Elisabeth Kenneday Twidwell Back to Family History

The father of, Elisabeth Kenneday, Obediah Twidwell's wife, remains elusive, but maybe it can be figured out by using the process of elimination and looking at the Kenneday families who settled in Rowan/Davidson Co, NC.

John Kenneday (Sr), who was born Perth , Scotland , settled in Halifax Co, VA. He had two sons who also settled in Rowan/Davidson Co., John (Jr) and Sherwood (Sr). John (Jr) married Elisabeth Sparrow circa 1772 in VA.

John (Jr) and Elisabeth Sparrow Kenneday’s children:

Mary, born VA-1772------1st born daughter

James, born VA-1775-----1st born son

John (3rd), born VA-1777

Daughter, born ca 1784--1790

(the Rowan Co. federal census in 1800 lists a female between 10 and 16 yrs old)

Epaphroditus, born 1785, Rowan Co.

Sarah, born, 1791, Rowan Co.

__??____, born, 1793, Rowan Co.

Sherwood, born 1796, Rowan Co.

Thomas Sparrow, born 1798, Rowan Co.

The second born unnamed daughter, born between 1784 and 1790 in the 1800 Rowan census, looks very much to be Elisabeth Kenneday, born 1788, who married Obediah Twidwell in Rowan/Davidson Co. She was the second born daughter and following colonial naming patterns, the second born daughter was usually named after the mother. In this case that would be Elisabeth. The first born daughter was usually named after the mother's mother.

Using the process of elimination:

John (Jr)'s brother, Sherwood, who came to Rowan/Davidson Co. at the same time, also had a daughter named Elisabeth, but she wasn't born until 1801.

John the 3rd had a daughter named Elisabeth, but she wasn't born until 1815 and she married John Green .

There was an Andrew Kennedy (no known relation to John (Jr) and Sherwood Kenneday), whose wife was Rachel Penny, had a daughter named Elisabeth, but they lived in the Salisbury district, which is some ways away from where John (Jr), Sherwood Kenneday, Obediah Twidwell and Thomas Twidwell lived. These Kennedays and Twidwells lived close to present-day Thomasville , Davidson County , NC . After Davidson Co. split off from Rowan Co in 1822, Lexington became the county seat of Davidson Co., and Salisbury was the county seat of Rowan Co. Andrew and Rachel Penny Kennedy's daughter, Elisabeth, was not born until 1804 in Blount Co, TN, as Andrew and Rachel Penny went there in 1793.

By using this process of elimination, it certainly appears that John (Jr) Kenneday was Elisabeth Kenneday Twidwell's father.

John (Jr) Kenneday was also a witness at Thomas Twidwell and Polly Wayman's wedding in 1815.

Research by Olen Twidwell

February, 2007