Early instances of the surname in England include one Mary Kennerleywho married her sweetheart John Stephenson in the Church of St. George in Hannover Square, London in the year 1661. The surname Kennerly is rare outside the English southern counties of Devon and Cornwall. However, the surname was introduced into NW England such as Cheshire at some stage in the later centuries as internal migration was not uncommon throughout England.
William Kennerly
of Maryland.
Is one of the first Kennerly's to arrive
in America. William, his wife Alice and their two sons, Joseph and Joshua,
arrived in Dorchester Co, Md in 1685. William was born in England and
died February 12, 1696 in Little Choptank, Dorchester Co, Md. Our
family are decedents of William.
William was in Dorchester County only a short time when he soon became influential among Dorchester Quakers and in 1690 began his service as treasurer of their meetings. The Kennerly family remained active in the Society of Friends until organized Quakerism disappeared in that area around the middle of the eighteenth century. A copy of William and Alice Kennerly's certificate or "letter" from the Quakers in England reads.
"Friends and brethren This is chiefly to satisfy you all whom it may or does or may concern that our friend William and his wife, went from us into your parts, in the unity of truth and with the consent of their friends and brethren and did leave a good report behind them in the county where they lived and we did never hear that they did at any time carry or was otherwise than became truth and the blessed order of the gospel of Christ Jesus, so we looking upon it as our duty, we could do no less but send this as our testimony to you in his wife's behalf whom we had dear unity with in the precious truth of our good and gracious Lord that has been exceeding good to them in bringing them over to you in safety as we have no more, but our tender love to you all in the Lord Jesus Christ subscribed by us who were gathered together in the fear of Almighty God at the men's meeting held at William Ganney's house this 1st day of May 1685."
Alice Kennerly died Abt 1703 in Dorchester Co, Md. Their son Joseph married Mary Stevens in Dorchester Co, Md. Joseph died 1722 in Dorchester Co, Md. He was one of the most influential members of the Society of Friends in Dorchester County. Their second son Joshua married Martha Evernden. She was born Abt 1676 in Canterbury, Kent, ENG. and died in Md. Joshua died 1731 in Dorchester Co, Md. He succeeded his brother Joseph as 'Inspector of the affairs of Truth, keeper of the Stock and ‘registrar’ of births and burials for Transquaking, “Quakers”.
John Kennerly
of Penn.
Was the first man to settle in what is now Lancaster
Co, Penn. He was a English Quaker and settled in Christiana in 1691. This
was nineteen years before the Mennonites came. William Penn of Horminghurst
sold the land to John on July 16, 1691. This land of 375 acres lies east
of Nobleville in the township of Sadsbury. John paid 12 pounds & 4
shillings for this land. This purchase is known as the "William Penn Deed".
We have yet to find any decedents from him.
James Kennerly
of Penn.
James arrived in Chester Co, Penn. on Aug. 14th,
1682 aboard The Friendship which sailed from Liverpool England. James
left his estate to his nephew Mordaci Maddock. Elizabeth (his sister)
her husband Henry Maddock and children Jane an Mordaci arrived in Chester
Co., in late 1682. There are no known decedents from James.
Samuel Kennerly
of Virginia.
Samuel arrived in Virginia about July 1715. The
work prepared by Mrs. Mary Larned (Kennerly) Taylor has Samuel arriving
from Scotland. There is no proof of this for the ship he arrived on came
from Liverpool England. He received a patent for 1750 acres of land known
as Delemere Forest, June 19, 1735, from Governor William Gooch of Virginia.
About 70% of all Kennerly's are decedents of Samuel. He was born in England
and died 18 Jan 1750 in St. Mark's Parish, Culpeper Co, Va.