Those of you who are Henry descendants - please comment on the below. I'm not really
an MA history buff - but I'm learning. Until recently, my Kinney paper trail was stuck
at George O. Kinney, born ca. 1820 in NY, who was in California by 1852. The only evidence
I had that my Kinney father linked to Henry of MA was Dad's Y-DNA. Not long ago, the
excellent Jeff Green (active on the Kinney RootsWeb list), found my likely
connection:(Henry>Thomas>Thomas>James>Elijah>Elijah>George O. . . .
.>
And, as most of you know, I recently started a Henry web project beginning with his
Timeline at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gkbopp/HENRY/
My father is 86, has no computer, and his interest in history is primarily with his
California pioneer roots (about which he knows a great deal!). However, now that his Henry
connection is known, I'm making a short Henry timeline for him (no links, etc.) and
sending him copies of a few of the items from the "big" Timeline links.
However, I realize I need a historical overview to tie things together and have drafted
the below. This will also work for all my young nieces and nephews who frequently ask me
about their earlier American immigrant ancestor for a grade school assignment (usually the
night before it is due!).
Comments, corrections, etc. welcome!
Georgia Kinney Bopp
======
In the 1600s, Protestants (non-Catholics) were persecuted in England and many came to
America (New England) seeking religious freedom settling in what is now known as
Massachusetts. The first arrivals (the "Pilgrims") settled in 1620 at Plymouth
Rock. "Puritans" - who had a strict moral code and placed a high value on hard
work - soon arrived and other locales were settled, including a group in Salem in 1628.
Henry was born about 1624, probably in England. Although there are tales that his ancestor
was a Sir Thomas in England, the names of his parents and how he arrived in Massachusetts
are not known. Records do show that Henry was in MA by 1639 when he was apprenticed in
Roxbury (near Salem) at about age 15.
Henry's last name appears in records as Keany - Keeny - Keine - Kene - Keney - Kenne -
Kening - Kennee - Kenney - Kenninge - Kenny - Kennye - Keny - Keyney - Kine - Kiney. His
descendants use some of the above spellings as well as Kinne - Kinnee - Kinnie - Kinney,
and so on.
Henry lived most of his life in Salem Village (now known as Danvers), a village
established the late 1630's by a group of farmers who moved five miles from Salem
town. Henry was in trouble from time to time and involved in a few lawsuits (he usually
lost!), but on the whole, based on 40 years of Salem Village records, he was in good
standing in the community. He owned land and apparently was a farmer. Unfortunately, he
was involved in the dreadful 1691/2 Salem, MA, witch trials, and the two innocents he
accused were hanged. Henry and his wife Ann (Putnam? Howard?) had eight children - three
sons and five daughters. He died about 1710.
There were thousands of Native Americans living in Massachusetts when the English arrived
and thus began a very troubled history. Henry signed a 1669 Petition to Capt. Corwin
detailing the concerns of the farmers keeping watch to protect their families. Henry and
his son Thomas participated in King Philip's War in 1675/6 ("King Philip"
refers to a Native American leader of the Wampanoag). The "Indians" were a
problem to the English but, needless, to say, the Native Americans, had an entirely
different point of view. The causes of King Philip's War include the
"Colonists' hunger for land, as well as the heavy-handed treatment of the
Wampanoag and other Native People by government officials" and it is described as
"one of the most disastrous wars in America's history." One in ten soldiers
on both sides were injured or killed, it took years for the colonies to recover and was
devastating to the traditional way of life of Native Americans in New England (some of
whom were sol!
d into slavery abroad, and many women and children were forced to become servants).
- - - - -
Note to list - two links with "short" versions about the war are here . . . . .
http://www.answers.com/topic/king-philip-s-war
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/philipwar.htm
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