This photo was taken in October 2006 near the old mill area of Little Falls, NY looking west down the Mohawk river.

Last weekend I made it to Fort Yargo park in Winder, GA to watch my first cyclocross race. The course is really punishing with lots of places where they have to carry their bike and work around obstacles. Below is a shot from the Men's Masters 35+ and 45+ race when a guy jumping over one of the barriers with his bike. More photos can be found at http://gallery.kennaphoto.com/g/2007_yargo .

On my quest for relatives I ordered a copy of the Civil War pension file (certificate #577430) for a Michael Kenna (1845-1904). He was a private in Company C, 74th Regiment of the NY Volunteers from 7 Jul 1861 to 6 Jul 1864. He was born 1845 or 1846 in Ireland to John Kenna and Kate Gleason (both of Ireland), moving to the US around 1854. He was married to Mary Ralph (b. 1842) on 6 Feb 1868 by Rev. Father O'Burn/Byrne at St. Michaels Church in Flushing, NY. They had at least two children: Annie Kenna, b. 13 Feb 1872, and Mary Kenna, b. 9 Mar 1881. Michael died at the age of 58, on 24 Jan 1904, at Laurel Hill, Queens, NY, from a cerebral hemorrhage. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery.

I can't be certain he is a relative, however, his mother's name of Gleason shows up elsewhere in our family tree. Perhaps St. Michaels church or naturalization papers can help prove or disprove a connection.

If you know this man or his relatives, please let me know.

UPDATE:  The nice folks at St. Michael's Church did a search for the marriage record and could not find one for them on the date above. :-(

Fairhope, AL

Betty K. Willette (born Elizabeth Kathleen Varcoe), 90, a native of Buffalo N.Y., and longtime resident of Rochester, NY, and Deland, FL, passed away Wednesday July 18, 2007 at a local nursing home. She was preceded in death by her husband, G. James Willette, and a granddaughter, Kristina Willette. Survivors include: one daughter, Joan Laird, Hadley, MA, two sons; David Willette, Fairhope, AL, and Douglas Willette, Seneca, SC; one brother, George Varcoe, Flager Beach, FL; seven grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren. Throughout her long life, she was an avid and accomplished bridge player, volunteer, and world traveler. Private arrangements are being made by the family.

The 90th annual Averett-Byrd reunion was held July 7, 2007 at the Daleville, AL Convention Center. A good time was had by all. Next year's reunion will be held on July 5th at the same location.

For the last few weeks I've been taking advantage of the temporary free access to military records on Ancestry.com and collecting records of relatives with connections to the US Civil War, World War I and II. Updates have been made for the following persons:

• Bryant Shelly Averett
• George Ananias Averett
• Henry Grady Averett
  
• Charles Francis Kenna
• George Edward Kenna
  
• Harry C. Kenna
• Thomas M. Kenna
• William Henry Kenna

Begun in 1868, Memorial Day was set aside to honor the those who died in the American Civil War. In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day.

I have uploaded a compiled list of Civil War soldiers for common surnames on this site here:

Averett
Kenna

The photograph below was taken at cemetery in Alexandria, VA between 1860 and 1870.

May 19, 2007

Thanks to our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country