Richard Kennington's Baptism 1804

Richard Kennington

North Thoresby, Lincolnshire Baptismal Record for 1804.
FHL Film # 1542352

Thanks again to Jenny, we now see conclusive proof of Richard Kennington's entry into the world. It reads: Richd. Son of Sarah Kennington illegitimate Oct. 30th [1804].

This parish entry seems to blow the theory that Sarah was married to Richard's father, but still leaves the door open a bit that perhaps the father was someone she intended to marry. Napoleon was stirring things up in Europe. Britain and France had been at war for a year. We might be looking at a soldier who didn't come back...

I have been musing on the reasons why Sarah or her parents would choose to have the baby baptized/christened at North Thoresby rather than Louth, the parish where all the family's blessings, marriages and deaths had been recorded for at least three generations. If anyone has some insights, please volunteer your point of view.

Some angles to consider: The Parish was the welfare agent for folks in need and orphans, etc. So they were very careful about single mothers and illegitimate children because odds were the parish would end up helping support them. Consequently there are stories about forcing the mother to reveal the father's identity during the delivery or ordering the mother across parish boundaries to avoid financial burdens.
Perhaps Sarah:
1. Went there to work at North Thoresby while awaiting the baby.
2. Was North Thoresby the father's home parish and since he was libel for the support of the baby it would be logical to have the baby there?
3. Sarah stayed with family or friends while there.
4. The Parish in Louth was not accepting of unwed mothers or the family would be discraced
5. Perhaps the family was working in that area or had moved there for a time...we wouldn't know from the parish register unless someone married or died....
And the list could go on....

So far as my current records show, Sarah was Thomas and Ann's only surviving child. Thinking in terms of family support systems, I went looking for Sarah's aunts and uncles - much to my surprise there aren't a whole lot. I expected many from Michael's big family, but infant mortality was high. In fact, we only have record of one aunt - Mary Kennington about 10 years Sarah's senior, who married John Leaning from Killingholme (north Lincolnshire along the coast). Until we know more about Sarah's mother's family (the Smiths), Mary is all we have to go on. She was raising a large family in Killingholme and was having her 8th child when Sarah at 25 was expecting Richard. If Sarah desired to get away from Louth, why didn't she go up there?

The Leaning cousins had a few surprises. Two of the boys emigrated to New York and became farmers in the 1830's. They are on the census's, in the historical accounts and we can even see where they are buried thanks to the internet. So Richard had cousins in America before he ever set sail. Had any of you ever heard that from family traditions?

Two other Leaning sons stayed in the Killingholme area and in the 1851 census I believe their mother, Mary is a widow living with Joseph. She reported her birth place (not her baptism place) as Glanford Brigg just northwest of Caistor. Mary was 85 at the time. If that is a true statement, then Michael's family moved around a bit - or it was important for them to travel back to the home parish of Louth for their church records. Can anyone shed a little light on that?

Well, I hope some of you can think through this situation better than I can. I think I'll take a look at Brigg's records. We may get lucky.

Our "Richard Hemington"

In case you're as lost as I was about finding Richard Kennington (William Henry's father) in the Louth, Lincolnshire 1851 Census, here's a photo. For some reason he's been transcribed as Richd Hemington. The family is there and everything matches.

Anyone know where they are on the 1841 Census? They should have some children - at least Henry who died in 1853. Anyone know how he died? And what's the deal about having 13 children with 7 of them being buried in England? Anyone have a lead on that they'd like to share?

Richard's half brothers, William and John Onn are easy to find on every census. William (1818) was a brick and tile maker and a farmer on the side. John (1810) was a joiner and carpenter. Both had large families. They lived good long lives.

Richard Kennington Probate Records, 1881

Before the Bear Lake and Star Valley chapters in the Kennington family, there was Richard and Mary Ann's experience in Tooele. Above is a copy of Richard's probate record as they settled his estate in 1881. He was born Oct. 18, 1804 in Louth, England and passed away Oct 12, 1879 in Tooele.

Because Richard and Mary Ann crossed the Plains as handcart pioneers in 1856, it's easy for us to see what they came with, but hard to say what all they left behind in England. Probate gives us a glimpse of what they accumulated in Utah.

Tooele was a common place for new folks to settle. In 1860 the Kenningtons had a home and lot in the old fort part of Tooele. They were with folks they knew in England such as the Atkins who had a part in the Kennington conversion. The Lee family's children were raised with the Kennington kids in Tooele, went on to the Bear Lake area together and eventually married.

Richard was a butcher in Tooele. The story told by Uncle Bert Kennington in 1953 is a gem:
"Richard continued in the trade of butchering for about 5 years [after coming to Utah], then being too old to continue longer, went back to raising vegetables for a livelihood. In his profession of butchering, he would take orders for work to be done, then travel from house to house filling his assignments. One Saturday night he lacked two orders of getting his week's work completed. Sunday morning, rather than break his promise and inconvenience a customer, he butchered the two remaining pigs. Upon his arrival home, the Ward teachers came and bluntly informed him he would have to make a public confession and ask forgiveness for breaking the Sabbath. His answer was that all he had to do was pay taxes and die. This led to his being disfranchized [sic] from the church."

Back to the probate. It shows a few things:
1. Mary Ann signed with her mark. She was either ill and unable to write or she hadn't learned and they address her as Mary, not Mary Ann.
2. Richard and Mary Ann still had their daughters and extended family in the area to help them. Sarah Jane was married to David Adamson. Eliza married John England. Mary Ann married Samuel Armatage.
3. Son William Henry and his wife, Annie Rebecca were in the Bear Lake area with their family. 4. Dick, the bachelor uncle, may have been with his mother during this time. We know he eventually ended up with William in Star Valley. Does anyone remember the story?
5. The personal estate inventory is extremely modest compared to today's standards, but it is very typical of inventories ranging back 200 years in both the United States and England.

Please feel free to leave comments or add information. I think the off button had been on. Sorry if you've tried to leave a comment. By the way, photos of Richard and Mary Ann Kennington are back a few posts.