The Kennedy family - Jane Hislop & Alexander Kennedy

Jane Hislop was the elder sister of my Great Great Grandmother, Janet Hislop.  Jane appears to have come to New Zealand with her brothers Joseph and Robert 1877 on the ship Rakaia, aged about 17 years of age.  The Rakaia left Clyde on 7 September 1877 and arrived in Canterbury on 10 December 1877.

Jane Hislop married Alexander Kennedy in Christchurch in 1884.  Alexander was born around 1849 in Glencoe in Invernesshire, Scotland, to Duncan and Margaret Kennedy.    


Jane and Alexander seem to have settled in the South Island, and had seven children.

Duncan Kennedy, their eldest child was born in 1885.  Duncan may have married Annie Adeline Doak in 1925.  They had at least one daughter, Anne Illerton Kennedy, born 20 July 1938 and died 16 June 1950, buried at the Temuka Cemetery.  If this is the correct Duncan then he died on 17 May 1957 and Annie died on 25 October 1958 - with both being buried with their daughter in the Temuka Cemetery.  Anne was 68 at the time of her death, and Duncan was 72 at the time of his death, putting his birth date at spot on 1885, making me fairly confident that this is correct.

Jane Kennedy, their second child and eldest daughter was born in 1887.  Again, I have been unable to find further information on Jane at this point.  Part of the problem may be that the name Jane often turned into derivatives like Jenny, Jean, Jeanie or Jennie.  

Mary Elizabeth Kennedy was the third child of Alec and Jane Kennedy, and was born in 1888.  Mary was listed as a registered Barmaid in 1911.  Mary Elizabeth never married and died on 4 September 1968.   

Fourth child, and second son, Robert Kennedy was born in 1889.  Again, I don't have any further information about him at this point.  Hopefully this will be rectified in time.

Margaret Kennedy was the fifth child and youngest daughter of Jane and Alec Kennedy.  She was born in 1892.  Again, at this time, I have no further information on her.  

Sixth child, Ronald Kennedy  was born on 5 July 1893.  I had thought that 'our' Ronald Kennedy was the same one who married Dulcie Dorothy Tetzlaff in 1924, however it appears this was a different Ronald Kennedy - born around ten years after our one.  However, since I already have it, more information about the Tetzlaff family can be found here.  In fact, Ronald Kennedy married Enid Ivy.  Ronald and Enid are both buried at the Timaru Cemetery.  Ronald died on 18 March 1980 and Enid died on 17 July 1983.  She was born on 15 November 1908, and so was around 75 at the time of her dea


The youngest Kennedy child was Alexander B Kennedy, who was born in Springfield, in 1896.  Alexander died on 18 November 1920 and was buried in the Bromley Cemetery on Saturday, 20 November 1920 (Block No. 34; Plot No. 79).  Alexander was aged 24 years, and his usual residence was at 70 Bealey Avenue, Christchurch.  At the time of his death he was a labourer.


Alexander Snr died in Timaru on 5 September 1914.  He was buried on 8 September 1914 at Timaru Cemetery. Although his own family had been Catholic, he was buried by a Presbyterian Minister, Rev. Cooper.  According to his death certificate, Alexander was 65 years old at the time of his death and he had been in New Zealand for for 56 years, which also ties in with the family arriving in New Zealand in 1858.  


At the time of his death, Alexander's widow Jane was listed as being aged 52 years, making her birth date around 1862 (I believe she was actually born around 1860).  At the time of his death, Alexander had four sons aged 29, 24, 20 and 18 and three daughters aged 27, 26 and 22.  Jane Kennedy, Alexander's widow died on 18 June 1938, aged 78, which puts her birth squarely at 1860, as I had thought.