Kearns (Keerans) and Ivey (Ivy) Ancestry

Also Sledge, Moore, Flake, Clarke, Hadley and others

Sources:

IRELAND SPECIFIC RESEARCH SOURCES from Facebook Group: Irish Kearns Keeran Kerns Keirns Research and DNA Project

 
   
       

KEARNS

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(s). However, according to Ancestry.com, Kearns is the "Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Céirín 'descendant of Céirín' (supported by Gene Kearns, a personal name from a diminutive of ciar 'dark', 'black'. English patronymic -s has been added superfluously" and a variant of the Irish Carnes. The name is also seen as Keeran, Keerans and Kiernan (See Kernan Family Origins for more information on Kiernan). Refer also to The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randoloph County, NC by Douglas and Peggy Gaddy Kearns and The Book of Irish Families, p. 164 by Michael C. O'Laughlin.

Sue Keirns Mulero shared the name may be an anglicization of O'Kirwan, Kirwan, Kervan, Kervin, Kervon and Kirvin. She also determined via Y-DNA study that the Keeran-Kearns-Kerns folks (Pa to NC) are NOT related to Keirns-Kearns-Kerns folks (Pa to Ohio), not through their paternal line anyway; they all seem to have the occasional autosomal DNA match that is through some maternal lines.

↓ Read more below ↓ or ↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

Other surnames besides Kearns/Keerans in this part of the tree: Adams, Cane/Cain, Clark(e), Clibborn, Cole, Flake, Hadley, Ignew, Ivey/Ivy, Johnson, Laeton/Layton, Miller, Moore, Reese/Reece, Roe, Sledge, Thorpe and Webb.

In December 2017, Gene Kearns, whose late aunt Luna Kearns Hames did extensive research, had this to say: "My aunt had spoken to a Swiss fellow many years ago and dismissed that side of the story. Clearly, there were Waldensian families in nearby counties, but they seemed to always stick to the Kerns spelling." DNA supports an Irish origin for my Kearns line depicted on this page. The Kearns per DNA research are somehow tied to the Brady and Lynch families of Cavan County, Ireland. Also refer to The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randoloph County, NC by Douglas and Peggy Gaddy Kearns.

↓ Read more below ↓ or ↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

According to Ancestry.com in referring to the Dictionary of American Family Names (© 2013, Oxford University Press), the Kearns name meaning is Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Céirín 'descendant of Céirín', a personal name from a diminutive of ciar 'dark', 'black'. English patronymic -s has been added superfluously.

↓ Read more below ↓ or ↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

Original Kearns Mystery

According to the book FARMER: Yesterday and Today (Zeb R. Denny, editor; published by Wooten Printing Co., Inc. in Welcome, NC), , the name was spelled variably from KEERANS to KEARNS (Gene Kearns also mentions Keirns and Keeranes). The FARMER book on p. 120 erroneously lists William T. Kearns, Sr., and Mary King (Mary King Kearns) as the parents of Thomas Kearns, husband of Rebecca Ivy. On p. 183, the book has the content of a Bible excerpt for the family of Ivy Kearns, which says that John Kearns is the father of Thomas Kearns (b. 1776) and this is confirmed by documentation, artifact and Y-DNA evidence.

↓ Read more below ↓ or ↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

         

The memorial stone of Thomas Kearns states that John Kearns is the father of Thomas Kearns, husband of Rebecca Ivey. John is the father of Thomas and Isaac and Silas and Ann (and Issac and Ann are mentioned in John's 1794 will. Some sources erroneously indicate William T. Kearns is the progenitor. John was in Rowan (now Randolph Co., NC) in 1768 as a taxpayer. Some of this information came from Doug Kearns in 2005. The rest came through the Irish Kearns Keeran Kerns Keirns Research and DNA Project and its administrator Sue Keirns Mulero.

Other surnames besides Kearns/Keerans in this part of the tree: Adams, Cane/Cain, Clark(e), Clibborn, Cole, Flake, Hadley, Ignew, Ivey/Ivy, Johnson, Laeton/Layton, Miller, Moore, Reese/Reece, Roe, Sledge, Thorpe and Webb.

Thom Cameron has found a John Kearns in 1762 in Rowan County, NC (could be the area of now Davidson County).

In October 2019, Mike Kellis shared on the Irish Keeran Kearns Genealogy Research and DNA Group that he is descended from the Kearns through his mother. Her 4th great-grandfather was Isaac Kearns/Keerans. Her line goes to his daughter Hannah who married James Hall. They are from the Randolph/Montgomery County, NC, area. Maybe Hannah Kearns Hall is named for her grandmother Hannah Miller Kearns, pointing wife of progenitor John Kearns.

↓ Read more below ↓ or ↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

As of September 2019, in correspondence with Sue Mulero and Gene Kearns, both indicate Gene Kearns has numerous DNA matches with people who descended from a Thomas Keeran/Kearns (1707-1796) born in Ireland and died in Chester PA. He has many lines descended from him and Gene has small matches on several branches. Mostly they migrated from PA to Va to WV to Ohio. There were a few who went elsewhere. Some say there was a "John" b. 1733 in PA and died in Randolph, NC. Sue found a will for a John in NC. In February 2020, Sue Keirns found that Gene's Y-DNA results do not match Isaiah and her. Gene is in the North Carolina Kearns group and Sue and Isaiah are in the Pennsylvania Kearns group. Like her uncle's matches, Gene has all different names. .

↓ Read more below ↓ or ↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

In March 2020, Cristin Kearns mentioned her theory about William T. Kearns/Keerans and Mary King. She believes Mary King may actually be Silas Keerans' mother-in-law and therefore not related to Isaac at all. She believes Mary King married John Thompson. Their daughter Jane Thompson married Silas Keeran (brother of Isaac Sr.) Jane's brothers were William Thompson and Henry Thompson. After John Thompson died, Mary King Thompson then married Henry Lyndon, who considered Silas Keerans his step-son-in-law. She believes William Thompson has been made into William Thomas Keerans/Kearns in error by making some incorrect assumptions when reading old gravestones at the old "Kearns" cemetery. The main source informing her theory is Henry Lyndon's will (from Randolph Co., NC Will Book 2, p. 10) The biggest leap is in assuming that Mary (King?) Thompson/Lyndon is the sister of Thomas and James King, who were witnesses to Henry Lyndon's will (and James was living on Lyndon's land). Of interest: Old Keeran Peacock Lyndon Cemetery located in the woods behind 7639 State Hwy 49, Denton, NC 27239. And the Wood Cemetery is nearby (related Facebook post and GPS Coordinates near Salem Church, Asheboro, NC).

           

In May 2020, Cristin Kearns shared a document from Doug Kearns -- John & Hannah Miller Keeran (Kearns): Parents of Isaac, Silas and Thomas Keeran (Kearns) -- agreeing with the evidence that John and Hannah (Miller) Kearns are the progenitors of the North Carolina Kearns line. The standing hypotheis is that the Pennsylvania group of Keerans is related to the North Carolina group of Keerans/Kearns. That hypothesis was generated after noticing autosomal DNA matches with Sue Keirns Mulero's Keirns ancestors and Kearns ancestors of both the North Carolina and Pennsylvania Kearns/Keeran descendants. Gene Kearns also had DNA matches with the Pennsylvania group. The hope was that Y-DNA would prove it, but Sue determined via Y-DNA study that the Keeran-Kearns-Kerns folks (Pa to NC) are NOT related to Keirns-Kearns-Kerns folks (Pa to Ohio), not through their paternal line anyway. They all seem to have the occasional autosomal DNA match that is through some maternal lines. Doug Kearns' document is one of the records that supports a relation between the PA and NC Kearns groups. FARRELL: Sue shared Kearns Y-DNA tests of 5 descendants of Thomas Keeran "The Immigrant" all show the historic haplogroup for Farrell from Longford Ireland (updated June 2022). By August 2021, Sue indicated that Keerans/Kearns Y-DNA is originally Farrell Haplogroup Y-DNA, specifically that all descendants of Thomas Keeran will have the O'Farrell haplogroup. In a March 2022 Facbook post from Sue Keirns Mulero, she stated, "Remember, your Keeran surname likely occurred in the 1400-1600s and likely due to a Farrell group swearing allegiance to the clan in charge at the time, namely some version of Keeran/Kirwan, etc. (I am told this is the most common way a group of people might all switch their surname). ... Right now it seems Keeran was used by the Quakers in Moate and Kirvane was used by the courts. Kirvane was not as common as Kirwan and if you say 'Kirwan' with an lrish accent, it sounds like Keeran. So my thought was maybe it was Kirwan originally. Many of the Quakers were originally from England, so they may have chosen an anglicized spelling of Kirwan." More details on Farrell

x20220405 REMOVAL SINCE THERE IS NO WM T. KEARNS

In September 2020, Sue Keirns Mulero shared via Facebook, "William T Kearns (died 1825) and John Keeran (died 1796) seem to be the first of the Pennsylvania group to migrate to North Carolina. Do you think they were brothers?" John who married to Hannah could not be the father of William since they were around the same age. So the question remains: Who is the progenitor? William T. Kearns (m. Mary King) or John Kearns (m. Hannah Miller)? Sue's answer is as follows: "Both! William IS likely father to Isaac and his siblings. So far Nettie Prichard seems to have the most ancient notes and she says Willim T and Mary King were the parents. I believe John was related, obviously. Was he ... brother, or cousin? Did he have children? I did not see anything about him in Nettie's document. Was John the father of my Jonathon?" (This hypothesis was echoed in December 2020.)

Meanwhile in December 2020, Gene Kearns discounted his William Thomas Mosson Keirns document and proposed the following: "The Keerans are from Ballykeeran (Bealach Caorthainn) in County Westmeath, Ireland. There is ... no William Keerans paired with a Mary King. Silas, Thomas, William, Isaac, Susannah, Sarah, and possibly more were the children of John Keeran and Hannah Miller. Thomas' parents were John Keerans and Hannah Miller. ... The original Keerans most likely were Catholic, but as early as 1702 were marrying into the Quakers (Hadleys). So, how do we know all of this? We finally got our hands on at least part of 'The Keerans Story,' given to another relative by Edra [Keeran] herself, before her passing. 636 pages!"

Sue Keirns Mulero shared the following Quaker record in a February 20, 2021, Irish Kearns Keerans Reserch and DNA Facebook Post: "For the NC Kearns group. We know a John (?Thomas) Keeran (m. Hannah Miller) went to N.C. ... But this Quaker record from approx Jul 1766 shows that Thomas Keeran Jr (born 1742) went to N.C. to 'clear his name' because the girl he allegedly got pregnant went there. So I've never seen any proof of John Keeran's middle name being 'Thomas'. So I believe that both John Keeran and Thomas Keeran Jr, brothers, went to NC approx 1766." My thoughts are that given there was a Thomas, Jr., it implies there was a Thomas, Sr., which seems John Keerans and Thomas Keerans would be separate persons.

As of March 28, 2021, Gene Kearns agreees that John and Hannah are the progenitors, which is confirmed by evidence. He writes, "John's name appears frequently in the Randolph County Records. He died in 1794 and Isaac, Sr. and Ann (Isaac's sister[probably the oldest boy and girl]) were bonded to handle the estate." Also per August 2021 discussion, see the document RIP WILLIAM KEARNS AND MARY KING (local copy) compiled by Sue Keirns. Eventually, a book is coming. In April 2022, Sue made a post showing the conclusions regarding the Kearns progenitor: "John Keeran and Hannah Miller are the parents of Isaac, Silas, and Thomas, NOT William Kearns and Mary King. ALSO, the ONLY other sibling we have proof of is ANN (named in John's will). There is NO daughter Sarah. Only Doug Kearns claimed that and had no source. I cannot find any source. Can you? There is NO son William Jr as there is no William Sr, no proof of any William born in 1760s or 70s. The date of death and will is from Silas' son William. There is NO son Josiah Kearns b. 1798. That was Silas' son. There is NO daughter Susannah. She is a German Kerns. Her father is Simeon Kerns. And definitely Jonathan Keirns is not their son! We proved that with Y DNA."

UPDATE July 2022: Sue reminded researches that Y-DNA study has determined that the Keeran-Kearns-Kerns folks (Pa to NC) are NOT related to Keirns-Kearns-Kerns folks (Pa to Ohio), not through their paternal line anyway. They all seem to have the occasional autosomal DNA match that is through some maternal lines.

UPDATE August 2022, There are 4 forms of evidence showing John Kearns/Keerans as the progenitor: Bible excerpt, the Thomas Kearns memorial stone, John's will and Y-DNA.

UPDATE May 2024: The Kearns/Keerans Y-DNA haplogroups go like this: From R-FTB91875 to R-FTB92600 to R-FTC26940 to R-FTC39048, the last of which being the haplogroup for some closer genealogical Kearns cousins (Source: Irish & German Kerns Kearns Keeran Keirns Research and DNA Project).

    Other surnames besides Kearns/Keerans in this part of the tree: Adams, Cane/Cain, Clark(e), Clibborn, Cole, Flake, Hadley, Ignew, Ivey/Ivy, Johnson, Laeton/Layton, Miller, Moore, Reese/Reece, Roe, Sledge, Thorpe and Webb.

↓ Read more below ↓
or
↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

If you are a male Kearns and interested in taking a Y-DNA test to help with this research, contact Sue via email or via the Irish Kearns Keeran etc Research and DNA Project on Facebook.

↑ Read about the Kearns name and theories above ↑ or ↓ View the Kearns tree below ↓

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Ancestry of Hannah (Miller) Kearns

Chapter XXIX of Our Family Ancestors by Thomas Maxwell Potts: "John Miller, son of John Miller, born at 'Breckenbrough, in ye Parish of Kerbywilk in Yorkshire' in 1633, went over to Ireland as a planter, in 1657, and married Ann Clibborn* , daughter of William, who was born in 1630, at Cowley, in the County of Durham. ...* The Clibborns are an old and well-known family of Moate and other places in Ireland" (p. 245). There children are William, Margaret, John (b. 1665 at Moate), Thomas, Abraham and Isaac (p. 245). The grandfather of Hannah Miller Kearns was John (b. 1665 at Moate) (p. 245). In the early 1700s, John and his kinfolk Gayen, Samuel and James settled in Chester Co., Pennsylvania (p. 246). "John Miller and his family [appear] to have arrived in Chester County about 1709, and settled in what is now Avondale" (p. 246). He was a Quaker (p. 246). "He married Mary Ignew, in Ireland, where some, if not all, [of] their children were born. He was elected a Member of Assembly in 1714, but died before the end of the year and before taking his seat. ... Mary Miller, his widow, died in 1730. leaving a will" (p. 246). Children of John and Mary (Ignew) Miller are James (b. 1st month, 1693 near Charlemont, County Armagh, Ireland), Mary, William, Joseph, Sarah, Elizabeth, Martha, Elinor and Susannah (p. 247). James Miller (b. 1st month, 1693 near Charlemont, County Armagh, Ireland) married "3 month 24, 1722, to Ann Cain (daughter of John and Ann), b. in County Armagh, and had children" Mary, Ann, Sarah, John, Joseph, Susannah, Hannah b. 1737, William and James (p. 247). Hannah b. 1737 is Hannah Miller Kearns.

John Miller
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IVEY


(details)
Source for Coat of Arms: The Ivey Family in the United States by George Franks Ivey
Thomas Sledge
b. 20 March 1585, Batcombe, Somerset, England
d. 1629
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Richard Sledge
b. March 1607, Batcombe, Somerset, England
d. 1699 in England
Mary Cole
b. 1609, Batcombe, Somerset, England
d. 1672
m.
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John Moore, Esq.

b. ca. 1584, Isle of Wight, Virginia
d. 1676, Isle of Wight, Virginia

Source: Geni.com
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Robert Flake, Sr.

b. ca. 1621, Isle of Wight, Virginia
d. 2 April 1697, Isle of Wight, Virginia
Katherine Moore

b. ca. 1610, Isle of Wight, Virginia
d. 1669, Isle of Wight, Virginia

Sources: Geni.com and Ancestry.com
m.
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The Kearns Tree is below ↓






The Kearns Tree:

unknown Kieran
b. in Louth, Ireland
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John Keeran, Sr.
b. 1640 in Kings County, now Offaly, Ireland.
Ann Roe
b. 1650
m. 22 Nov 1674 in St. Audeon, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland.
  John Miller
b. "at 'Breckenbrough, in ye Parish of Kerbywilk in Yorkshire' in 1633,
went over to Ireland as a planter, in 1657, and married
Ann Clibborn*,
(daughter of William) who was born in 1630, at Cowley, in the County of Durham. ...* The Clibborns are an old and well-known family of Moate and other places in Ireland" (p. 245, Our Family Ancestors).
Her alleged ancestry
  Source for line: The Line of Adam Ivey of Charles City County by Robert W. Baird

The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC, p. 13, mentions Thomas Ivey (b. 1604) who married Ann Argent and migrated to America in 1625 being the parents of Adam Ivey. However, on page 5 of The Line of Adam Ivey of Charles City County, Bob Baird shows this is another Adam Ivey line, not this one.

Adam Ivey, Sr.
b. ca. 1640s
d. by 1710
Appears to have immigrated to Charles City Co., VA, in the 1670s. He was likely a small-scale tenant tobacco farmer.

m.

Elizabeth
of Prince George Co. and Weyanoke Parish
d. ca. 1720
  Richard Sledge
b. October 19, 1634, Somerset, England
m. to Ann (maiden name unknown)
d. 1725 in Virginia

Source: Geni.com

Richard and Ann arrived as immigrants aboard Alithea in 1681 from Bristol, England. Penford, England, was stated as their homeplace. Source: Notes for Richard Sledge (sourced above)

  Robert Clark (Clarke)

b. 1631, England, United Kingdom
d. 1673, Surry, Surry County, Virginia

Sources: Geni.com and Ancestry.com
m. Elizabeth Flake

b. 1653, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight County, Virginia
d. 1717, Surry, Surry County, Virginia

Sources: Geni.com and Ancestry.com though there are conflicts within Geni. This Geni Profile indicates she had also been married to a Hayes.
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Owen Kiernan/Keeran/Kirvane
(Ancestry Profile)

Surname possibly misspelled as Kirvane in a document found in the Ireland "Court of Exchequer Bills Book 1674-1850" dated May 20, 1712 (Sources: 1, 2 via FindMyPast). Also on Ancestry (specifically here).
Jane Hadley
b. 1681, Moate, West Meath Co., Ireland; Quaker dismissed from Moate, West Meath, Ireland, meeting in 1702.
d. 18 Dec 1750 in Dublin, Dublin County, Ireland
(related discussion)
m. 1711 in Moate, West Meath County, Ireland

It is thought that since Jane Hadley and her brother Simon Hadley II married into the Kearns family, the Kearns may have lived near Ballinakill, just north of Kilkenny in Queens County, now Laois County, or near Tullamore in Kings County, now Offaly County, between Tullamore and Dublin. (source: The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC).

Doug Kearns is a source for this couple and known descendants.
Irish Reports: Hadley Society mentions "Jane Hadley Kierman" (Jane Keerans) among children of Simon Hadley. John Miller
b. 1665, Moate, Ireland
A Quaker, his family appears to have arrived in Chester Co., PA, ca. 1709 and settled in Avondale.
d. 1714
&
Mary Ignew
d. 1730
(source: p. 246, Our Family Ancestors)
  George Ivey

b. ca. 1670
d. after 1737
Lived in Prince George Co., VA

m. Ruth
  Charles Sledge

b. 1665, Sledge Green, Pensford, Bath and North East Somerset, England
d. 16 February 1726, Surry, Virginia

Will of Charles Sledge mentioning wife Mary and daughter Rebecca Ivey (Source: Ancestry)
m.

Notes for Charles and Mary (Clarke) Sledge
(sourced above)

Mary Rebecca Clark (Clarke)

b. 1670, Isle of Wight, Virginia
d. 1728, Surry, Virginia
The 1725 will of Charles Sledge leaves a yearling heifer to "my daughter Rebecca Ivy". (Charles Sledge was by then living on his patents on Pigeon Swamp near John Ivey in what would later be Sussex County.) Charles Sledge's widow, Mary Sledge, made her own will on 8 January 1727, bequeathing a breeding cow to her daughter "Rebecca Ivie". Her will was witnessed by Edward and Elizabeth Prince, possibly the daughter and son-in-law of Adam Ivey, and her son-in-law Peter Hay was executor. Source: The Line of Adam Ivey of Charles City County by Robert W. Baird
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Thomas Keeran
"The Immigrant"
b. 1707, Moate, County West Meath, Ireland.
Migrated to Chester Co., PA, from Ireland ca. 1720-1730
Quaker in Kinnett, PA, disciplined multiple times.
m. Nov. 1736 or 6 June 1737 in Chester Co., PA, or Newcastle Co., DE, to Sarah Laeton/Layton (b. ca. 1716 in Concord Twp., Chester Co., PA, and d. 22 Sept. 1789, in Chester Co., PA - possible granddaughter of William Laeton who transacted land deeds in Goshen Twp., Chester Co., PA)
Thomas Keeran died 7 February 1796
  James Miller
(b. 1st month, 1693, near Charlemont, County Armagh, Ireland;
d. 3 Dec. 1774, New Garden, Chester Co., PA
will)
m. 3 month 24, 1722, to
Ann Cane/Cain
(b. ca. 1700
d. 14 March 1783),
daughter of John and Ann Cain/Cane. There has been a suggestion to look for Cain information at the Isle of Man.
Ancestry: James Miller & Ann (Cain) Miller Family Records - Quaker Meeting Records, New Garden, Chester, Pennsylvania: Family of James and Ann (Cain) Miller - Quaker Meeting Records of 1722 marriage and their children's births from 1722 to 1745 (local copy) Henry Ivey, Sr.
b. ca. 1695
d. 1774, Southampton Co., VA
m. ca. 1725 Rebecca Sledge
b. 1693, Surry County, Virginia
d. 1730, Southampton County, Virginia

"These [deed/land] records are vital to differentiating this Henry Ivey from his cousin of the same name. First, they establish that it was Henry Ivey, the son of George Ivey, who lived in Southampton County and died there in 1774. Second, they tell us that this Henry Ivey, son of George, consistently signed his name to documents, in contrast to his first cousin who signed with a mark. That, and the Sledge connection, means he is virtually certain to be the same Henry Ivey who signed his name as a witness to the will of Samuel Clark on 12 June 1736 in what was then Brunswick County. This Samuel Clark was the brother of Mary Clark Sledge, wife of Charles Sledge, and therefore the uncle of Henry Ivey's wife. It seems clear that Henry Ivey was married to Rebecca Sledge, son of Charles and Mary Sledge. The long-accepted theory is that his uncle, also named Henry Ivey, was the husband of Rebecca Sledge. However, we know that Rebecca Sledge's brother John was not born until about 1700, thus she was likely much too young to have been the wife of a second-generation Ivey and mother of third-generation Iveys . Further, we know this Henry Ivey was married to a wife named Rebecca in 1737, when he lived quite close to Rebecca Sledge's parents, while the name of his uncle's wife appears in no records" (Baird, pp. 11-12).

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David Adams
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John Reese, Sr.
(John Reece, Sr.)
b. ca. 1709
d. 1779, Southampton Co., VA
Mary (mnu)
b. ca. 1713
m. ca. 1735
Source for this couple: North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000

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John Keeran/Kearns

b. ca. 1742, Chester Co., PA, or New Castle Co., DE
d. ca. 1 March 1794, Randolph Co., NC
Burial: Old Friends Cemetery, Lassiter Mill Rd., Randolph Co., NC
1794 Will of John mentioning Ann and Isaac

NOTE: There are questions as to whether or not John had the middle name Thomas and if a Thomas Kearns, Jr., was his brother who also went to NC.

m. 3 or 31 July 1763, at Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church in Wilmington, Delaware
Hannah Miller
b. 20 February 1737, Chester Co., PA
d. 1794 Randolph Co., NC

She and her husband are mentioned in her father's will.

EVIDENCE: The confirmation that John Kearns is the progenitor of the NC Kearns line is per the Bible excerpt in the "Farmer" book, p. 183, the Thomas Kearns memorial stone, p. 104 of The Johnsons and Their Kin of Randolph (by Jessie Owen Shaw), Y-DNA support and the 1794 will of John Kearns/Keerans mentioning Ann and Isaac.

The idea that William T. Kearns and Mary King Kearns are the progenitors of this line is erroneous. Full discussion. Conclusion.

John Ivy, Sr.
(John Ivey, Sr.)
b. ca. 1725
d. 1789
Southampton Co., Virginia
Will, which mentions his son below "Benjamin Ivy."
Mary Adams  

John Reese, Jr.
(John Reece, Jr.)



Revolutionary War Patriot


b. ca. 1737, Southampton County, Virginia
d. 13 November 1794, Parish of St. Luke, Southampton, Virginia
Burial: Old Adams Cemetery, Adams Grove, Southampton Co., VA
his will

Mary Thorpe
(Mary "Polly" Charlotte Thorpe)

WikiTree profile
Geni.com profile
FamilySearch
Find-A-Grave Memorial

b. 24 June 1735, Southampton Co., VA
d. 15 October 1798, Southampton Co., VA
Burial: Old Adams Cemetery, Adams Grove, Southampton Co., VA

Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware IX. The Records of Holy Trinity Old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Del., from 1697 to 1773, p. 719, mentions "John Karran and Hannah Miller" in a marriage entry for July 3, 1763. However, John & Hannah Miller Keeran (Kearns): Parents of Isaac, Silas and Thomas Keeran (Kearns), by Doug Kearns, indicates the author confirmed a date of July 31, 1763, with written confirmation from the church.

John Kearns (Keeran) is listed as John Carns in the 1779 Randolph Co. (NC) Tax listing. He died in 1794. Isaac and Ann Keeran (son and likely daughter) "were bonded to handle his estate. The day after their names appeared in court records, the names of Isaac, Silas and Hannah Kearns were listed as filing 'cattle brands' in country court records. At the time this fact was determined it appeared that Hannah was the wife or daughter of John. The filings of Isaac, Silas and Hannah were listed together in one, two, three order." John's siblings are listed as Jane Keeran (b. ca. 1738; m. 1756 to Adam Richardson), Thomas Keeran (b. ca. 1742-1799), Sarah Keeran (1745-1812), Simon Keeran (1747-ca. 1830), William Keeran (1744/5/9-1823) (Doug Kearns research document and The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC).

John and Hannah were both Quakers and were disciplined multiple times.

New Garden, PA, Monthly Meeting Minutes, 1763, pp. 290-291 RE: Hannah Miller Kearns being disciplined

"John and Hannah were not found in the Kinnett, PA, area after 1764 and are believed to have moved south. Brother William moved to the Eastern Shore of VA, while Thomas Keeran moved to Frederick and Shenandoah counties, VA, where he had his family. Edra Keeran, researching Thomas (her line), advised the source that John had two sons, Isaac and Silas, and were believed to be the Keerans that moved to Randolph County, NC" (Doug Kearns research document).

A genealogy.com user indicates the parents of Silas, Isaac and Thomas and were John and Hannah Miller Kearns. According to Doug Kearns research document, "Records clearly document that William was the son of Silas and not the husband of Mary King or the father of Isaac, Silas and Thomas."

m.

On 13 November 1760 Henry Ivey deeded 110 acres to his son John Ivey in Southampton County, described as part of George Wyche's patents sold to Henry Ivey. In 1764, John Ivey patented 161 acres just south of Ploughman's Creek, described in the patent as including part of two patents to George Wyche, obviously including the 110 acres given to him by his father four years earlier. This land can be matched to the land devised in the 1787 will of John Ivey Sr. A 1755 Southampton County court record perhaps establishes that his wife Mary was the daughter of David Adams. On 13 August 1761 he made bond as guardian of Lucy Adams, orphan of David Adams, with Joseph Prince his security. (A David Adams had patented land near Henry Ivey in 1746 and was apparently the David Adams whose inventory was ordered in what was then Isle of Wight in 1748. Whether Lucy was the child of the same David Adams is unclear, but he is the only David Adams mentioned in Southampton probate records.) John Ivey apparently had lived in Sussex County prior to 1760, although there is no record of him in the deed books, for the births of six children to John and Mary Ivey are recorded in the Albemarle parish register between 1746 and 1760. Benjamin and Elizabeth Adams served as sponsors of two of the children, Joseph Prince as sponsor of one, and the other listed godparents lived in Sussex. Presumably this is the same John and Mary Ivey, though only one of these children was later named in his will. By 1760 he was apparently living on the land given to him by his father just over the line in Southampton County, and was no longer in Albemarle parish."
Source: The Line of Adam Ivey of Charles City County by Robert W. Baird

  m. 1772

Find-A-Grave, WikiTree, Geni.com, Ancestry.com, Sorrell(s) Genealogy and D.A.R. documentation all show John Reese's wife as Mary Thorpe. The U.S. and International Marriage Records indicate John Reese married Mary Thorpe (b. 1735) in 1772. A source that further concludes that Mary Thorpe married John Reese and was a daughter of John Thorpe is Wills and administrations of Southampton County, Virginia, 1749-1800, Volume I, p. 93, by Blanche Adams Chapman (excerpted here, both volumes available). Further support is in William Johnson, Sr., 1750-1830 : the Johnsons of Warren County, Georgia (page 6; also available at Geni.com) by Bob Guill Johnson.

According to page 6 of William Johnson, Sr., 1750-1830 : the Johnsons of Warren County, Georgia by Bob Guill Johnson, John and Mary Thorpe Reese had the following children: Lucy Rosannah (m. William Johnson), Randolph, John, Joseph, Mary, Patty, River, Roger, Rowell, Reuben, Sally (my note: m. Benjamin Ivey), Sela and Sukey.

John's will dated 1792 (text), which mentions his daughter below: "I give and bequeath to my beloved daughter Sally Ivy, wife of Benjamin Ivy..." (Source: Ancestry.com and FamilySearch).

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As of May 5, 2020, research suggests John and Hannah (Miller) Kearns are the parents. See John & Hannah Miller Keeran (Kearns): Parents of Isaac, Silas and Thomas Keeran (Kearns) and The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC. Also per August 2021 discussion, see the document RIP WILLIAM KEARNS AND MARY KING (local copy) compiled by Sue Keirns. By April 2022, these conclusions were confirmed to be true. |
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North Carolina in the Revolutionary War (North Carolina's Lost Souls Revolutionary War Project.)

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Webb

Per Richard Webb, a distant cousin, some Webbs moved from Virginia to North Carolina in the 1700s, but it is uncertain whether these Webbs were part of that migration, though they could have been. In December 2017, Gene Kearns, fellow descendant of Rebecca (Webb) Kearns, shared his late aunt Luna Kearns Hames' research: "The Webbs originally came from Dorset, a shire on the southern coast of Wales. They came through Virginia and settled in Granville County, North Carolina. The history of the Webb family can be found in Tyler's Quarterly, Volumes 7-8, 1926-1927, State Library, Raleigh, NC. They came to America circa 1640-1650." "It is reported Rebecca's family moved from Virginia to Granville County, NC and were originally from Motcombe Co., Corset, England" (p. 11, The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC). Some of this is echoed in Nettie Pritchard Keerans notes, p. 12.

Jesse Webb and Elizabeth (LNU) Webb

alleged ancestry



DNA: I have multiple matches with whom I share common ancestry in the Kearns progenitors (erroneously documented in AncestryDNA as Wm T Kearns & Mary King though the actual progenitors are John and Hannah Miller Kearns above).
Kenneth Kearns,
Joani Monfredo Via Browning,
William Harvey,
Suzy Bennett,
Jim Machen,
Jan Braswell,
Marilyn Watkins,
Linda Tucker,
Jerry Douglas,
Kathie Brannen,
Gene Hargis,
Fonda Lefler,
Ferrell Nolan and
Coralie Cox.

As of March 28, 2021, Gene Kearns agrees that John and Hannah are the progenitors. He writes, "John's name appears frequently in the Randolph County Records. He died in 1794 and Isaac, Sr. and Ann (Isaac's sister[probably the oldest boy and girl]) were bonded to handle the estate." Per August 2021 discussion, see the document RIP WILLIAM KEARNS AND MARY KING (local copy) compiled by Sue Keirns. By April 2022, John and Hannah Miller Kearns being the progentiors was concluded as true

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Benjamin and Sally (Reese) Ivey: "On 19 January 1790, barely a month after his father's will was proved, Benjamin and his wife Sally sold his interest in the inherited plantation to his brother Phillip Ivey. He must have left the area almost immediately, for Benjamin does not appear in the 1790 tax list, compiled mainly in March and April that year. He and his wife are, however, named in the will of his father in law, John Reese, dated 1 December 1792 and proved on 9 October 1794. The will distributed the estate equally among ten of the Reese children, and gave five shillings each to three other daughters: "my beloved daughter Sally Ivy, wife of Benjamin Ivy", Sucky Ivy wife of Philip (sic) Ivy, and Lucy Johnson. Since he was apparently gone from Virginia by early 1790, he seems likely to be the same Benjamin Ivey who appears in the 1790 census of Randolph County, North Carolina. The 1800 census shows him with a household of eight. This Benjamin Ivey left a will dated 17 October [1801] and proved in August 1802, naming his wife Sally, daughters Rebecca Kearns, Betsy Nance, "Prisey", Sally, and Sukey (under 18), and sons Kinchen, Isaac, and Benjamin (under 21). Kinchen was left 200 acres, and the home plantation of 190 acres was given to Sally until her death or remarriage, when it was to fall to Isaac. Further indication that he may have been the same Benjamin Ivey from Southampton is that his son Benjamin Ivey named his own eldest son John Reese Ivey."
Source: The Line of Adam Ivey of Charles City County by Robert W. Baird



Life in 18th Century North Carolina prior to the Revolutionary War

Benjamin Ivey (Ivy)
b. ca. 1760, Southampton Co., VA
d. 1802, Randolph Co., NC

Will

Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790 North Carolina from the Department of Commmerce and Labor, Bureau of the Census, S.N.D. North, Director, p. 100, shows Benjamin Ivey as Head of Household in Randolph County, North Carolina.

m. 17 October 1782
Southampton County, VA

(Source: Virginia, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1660-1800 [courtesy of Ancestry.com])

I have multiple DNA matches with whom I share common ancestry in Benjamin and Sally (Reese) Ivey. C.E. and K.D. Kearns, Jenny Jones, Hazel Lamb, Blair A. Collins, John Snuggs, Ashley Echols, John Tracy, Trina Young, Lindsey Skinner, Rhonda Bateman, Davis Shikles, Windy Gibson, David Lee, Sherry Inman, Judy Randall Carpenter, Beverly Moore Lukasevics, V.O. Foster, Nancy Penry, Paula Ciniero, Amelia Bunting, Joy Borjes and Van Hartsell.

Sarah "Sally" Reese
(Sallie Reese)

b. ca. 1763, Southampton Co., VA

After Benjamin's death, she married Zedekiah (Zedediah) Ledbetter and so sometimes is listed as Sallie Ledbetter. She was not named Sallie Kincheon, which some sources erroneously list as genealogist Bob Baird doesn't believe that Kincheon is her surname. Source: Geni.com.

On page 13 of The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC, it erroneously lists Rebecca Ivey's mother as Celia Forest. This has been disproven. Genealogist Bob Baird disproves this and substantiates that Sally Reese is the mother of Rebecca Ivey on pp. 23-24 of his document The Line of Adam Ivey of Charles City County.

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REBECCA Webb

(The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC, p. 9, mentions that Rebecca Webb Kearns' first name was Charlotte.)

I have multiple DNA matches with whom I share common ancestors Isaac and Rebecca Webb Kearns. Nicholas Via, Josh Mullinix, Tasman Floyde, Paula Hamilton, Heather Burdett-Holloway, Sharon Miller, Donna Olson and N Marie Bailey.

Note: Sue Keirns, made a discovery: Rebecca Webb's parents are NOT William Webb and Katherine Shaw! This info was taken from a record listing birth indices from 1800-2000. Our Rebecca, wife of Isaac, was born 1769 and died 1835. The record lists a child, Cora Rebecca Webb, born 24 June 1881. I have no clue who her parents were but they were not WT Webb and Katherine Shaw!

The 1826 probate document for Isaac's brother William Kearns mentions Isaac as guardian to his deceased brother William's minor heirs. Isaac L. Kearns, Sr. Gene Kearns suspects Langston is Isaac's middle name.

Isaac and Thomas had a brother named Silas Kearns (1767-1842).

Isaac is mentioned in his father John's will.
Thomas Kearns
(Source: Ancestry, also here from Robert Chalmers Family History)
(one of my earliest born ancestors photographed in my family tree)

Picture of the couple
(Source: Ancestry)

Rebecca Ivy (Ivey)
(Sources: Ancestry, MyHeritage, also here from Robert Chalmers Family History)
(one of my earliest born ancestors photographed in my family tree)

MyHeritage enhanced, animated photo

 
b. 27 May 1769
Randolph Co., NC
d. 27 May 1835
Uwharrie, Montgomery Co., NC, though The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC, p. 9, says Randolph Co., NC.
Buried in Uwharrie Friends Burial Ground
Asheboro
Randolph Co., NC
grave marker stone

More information about Rebecca Webb

m. ? b. 22 October 1766
Chester Co., PA
d. 30 October 1844
Uwharrie, Montgomery Co., NC
Buried in Uwharrie Friends Burial Ground
Asheboro
Randolph Co., NC
grave marker stone
Isaac would have a grandson (through son John Crawford Kearns, Sr.) who was named for his brother Silas: Silas K. Kearns.

"Isaac was paid fifteen shillings in a court session for killing two wolves, March 1788. He was 22 years old when this occurred. ... *REMINISCENCES of RANDOLPH COUNTY by J.A. Blair - 1890 Publication. ... It is believed Isaac and his father John were the last Kearns to practice the Quaker faith. ... Isaac had twelve (12) slaves when he died" (p. 10, The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC).
b. 19 Jan. 1776
d. 12 November 1847
(p. 13, The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC says he died 12 December 1847, but p. 104 of The Johnsons and Their Kin of Randolph by Jessie Owen Shaw indicates it is November 12, 1847.)
Concord Twp., Randolph Co., NC

Memorial stone of Thomas Kearns, which also lists his children.

I have DNA matches who share common ancestor Thomas Kearns. Gary Bolen and Shannon Smith.

m. ?

Children of Thomas and Rebecca (Ivey) Keerans: Nancy, Polly, Sally, Ivy, Anna, Silas, Hannah, John, Elizabeth, Martha and another (illegible) (source: Nettie Pritchard Keerans notes, p. 2).

According to Doug Kearns' (fellow Kearns descendant) 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

The marriage of Thomas Kearns and Rebecca Ivy is mentioned on p. 104 of The Johnsons and Their Kin of Randolph by Jessie Owen Shaw

I have multiple DNA matches with whom I share common ancestors in both Thomas and Rebecca Ivey Kearns. Manley Fuller, Emily Preston, Cynthia Walker, Jenna Viar and Becky Turner.

b. 1 Jan. 1786
d. 11 May 1845,
Randolph Co., NC
Find-A-Grave Memorial
 

Children: Charlotte (m. 1: Wm. Jackson; 2: John Hancock; moved to Missouri); Hannah (b. 26 Sept. 1790; m. Jas. Hall); John C. (b. 18 Feb. 1794); Allen (b. 16 April 1798-d. 22 Oct. 1849); Jesse (b. 6 Nov. 1801-d. 6 March 1863); Mary (Polly) (b. ca. 1803; m. Frederick R. Goss; d. Aug. 1849 in Green, IN) (The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC, p. 11) More about their children is also on p. 3 of Nettie Pritchard Keerans notes.

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their descendants through son John Crawford Kearns, Sr., via his marriage to Anna "Annie" Nance
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A. Harris Johnson was a Private in Co. D, 6th NC Senior Reserves during the Civil War (Source: Find A Grave Memorial).


Allen Harris Johnson

("Harris")

Picture with Allen & Elizabeth ("Harris" and "Betsy")

Elizabeth "Betsy" Kearns Page 104 of The Johnsons and Their Kin of Randolph by Jessie Owen Shaw mentions the marriage of A. Harris Johnson and Elizabeth Kearns, though it is ironically about a different line of Johnsons. It also shows the Kearns line back to John Kearns.
  John Hansell Johnson death certificate showing parents Allen H. Johnson and Elizabeth Kernes (Source: North Carolina, Deaths, 1906-1930. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013). b. 21 March 1817
d. 30 September 1905

obituary (Source: The Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 1905, p. 1; local copy)
Buried in Salem United Methodist Church Cemetery, Randolph County, NC
(another link)
m. 1 September 1836
(Farmer, p. 259)
Married young.
He was 18.
She was 15.
b. 29 Jan. 1821*
Randolph Co., NC
d. 21 July 1899*
Randolph Co., NC
Buried in Salem United Methodist Church Cemetery, Randolph County, NC (another link)
*Note on dates:
21 March 1821-21 July 1899 are the dates provided for the life of Elizabeth "Betsy" Kearns by the FARMER (Zeb R. Denny, Ed.) book. 29 January 1821 - 22 July 1899 are given for Elizabeth on the memorial stone of her parents and on p. 14 of The Kearns Heritage: Ireland to Randolph County, NC and on p. 104 of The Johnsons and Their Kin of Randolph by Jessie Owen Shaw. See the memorial stone link (mentioned above -- Use caution as there is error). However, Salem United Methodist Church Cemetery, Randolph County, NC, shows 29 January 1821 - 21 July 1899.
 

I have DNA matches who share common ancestors Allen Harris Johnson and Betsy Kearns Johnson. Deane Belk and Jennifer Scott.

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their
descendants through son Titus Winbourne Johnson via his marriage to Malinda Christine Campbell

Allen "Harris" Johnson (1817-1905) married Elizabeth "Betsy" Kearns (1821-1899). Among their children were my ancestor Titus "Winbourne" Johnson and Jeremiah W. Johnson. Jeremiah W. Johnson (1846-1922) married Elbie Stokes and they had one daughter: Emma Johnson who married Charlie Thompson and they, in turn, had 9 children. Source: FARMER: Yesterday and Today, p. 118.

Children of Allen "Harris" Johnson and Elizabeth "Betsy" (Kearns) Johnson: Titus Winbourne Johnson (1837-1913), James Ivy Johnson (1840-1917) and his twin Thomas Clark Johnson (1840-1922), John Hansell Johnson (1842-1919), Jeremiah W. Johnson (1845-1922), Clarinda Ellen Johnson Riley (1851-1904), Milton H. Johnson (1853-1900) and Louise Johnson Diffee (1859-1942) (Source: FindAGrave).

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.
                                                 


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. While the Kearns/Keerans were Irish, the idea that William T. Kearns and Mary King Kearns are the progenitors is erroneous.   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.
However, according to a page in a biography, William is the father according to Thom Cameron. 

William T.    Mary     Adam A. 
Kearns, Sr. + King      Ivey
(Keerans)                 |
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       |                  |
       |                  |
       |                  |
+------+-----+         Benjamin
|            |          Ivey
|            |            |
|            |            |
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|            |            |
|            |            |
Isaac        Thomas +  Rebecca          Click HERE to see the 
Kearns       Kearns |  Ivy (Ivey)       tombstone of Thomas 
    +    +----------+----------------+  Kearns and Rebecca Ivey
Rebecca  |b. 19 Jan.| b. 1 Jan. 1786 |  Kearns which also lists
  Webb   |   1776   | d. 11 May 1845 |  their children.
    |    |d. 1847   |                |
    |    +----------+----------------+
    ↓               |   According to Doug Kearns'
   their            |   (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.
          +---+---+-----+