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The Park Avenue Kennys · 28 Records, 1850–1928
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The Records Behind the Case Study
Every record cited in the case study and its methodology is reproduced here with its citation, a transcription of the lines that bear on the family, and what the record shows. Transcriptions are taken from the images. Where a reading is open, the card says so.
I · Thomas’s HouseholdII · Will & DeathIII · His ChildrenIV · Ann CorcoranV · Richard & the Grave
Part I: Thomas Kenny’s Household, 1850–1880 Sources #1–8
Thomas, his wife Rosanna and their children in every census and directory that places them, with the property he bought on Park Avenue in 1860.
1850 U.S. Census: Thomas Kenny Household, Ward 5
1850 U.S. Census, Brooklyn, Ward 5, lines 32–40
Thomas Kenny, 40, M, Labourer, Ireland
Rosanna, 40, F, Ireland (cannot read or write)
Elizabeth, 11, F, N.Y. (at school)
John, 7, M (at school)
Mary, 3, F
James, 1, M
Three Irish laborers boarding: James McL[eon?], 31; John [McL—], 28; Thomas Sweeny, 22
What This Record Shows:
Thomas, Rosanna and their four eldest children. Richard Kenney’s household is in the same ward, dwelling 1012, enumerated five days later (Source #26).
1855 New York State Census: Thomas Kenney Household, Ward 7
1855 New York State Census, Brooklyn, Ward 7, E.D. 1
Thomas Kenney, 40, M, Father, Ireland (“New York” written first and struck through), Rosin Oil Maker
Roseannah Kenney, 40, F, Mother, Ireland
Elizabeth, 14, F, Daughter, Kings Co.
John, 11, M, Son
Mary, 8, F, Daughter
James, 6, M, Son
Catherin, 2, F, Daughter
What This Record Shows:
The full family, with Thomas’s trade. The widowed Eliza Kenney and her sons are in the same election district, dwelling 576, recorded by the same marshal.
Sale of Brooklyn Property, 1860: Thomas Kenney Buys on Park Avenue
Brooklyn Times Union, 12 March 1860, p. 2
What This Record Shows:
Thomas buys on Park Avenue two months before his wife’s death. An Underhill buys lots at the same sale; Silas A. and Alexander Underhill Jr. later witnessed Thomas’s will.
1860 U.S. Census: Thomas Kenny Household, Ward 9
1860 U.S. Census, Brooklyn, Ward 9, p. 128 (stamped 660)
Elizab., 18, f, N.Y.
Mary, 12, f (at school)
Cath., 7, f (at school)
John, 16, m (at school)
James, 11, m (at school)
What This Record Shows:
Three months after Rosanna’s death, Thomas and the five children. Eliza Kenny’s household is in the same ward, enumerated eight days earlier.
1862 Brooklyn City Directory
Brooklyn City Directory, 1862, pp. 232–233
Kenny Eliza, wid. grocery, Walworth n. Park av
Kenny James, laborer, h. r. Walworth n. Park av
What This Record Shows:
Thomas and the widowed Eliza on the same page, a corner apart.
1870 U.S. Census: Thomas Keeney Household, Ward 21
1870 U.S. Census, Brooklyn, part of Ward 21, p. 47 (stamped 267)
John, 25, Clerk, N.Y.
Mary, 20, Keeps House
James, 18, Tin Roofer
Catherine, 15, Home
What This Record Shows:
Elizabeth has married and left. Eliza Kenney and her sons are ten pages on, enumerated three days later by the same assistant marshal.
1875 New York State Census: Thomas Kenny Household, 525 Park Avenue
1875 New York State Census, Brooklyn, Ward 21, E.D. 5, p. 38
Thomas Kenny, 64, M, Ireland, widowed, None
Mary Kenny, 24, F, Daughter, Kings, Housekeeper
James Kenny, 23, M, Son, Kings, Roofer
Katie Kenny, 19, F, Daughter, Kings
James Faley, 32, M, Son-in-law, Ireland, Hatter
Eliza Faley, 28, F, Daughter, Kings
Thomas Faley, 7, M, Grandson, Kings
Mary Faley, 6, F, Granddaughter, Kings
What This Record Shows:
Three generations at 525 Park Avenue. Same election district and enumerator as Eliza Kenny at 79 Walworth Street.
1880 U.S. Census: Thomas Kenny Household, 525 Park Avenue
1880 U.S. Census, Brooklyn, E.D. 214, p. 40
Mary, 27, Daughter, Keeping house
James, 26, Son, Roofer
Catherine, 23, Daughter, At home
Feeley James, 38, [Boarder?], Works hat factory, Ireland
Thomas, 13, At school
Mary, 11, At school
What This Record Shows:
John Kenny, his wife Margt and his mother Eliza are on the next page, family 436: five families away.
Part II: Thomas Kenny’s Will and Death, 1881–1891 Sources #9–12
The will that names his children and grandchildren, his death certificate, the funeral notice that names his nephew, and the probate file.
Will of Thomas Kenny, 1881, and Codicil, 1887
Kings County Surrogate’s Court, Wills, 1891, p. 63
II. My house and lot known as No. 525 Park Avenue, Brooklyn, in trust for my grandchildren Thomas Foley and Mary Foley until both attain their majority.
III. [Five elevenths?] of the residue, about $5,000, in trust for my sons John and James, $250 to each half-yearly.
IV. The remainder of my personal estate to my daughters, share and share alike.
V. My daughters Mary Kenny and Catharine Kenny guardians of my grandchildren Thomas and Mary Foley, and executors.
Witnesses Silas A. Underhill and Alex. Underhill Jr., 335 Bedford Av.
Codicil, 1 April 1887: my daughter Mary having received her share, bequests to “daughters” are to Catharine alone; the trust in clause III revoked and the residue to my sons in equal shares.
What This Record Shows:
Names all four surviving children and the two children of his late daughter Elizabeth. It names no brother, sister, nephew or niece, which is to be expected when children survive.
Thomas Kenny: Certificate of Death, 1891
City of Brooklyn, Certificate of Death no. 5907
Died 525 Park Avenue, Ward 21, one family, 13 April 1891, about 8 A.M.; attended 1 March–13 April 1891
Cause: old age; heart failure
Buried Holy Cross, 15 April 1891; undertaker T. Tracy
What This Record Shows:
Born about 1813. The undertaker, T. Tracy, also buried Richard’s son James (1875) and son John (1888).
Funeral of the Late Thomas Kenney, 1891
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 16 April 1891, p. 1
What This Record Shows:
Names Thomas as uncle of Ann Corcoran’s son. “Thirty-one years ago” places Rosanna’s death in 1860. St. Patrick’s is the church of the 1882 baptism (Source #28).
Probate of the Will of Thomas Kenny, 1891
Kings County Surrogate’s Court, probate file, 1891
What This Record Shows:
The persons cited are Thomas’s heirs at law: his surviving children and his late daughter’s two children.
Part III: Thomas Kenny’s Children Sources #13–19
The deaths of his five children and his son-in-law. The twentieth-century records name Thomas and Rosanna as parents, and two were signed by Ann Corcoran’s grandson.
Elizabeth Feeley: Certificate of Death, 1878
City of Brooklyn, Certificate of Death no. 4314
Died 525 Park Avenue, Ward 21, two families, 9 June 1878
Cause: puerperal fever, nine days
Jeremiah J. Corcoran, M.D., 413 Kent Avenue
Buried Holy Cross, 11 June 1878; undertaker T. Tracy, 450 Kent Avenue
What This Record Shows:
Thomas’s eldest daughter, dead in her father’s house. Her physician was a Dr. Corcoran; whether he was kin to Ann Corcoran is not known.
James Feeley: Certificate of Death, 1903
City of New York, Certificate of Death no. 19788
Father James Feeley; mother Mary Malady; both born Ireland
Died 148 Weirfield Street, 23 November 1903
Cause: chronic bronchitis; chronic nephritis
James F. Dougherty, M.D., 253 Marcy Avenue
Buried Holy Cross, 25 November 1903
What This Record Shows:
Thomas’s son-in-law, the hatter of 1875 and 1880. His physician was Ann Corcoran’s grandson.
John J. Kenny: Death Notice, 1893
The Brooklyn Citizen, 9 August 1893, p. 5
What This Record Shows:
Names his parents. 55 Spencer Street is the address at which he was cited in his father’s probate.
John Kenny: Certificate of Death, 1893
City of Brooklyn, Certificate of Death no. 13597
Died 55 Spencer Street, Ward 21, 7 August 1893
Cause: cirrhosis of the liver; meningitis
Buried Holy Cross; undertaker T. Tracy, 601 Myrtle Avenue
What This Record Shows:
Thomas’s elder son, the “John Kenney of the city works department” of his father’s funeral notice.
James F. Kenny: Obituary, 1914
Brooklyn Times Union, 19 August 1914, p. 3
What This Record Shows:
Names his parents and sisters. “Born in Virginia fifty-eight years ago” conflicts with every census, which give Brooklyn and a birth about 1849–1854; the informant’s age and birthplace are not relied on.
Kathryn F. Kenny: Obituary, 1917
The Brooklyn Citizen, 8 November 1917, p. 2
What This Record Shows:
Places Thomas’s family in St. Patrick’s parish, Kent and Willoughby Avenues: the church of the 1882 baptism.
Mary Kenny: Certificate of Death, 1925
City of New York, Certificate of Death no. 14932
Father Thomas Kenny, born Ireland; mother Rose Hannah McKeon, born Ireland
Died Little Sisters of the Poor, Home for the Aged, 30 July 1925; former residence 456 Greene Avenue
James F. Dougherty, M.D., 85-51 111th Street, Richmond Hill
Buried Holy Cross, 1 August 1925; undertaker James A. Madden
What This Record Shows:
Names her parents, with her mother’s maiden name. Her physician was Ann Corcoran’s grandson. Her stated birth year, 1855, is later than the censuses suggest.
Part IV: Ann Kenny Corcoran and Her Family Sources #20–25
Ann, wife and widow of James Corcoran, in the census with her children and an Alice Kinney, and the two of her children whose later records bear on the question: Detective John C. Corcoran and Catherine L. Dougherty.
1850 U.S. Census: James Cochran Household, Williamsburg
1850 U.S. Census, Williamsburg, Kings County, p. 336 (671), lines 20–26
Anne, 35, F, Ireland
Thos, 8, M, N.Y. (at school)
Eliza, 6, F, N.Y. (at school)
John, 4, M, N.Y. (at school)
Richard, 2, M, N.Y.
Alice Kinney, 65, F, Ireland
What This Record Shows:
The Corcorans, written Cochran, sharing dwelling 36 with a ship carpenter’s family, and with an Irish-born Alice Kinney of 65 in their household. The 1850 census states no relationships; her age fits a mother of Ann, and of Thomas, born about 1785. That is not yet established.
1855 New York State Census: James Corcoran Household, Ward 9
1855 New York State Census, Brooklyn, Ward 9, lines 8–16
James Corcoran, 35, M, Ireland, 22 years in the city, Ship Builder, naturalized voter, landowner
Ann Corcoran, 35, F, Wife, Ireland, 23 years in the city
Thomas, 13, M, Child, Kings
Eliza, 11, F, Child, Kings
John, 9, M, Child, Kings
Richard, 7, M, Child, Kings
Catharine, 4, F, Child, Kings
Ann, 1, F, Child, Kings
Anna [St]a[...], 40, F, Servant, Ireland
What This Record Shows:
Ann as James’s wife, with John, the later detective, aged 9. Her sons are named Thomas and Richard, the names of her brother and, if the hypothesis holds, of a second brother.
Ann Corcoran: Death Notice, 1881
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 23 November 1881, p. 3
What This Record Shows:
States that Thomas Kenney was Ann’s brother. The surname is worn in the print; it reads as Kenney in context, and the funeral notice of 1891 confirms the relationship from Thomas’s side.
Ann Corcoran: Certificate of Death, 1881
City of Brooklyn, Certificate of Death no. 14024
Died 55 North 3d Street, Ward 14, two families, first floor, 22 November 1881
Cause: pleurisy, eight days
Buried Calvary, 24 November 1881; undertaker Thomas Ireland, 177 North 6th Street
What This Record Shows:
Born about 1819, some years younger than Thomas and Richard; in America from about 1841.
John C. Corcoran: Certificate of Death, 1896
City of Brooklyn, Certificate of Death no. 16323
Died 535 Chauncey Street, Ward 25, 1 September 1896
Cause: Bright’s disease; coma
Buried Calvary, 4 September 1896
What This Record Shows:
The “Detective John Corcoran” of Thomas’s funeral notice, born about 1847.
Catherine L. Dougherty: Certificate of Death, 1928
City of New York, Certificate of Death no. 6887
Father James Corcoran, born Ireland; mother’s maiden name Ann Kenny, born Ireland
Died 85-37 109th Street, Queens, 23 November 1928
James F. Dougherty, M.D., 85-51 111th Street
Buried Calvary, 27 November 1928
What This Record Shows:
Gives Ann’s maiden name as Kenny. The parents’ names come from an informant two generations on; her son the physician signed the certificate.
Part V: Richard Kenny and the Shared Grave Sources #26–28
The one census of Richard’s household, the grave he shares with Thomas and Rosanna, and the baptism at St. Patrick’s. Richard’s other records are in the Brooklyn Mat Maker gallery.
1850 U.S. Census: Richard Kenney Household, Ward 5
1850 U.S. Census, Brooklyn, Ward 5, p. 66, lines 20–23
Richard Kenney, 40, M, [Labourer], Ireland
Elizabeth, 40, F, Ireland
James, 4, M, N.Y.
John, 3, M, N.Y.
What This Record Shows:
The only record of Richard alive. Fifteen dwellings from Thomas Kenny’s household (Source #1).
The Kenny Grave, Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn: Sec PLOT, Row 10, Plot 31, Grave 41’ FRONT
What This Record Shows:
Places Richard in the grave of Thomas and his wife. A shared grave is strong evidence of family, but does not say which kind: a brother and a brother-in-law would both fit. Who bought the grave, and when Richard was buried, are still to be found.
Mary Anne Kenny: Certificate of Baptism, 1882
St. Patrick’s Church, Kent and Willoughby Avenues, Brooklyn
What This Record Shows:
Richard’s granddaughter, baptized in the parish of Thomas’s family. John’s brother James had died, unmarried, in 1875; Thomas’s son James, of 525 Park Avenue, is the likeliest sponsor.
The Park Avenue Kennys
The findings these records support, and how each was weighed.
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