Two Families, One Story: The Wexford Question
The Wexford Question
In Episode 1, we discovered that the Kenny and Connors families were neighbors in Newfoundland in 1832—their children baptized weeks apart in the same parish register. But a question remained: How far back did these families' connection stretch? The answer may lie not in Atlantic Canada, but in the parish registers of County Wexford, Ireland—and in the DNA of their descendants living today.
A Marriage in Revolutionary Ireland
On February 15, 1776—the same year the American colonies declared independence from Britain—a marriage took place in New Ross, County Wexford. The groom was John Kenny. The bride was Catherine Connors.
Parish / District: New Ross County: Co. Wexford
Husband: John Kenny
Address: New Ross, New Ross
Denomination: Roman Catholic
Wife: Catherine Connors
Denomination: Roman Catholic
Witness 1: David Kenny
Witness 2: Debora Connors
Officiating Priest: CAULFIELD JAMES
Register: M/1772-1817
The witnesses tell us this was not a marriage between strangers. David Kenny—likely John's brother—stood for the groom. Debora Connors—likely Catherine's sister—stood for the bride. Both families were established in New Ross, rooted enough to appear in the parish register together.
Wexford in 1776
County Wexford in 1776 was characterized by a rigid social hierarchy and increasing political restlessness. The Protestant Ascendancy maintained control over a disenfranchised Catholic majority under the Penal Laws—laws that stripped Catholics of property and political rights since 1695. The Kenny and Connors families, both Roman Catholic, married in a world where their faith marked them as second-class citizens. Yet they persisted, their names recorded in the parish registers that would one day help their descendants find them.
Marriage record of John Kenny and Catherine Connors, New Ross, County Wexford, 15 February 1776. Source: Waterford Heritage via rootsireland.ie
A Pattern of Intermarriage
The 1776 marriage was not an isolated event. Searching the Wexford parish registers reveals a pattern: Kenny and Connors families intermarrying across eight decades.
Three Kenny-Connors marriages in Wexford over 82 years. And then, on Prince Edward Island, three more Kenny-Connors marriages within just two years (1866–1868). Was this coincidence—or continuity?
The Pattern
Wexford: John Kenny & Catherine Connors (1776) • William Connors & Mary Kenny (1857) • Stephen Kenny & Catherine Conner (1858)
Prince Edward Island: James Kenny & Margaret Connors (1866) • Bridget Kenny & Edward Connors (1867) • Lawrence Kenny & Bridget Connors (1868)
Marriage record of William Connors and Mary Kenny, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, 21 February 1857. Source: Wexford Genealogy via rootsireland.ie
The DNA Evidence
Documentary evidence can show us marriages—but can it prove family connections across centuries and continents? This is where genetic genealogy enters the story.
Through genetic testing, we've identified DNA matches who descend from Connors families in Wexford. These matches share DNA with descendants of the PEI Connors family—the family of Hugh Connors and Mary Henesy who emigrated from Wexford to Newfoundland to Prince Edward Island.
The question is: Do these DNA connections point to a common Connors ancestor in Wexford?
Two Connors Lines, One Connection
Our DNA analysis reveals two distinct clusters of matches—both connecting to the Hamall sisters (descendants of Hugh Connors and Mary Henesy through their great-great-granddaughter Margaret Kenny):
DNA Match Analysis: Connors Line Connections
Shared matches between Wexford Connors descendants and PEI Connors descendants
Johanna Connor
- W.C. (primary match) 40 cM
- T.B. 21 cM
- L.B. 17 cM
- B.M. 18 cM
- G.F. 9 cM
Mary Henesy
- T.C. 170 cM
- P.B. 45 cM
- M.H.M. 25 cM
The Critical Question: All Wexford matches trace to John Connors (1776–1855) of Ballycullane/Tintern. Hugh Connors was born c. 1803 in Wexford. Could John Connors be Hugh's father, uncle, or cousin?
The Shared Matches Tell the Story
When we examine the shared matches between W. C. (whose tree traces to John Connors of Wexford) and descendants of the PEI Connors family, a pattern emerges. Multiple individuals match both lines—suggesting a common Connors ancestor in Wexford.
Shared Matches: C.H.M. & W.C.
DNA matches in common between PEI Connors descendant and Wexford Connors descendant
| Match | cM to C.H.M. | cM to W.C. | Tree MRCA | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.B. | 21 cM | 366 cM | John Connors & Johanna Connor | Wexford |
| G.F. | 9 cM | 295 cM | John Connors & Johanna Connor | Wexford |
| L.B. | 17 cM | 239 cM | John Connors & Johanna Connor | Wexford |
| B.M. | 18 cM | 26 cM | John Connors & Johanna Connor | Wexford |
| P.B. | 45 cM | 21 cM | James Kenny & Margaret Connors | PEI |
| T.C. | 170 cM | 23 cM | Hugh Connors & Mary Henesy | PEI |
Pattern: Wexford matches (T.B., G.F., L.B., B.M.) show high cM to W.C. but low cM to C.H.M. PEI matches (P.B., T.C.) show the reverse. Both groups match both testers—suggesting a shared Connors ancestor connecting both lines.
DNA Conclusion
The DNA evidence supports a connection between the Wexford Connors family (John Connors, 1776–1855) and the PEI Connors family (Hugh Connors, 1803–1890). While the exact relationship remains unproven, the shared DNA matches strongly suggest these families share a common ancestor in County Wexford—potentially "Dad Connors," the father of John Connors, who appears in multiple descendant trees.
The Question Remains
We have documentary evidence of Kenny-Connors intermarriage in Wexford from 1776 to 1858. We have DNA evidence linking descendants of both Wexford and PEI Connors families. We have Hugh Connors' obituary stating he "emigrated from County Wexford, Ireland."
What we don't have—yet—is the documentary proof that directly links Hugh Connors to John Connors of Ballycullane/Tintern. The parish registers of south Wexford may hold the answer. Griffith's Valuation of 1847–1864 may reveal landholding patterns. Further DNA analysis may narrow the connection.
"The intermarriage of Kenny and Connors families wasn't a coincidence that happened twice—once in Wexford, once on Prince Edward Island. It was a pattern. And patterns, in genealogy, are clues."
The Wexford Question remains open. But the evidence we've gathered points toward a profound possibility: that the three Kenny-Connors marriages on Prince Edward Island in 1866–1868 were not the beginning of a new alliance, but the continuation of a relationship between two families that stretched back nearly a century—to Revolutionary-era Ireland, to a Catholic church in New Ross, to a marriage between John Kenny and Catherine Connors on February 15, 1776.
Document Gallery
1776 — Kenny-Connors Marriage
John Kenny & Catherine Connors, New Ross
Marriage
1857 — Connors-Kenny Marriage
William Connors & Mary Kenny, Enniscorthy
Marriage
1858 — Kenny-Conner Marriage
Stephen Kenny & Catherine Conner, New Ross
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