Phineas Durkee & Phoebe Pearl

Phineas Durkee, my 5th great grandfather and father of Hannah Durkee, was born Sept 16, 1730 in Hampton, Windham County, Connecticut. He married Phoebe Pearl on November 29, 1750. She was born May 12, 1732 also in Windham. They moved to Brimfield, Mass. sometime between 1750 and 1755.

Here is an excerpt from "Butlers and Kinfolk," by Elmer E. Butler, 1944. (The Cabinet Press: Milford, N.H.), pp. 95-96:

Phineas Durkee served as a corporal (Colonial Militia) in Capt. Ebenezer Moulton's company in the French and Indian war and took part in the expedition against Crown Point. Records in the archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts show that Phineas Durkee of Brimfield was "on the list of men voluntarily enlisted in His Majesty's service for reinforcing the army destined for Crown Point out of the southern regiment in the County of Hampshire" under Capt. Moulton. Continuing, these records show:
Muster roll call dated Boston, March 20, 1756 -- Record probably for year 1755. Phineas Durkee, a corporal, enlisted Sept. 10 and served until Dec. 10.
Billeting roll, Hampshire ss., dated Nov. 28, 1758, of Capt. Danile Burt's company, Col. William William's regiment, shows that Phineas Durkee enlisted April 10, 1758, and served 53 days.
Muster roll dated Boston, Feb. 9, 1760, informs us that Phineas Durkee was lieutenant in Capt. Timothy Hamant's company in the expedition against Canada, serving six months and 25 days, from May 19, 1759, to Nov. 27, 1759.

Phineas and Phoebe moved briefly to Saybrook, CT before sailing to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1763.

Here is a continuation of the excerpt from above:

Joseph E. Durkee's records show that on his removal to Nova Scotia with his Butler kinfolk in response to the invitation sent out by the Nova Scotia government for settlers to take up lands of the expelled Acadians, Phineas Durkee received a grant of land of 1335 acres in addition to 222 acres where he at first settled in Yarmouth. With his brother-in-law, Eleazer Butler 1st, he was prominent in the development of the township in its early dyas. Durkee was a tanner by trade. At Yarmouth he also followed milling, in partnership with Butler, shoemaking and farming. He was town clerk in 1763-7, justice of the peace in 1767 and later magistrate and registrar of deeds. His name and that of Eleazer Butler 1st appear many times on records of real estate transfers in the first book of deeds, preserved at the courthouse in Yarmouth.

He also owned a sawmill at one time.

They had twelve children; five in Massachusetts, and 7 in Nova Scotia.  They were:  Lois, Amasa, Olive, Eleanor, John, Phineas, Robert, Stephen, Pearl, Phoebe, Elizabeth, and Hannah.

Phineas died November 5, 1801.  He was buried in the old Main Street Cemetery in Yarmouth.  Phoebe died in1783. 

Wentworth Kenney & Louisa Sherlock

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Wentworth B. Kenney my 3rd Great Grandfather, and Father of Edward Kenny was born August 13, 1816 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to a family of sailors.

Yarmouth is located on the western side of Nova Scotia and was a major port during the age of sailing in the mid 1800s. Although it no longer supplies the world with sailing ships, it still sits on the largest Lobster fishing grounds in the world. Wentworth's father and at least one of his older brothers were captains of ships and he followed in their footsteps eventually achieving the designation of Master Mariner. He spent his life in harbor towns including Portland, Maine and Chelsea, Mass. (across the Mystic river from Boston). I believe he also spent time in New York as a sailor and a ship builder.

On Jun 26 1840 he married Louisa Sherlock from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Louisa was born in 1827 in Nova Scotia. Together they raised 8 children, Maretta, Lydia, Charles, Wentworth Jr, Nathan, Frank, John, and Edward.

The children were born in Maine and most continued to live and raise families in New England.

Wentworth died April 9, 1881, and Louisa in 1888. She is buried in South Portland, Maine. I have not found his grave site.

Note the name change from Kenney to Kenny. I have found the family name spelled both ways. The ones listed are from marriage and death certificates. Also missing is whether Wentworth was ever a US citizen. I have not found him or Louisa in the immigration records. I think it likely they remained Canadian.