John Kenyon (abt. 1657 - abt. 1732)

Born about 1657 in Westerly, Kings, Rhode Island

Husband of Unknown (Mumford) Kenyon — married before 1682 in Westerly, Kings, Rhode Island

Descendants

Died about Jun 1732 at about age 75 in Westerly, Kings, Rhode Island

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Joan Jakubowski [send private message] and Chloe Hale [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Kenyon Name Study.

Disambiguation

It has been proven that the John Kenyon of Glodick (Oldham), born 1655, and the John Kenyon of Westerly were not the same person, nor is he the one married to a woman named Anna.^[1] The family from Lancashire never left England and death records have been found for all of them.^[1] Thus, Sarah of Glodwick is not his daughter. One researcher, Leo Garman, points out that there is a problem with the date of Sarah's baptism in England occurring after John Kenyon was supposed to be in Rhode Island. If this is so, then is the John who married Anna in England the same as the John in Rhode Island? He, also, raises questions about the marriage of Sarah to John Webster because of the possible mis-interpretation of "son-in-law" in an early deed. The John Webster marriage comes from this "son-in-law" deed, but "son-in-law" at the time was synonymous with "stepson."

Birth

John was born in to John Kenyon about 1657 in Kings Town, Rhode Island as indicated by his father's marriage in Westerly before 1657.^[2][3]

The origin of the Kinyon/Kenyon name is Welsh, ceinion, meaning beautiful. The spelling shifted from Kinyon to Kenyon around the fourth/fifth generation in America- by the 1800's it was mostly spelled Kenyon. He first settled at the place of Mr. Killum in 1683, now known to be near the Gilbert Stuart Snuff Mill on Gilbert Stuart Rd, North Kingstown, RI. He went on to have many land holdings. He deeded to his son John, 170 acres in South Kingstown, RI. He purchased much land from the Shannock Purchasers, namely, Joseph Brown, Jabez Tucker and Francis Robinson. Old Mr. John Kinyon, as he was called in the records, retired to what was then called Westerly, RI, but is now present-day Richmond, RI.

Marriage

It has been proven that John Kenyon had only one wife.^[1]

John Kenyon married Anna Mumford in Rhode Island is established also by the deed records. These deeds (there is more than one) are dated ca 1712, about 17 years after the birth of Jonathan, John's youngest son.^[4]

Land evidence records in North Kingstown and South Kingstown show that John Kenyon was brother-in-law of Thomas and Peleg Mumford.

Children:

1. John born about 1682 in England, died at Westerly, Rhode Island^[5]
2. Sarah b 1684, m. John Webster^[5]
3. James, 1684/85^[3][5]
4. Joseph Kenyon b. exact birth unknown^{[3] [5]}
5. Enoch abt.1688-abt.1781^[3][5]
6. Samuel^[5]
7. David 1693^[3][5]
8. Jonathan 1695^[3][5]

Death

John Kenyon's will was dated 12 June 1732 and proved 26 Jun 1732 in Westerly, Rhode Island.^[6][3] His inventory was taken on 22 June 1732.^[6]

His will read: "To all Christian people at whom these presents shall come, I, John Kinyon, of Kingston in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England, Yeoman, and greeting: Know ye that I the said John Kinyon for and in consideration of the love, good will and affection which I have and do bare unto my son, John Kinyon, of the Town and Colony aforesaid, Have Given Granted and Bequeath, and by these presents to give, grant and bequeath All that my farm or tract of land whereon he, my said son now dwelleth in said Kington, Containing by Estimation, one hundred and seventy acres, be it more or less, and is butted and bounded (viz.) on the East by the land of my brother-in-law, Peleg MUMFORD; Northerly on the land of Thomas Mumford, Southerly on the highway in part, and partly on the land in the Tennor of Alec Wilson; and Westerly on Sautucket River or however other bounded or reputed to be bounded, it being that Tract of Land which I had of my brother- in-law Thomas MUMFORD, the whole of which and every part thereof, I do in and for the consideration by these presents aforesaid, Give, Grant and Bequeath unto my loving Son, John Kinyon, Aforesaid in free and Ample-manner, together with all the Housing, Buildings, Orchards, Meadows, Fences, Woods, Underwoods, Water, Waterways, Courses, Rights, members and appurtenances to the said Farm or Tract of Land belonging or any wise appertaining to have and to hold the said farm with all the Appurtenances as aforesaid to be unto him my said son, his heirs, Executors, Administer or assigns to the only proper use, Benefit and Behoof of him, my said Son, his heirs, Executors, Administrators and assigns forever, and further the said John Kinyon, Sen., do promise and declare to and with my said Son that the same is free and clear and clearly acquitted of any from all and all other former Gifts, Grants or incumbrances whatsoever had made or done or suffered to be had made or done in or by me or any other Person or Persons from by or under me and further doth oblige myself to and with my said Son to warrant and Defend the premises from the Lawful Claims and Demands of All People Whomsoever and in witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal in Kingston Aforesaid this 16th day of October in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twelve. Signed Sealed and Delivered in the presence of Agnes x (her mark) Belfore, John x (his mark) Kinyon (Seal).

WILLIAM BROWNE, October 17th, 1712.

The above mentioned John Kinyon Personally appeared before me this 14th day of October, 1715, and Acknowledged the Above Within Instrument to be his real Act and Deed before me John Eldred Assistant."^[7]

Property

1687, Sep. 6: Taxed 8s. 4d. On 6 September 1687, he is cited on Gov. Andros' tax roll at Rochester (renamed later to Kingstown), Rhode Island owing a “pole” (poll) tax of 1s, and a property tax of 7s 11d, which places him as an adult resident and property landholder in Kingstown, RI on this date. ^[8] This tax roll identifies a sum total of 136 heads of house living in the roughly 22.5 square mile area associated with Kingstown, RI on this date in 1687; one consequence of this sparse population is that he would have been well acquainted with many, if not all, of the individuals identified on this list. Therefore, this tax list is a defacto definition of the people who were available to be his friends, neighbors, and allies; it would be essential to cultivate strong working relationships with these neighbors in order to survive on this frontier landscape. This cross reference tool provides hot links to peruse most of the 136 Wikitree families identified in this tax roll; families who were very frequently interconnected, or became interconnected, by marriage, over the course of their lives and throughout the ensuing generations, further binding a network of neighbors into extended families. ^[9] On 16 Oct. 1712, he deeded his son, John Kenyon, 170 acres of land in South Kingstown bounded on one side by land of Peleg Mumford, brother-in-law of John Kenyon. No wife signed this or any other deed of John Kenyon. This is his first recorded land deed. The record of how be acquired this land may have been destroyed in North Kingstown. He first acquired land in Westerly by deed from Joseph Brown, 13 Dec. 1709; from Jabez Tucker, 11 Aug. 1711; and from Francis Robinson, 21 Aug. 1711. On 26 Nov. 1716, he deeded land to his son-in-law, John Webster, in Westerly. In August, 1719, in Westerly, he deeded land to his son James. On 8 Aug. 1719, he deeded land in Westerly to his son Samuel. On 10 July 1721, he deeded land in Westerly to his son Enoch.^[10] On 3 Feb. 1724, he deeded land in Westerly to his son Jonathan. On 6 Feb. 1724, he deeded land in Westerly to his son David. On 30 Dec. 1724, he again deeded land in Westerly to his son Jonathan.

Research Notes

Mrs. John L. Kenyon thought that John Kenyon (1) settled on the Wells place south of Wyoming, (Rhode Island) then (1905) called the "Clear Water Trout Farm", owned by the American Fish Company. She also thought he was buried on this place. John Larkin Kenyon (116531) Surveyed this property and found in the land records that it was owned by a John Kenyon at a date that would indicate John Kenyon (1). The land dealings and property of this John Kenyon were quite extensive for his time and day. In 1727, he was also listed as a Freeman of Westerly town as "Old Mr. John Kenyon." In 1727, his sons contributed money for the building of the Episcopal Church of Westerly. However, this church was short lived and most of the Kenyons joined the local Baptist Churches. On 8 Aug. 1717, calling himself aged 70 or thereabouts, he testified that in the year 1683 or thereabouts, he went to live on the farm of Stephen Northup of North Kingstown and paid rental to Major Smith in behalf of a Mr. Killum of Boston and lived there for eight years and Stephen Northup went in when he left it. His will was proved on 12 June,1732 in Westerly. His son Jonathan was named executor. Sons John, James, Enoch, Joseph and David were mentioned in the will. No mention of wife or any other relatives of the family. His inventory of personal property was listed at 180£ 8s.[1]

My Grandmother Eugenia Mina Kenyon b1865, is well documented, a partial family photo is placed in Wiki, and her youngest son, my Father has his 5 year old photo in Wiki. This issue is well covered by Donald Lines Jacobus, Genealogist, in his 64 pages of Spencer Genealogy. ^{[citation needed]} My Mother Evangeline Spencer, Stone descends from Michael Spencer 1611-1653. The John Kenyon born in 1655 in Lancashire does not belong to this family group.

DNA

Test results for many of his descendants can be viewed at the Kenyon Project at FTDNA and shows conflicting evidence of Lancashire origins with two distinctly different Haplogroups, both claiming an original ancestor from Lancashire. Only one can be correct. However, neither can be fully verified if their trees are based on the book, American Kenyons.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} The American Genealogist, Volume 79 (2004): 207-208 Revisiting the English Origins of John Kenyon and James Kenyon of Rhode Island by Michael J. Wood. $ "Mr. Parsons third scenario as put forth in TAG 78(2003):227 is the accurate one. John Kenyon of Glodwich, weaver, is not same man as his namesake in Rhode Island and the origin for the family outlined by Capt. Kenyon must be rejected."
2. ↑ Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004. $
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Austin, John Osborne, 1849-1918. The genealogical dictionary of Rhode Island : comprising three generations of settlers who came before 1690 : with many families carried to the fourth generation. Albany : J. Munsell's sons. 1887. pg 116
4. ↑ American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) Volume 78 (2003) pg 226 $
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7} Kenyon HN. American Kenyons : History of Kenyons and English Connections of American Kenyons Genealogy of the American Kenyons of Rhode Island Miscellaneous Kenyon Material. Rutland Vt: Tuttle Company; 1935. p.53
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9079/images/007649997_00418). Rhode Island, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932 [database on-line], Town Council and Probate Records, Vol 2-4, 1699-1736, image 418-419. Westerly, Council and Probate Records, 1731-1736, No. 4, Restored book Page 26-29. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Free Ancestry.com image of Will
7. ↑ Kenyon HN. American Kenyons : History of Kenyons and English Connections of American Kenyons Genealogy of the American Kenyons of Rhode Island Miscellaneous Kenyon Material. Rutland Vt: Tuttle Company; 1935.pg 51]
8. ↑ Roberts, Gary Boyd; Genealogies of Rhode Island Families, Vol. II, Niles - Wilson; Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore 1989. RI Taxes under Gov. Andros pages 592- 594.
9. ↑ Randolph Beebe; Cross Reference: Gov. Andros 1687 Rochester RI Tax Register to Wikitree profile; Wikitree Free Space Profiles, 2024.
10. ↑ Kenyon, Howard Nathaniel. American Kenyons : history of Kenyons and English connections of American Kenyons, genealogy of the American Kenyons of Rhode Island. Rutland, Vt.: Tuttle, 1979. pg 55

• The Genealogical Quarterly Magazine (Eben Putnam, Danvers, Mass., 1916) Vol. 3: Dec. 1915 - Sept. 1916, Page 120
• Sherman, Ruth Wilder. Descendants of John Tyler of Portsmouth, R.I., The American Genealogist (The American Genealogist, Barrington, RI, 1976) Vol. 52, Page 221

• See discussion about "Question, b. c1665-72; m. before 1697 John Inion". Question may not be her real name, and John's last name might be Kinyon/Kenyon, both in Rhode Island.

See Also:

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KNH4-2LX