WAS ALEXANDER KEENEY A SCOT?

"SCOTCH PRISONERS SENT TO MASSACHUSETTS IN 1652, BY ORDER OF THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT.

A list of the passengers aboard the John and Sarah of London John Greene Mr. bound for New Englan[d]

[a list of 263 names given, among them:]

... Dani** Mackajne, Senly Mackonne, Daniel Mackhan, ALESTER MACKHENE, John Mackane, Patricke Mackane, Robt Mackajne, Wm Mackajne, Samuell Mackajne, Wm Mackajne, Robt Mackhane, ...

The persons afore named passed from hence in the ship afore mentioned and are according to order Registed heare,

Dat. Search office, Grauesend [Gravesend] 8th Nouember, 1651.

Giles Barrow, Edw. Pelling, & John Morris, Searchers

Jn the Jno. & Sara of London John Greene mr. for New England: Robt. Rich mrt. Jronworke household stuffe & other provisions for Planters and scotch prisoners free by ordnance of Parliament dat 20th October 1651."

[NOTE by REK: Alester (Scottish form of Alexander) Mackhene could possibly be Alexander Keeney. The prisoners were all presumably adults taken in the suppression of a Scottish revolt against the Puritans under Oliver Cromwell, making Alester probably at least 20 years old and born around 1630 or before. Though free by act of Parliament, they were not allowed to return to Scotland to partake in any further unrest there and so were transported to the colonies. Ten years later Alexander Keeney married the widow Alice Colfax, already mother of several children by William Colfax. Alice bore Alexander seven children, which perhaps places her age as in her late twenties at the time of their marriage and thus born sometime in the 1630's. Thus the time frame is right for Alester Mackhene to be Alexander Keeney. There is also the disconcerting occasional appearance of the MacKeeney or Mackinney name among his descendants.]

"The Connecticut Nutmegger" March 1994, pages 568-569: "Article by Jean B. Lohr, CSG #1215

... Alexander Keeney [Jr.] was born in 1662 in Wethersfield, Conn. (1) and was dead by Jan. 22, 1738/9 in New Jersey where he and his brother, Thomas Keeney, went as early as 1694, when he subscribed to Rev. John Harriman's annual salary. (5)

On May 21, 1701, he received a deed to 16 acres of woodland in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, from George Morris, Jr. In 1702 he was credited for carting one load toward Rev. Harriman's new barn. He was still there Dec. 7, 1709 when he received monies due him from the estate of Samuel Shepard. (6, 7, 8)

The Jan. 22, 1738/9 will of Capt. Ebenezer Lyon of Elizabethtown, New Jersey mentions land adjoining land of Alexander Kene, deceased. (6) This is last we hear of him, and we don't know who he married.

REFERENCES:

1. Stiles Wethersfield

5. History of Elizabethtown, N.J. by Hatfield, pg. 262-3

6. New Jersey Archives wills 1:400 Sale; 1:416 Shepard; 2:313 Lyon

7. Keeney Notes by L.L.Barbour

8. Keeney Notes made for D.L.Jacobus"

"Patents & Deeds &c of New Jersey 1664-1703", William Nelson, 1899, reprinted 1976, volume XXI, page 328:

"1701 May 21. George Morris of Woodbridge, cordwainer, son and heir of George Morris of Elizabeth town, dec'd., to Alexander KEENEY of Elizabeth town, for 16 acres of upland there, part of a 20 a. lot, of which 4 were sold to John Thomson, S. the road to Woodroofe's farm, N. Henry Norris, a swamp and Robert Vauquillin, E. Samuel Moore, formerly grantor's. page 294

1701 May 21. John Morris, late of Elizabeth town, weaver, now resident in Woodbridge, to Alexander MACKENEY of Elizabeth, for 40 acres there, N. Henry Norris, E. John Woodroofe, S. Henry Lyon, W. the Plain; given to grantor by his father George Morris dec'd; also 7 a. of meadow on Woodroof's Creek, S. John Gould, E. said creek, N. a small creek, W. bogs, the lot having been returned as 4 a. page 295"

[NOTE by REK: Both deeds, dated the same day, are granted by sons of George Morris, deceased. Both have as one neighbor Henry Norris. The Jan. 22, 1738/9 will of Capt. Ebenezer Lyon of Elizabethtown, New Jersey, cited by Jean Lohr above, mentions land adjoining land of Alexander KENE, deceased. Could Ebenezer Lyon be an heir of Henry Lyon, one of the neighbors of Alexander Mackeney in deed #2 above? Can we assume that the three Alexanders (Keeney, Mackeney, and Kene) are the same person?]

DIVORCE 1726, BOOK "The American Genealogist" volume 32, page 156, Early divorce petitions of Fairfield County, Connecticut:

"Keeney-Searls. Alexander Keeny of Stratford pet. 30 Aug. 1726 that he m. many years ago, Hannah Searls; he charges her with adultery and that she had a child b. at Elizabethtown, NJ about 10 Jan. 1723/4. Rev. Mr. Joseph Moss of Derby test. that Alexander Kenny of East Jersey sojourned with Isaac Nichols of Derby from Dec. 1722 until May next then went north as far as Deerfield and returned to Derby Apr. or May 1723. Test. of Hannah Meeker of Elizabeth Town, midwife, that Hannah wife of Alexander Keney had a child in August 5 year ago, and another on 4 or 5 Feb. 2 years ago." Alexander was granted his divorce in 1727.

[NOTE by REK: This would have been Alexander III, who died in 1760 at Bethlem, near Woodbury, CT. The child born "August 5 years ago" was probably daughter Rachel named below.]

PROBATE February 3, 1761, Card file at Conn. State Lib. (from Mrs. Winifred Brachvogel):

"At a Court of Probate held in Woodbury February ye 3rd, 1761, the widow Rachel Bradley of Woodbury appeared and informed that her Father Allescander Keeney Late of sd. Woodbury Deceased Died Intestate and Desired that administration might be granted unto her in Conjunction with Benjamin Wheeler of Woodbury. Whereupon this Court Did on ye Date above written Grant letters of Administration unto them Sufficient Bond being given." April 12, 1761, estate declared insolvent. Court appointed Hezehiah Hooker and Christopher Prentiss to review claims and demands on sd. insolvent estate and make a return in six months.

A yDNA project in 2003 matched a descendant (Raymond E. Kinney) of John Keeney 1712 and two other men named Keeney, one exactly and the other 24 out of 25 gene markers, indicating that their common ancestor was Alexander Keeney, who died 1680. It must be pointed out that none of the three participants in the project has solidly traced his ancestry to Alexander, but have relied on conjectures made by other genealogists. Alexander had five sons, one of whom, Joseph had a son John born 1699, leaving four sons as possible fathers or grandfathers for John 1712.

LETTER Feb. 24, 1881, from Ruby Keeney Watkins to her cousin Andrew Jackson Keeney:

"Black Walnut, Penn Feb 24th 1881

Dear Cousin Jackson, ...I think by writing to Rev. W. B. Kinney of Kirkwood Broome Co N.Y. you can get some aid. He is a son of a cousin of your fathers and has visited here a number of times, was last here two or three years since. And then said his family was gathering all the facts they could relative to the early history of the Keeney family. William writes his name Kinney but none of the rest of his family have changed the spelling. William said he did it because every one pronounced it Kinney, and often people write it the same. And he thought he might as well write it so himself. but I always censured him for so doing. I would not drop the Scotch and assume the Irish. I like the Scotch the best. The name was originally McKeeney. I do not know how many brothers came over from Scotland, but have always heard but two (Jno. and Mark) and that our great grand father was named Mark for his fathers brother that came from Scotland with him (John) but Uncle Simon thinks there were 3 brothers that emigrated and settled in America..."

"FAMILY RECORD, ETC., OF THE KEENEY FAMILY" 1887, by Andrew Jackson Keeney:

"Sometime in the middle part of the 17th Century, two brothers, John and Mark McKeeney emigrated from Scotland to America and settled in Connecticut. From the most reliable information extant, they settled first in New London, where at this writing there are many families of the name. Mention is made of numerous persons named Keeney in a very old history of New London and of the date of their death, also casual mention of the old Keeney farm near that place, which is now divided into several farms. We also find many families of the name in Manchester, also in Litchfield.

...The name was originally McKeeney and the writer will never cease to regret that our fore-fathers so soon forgot their Scotch origin after coming to America and left off the Mc.

Much inquiry and correspondence long drawn out has been unfruitful of many satisfactory accounts of these two brothers, John and Mark, to whom there is little doubt the Keeney's in this country owe their origin. Our branch of the family comes from John. He had a son John and he (John) had a son whom he named Mark after his father's brother who came to America with his father John 1st. Mark Keeney then is the writer's Great Grandfather... John Keeney, second, is our Great, Great Grandfather and with his father, John, first, our record begins as far as we have..."

[NOTE by REK: Andrew Jackson Keeney and Ruby Keeney Watson were grandchildren of Joshua Keeney, son of Mark, son of John 1712.]

BOOK "Keeny" by Iva M. (Keeny) Brown, found in the genealogy section of the Michigan State Library, Lansing, Michigan: "page 3 FIRST GENERATION

Our great great grandparents were Thomas Keeny, Born 1772, died 12 Feb. 1845 - 72 yrs, 10 mo. Married Hannah Soule, Born ca 1768, died 2 Feb. 1852 - 84 yrs. Buried Fowlers Mills Munson Twp. Geauga Co., Ohio.

(Note) I have not found in my research any written proof of what I have always been told: that my forefathers came from Scotland; when and where from I don't know. Also that there was an Mc or Mac on the name which was dropped when they landed in the U.S.A. My father told me there were monies or properties left in Scotland which his forefathers had a hard time getting because of the name drop. Some cousins were also told the same story. I notice there are two spellings of the name - Keeny and Keeney, the former was mostly used since 1824 only in some obituaries, one especially that of Ernest S. Keeney son of William Nelson Keeny who lived until he was 93 years of age. But I've noticed that one brother will use one spelling of a name, the next brother will use the older spelling of it."

[NOTE by REK: Iva Keeny was a great-great-granddaughter of Thomas Keeney, son of Mark Keeney, son of John Keeney 1712. Joshua Keeney and Thomas Keeney, brothers, spent some years living in the same area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, then Thomas moved to New York state and later to Geauga County, Ohio, the latter move probably taking place during the 1830's, judging from census birthplaces of his grandchildren. The family legend of a Scottish origin and the "Mc" prefix to the Keeney surname persisted long after the families of Thomas and Joshua were separated by geography.]

LETTER March 8, 1897, from Ellen Keeney Morse to her father Andrew Jackson Keeney:

"33h Widler St. Sta. A.
Portland, Oregon

March 8, 1897

Dear Father,

....Add [her husband Addison Morse] has the History of Elizabeth - in it, Charles Gordon's letters are quoted, as early as "March 5th & March 9th 1684 or 5" Thomas F. Gordon's History of New Jersey is given as reference, frequently, .... One of the pastors, the first one, Kept records of all that contributed to his support, & in that list, (the SECOND book only has been found.) I find the names of Thomas & Alexander Keeney in 1694. I sometimes wonder if OUR OWN 1st Keeney may not have been a brother of these, even if he was born across the water. Their mother was left a widow with seven children, in Wethersfield Conn. where the father Alexander Keeney was a freeman in 1667. Only it would push all the dates we have farther back, making the 1700- a 1600- Oh well, I suppose we can only conjecture. ...."

[NOTE by REK: The Keeney family continued to research their family origins after Andrew Jackson Keeney published his family history in 1887. Gordon was the family of Andrew Jackson Keeney's mother Mary Gordon, which moved from New Jersey to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Researching the Gordons may have allowed them to happen upon Thomas & Alexander Keeney in the "History of Elizabeth" by Hatfield. They labored under the supposition that John Keeney born 1712 was the son of another John Keeney, but had no evidence except family legend. As we know very little about the families of Alexander & Thomas Keeney mentioned in Hatfield, it was possible that one of them could have had a son named John, who could have been the father of John 1712, but there is no evidence.]

"Vital Records of Deerfield, Massachusetts to 1850", T. W. Baldwin, 1920:

"Births
page 86:

KENEY (see Kenney, Kenny, Kinne), Ebenezer, s. of Daniel and Abigail, bp. Oct. 21, 1750. C.R.I. [1st Congregational Church]