Richard Kennon Sr. (abt. 1650 - bef. 1696)

Born about 1650 in Henrico County, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Worsham) Kennon — married 1673 in Henrico County, Virginia

Descendants

Died before 20 Aug 1696 before about age 46 in Conjuror's Neck, Henrico County, Colony of Virginia

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Biography

Richard Kennon Sr. is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

Richard Kennon Sr. was a Virginia colonist.

Richard Kennon^[1]

Richard Kennon, or Cannon as the name was pronounced and sometimes spelled, was a merchant resident at Bermuda Hundred as early as 1680.^[2] Burgess for Henrico County (1685-86), Richard died there in 1696.^[1]

The Kennon family is rich in Virginia history and the home of Richard and Elizabeth (Worsham) Kennon is being preserved and maintained by the "Old Brick House Foundation". For more information on the Kennon homestead settled in Conjurer's Neck, Colonial Heights, please visit their website: Oldbrickhouse.org, or on FaceBook: The Old Brick House (OBH) Foundation.

"Dr. Richard Kennon, who was a distinguished member of the House of Burgesses, from Henrico Co. He was an Englishmen of fortune, who settled in the Colony prior to 1670, and whose family received grants upward of 50,000 acres." - ^[3]

Richard Kennon was the, "founder of the family in Virginia, was a prominent merchant living at Bermuda Hundred, on James river. In 1685 he was a factor for Mr. William Paggen, a London merchant. He was a constant visitor to London; justice of the peace for Henrico county in 1680 and other years; burgess in 1686. He married Elizabeth Worsham, daughter of William Worsham and Elizabeth, his wife. he died in 1696 and in his will names his children Richard, William, Martha, married Robert Munford, Mary married Major John Bolling, of "Cobbs," Elizabeth married Joseph Royall, Sr., Sarah, and Judith, married Thomas Eldridge." -^[4] Richard Kennon,Francis Epes,Joseph Royall and George Archer received 2827 acres the year of 1691,Henrico County,Virginia.^[5]

Marriage

Husband: Richard Kennon ^[6]

Wife: Elizabeth Worsham ^[7]

Date: c.1676

Place: Henrico, Virginia

Husband: Richard Kennon

Wife: Elizabeth Worsham

1st Child: Richard Kennon (1684-1688) ^[8]

Child: William Kennon ^[9]

Child: Mary Kennon m John Bolling of Cobbs ^[10]

Child: Elizabeth Kennon m Joseph Royall ^[11]

Child: Martha Kennon m Robert Munford ^[12]

Child: Sarah Kennon ^[13]

Child: Judith Kennon m Thomas Eldridge of Surrey ^[14]

On March 1, 1710, Elizabeth conveyed the home by deed to son William--Henrico Records, Bk1786-1707, p206.

Among the newer class of merchants settling in Chesterfield were Richard Kennon and John Pleasants, both of whom were factors for large Britishfirms. Kennon, however, did not confine his activities to trade, but was anardent sportsman and became a large landowner as well. His dwelling know as "Brick House" erected at Conjuror's Neck, where he started to build in 1685, is believed to be the oldest house still standing in Chesterfield. Kennon became a member of the House of Burgesses and active in other Colonial affairs, including the sports of the day. His horses were frequent winners on the track at Bermuda Hundred. (Some confusion on who is who follows). ^[15]

Richard Kennon was appointed a justice of Henrico 1678, and was a burgess for that county in 1685. He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Worsham, and died in 1696. His will was proved in Henrico Aug. 20, 1696. Issue given. ^[16]

The Remarkable Lady of Conjurer's Neck. This article is from the book Chesterfield , An Old Virginia County, by Francis Earl Lutz. Published by William Byrd Press: Richmond, Virginia, 1954. p. 62.

In 1639 Richard Kennon patented land on a peninsula created by the bend of the Appomattox River and Swift Creek. Kennon was a representative for a large London firm and traded the goods he imported. Among the less admirable imports by Kennon was slaves.
The site of his land patent was called "Conjurer's Neck" because when the white people came to the hand of the "Appomutucks," an old Indian conjurer occupied that site. In 1611 Sir Thomas Dale had all the Indians from this area driven off in retaliation for an Indian attack on a white settlement; thus the fertile tilled land of the Indians became available for use by the white settlers.
Kennon was public spirited and served in all offices to which he was called. In addition, he was a sportsman and prior to 1677 he was known to race many horses in the "Quarter" races held at the track in Bermuda Hundred.
He built a residence called "Brick House" which is currently believed to be the oldest surviving house in the County. The dwelling was begun in 1685, and it is believed that the brick may have been manufactured on the peninsula, for in reality, few American buildings were actually built of English brick.
Richard Kennon married Elizabeth Bolling, daughter of Colonel Robert Bolling and his second wife, Anne Stith. Their first son was named Richard Kennon, Jr., and died at four years of age. He was buried just beyond the bay window of the house so that the bereaved young mother could watch over the grave.
It was not unusual, during the early colonial area, for a second son to bear the name of the first son who had died, so the Kennons also named their second son Richard. They were blessed with a third son whom they named William.
Richard Kennon, Sr. must have died prior to 1703, because in that year Elizabeth Kennon joined a group that included eight other people of influence and patented 4,000 acres on a creek called Winterpock in southwest Chesterfield. It appears that she entered this deal on behalf of her sons who were not of age.
This lady seems to have been business minded because she was also listed as the proprietor of a ferry which operated from Point of Rocks to the Prince George side of the Appomattox. She operated this as late as 1720 when she would have been around fifty-five years old; an advanced age for a colonial lady.
By 1711 the Kennon's son William was one of William Byrd, II's subordinates in the Appomattox militia. When Chesterfield County was organized in 1749, William Kennon, Sr., and William Kennon, Jr., were among those charged by Governor William Gooch to be justices in the new county.
In 1762 William Kennon, Jr., was given permission to operate a mill on the Appomattox River. A creek near this mill was renamed Kennon Mill Creek, in honor of the popular man.
The Kennons, like many other County residents, were moving westward and continued to be outstanding County residents in their new location. This was indeed, one of Chesterfield's finer families.

Conjurer's Neck. The source for the following article is unknown.
The neck of land at the northeast corner of the city lying between Swift Creek and the north side of the Appomattox River, was once known as Conjurer's Neck. A conjurer was an Indian magician found in the eastern United States. One early custom of the Indian was to place the conjurer at the confluence of streams to ward off evil spirits believed to inhabit the waters, so it is natural to assume the Appomattox Indians placed a conjurer at the point where Swift Creek runs into the Appomattox River.
On December 1, 1620, the Mayflower was still at sea off the coast of Massachusetts when the first known land patent was granted in Colonial Heights - the land known as Conjurer's Neck.
In 1685, Richard Kennon, a merchant of Bermuda Hundred, built a brick plantation home, and another famous name attached to Conjurer's Neck, being that of "The Brick House Farm." The house was consumed by a fire in 1879, but most of the original walls still stand. Undoubtedly, it is the oldest home in Chesterfield County and by far, the oldest brick home in Colonial Heights.
Since 1909, Conjurer's Neck has been known to local residents as "Comstock's." While the conjurer has long departed from this ancient and historic site, his spell remains in the magical, friendly surroundings still to be found at Conjurer's Neck.

From an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, by Miss Gilberta S. Whittle, a descendant, we learn that 'Conjurer's Neck", the early Kennon home, the house having been erected in 1685, is said to be the oldest surviving residence in VA. It is about 5 miles (above) Petersburg on the north side of the Appomattox River, at the mouth of Swift Creek, and occupies the penisular or "neck" between them. The house is about a hundred yards from the river, and the yard was ornamented with handsome walks and cedar and magnolia trees. It is said to have been built with imported brick, with walls almost three feet thick, and embellished with carved walnut interior woodwork. In 1879, it was partially burned, and the interior and the furniture destroyed. But the walls remined firm, except the north wall, which was cracked. This was pulled down and drawn in, and thus the house made narrower there.

Brick House. This brief article was taken from Old Virginia Houses Along the James by Emmie Ferguson Farrar.
The oldest brick house in Chesterfield County, and thought by some to be the oldest in Virginia, is located on the promontory between Swift Creek and Appomattox River, and is simply called Brick House. The peninsula on which it stands is sometimes referred to as "Conjuror's Neck," because an old Indian conjuror used to live there.
Brick House was built in 1685 by Richard Kennon, an English gentleman of wealth, whose family received large land grants in Virginia. Kennon came to Virginia prior to 1670, and became a merchant of Bermuda Hundred; he also represented Henrico County in the House of Burgesses. Richard Kennon, Jr. was also a member of the House of Burgesses. He married the daughter of Col. Robert Bolling, the emigrant, and his second wife, the former Anne Stith. Richard's sister was married to John Bolling, half-brother of Richard's wife - John was the son of Col. Robert Bolling and his first wife Jane Rolfe. They lived at Cobb's.
The Kennons and their descendants intermarried with many of the most distinguished families, the Blands, Randolphs, Tuckers, and others.
The social life of their families absorbed much of their leisure - music, dancing, cards, winters spent in Williamsburg, entertaining many distinguished visitors in their homes. Brick House was damaged by fire in 1879. It passed from the Kennon family soon after. The Comstock family acquired the property in 1909, restored the old house, and have made it their home for almost half a century.

Death

Death: Between 6 Aug 1694 when his will was written and 20 Aug 1696 when it was proven, in Henrico County, Virginia

Will

Will of Richard Kennon. Henrico Co., VA, Record Book 5 (1688-1697), pp. 651-652, w. 6 Aug 1694, p. 20 Aug 1696:^[17] mentions:

• son William and his heirs - land called Roxdaile on James River, mill & belongings at Puckett’s in Bristol Parish, 1/2 acre of land and housing at Bermuda Hundred, all lying in Henrico Co.
  
• wife Elizabeth - land where I now live called the Neck, land called the Quarter on Swift Creek in Bristol Parish, Henrico Co.
  
• daughter Judith
  
• Exr: wife
  
• Wit: Geo. Robinson, John Pigott, Nich Dison
  

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Jamestowne Society: Kennon, Richard - A4601; died 1696, Henrico Co.: 1685-86 (Burgess). accessed 5 December 2020
2. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356.
3. ↑ Colonial Families of the Southern States of America: A History and Genealogy, page 72.
4. ↑ Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, pages 271-272.
5. ↑ Virginia County Records
6. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356.
7. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356.
8. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356
9. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356
10. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356
11. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356
12. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356
13. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356
14. ↑ "The Kennon Family." The William and Mary Quarterly, October 1, 1905, 132-35. Accessed January 8, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1916356
15. ↑ Chesterfield-An Old Virginia County, Francis Earle Lutz, Sponsored by the Bermuda Ruritan Club, William Byrd Press, Inc., Richmond, VA, 1954, p61-67,87
16. ↑ Virginia Historical Magazine, DAR, V32?, p390.
17. ↑ Probate: "Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900"
    Henrico County, Virginia, Court Records; Author: Virginia. County Court (Henrico County); Probate Place: Henrico, Virginia
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62347 #2018189 (accessed 12 February 2023)
    Richard Kennon probate on 6 Aug 1694 in Henrico, Virginia, USA.

• Old Brick House
• Brick House" of Richard Kennon
• Francis Eppes, His Ancestors & Desc. p 61-3

• Family Chron. & Kinship Bk O.Z. Bnd p 616-7

• History of Bristol Par. VA, p 182

• Historical southern Families, Boddie, V22,p32

• Families of Virginia, Mead, V1,p70

• William and Mary Quarterly, V14,p5

• Heard and Allied Families, compiled and edited by Margaret Heard Stephens, (DAR, Washington, D.C.,p192.

• E. Jay Stith, Brøderbund Software, Inc., World Family Tree Vol. 1, Ed. 1, (Release date: November 29, 1995), "CD-ROM," Tree #5156, Date of Import: Jan 16, 1999. (1995), "Electronic," Date of Import: Feb 2, 1999.

• Robert Gale LaMaster, LaMaster/LeMaster Home Page, (1998, http://www.infocom.com/~lamaster/), "Electronic," note: has name as Richard Kenon.

Acknowledgments

• In the years from 1925 to 1942, Frederick A. Virkus edited seven volumes with the title, The Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy, published in Chicago by the Institute of American Genealogy. Each volume has a section in the main body of the work, co

Source Bibliography: VIRKUS, FREDERICK A., editor. Immigrant Ancestors: A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America before 1750. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1964. 75p. Repr. 1986. Page: 42 Source Citation Place: Virginia; Year: 1670; Page Number: 42 Source Information Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012.

• Family Data Collection - Individual Records

Name: Richard Kennon Spouse: Elizabeth Worsham Parents: John Kennon Birth Place: Henrico, Conjurer S Nk, VA Birth Date: 1650 Marriage Place: Henrico Co, VA Marriage Date: 1676 Death Place: Henrico Co, VA Death Date: 20 Aug 1696 Source Citation Birth year: 1650; Birth city: Conjurer S Nk; Birth state: VA Source Information Edmund West, comp.. Family Data Collection - Individual Records

• Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 27 September 2020), memorial page for Col Richard Kennon Sr. (1 Jan 1650–20 Aug 1696), Find A Grave: Memorial #82100987, citing Kennon Family Cemetery, Chase City, Mecklenburg County, Virginia, USA ; Maintained by Anne Critcher Clark (contributor 47523650) .