons - Females - 40 thru 49:1  Martha  48
Slaves - Males - Under 10:19
Slaves - Males - 10 thru 23:10
Slaves - Males - 24 thru 35:9
Slaves - Males - 36 thru 54:5
Slaves - Males - 55 thru 99:1
Slaves - Females - Under 10:15
Slaves - Females - 10 thru 23:10
Slaves - Females - 24 thru 35:5
Slaves - Females - 36 thru 54:4
Slaves - Females - 55 thru 99:3
Persons Employed in Agriculture:40
Free White Persons - Under 20:4
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49:3
Total Free White Persons:7
Total Slaves:81
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves:88

By 1840, Roberts' Household had grown considerably. In a history of Lauderdale County, for the year 1860, he was listed as one of the largest planters in the county, along with George Armstead, Nathan Boddie, William H Key, Robert M Patton and others.

The court records hold summons for Roberts service in several different years:

April 4, 1844 Petit Jurors:
Robert Kernachan, farmer, Sinking Creek


Sept 29, 1845 Summoned to Grand Jury: Robert Kernachan, farmer, Sinking Creek

1850 Traves Jurors:

Robert Kernachan, farmer, Sinking Creek

April 13,1857
Robert Kernachan, farmer, Reserve

While the elder Robert was serving on the Jury, Robert, the younger was appearing in court. He had multiple problems of his own.


They both appeared in the 1850 census:
R T Kernahan
[Robert Thomas Kernahan Sr
Age:56
Birth Year:abt 1794
Birthplace:Ireland
Home in 1850:District 1, Lauderdale, Alabama
Gender:Male
Family Number:801
Household Members:
NameAge
R T Kernahan56
John Crodock22



R T Kernahan
[Robert Thomas Kernachan jr
Age:23
Birth Year:abt 1827
Birthplace:Alabama
Home in 1850:District 1, Lauderdale, Alabama
Gender:Male
Family Number:800
Household Members:
NameAge
R T Kernahan23


In 1843, another mention of Robert Kernachan, Sr., was in the court papers:

In the matter of Robert Kernachan, Trustee, etc. of Mariah B Moffett, a decree was rendered by the chancellor removing the said trustee, and appointing James C Malone in his stead.

This decree led to the next phase in Mariah's life.