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My Mother's Family

The story on my mother's side, is really the story of four families. My mother grew up in a home that was very conscious and very proud of it's history. Her father, and his father before him had been keenly interested in collecting and preserving all available information about their ancestry. As a result, we have quite a lot of information about the family trees of each of Mother's four grandparents.

Her two grandmothers, Margaret Ross and Emma Jane Kennedy, were born and brought up in the Red River settlement in what is now the province of Manitoba. Each had a grandfather who had come from Scotland and taken up the fur trade in Canada. Like many of the Scots fur traders, each of these adventurers had married a native Indian and eventually settled at Red River to raise their families.

Her two grandmothers had another thing in common, not only were there fathers half Scots, half Native, but their mothers were sisters, the two daughters of Roderick McKenzie Jr. another Canadian of Scottish descent who became Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Company, and had moved from Quebec to Red River.

Her grandfathers , Walter James and Edgar Burnell, on the other hand, were relatively recent immigrants from England. Each had come to Canada and to Red River at the approximate age of twenty, a few years after confederation, and each had promptly married a local girl and set about raising a family.

We will begin my mother's story, therefore, with a brief historical outline of each of the four families....

Alexander RossAlexander Kennedy

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William Ross Philip Kennedy

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Walter James - Margaret Ross Emma Jane Kennedy - Edgar Burnell

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Eddie James - Jessie Burnell

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Nora James

The Ross Family

400At the time that the Angles were moving into eastern England, the northern part of the British Isles was divided amongst three Celtic groups, the Picts in the highlands, and the Scots and the Britons in the lowlands. The Scots had come from Argyle in Northern Ireland, and as early as 500 AD, were organizing themselves into clans.

1226In about 1226, Ferchar, heir to the vast district of Applecross in western Scotland, was named Earl of Ross by King Alexander II, King of the Scots. Ferchar was a descendant of the hereditary abbots of Northern Ireland, who in turn traced their ancestry to King Niall of the nine hostages (circa 400 AD).

The Clan Ross take their surname from the county of Ross of which their chief's forefathers were Earls and descendants of Ferchar.

1500By the 1500's, highland Scotland was divided into a hundred odd clans. The Ross, Mackenzie, and Mackay clans controlled much of the land north of Inverness.

By 1711, however, when the cheifship of the clan passed to Malcolm Ross, the great estate of Balnagown was burdened with debt, and passed to strangers, whose descendants evicted many of the clansmen in the days of the Clearances.

1746The story of our branch of the Ross family begins in the second half of the 1700's, when the highland clan system was just coming to an end.

Bonnie Prince Charlie had failed in his march on England, and had been driven north to Inverness and defeated there by the Duke of Cumberland in 1746. The spirit of the clansmen was broken by the Disarming Act, which for 30 years banned highland dress.

At that time, a farmer named Alexander Ross lived in the parish of Dyke in Nairnshire, at Layhill near Forres, about 30 miles east of Inverness on the south side of Moray Firth.

The Nairn river flows north eastward past Inverness, and enters the Firth at the town of Nairn. To the north of the firth, the country is called Easter Ross, to distinguish it from the land extending to the west coast at Kintail which is called Wester Ross.

On May 9th, 1783, Alexander Ross junior, (my great, great, great grandfather Ross) was born at Dyke, Nairnshire, Scotland.

At age 21, in 1804, Alexander Ross left his home in Scotland, and emigrated to North America where he spent his first year in lower Canada as a "school master". He was not happy with his first job, and a year later moved to the Glengarry Settlement in Upper Canada, just west of Montreal where he again worked as a school master. He did not enjoy teaching school, and having saved very little money by 1809, he made up his mind to move again.

Around 1810, at age 27, Alexander joined the Pacific Fur Company of Montreal. Traveling by ship around Cape Horn to the Pacific, he arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River on the 25th of March 1811 with the intention of trading with the local Yakima Indians for furs.

The company was a failure, many of the traders were killed by the Indians or drowned, and a few stragglers returned to Canada overland. Ross remained in the Columbia River Country and a year later, in about 1812, married Sarah, daughter of an Oregon Indian chief.

Two years later, in 1814, when the opportunity arose, Alexander Ross joined the North West Company, which had taken over the assets of the Pacific Fur Company. He remained with the North West company, and occupied a post at Nez Perces in the Okanagan, until 1821.

Meanwhile, in 1812, Lord Selkirk, a major shareholder in the Hudson's Bay company, began to establish a settlement in Rupertsland, at the junction of the Red and Assinaboine rivers. The settlement was in direct conflict with the North West company, and the conflict erupted in a massacre of settlers on the banks of the Red River, historically known as the Battle of Seven Oaks. In spite of the conflicts, the settlement survived and grew, and eventually, in 1821, the North West Company was forced to amalgamate with the Hudson's Bay Company

In 1821, Ross was assigned, by his new employer, the Hudson's Bay Company, to explore the southern part of the Rockies looking for opportunities to trade with local Indian tribes. He did not find the job challenging, and in April 1825, informed the Company of his intention to leave the fur trade, and to join the new settlement at Red River. On July 24, of that year, William Ross, his fifth child, was born at Columbia River.

Alexander Ross had traveled from the Columbia river to The Red River Settlement in what is now Manitoba in 1825. Shortly afterwards, in 1826, he was joined by his wife and family who had traveled overland and wintered in the Rocky Mountains. Alexander became a member of the Governing Council and Sheriff of Red River a few years later. He was given a grant of land by the Hudson's Bay Company, which extended two miles west from the Red River and from what is now William Avenue on the South, and Logan Avenue on the North, in the heart of the present city of Winnipeg.

William Ross grew up in Red River, and on Dec. 12 1844 married Jemima McKenzie, aged 18, who had come to Red River from Quebec City with her parents Roderick and Sarah McKenzie.

Roderick was a nephew of Alexander McKenzie, the explorer who in 1789 had traveled overland to the Arctic Ocean, and in 1793, had been the first to traverse the continent by land from Atlantic to Pacific.

1854On April 8th, 1854 Margaret Ross (fifth child of William and Jemima Ross, and my great grandmother) was born at Brookbank, the family home at Red River Settlement in what is now the heart of downtown Winnipeg.

On May 4th, 1856, young William Ross, aged only 31, died at Brookbank, Red River.

Five months later, on October 23rd 1856, his father Alexander Ross died at Colony Gardens, Red River Settlement, Manitoba.

On Oct. 31 1860, Jemima Ross, widow of William, married William Coldwell, himself a widower, and the Ross' next door neighbor at Brookbank.

In 1869, The Hudson's Bay Company transferred their land to the crown, and the following year, in 1870, the land around the Red River Settlement became the new province of Manitoba.

The Kennedy Family

About 65 miles south east of the Ross family farm in Nairnshire, is the city of Aberdeen.

Two of the prominent clans in the Aberdeen area from very early times, were the Forbes and the Kennedys. as with many neighboring clans, their story involves constant feuding, but many intermarriages.

1350Our first knowledge of a member of the Kennedy clan, is a John Kennedy who lived in the mid 1300's. His daughter Elizabeth married a John Forbes in about 1375, and their offspring can be traced to the Kennedy line from which my great grandmother Emma Jane came.

1413The Kennedy clan, from a very early period held the high office of Hereditary Constable of Aberdeen, but it was only in 1413, that a Thomas Kennedy acquired Kermuck, in Ellon, about 15 miles due north of Aberdeen, and a couple of miles inland from the North Sea.

In about 1550, John Kennedy of Kermuck, great, great grandson of Thomas Kennedy, married Isabella Cheyne. John died a few years later, and Isabella married Mowat of Buchelie Castle, Caithness in Orkney far to the north, thereby establishing a family link which would prove to be crucial a century later.

In 1625, John Kennedy, son of the above, married Janet Forbes. At that time, Janet (who was a descendant of the John and Elizabeth mentioned at the beginning of our story), lived at Craigievar castle about 30 miles west of Aberdeen and her family controlled much of the land bounded by the Don river to the north, and the Dee to the south.

In 1652, The Kennedy clan and the Forbes clan quarreled, and one of the Forbes' was killed. Fearing vengeance, the Kennedy's fled to the far north of Scotland to the tiny island of Stroma, which lies between John O'Groats on the mainland, and the island of Orkney.

John and Janet took with them their son, John Kennedy the third who subsequently, in 1678, married Jean Mackenzie, daughter of Murdock Mackenzie, Bishop of Orkney. The Mackenzies had come from Kintail in wester Ross where the power of the Mackenzie clan was centered. Succeeding generations of Kennedy's lived on Stroma, and at St Margaret's Hope and Burwick on the adjacent Orkney Island of South Ronaldsay.

In 1780, Alexander Kennedy, grandson of John Kennedy the third, was born in Orkney, at Brachead in St Margaret's Hope, and in the early 1800's came to Cumberland House in Ruperts land in what is now northern Manitoba. There he worked as Chief Factor in the fur trade, and married a Cree woman whose name was Mary Bear.

Alexander Kennedy was a co-worker of Alexander Ross, and is mentioned in his letters from the Columbia River country.

About 1817, Philip Kenneth Kennedy, son of Alexander and Mary, and a mixture of Scots and Cree Indian, was born in Rupertsland.

In 1822, Philip's older sister Mary and Thomas Isbister were married and settled at St Andrews.

In 1833 when Philip was about 16, his father, who had had gone to London to settle his affairs with the Hudson Bay Company, asked the Isbisters to obtain the land next to theirs so that he could settle down to farming at St Andrews. He died suddenly in England, leaving his Indian wife to bring up the family with the help of her sons and daughters.

Philip's older brother William became an explorer, traveled to the arctic, and became famous, while Philip stayed at home and looked after the family farm.

On June 28th 1838, Philip Kennedy married 17 year old Jessie McKenzie (an older sister of Jemima McKenzie Ross) at Red River.

During the next 20 years, Philip and Jemima had a large family at the farm in St Andrews on the Red River, about 20 miles north of the Ross family farm.

Their tenth child, who arrived on Nov. 26 1858, was a daughter they named Emma Jane. Emma Jane Kennedy, my great grandmother, and who I knew as Granny Burnell, lived to the ripe old age of 92.

On January 25th 1863, Jessie (McKenzie) Kennedy died at Red River less than two months after giving birth to her twelfth child. Granny (Emma Jane) was just 4 years old at the time.

The Burnell Family

According to one source, the Burnell family in England is descended from two brothers who were Hugeunots and who fled from France to England after the massacre of St. Bartholomew during the religious upheavals of the 1500's.

To date, we know relatively little about the history of the Burnell family in England. We know that they were a relatively well educated, financially independent family.

We begin in about 1790, when a Martin Burnell was born, probably in Yorkshire. He became a ship and insurance broker, and moved to London.

Martin married twice. His first wife (27 Oct. 1805) was Eleanor Lamb, his second, (26 June 1809) Barbara Louise Borrer of Hanfield Sussex County.

About 1815, Martin and Barbara had a son George, who was born in St Pancras, Middlesex. Not long afterwards, in 1821 Martin died, but Barbara lived until Nov. 23 1859. As the family matriarch, she managed the affairs in true Victorian style. As the heir to Martin's estate, which was more than adequate not only to raise her two children, but to control their lives.

As a young man, George Burnell led quite a free and easy life in London away from his mother. There he met Emma Elizabeth Sharpe in the early 1840's. George was in his mid 20's and Emma in her late teens. They had three children prior to their marriage- Emma, Jessie, and Harry. A fourth child, Martin Hamlyn was born in 1847, just a little more than 3 weeks after their 27th of January wedding.

Emma was the daughter of a hotel keeper in Uckfield Sussex, and after their marriage, George and Emma moved to his mother's home, also in Uckfield.

On June 4th 1856, Edward Burnell, and his twin brother Edgar (my great grandfather), 9th and 10th of 11 children, was born at East Hoathly, Sussex England.

When Edgar was not quite 4, his mother, Emma died on April 29th 1860, and his father George, died four year later on Jan 14th 1864. Barbara left the bulk of her estate to her daughter Louisa, and the children of Emma and George were left without parents, and very little means of support.

It is likely that Edgar, his twin brother Edward, and younger brother Frederick were raised by their father's sister Louisa Burnell Rawlinson near Lewisham Kent which is now a suburb of London.

In 1868, when Edgar and Edward were 12 years old, their older brothers Martin, Harry and John Hamlyn left England for Canada. The came to the Red River Settlement because they were close personal friends of Edward Field, who farmed in Westbourne near Potrtage La Prairie. A history of the Westbourne district describes them as wealthy, and they must have inherited quite a bit of money from their father, because they were able to set themselves up quite soon after they arrived in Canada.

On June 24 1873, Harry purchased land from Mr. Field, and farmed it until 1877 when he moved to San Francisco with a friend from England, John Clift Simpkins

Martin also bought land from Field in 1873, and remained behind for a few years when Harry first moved to the USA.

John Hamlyn was trained in England as a brewer under William Garton, and worked at the Anglo Bavarian Brewing Company in their Shepton Mallet plant. He set up a brewery in the Red River Settlement when he arrived in 1868, and operated it until 1877 when he moved to San Francisco with Harry.

Edward quit school at the age of 15, and came to Canada in 1871, where he joined Harry and Martin on the farm in Westbourne. He bought their farms when they moved to the states in 1877. He stayed there until he sold the land in 1880 and a year later moved to Strathclair Manitoba.

We think Edgar came to Canada at the same time as Edward, although there is no record of that fact. There was a letter which stated they both came in 1873, but that disagrees with the Westbourne history which says Edward came in 1871.

At any rate, it would appear that Edgar decided to go to San Francisco with Harry, Hamlyn and Tom Simkins, but not until after his wedding.

On Sept. 13th 1877 Edgar Burnell, aged 21, (whose

address in the Parish record of the wedding was given as San Francisco), married Emma Jane Kennedy aged 18 at St. Andrews, Manitoba. Edward was the best man. They moved to San Francisco to work with his older brothers Hamlyn and Martin.

According to the history of the Albion Brewery in San Francisco, the first record of the Brewery was in the city directory for 1877, when J.H Burnell and T.H Simpkins were listed as proprietors, and Edgar, Frederick and Henry (Harry) were all listed as brewers. Edgar's dwelling is given as 11th Ave. and D street in South San Francisco.

In 1878, Edgar Burnell received the last of his inheritance. According to the city directory, he was now the owner of a saloon at 209 Jackson street, and lived at 710 Bush street.

By 1879, Harry and T.H. Simpkins had also left the firm, leaving John Hamlyn and Frederick as partners.