THE NAME KEARNS:
Doug Kearns corresponded with a William Kearns of Liverpool, England, who
advised that the Irish Gaelic Language does not contain a "K" and "C"
takes the place of the "K", as in Carns, Currins, Currans. I have
also seen the name Cairn, but am unsure if Kearns and it are related.
Still, there is another possibility according to Doug Kearns.
In Switzerland, there is a little town named KERNS that dates back to
1200 AD. He had read a book about the Amish who were persecuted
because of their strict religious ways. They began in Switzerland
and slowly made their way up the Rhine River to Holland where they
boarded boats for the New World. There are numerous Kerns in
Germany. Thousands of Germans migrated to Ireland during the
late 1600's and early 1700's. They probably didn't find what they
expected and when the opportunity was right they jumped on a boat
to America. So the name may bring in an ancestry of Irish, German,
and Swiss heritage. Whether or not Kerns and Kearns are related
is uncertain, though.
According to the book FARMER: Yesterday and Today (Zeb R. Denny, editor;
published by Wooten Printing Co., Inc. in Welcome, NC), William T. and
Mary King Kearns came to America from Ireland between 1760 and 1765,
changing the name KEERANS to KEARNS. He settled on Second Creek, North
Carolina, just 3 miles south of Farmer, NC, in Concord Township
(Randolph Co.). The FARMER book lists William T. Kearns, Sr., and
Mary King (Mary King Kearns) as the parents of Thomas Kearns, husband
of Rebecca Ivy. The tombstone shown when clicking on the link below
states that John Kearns is the father of Thomas Kearns, husband of
Rebecca Ivey. Documentation supports John as the father of Thomas and
likely Isaac and Silas. John was in Rowan (now Randolph Co., NC) in
1768 as a taxpayer. Much of this information comes from Doug Kearns.
Yet, it is not fully substantiated either way.
William T. Mary Adam A.
Kearns, Sr. + King Ivey
(Keerans) |
|
OR |
|
John Kearns |
|
? |
| |
| |
| |
+------+-----+ Benjamin
| | Ivey
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Isaac Thomas + Rebecca Click HERE to see the
Kearns Kearns | Ivy (Ivey) tombstone of Thomas
| +----------+----------------+ Kearns and Rebecca Ivey
| |b. 19 Jan.| b. 1 Jan. 1786 | Kearns which also lists
| | 1776 | d. 11 May 1845 | their children.
| |d. 1847 | |
| +----------+----------------+
↓ | According to Doug Kearns'
his | (descendant of William T. Kearns' or John
descendants | Kearns' son Silas -- brother to Thomas --
| born 1767) files, he has a Thomas Carns in
| 1803 as purchasing or receiving land from the
| State (North Carolina). He also has Thomas
| Kerns in 1803 as purchasing land from a
| Richard Loflin. Both purchases were in Randolph
| County, North Carolina. I am not sure if this
| Thomas Carns is the Thomas Kearns on this page.
| --James A. Johnson
|
|
Allen Elizabeth
Harris "Betsy"
Johnson + Kearns Click HERE - picture w/ Allen & Elizabeth.
|
+---+---+-----+
|m. 1836|b. 29| 21 March 1821-21 July 1899 are the dates
|Married| Jan.| provided for the life of Elizabeth "Betsy"
|young: |1821 | Kearns by the FARMER (Zeb R. Denny,
|He was |d. 22| Ed.) book. The dates to the left are
|18. She|July | given for Elizabeth on the tombstone of
|was 15.|1899 | her parents. See the tombstone link above.
+---+---+-----+