Mary Manley McKenny (1859-1918)

Mary Manley was the third child and only daughter of Edward and Margaret Manley. She was born in Port Dalhousie, ON on the 6th of February, 1859. She moved to Thorold, ON as a young child and spent the whole of her life there. Mary appeared in the census listings of 1861, 1871 and 1881 in the household of her parents. In 1881 census, at the age of 22 she was listed as a dressmaker.

Mary was married to John McKenny on the 19th of January, 1888. The wedding was held at Holy Rosary Catholic church in Thorold and was officiated by Rev. T.J. Sullivan. John was the son of Timothy McKenny and Margaret Fleming. He was born in New York but was residing in Thorold at the time of the marriage. The marriage witnesses were Timothy McKenny and Mary Roberts.

Mary Roberts is one of my ''Dixon Dots''...she was the daughter of Frank and Bridget Dixon of Port Dalhousie. Ten years earlier in 1878 Mary Manley was the marriage witness for Catherine Dixon, another daughter of Frank and Bridget Dixon.

Mary and John McKenny owned a home at 23 Carleton Street in Thorold. Between 1888 and 1898 they had five children, three girls and two boys and while their own family was growing they also took in Mary's father Edward, her brother Francis and John's brother Timothy.

Tragedy struck the McKenny family in October of 1918 when the matriarch, Mary Manley McKenny passed away. Mary had become ill from food poisoning and died on Oct 3rd. Just three weeks later, on Oct 25th their daughter Bridget Bertha died after developing pneumonia from influenza at the age of 28. Five years later, on Oct 26th, 1923 John McKenny passed away.

As far as I have been able to determine, the remaining four McKenny children stayed in the same house on Carleton Street for the rest of their lives. None of them married or had children. When the last one died in 1975 the house was sold and today it no longer exists. I wonder what happened to the family treasures that must have been in that house.

Mary Manley McKenny, her husband John and all five of their children are buried together in Old Lakeview Cemetery in Thorold, ON

Obituary, St. Catharines Standard, October 4, 1918;
Death of Mrs. McKenny
A wave of sorrow passed over the town on Thursday when the word that Mrs. Mary Manley, beloved wife of John McKenny, had passed away after an illness of two weeks. Besides her sorrowing husband, five children are left to survive: Margaret, Bertha and Frances at home and John and Edward, who are both serving overseas. Four brothers: Hugh Manley of Chicago, IL, John of Merritton, Frank and Edward at Thorold also survive. The funeral will take place to Lakeview cemetery, Thorold on Saturday morning.

Obituary, St. Catharines Standard, October 27, 1923;
McKenny
At his late residence, 23 Carleton Street, Thorold on Friday morning, October 26, 1923, John Patrick McKenny. Funeral on Monday, October 29th from the family home at 8:30 am to the Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, where requiem mass will be chanted at 9 am. Interment in Lakeview Cemetery, Thorold.

Children of Mary Manley and John McKenny:
Margaret Anne (1888-1975)
Bridget Bertha (1890-1918)
John Aloysius (1891 -1971)
Edward Manley (1894-1962)
Frances Mary (1898-1970)

Parents of Mary Manley:
Edward Manley (1819-1903)
Margaret Dixon (1821-1881)

Parents of John McKenny:
Timothy McKenny
Margaret Flemming

© 2009 Kindred Footprints

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