Bartle Kennedy Rutter Stow

I’ve traced my line back to Hugh KENNEDY, who married Mary FERGUSON in Dull, PER in 1751. This was using traditional methods, but I’ve also joined the Kennedy DNA project, which uses yDNA (male) as a way of corroborating the paper evidence.

Through the DNA project I’ve recently been in touch with someone whose DNA is a very close match to mine, meaning we almost certainly have a common ancestor - the question is, who? His line goes back to a Robert Kennedy who married Christian KENNEDY in Dull in 1783, so may have been born in about 1760 or so. My Hugh and Mary had a son Robert in 1763, but there were also other Roberts baptised around that time, and the locations given in the baptism entries suggest that one of these others might possibly be a more likely candidate.

If anyone knows any more about these families I’d love to hear about it. In particular, can you shed light on the connection between Hugh and Robert, and also who Hugh’s parents were and where he came from (I haven’t found a likely baptism anywhere in Perthshire).

Lastly, if you’d like to know more about the Kennedy DNA project, I can put you in touch with the co-ordinator - the more participants the better!

Ellen EMMOTT (also known as Eleanor) married John STOW in Kildwick, WRY in 1786, and was described as a minor of Sutton-in-Craven in the parish of Kildwick. She died in 1844, aged 76, which would put her birth in around 1768. However, I haven’t found any trace of this or of who her parents might be.

My latest line of enquiry concerns a John CROSLEY, who witnessed the marriage in 1786, since a comparison of signatures suggests he might be the John Crosley who married a Mary Emmott in 1782; could Mary and Ellen have been sisters? Mary appears to have been the illegitimate daughter of Hannah Emmott (bapt. 1758), but so far I haven’t found anything definite to connect her to Ellen.

I’ve also found the following marriages in an index to the Kildwick PRs - could one or both relate to Hannah, mother of Mary (and possibly of Ellen)?

27 Apr 1769 Thomas PIGHELS widower of Crossmoor, Weaver and Ann EMMOTT spinster of Sutton

10 Aug 1789 John LILLY widower of Bingley, Woolcomber and Hannah PIGHELS widow of Silsden

Any ideas, anyone?

James BARTLE married Mary BELFIELD in Bradford, WRY in 1799, and I have found 11 children for them, as well as a whole host of grandchildren and later descendants. James died in 1843, his age being given as 65. I’ve found a couple of possible baptisms for James (9 Apr 1775, son of David Bartle in Bradford; 16 Dec 1777, son of James in Northowram), but I don’t know whether either of them is correct. Does anyone else have any information?