The Kennedy Connection: Scottish Presbyterian Royalty?
One of the most pervasive family traditions handed down through many generations has been a question of our family’s link to Scottish Royalty through the Kennedy line. The Kennedy’s entered the Ross line through the marriage of Esther Kennedy in 1850 to James Ross ( 1818-1865). Her great grandfather, the Rev. Samuel Kennedy (1720-1787) is supposed to have been born in Culzean Castle in Scotland. Although writing from many different branches of his descendants purport to document this connection, I have seen no direct link to his father and mother which can be systematically documented. The educational level which he had attained prior to his arrival in America around 1740 leaves no doubt that he was indeed a member of the ruling class of his day but his parentage is still uncertain..
The tradition of the family owning ( i.e. being heir to) and selling a castle in Scotland is referenced in many letters and publications relating to the family of the Rev. Samuel Kennedy. The 9th and 10th Earls of Cassilis were supposedly the brothers of the Reverend Samuel Kennedy. Rev. Samuel Kennedy died eight years before the 10th Earl died (1795) leaving the position of heir to the Cassilis title and estates open. At that time his son, Dr. Samuel Kennedy, Jr. was generally accepted by the family here as the rightful heir to the position. Over the years there have supposedly been various attempts from connections in Scotland to find the rightful heir to these estates. Dr. Samuel Kennedy’s granddaughter, Sara Elizabeth Kennedy, daughter of Barnet Shafer Kennedy, wrote in 1891 (The Kennedy Chronicles) the following:
“Dr Samuel Kennedy, Jr., was the oldest son, and it was he, instead of his father, as I have misstated, who, as he and all his family believed, became heir to the Cassilis title and estates, by the will of the last Earl, who died in the 1795. (See Mr. Caney’s letter, dated Dec. 21st, 1872, written at Sharpsburgh, Penn.) While on this subject, I will write all I have to say about it. –Dr. Kennedy, my grandfather, lived about nine years after the death of the Earl, and he declared that he was the rightful heir, and intended that his second son, Samuel, should, when of suitable age, go to Scotland to establish his claim. The reason he gave for not going himself was, I have been told, that he could not leave his patients, as there was no physician in all Sussex County [New Jersey] to fill his place. . . His being a fiery Republican in principle, doubtless influenced him somewhat. From what I have heard of him, I think nothing would have induced him to live under Kingly government.”
“In 1815 or 1816, Grandfather’s younger brother, Robert Kennedy, was empowered by the family, and furnished with all the documents in their possession and dispatched to Scotland to prosecute their claim. I do not know how long he was absent, but on his return it was found that he had accomplished nothing. He confirmed what was already understood, that the title and estates were in possession of one who was not the lawful heir. He was very reticent on the subject of what he had seen and heard. Some believed he had been bribed to remain quiet, and others thought he had been frightened away from Scotland by threats of violence. He returned to New Jersey and to the house of my Grandmother, but the proofs to establish the claim she had entrusted to him were not returned to her keeping. Probably they were extorted from him in Scotland.”
Later attempts were also made, according to The Kennedy Chronicles.
“. . . About the year 1871, a Mr. Howel, a native of New Jersey, by then residing in Canada, who had been employed by some parties to look after possessions in the old Country, to which they believed themselves entitled, visited my father, to inform him that he was entitled to estates in Scotland, as he had discovered while searching for missing documents in some repository for legal matters in Edinburgh. Howel had some knowledge of Father before he left New Jersey, and I suppose that he was especially the heir. Father was at that time the only surviving son of Dr. Samuel.”
In more recent years, from our specific branch of the family (descendants through Dr. Samuel Kennedy, Jr’s son Moses Washington Kennedy) we have the same story from a different perspective in the following letter sent by Esther Kennedy Ross’ great granddaughter Virginia Brannon Faris to Lillian Ross Highfield on May 20, 1971.(This is a typed copy of the handwritten original, a copy of which I possess).[ I am adding a transcribed copy of the original letter from which this quote comes as a separate page].
“Now, to the story of the land in Scotland and I think I have the correct story this time!
Uncle Benjamin Kennedy [ brother of Esther Kennedy Ross , 1814-1882] was notified of the inheritance of the “Castle Casillias” - “Castle Carolin” - Town of Aires and a small island Elza ) mama remembers seeing the island on a map) all in Scotland. He asked his uncle or cousin (not sure which, but was not an heir) to accompany him. When they arrived in New York to sail, uncle Benjamin realized that one of the papers for him to claim the estate was not properly written - something had been left out and he returned (where I do not know) home to have the lawyers correct the paper. He left the other papers with the relative. When he returned he could not find the relative and sensed that he had sailed with the other papers. - he returned home feeling that he did not have enough proof to claim the estate.
In the mean time the relative had arrived in Scotland and found “usurpers” had taken over the estate. They took him [to] one of the castles and entertained him royally. Each time he mentioned settling the estate they would put him off and entertain for him. He became suspicious that they knew he was an imposter and decided to return home. He pretended he was going to American to return with his lawyer.
The day he left the “usurpers”, as grandmother [ Martha Emma Ross, daughter of Esther Kennedy and James Ross] called them, prepared him a basket of food to take along on the journey. He did not eat any of the food the first day, but the second day ate a small amount and became deathly ill. The ships doctor examined the food and found it to contain enough poison to have killed him had he eaten very much of it.
Why Uncle Benjamin did not go over to try to claim the estate I’ll never know, unless the relative had turned over the papers he possessed to the people in Scotland.
I have called several members of the family here, who were supposed to have been descendants of the Kennedys that a lawyer contacted about an estate in England or Scotland and they are real old and can’t remember. The one who told me about this has had two strokes, yet is working. I will try to call her tonight”
So, the question still remains as to our Ross’ branch’s royal connection through the Kennedy connection. Will we ever know? Is it really important? After all the “fun of the search” for the unknown is often more enjoyable than finding out the truth. Whatever happened to “our” castle? Who cares? Well, that is not a fair question since if we didn’t care, we wouldn’t even be discussing it. We know there is a royal connection based on the education levels of Samuel Kennedy, but we can only continue the quest for direct links. When you find those links, please let me know. My curiosity is “killing me”.
For more details on this Kennedy story, check out the following links.
The Kennedy Family: - “The Kings of Carrick”
http://www.maybole.org/history/articles/kennedy/kennedys.htm
The Kennedy Chronicles
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kennedychronicle/index.html
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