My Genealogy Hound

THOMAS J. KENNY, retired, Homestead, was born Nov. 8, 1803, in Chester county, Pa. His father, Charles Henry, was born Nov. 1, 1760, in County Donegal, Ireland; immigrated to America in 1791 and settled in Chester county, Pa. With nothing but native energy he raised himself in a short time to an enviable position as merchant and county official, being justice of the peace a long term and register and recorder nine years. He died July 29, 1845. He married Mary, a daughter of Michael Jenkins, of Welsh descent, whose ancestors came to America with Lord Baltimore. The progenitor of the Jenkins family was Ap Jenkins, whose son William, born in 1634, married Mary, daughter of Lieut. Thomas Courtney, of the English navy, both families having a coat of arms. Mrs. Mary Kenny was the mother of five children: Anthony H. (a Catholic priest), Thomas J., Charity A., Charles W. and Mary. Of these Charity A was the wife of William B. Conway, who organized Iowa as a territory and became its first secretary of state; Charles W. joined the Jesuits at St. Stanislaus, Mo., where he is superintendent.

In 1818 Thomas J. walked from his native county to Mifflin township, where his father bought two hundred and seventy-five acres of land, which is still in possession of our subject. For thirty years he has been engaged in mining coal under his own and other farms, and as a farmer and coal-merchant has been one of the most successful men in that business. Since 1883 he has resided in Homestead. Mr. Kenny married twice, his first wife, Hannah Curran, dying young. His second wife, Ann Maginri, died Aug. 11, 1885 aged seventy-eight years; they had ten children, of whom six are yet living: Charles, Antony H., Thomas J. Ann E. (now Mother Bernard, of Cincinnati, where she is superioress), Agnes G. (wife of J. G. Kelly, cashier at Braddock), and William F. Mr. Kenny is a member of the Catholic Church, for which he has done much, and has built a brick church on his farm himself.