Kennedy, William D.

1819 - 1894  (75 years)

• Name	Kennedy, William D.
  		William D. Kennedy (1819-1894)
  Birth	6 Apr 1819	Maryland   [1, 2]
  	The 1870 Census lists his birth year as 1821.
  Gender	Male
  Census		1880 Census, Clay City Township, Clay County, Illinois, page 04 1880 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Illinois, (District 155) (Clay City Township), image 04, page 04
  		1870 Census, Clay City, Illinois, page 05 1870 United States Federal Census, Clay City, Illinois, (Clay City), image 25, page 05
  Occupation	Tailor  [2]
  Reference Number	KENN.W005
  _FGRAVE	207662230
  Death	22 Jul 1894	Clay County, Illinois
  Burial	Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois
  Person ID	I53334	Carl Wayne Gray Research
  Last Modified	30 Jul 2025

  
  

  Family	Kiddy, Miriam,   b. Sep 1841, Carroll County, Ohio d. 8 Aug 1928, Saint Louis, City of St. Louis, Missouri (Age 86 years)
  Marriage	Y  [1]
  Children	> 1. Kennedy, Flora M.,   b. 1868   d. 1917 (Age 49 years)   2. Kennedy, Bertha Jeanette,   b. 1876, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois d. 27 Jun 1948, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana (Age 72 years)   3. Kennedy, Fred A.,   b. 19 Sep 1881, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois d. 9 Nov 1954, St. Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri (Age 73 years)
  Family ID	F20869	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Oct 2026

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 6 Apr 1819 - Maryland Death - 22 Jul 1894 - Clay County, Illinois Burial - - Clay City Cemetery, Clay City, Clay County, Illinois  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  William Denbow Kennedy (Kenedy/Kannaday) was born in Maryland on 6 April 1819 according to the details on his death record. He was a Tailor by trade. It is listed in an 1880 Census Schedule for others with disabilities that he is blind at this point in his life. We know at this time that William was married at least twice. His first marriage was to Laura Van Tassel. Her last name is spelled a variety of ways over the years, too. Some records say she was born in New York and others say Michigan. It appears that she and most her siblings were born in NY and then migrated to Michigan when she was a child. They were married in 1842. William and Laura's early life together started in Michigan and they have at least two children identified in the 1850 Census. William's occupation is Tailor. They live very close to Laura's Van Tassel family and they are identified in the well documented Van Tassel genealogy that goes back to the early Dutch settlements in the 1620s. At this time I can identify two children from the 1850 Census. Charles A. Kennedy (abt 1844) and Sarah Kennedy (abt 1846). Both born in Michigan. I pick up the family again in Indiana by 1858 as they had at least two daughters, Alice Elvira Kennedy Wells (1858-1927), and Laura Belle Kennedy Neff (1862-1949), both born in Indiana. They are found living in Vincennes, Knox County, Indiana and some records list Perrysville, Indiana. Laura died in 1867 but I haven't found her details at this time. William's second wife was Miriam Kiddy. Their marriage was recorded in 1868 and they were together for 26 years. She was born Sep 1841 in Carroll County, Ohio and died 8 Aug 1928 in St. Louis Missouri but is buried here at Clay City Cemetery, as well. William and Miriam's children include: Florence "Flora" May Kennedy Davidson (1868-1917), Jacob Franklin Kennedy (1871-1939), Bertha Jeanette Kennedy Bradford McCauley (1877-1948), and Fred Alfred Kennedy (1881-1954). All born in Clay County, Illinois. William's death record gives the following information: William D Kennedy Sex: Male Color: White At time of death he was Year: 75 Month: 3 Days 16 Occupation: Tailor Date and Time of Death: 22 July 1894 at 4 a.m. Married, American, Born in Maryland Resident of Illinois: 30 Years Place of Death: Clay City, Illinois Cause of Death: Tuberculosis Duration of Disease: 1 Year Burial Place and Date: Clay City Cemetery on 23 July 1894 Undertaker: TN Pearce in Clay City Physician Returning Certificate: OW and JW Boyles of Clay City, Illinois Info from Kaylen Wells Cirillo 3rd Great Granddaughter via William's daughter Alice Elvira Kennedy Wells

  
  

• Sources

  [S16490] https://www.ancestry.com/, 1880 Census, Clay City Township, Clay County, Illinois, page 04, (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4240459-00194?usePUB=true&_phsrc=rEr1&pId=29391463) (Reliability: 3). [S16695] https://www.ancestry.com/, 1870 Census, Clay City, Illinois, page 05, (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4263658_00077?usePUB=true&_phsrc=Leu1&pId=17032763) (Reliability: 2).