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JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

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gnstill
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JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by gnstill » Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:23 pm

New Family Page: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Please post comments and queries about this family hereunder.

Kennedy/Thomas
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by Kennedy/Thomas » Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:39 am

Just to recap on one of John George Kennedy's family tree branches for others to hopefully remember and join in, John George is from ancestors who inhabited the St. Peters Reserve before it was ever a reserve. To reiterate what has been said before, John George was a Treaty Indian yet ahead of his time in my opinion in his endeavors as a certain type of modern Indian. He was well schooled in the white way of doing things as his mother was Scotch so she would have remembered the stories of her ancestors over in Scotland being forced down from the Highlands to become more mainstream British. I have no doubt that his mother Alexander(Indian) and his mother(Scotch) were able to overcome cultural differences for something more than the single need to survive during the days of displacement. The Scotch have a history in Canada as once in desparate need of food and proper shelter. For some basic reasons I would argue is why an Indian man ended up with a Scottish woman which was way more rare than vice versa in their time and place in history.

Margaret Kennedy(1891) died before any of Isabelle's children were born. Margaret frequently went to help woman in the immediate Manigotagan area during their pregnancies and labours. Everyone knew her and the family attended social events with other locals. Manigotagan had a brief history of still births and I would like to think that because of the good work of Margaret less of those children died at or soon after birth. Vital stats lists one too many child deaths to be considered a normal rate even at that time. Her husband Charles Simard/Seymour(dob 1885) did some hunting and trapping to keep the market alive in the Manigotagan area along with others who traded their furs at the Manigotagan General Store owned by the Swain familia re approx. 1910-1935. Charles ultimately had to take on a side job at the General Store to help support his Isabelle and all her 15 other brothers and sisters. Before Isabelle was out of her teens she had lost both her parents and her grand-parents Louis and Betsy Simard/Seymour. Some of the Simard/Seymour's stayed in the mining industry, although, not always together there are mines staked by Louis which he discovered and laid claim to prior to his death. Louis was with a Flora Jane Favel and then a Mrs. St. Germain(e) right before he died.

Despite being sent to residential school by someone with a bone to pick, the children later grew to be strong and had their own families who remember the stories of their ancestors. One of the notable survivors was Betty who as an adult married the priest at her church(legally). She attended one of the better schools no doubt. Betty had Joseph and Albert for sons to name a couple who would frequently come and visit Isabelle in Winnipeg.

Agnes-Matilda Kennedy(1894) married Wallace Mayo in Selkirk 1917. Agnes's cousins were Raymond and Winnie since her aunt Rachel Thomas was thier mother. Raymond, Winnie along with Isabelle and Isabelle's half-cousin Aaron were the family members from the generation on the maternal side. On Isabelle's maternal side, those Simard/Seymour's and company, were Isabelle's own siblings and cousins by extension. Notable siblings other than Betty previously mentioned for her success with the church were Stan, Millie, Eugine and Angeline. All these people could be said to be from the same generation in the Kennedy family tree.

Mary Kennedy(1896) married Alexander Wood at Manigotagan in 1920(vital stats) right around the time when Isabelle's grand-father died and low and behold Isabelle's siblings were taken away thanks to a diligent RCMP dispatch centre who got them their when they were done with the rail workers. The couple had Franklin, Vira and Jane no doubht assisted by Isabelle's mother Margaret the midwife of Manigotagan. Jane married a Mr. Little and the family was close to the Mayo family of Winnipeg as well as the Kennedy's in general.

Roderick Kennedy(1901) was in Manitoba for most of his life where he was well liked, loved and later remembered. Roderick knew his half-brothers from his father John George's remarriage to a Mrs. Mead(e). John George's children with her were Charlie, Gilbert and others who are connected to the Cree Bands to this day.

Millie Vina Kennedy(1904) who I am told is really Minnie and her close in age sister were bead workers-bead work being synonymous with the St. Peters/Peguis Bands and geographic profile of Indian crafts at the time. They are reported as having dark complexions and not speaking much English. They lived in a remote area but had milk so the story goes. The milkman had them on his route so it couldn't have been too remote.

gnstill
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by gnstill » Sat Apr 07, 2012 8:05 pm

Sorry for the delay. I have been extremely busy lately reviewing all my KENNEDY information. I decided to tackle the whole thing by beginning with the ancestor of them all. In case you haven't noticed, it is now up. Here's the Link:
ALEXANDER KENNEDY (1781-1832)

Probably by tomorrow, I will be also uploading a feature page for their oldest child, JOHN FREDERICK KENNEDY (1805-1859) who you should find interesting. Stay tuned.

Kennedy/Thomas
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by Kennedy/Thomas » Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:48 am

Are you saying that Alexander Kennedy is the ancestor to all those Kennedy's at St. Peters around the time of relocation and dislocation? I am looking forward to more info on those Kennedy's because if they are all related I am extremely interested in bridging info to the Kennedy's that those still alive in my family might remember. In my opinion for good or bad I think that it has always been a convenient out for families to say they were Metis but truthfully they may have had more than a few pure Indian ancestors a lot closer to their generation then previously thought until they are presented with the evidence. If I am related to Captain Kennedy it would need to be accompanied by good documentation for me to relate the facts to my own family members. I think that it is however safe to say that the Kennedy's we are talking about here were Scottish, not to be confused with the Irish Kennedy clan which narrows things down to a certain family or two who are responsible for the Kennedy's we are talking about. I noticed that a recent Peguis Reserve voting list in addition to common Fisher River surnames has a very limited amount of Kennedy's on the list. This I find makes things more intriguing. Before I came to the realization that the Kennedy's we are talking about must have known about each other, I noticed that they are the only Indian Kennedy's I could sort out as coming from the known Reserves at the time of those earlier census takings in the late 1800's.

Kennedy/Thomas
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by Kennedy/Thomas » Sun Apr 08, 2012 4:51 pm

What do you think about the theory that Alexander Kennedy(1854) who signed as A.R. Kennedy on a 1875 affidavit and at least one of the treaty 1 documents-possibly the amended versions to meet promises made to Indians is the father of John George Kennedy(1870)? This Alexander I am talking about is said to be the son of Phillip on the Metis National Database and their is an affidavit from 1875 which he signed along with other people I would say were his family members or close friends. On page two of the affidavit William Kennedy signs as witness which is not the standard way of doing business re typically non related persons give reference to character and attest to the identification of a person for this kind of document unless the Kennedy's were in a position to govern themselves to a certain extent by way of ascribed status within the HBC Company.

jdoyle
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by jdoyle » Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:37 pm

Hi. I am one of John George Kennedy's great-granddaughters. I have been searching for my mom's ancestors on both my gramma's side (Mary Elizabeth Kennedy) and Alex Wood, who is my grandfather. One of the reasons you couldn't find the girls in one census, is because they were sent to residential school after Juliet's death. My mom says her mom and her younger sister and brother were sent there as John George was unable to care for them and work. I don't know where his family went, other than his brother Alex. From the stories my mom told us, John George travelled around working as a labourer or on boats as a hand. And he was a ladies man, as he had children with two women after Juliet's death. I believe my granny's younger sister was sent to live with Juliet's parents William and Mary Ann Thomas who were living on the reserve and not at St. Peter's. I can't confirm this though ... My granny married Alexander Wood of Manigotogan and had 13 children. The sister who married a Simard died in a house fire but I remember Aunt Agnes, Aunt Millie, Uncle Roddy who were my granny's siblings. Charlie Kennedy was John George's son from another woman and was my granny's half brother. My mom's cousin (Maggie's daughter) Angeline Krause lived down the street from us back in the sixties. Juliet is buried in St. Peter's Dyvenor cemetary. Mom said John George drowned at Selkirk but she isn't sure of the year it happened. Thank you for the info regarding JG's family.

Kennedy/Thomas
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by Kennedy/Thomas » Mon Apr 09, 2012 3:43 am

Thank you for your input jdoyle(newly added forum member). It is so informative to have a great granddaughter of John George Kennedy to communicate with. My family has been to that cemetery in Dynevor. Millie, Isabelle Simard's sister took them to see a bunch of relatives in their. How did Juliet die I am curious to know? In general what happened to Alex if you don't mind sharing some basic info? As for Alex Wood I was told it was Alec Wood and not to confuse you but there is a story about how a bunch of families with names like Bushie, Little, Wood, Littlewood and others ended up marrying into each others families to make the names like a joke among family members.

I would be lying if I said that I didn't want you to dig up more info and confirm or refute facts along with me for the unforeseeable future. I can however confirm at this point in time that Maggie died accidentally and unexpectedly in a house fire while on leave from her own residence. She was staying with a woman in the Manigotagan area to help the woman give birth since Maggie was a midwife. I previously thought that Maggie learned it from her mother Juliet but I have heard that she probably learned it from an older generation 'Simard woman' named Mary probably the Mary Cochrane who married Louis Jr. and was living together with Louis Jr.'s father Louis Sr. and his wife Betsy who was also a Cochrane born in Norway House(1867). There is a good chance that Louis Jr. married his first or second cousin Mary Cochrane or the name Cochrane was just a common name for people who were baptized re baptisms by Rev. Cochrane. Some of the people baptized to Cochrane were actually French so they would naturally gravitate back to the Simard's anyway. Cochrane is spelled Coghran and with other variations on some of the Catholic church records of the day. This Mary Simard nee Cochrane was an aunt of Isabelle Simard(born 1921) by way of marriage into the Simard clan.

I would love to know more about the Simard's or Kennedy's as the other names in my family are difficult to organize into family trees. So John George drowned? That is so sad. I knew he had other children already and that they are still connected to Angeline Krause. She visits some of them. I think that you and my mother are cousins but I don't know who you are yet. Please keep posting. I have family connections to the Simard's and Kennedy's but any information would be great especially on John George.

jdoyle
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by jdoyle » Mon Apr 09, 2012 10:46 pm

Hello again. If Isabelle is Angeline's sister, then she and my mom are first cousins. Small world. I am related to the Wood, Meade,Kennedy and Thomas families through my mom and the Boulette, Thomas and Doyle families who lived in Manigotogan through my dad. Jane and Gerry Little are my aunt and uncle. The Bushies, Simard and Clarke families were also living there or in Hollow Water. At this time I have no idea how Juliet died but I will talk to my aunts and uncles to see what they know. Researching our family has been interesting, sometimes frustrating and sad. I hope to search the church records to see if anything turns up. If Maggie was sent to her maternal grandparents, that would have been far better than to be sent to the residential school. My granny said they were treated very cruelly. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your mom so young and then to be sent or forced to go and leave your home and family behind. I will let you know if I find anything. And I think Maggie might have learned midwifery from Mary Simard who was her sister-in-law. Mary Simard's family still lives in Manigotogan. I believe that Alice Swain was also a midwife but I doubt Maggie knew her.

Kennedy/Thomas
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by Kennedy/Thomas » Tue Apr 10, 2012 2:55 am

Angeline Krause nee Simard lived in a few different places in the North End of Winnipeg while her kids grew up. Isabelle Harder nee Simard's kids were close to Angeline's kids. Angeline had 4 kids who I believe are all still living. The Krause family lived on or very near to Inkster Blvd in the 1960's. Like Angeline, Isabelle married a German man so the families could relate that way. My aunts and uncles are your second cousins believe it or not. Richard Harder would have been a teenager in the 60's.

Boulette and Doyle are unfamiliar to me but not necessarily to my aunts and uncles. I will look into this potential connection. I am still not totally sure about who all the Thomas's in my family tree are yet. An 1875 affidavit for William Thomas(1845) states that he is Swampy Cree born to John and Jane Thomas. The affidavit lists a wife and children at the time as 'Catherine and Ann'. The Vital Stats Agency of MB lists a Ann Thomas as dying at 2 years of age so only Catherine shows up on the next census 1881. Only thing is that a William and Mary An live next to another Thomas couple around same age where a Catherine is listed as their daughter. Later on I would guess William and Mary An had Juliet and Flora Bella-after Rachel, Catherine and probably others were sent to residential school. Are you sure that William and Mary An ? are the parents of Juliet Thomas who later married John George and gave birth to Margaret and Mary Elizabeth Kennedy? William and Mary An Thomas were from St. Peters as was Juliet Thomas. The couple took care of some of the Kennedy children; namely any that didn't get sent to residential school I would assume.

Rachel Thomas died during labour
Juliet Thomas-unknown cause of death
Catherine-unknown cause of death
Flora Bella-unknown cause of death
other Thomas children-unknown who they are or if there were more-more who took changed name from Kennedy to Thomas after adoption

Bushie-I think it was a Gloria Wood who who married a Bushie-Gloria being related to Jane Little since before they each got married.

Church Records-if you want records on Kennedy's and Thomas's I think that the place to look starts at contacting the good people at archives@rupertsland.ca. They should have all those records for the Kennedy and Thomas families as they all pretty much belonged to the Church of England(Anglican).

Midwifery-Mary Simard of Manigotagan was indeed a midwife. It was the Spence family I think via Mary Simard who took care of a child my grandmother Isabelle gave up for adoption when she was a very young mother. There is more to this but at this time I don't know enough to give any details about the event.

gnstill
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Re: JOHN GEORGE KENNEDY (1870-?)

Post by gnstill » Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:54 am

To confuse matters, the 1906 census in the St Peters Reserve enumerated two different children named Agnes in the household of Mary (nee STEVENS) & William THOMAS (1846-1931); one was his 18 year old daughter Agnes (b-c1888) and the other was his 10 year old (adopted) granddaughter (b-c1896). It was most likely Agnes the adopted granddaughter (child of Juliet & JG KENNEDY) who married in 1917 to Wallace MAYO b-1893.

The fact that granddaughter Agnes was adopted probably indicates that her mother (Juliet) had died before 1906.

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