KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
My husband is a descendant of Thomas and Cabot KYNASTON who owned and lived on Caldey Island, off the coast of Tenby, South Wales. Thomas KYNASTON of Pembroke, .bought the Island from the Earl of Warwick in 1798. Thomas KYNASTON was born January 23, 1758 - it is not known where he was born. He married Sarah BRIDGER, on March 1, 1777 in Gretna Green, SCOTLAND and died on December 16, 1812. His son, Cabot KYNASTON, born about 1792, inherited Caldey Island, after his father died in 1812. Cabot died on Caldey Island, Pembrokeshie, South Wales on December 16, 1866. My husband's great great grandmother, Anna Maria Elizabeth KYNASTON, was born January 14, 1824 in Penally, Pembrokeshire, South Wales. She was the sixth daughter of Cabot KYNASTON and Martha JENKINS, who had these 6 daughters out-of-wedlock, before he finally married her on July 18, 1833. (Cabot seems to have been married at the time toanother woman named Sarah.) There seems to have been no doubt (at the time) that he was the father of all 6 daughters of Martha JENKINS, as the records seem to indicate this, without actually stating it. In the 1841 Census, the family is listed as a normal family with Martha, Cabot's wife and the six girls, last name, KYNASTON. All of this information has been investigated and researched by Roscoe Howells, who has written many books about the history of the area and other subjects. The book with this information is, "CALDEY" by Roscoe Howells, First Impression - 1984, Reprinted - March 1996, printed by Gomer Press, Llandysul, Dyfed. Anna Maria E. KYNASTON married Andrew Stevens REED, Esquire, of Tenby and after having nine children, they emigrated from Tenby to Clay Co., KS., USA in about 1871. They lived and died in a town called Wakefield, Clay Co., KS., USA. There was another KYNASTON family who immigrated to Wakefield, lived and died there but I have not found a connection yet. They were from a different part of ENGLAND. I would like to find out any information about the origin of Thomas KYNASTON, his parentage and etc. We are going to travel to Tenby and Caldey Island in September and see all of the areas where these people lived. We would appreciate any help that any of the other researchers on this list can give us.
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
I too have been researching one of Cabot's daughters - Mary Kynaston - who, according to family legend, eloped with the gardener (William Roblin) from Caldey Island. She gave birth to and lost several children during her marriage, calling them Cabot Kynaston each time. Eventually a Cabot survived, and so did a William. They were shipwrights and after Mary's death moved from Wales to Kent where there were thriving dockyards at the time in Gillingham and on the Isle of Sheppey. The tradition of inserting Kynaston into the children's christian names continued into the next generation but has now died out. I hope your trip to Wales was a success and would love to talk more about this connection. I have been pondering the puzzle of Mary Kynaston for a couple of years now and your email has been a revelation. Thank you! Best wishes - Christina
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
Wow! I had forgotten that I left that message on the Kynaston List. This is wonderful - I had no information about Mary, other than the fact that she was married to William ROBLIN. Do you know if the family legend ("she eloped with the gardener") is true? It sounds romantic and I will surely pass your e-mail on to my husband's cousins, who we met in Tenby last September. We had a terrific time in Tenby and learned so much - were there for 9 days. One of my husband's male cousins from Kansas, had been to Tenby 3 times before and had met the woman who is now the mayor, plus the author Roscoe Howells. We got together with the mayor and city council on several occasions and took Roscoe and his wife out to lunch while we were there. We visited Caldey Island and toured it for the good part of a day. I have so many questions to ask you - how are you connected to Mary? Are you English or American (or other)? The Cabot and Kynaston names, also were carried down in Anna Maria Kynaston REED's family and I can tell you all about them. While I was in Tenby (I am the family researcher, not my husband), I decided that we should know what family Martha JENKINS belonged to and one of the city council member's wives was a JENKINS. However, I have not had the time to research that question yet. Let's talk a lot more - maybe we can figure out more information - what fun!
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
I’m working on the assumption that Mary Kynaston is my great great grandmother - if the family story is true. This line would come through my mother’s mother, Hetty Wollage nee Roblin, who was born on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Finding the marriage of William Roblin and Mary Kynaston (mis-spelt “Keynaston”) in Narberth 1842 seems to support the Roblin Kynaston story. My mother and her cousin actually went to Caldey Island back in the 1970s to try and discover proof of the connection but family history research was much harder in those days (particularly without the internet!) and they didn‘t manage to find out anything at all. However I still need to verify who Hetty’s father was (William, Cabot...??) and much, much more…. Have you come across Thomas Kynaston’s handwritten will on the British National Archives site (documentsonline) or tried the FreeBMD site? The latter might be very useful to you. A researcher from GENUKI Wales was also very helpful and sent me a transcript of an extract from the 1841 census for Tenby, but Mary’s age seemed to be ten years out ie she was listed as 39. The researcher also sent me copy of an entry in a book listing Welsh gentry re. Thomas Kynaston and family. Let me know if you'd like further info on any of this. All in all though, a lot more work still be done. Best wishes - Christina
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
Do you have the baptism record or birth record of Hetty? Since she was born after 1837, shouldn't your national registry have that record? I surely wish we had a similar system but we don't and I have been using the 1837online service to look up a lot of relatives born in England. I also subscribe to Ancestry.com but haven't had time to use it yet. I have all of its databases, including the English one. Shouldn't Hetty's father be William Roblin? Narberth sounds familiar. Where is it? When we were in Tenby for 9 days last September, we went to a Family History "Fair" being held in a town, not too far from Tenby. It was very helpful - there were groups represented from other places in England besides Pembrokeshire and many were selling items that were helpful for reseach. We joined the "Dyfed Family History Society" that day and I should have put in a query or 2 since then but haven't taken the time. It seems like that "Fair" might have been in Narberth but I don't have those materials right here and will have to check later. I want someone to help me discover more about Martha Jenkins (mother of the 6 girls).
No, I have not seen the will of Thomas Kynaston, as far as I remember. I will see if I can find it on the site you mentioned. I still need to go through all of the things that I brought back from there. We spent time at the wonderful little museum in Tenby and they have a great painting of Thomas Kynaston - have you seen it? I could send you a copy of the photo I took of it; it turned out well. They were very helpful there and it is a terrific museum for a small town.
We also spent half a day with the author, Roscoe Howells and his wife. Did I already mention that? He wrote the books about Caldey Island and discovered the "facts" about Martha Jenkins and the 6 daughters.
You could send me a copy of anything you have on the family, I will be glad to pay postage and copying costs. If you would like anything that I have, I will be glad to copy it for you and send it. We will not be able to make another trip to England and Wales for another year or 2 but we loved everywhere we went last September and can't wait to come back.
I have written to the Town Crier's wife (of Tenby) to see if she is truly a Jenkins and knows anything aobut Martha Jenkins. I will let you know if she writes back............Have a great week!.........Judy
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
Hi Christina
You do not know how happy I am to have found you!!!!! I am a descendant of the Roblins who came from the gardener William!!!!! I have been looking everywhere trying to find someone who knew about all this. I grew up hearing the story that my great grandmother Louisa Roblin used to receive a monthly allowance from the family of some lord who was related by marriage. She lived on the Isle of Sheppey (as did her children, grand children and great grandchildren - of which I am one - that this lord's family name was Kynaston and that is why so many of the Roblins used the name as a middle name (Louisa included). Please please get in touch and tell me all you know as so far all I have managed to find is her father and siblings in Pembroke. I discovered that there were Kynastons in Wales but couldn't find proof of the marriage. The only other clue I had was that the unusual name of Cabot was in both Louisa's family and the Welsh Kynastons.
Cannot wait to hear from you and find out how you are related to them.
Angie
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
Hi Judy
I am a descendant of the William Roblin the gardener who married Mary the daughter of Cabot and Martha Jenkins. I have recently found and been in touch with Christina who I understand you were in touch with too. I have only just discovered which Roblin it was that married into the Kynastons so all I know is that Cabots father was Thomas. Have you since found out any more about him? Where he got his money, who his parents were etc etc???? Do you also know if there is any connection at all, maybe way back, to the infamous Kynastons of Shropshire? I am off to Caldey Island this summer, I understand that you have been there? Would love to have your husbands details and lineage to add to my tree.
Angie x
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
Hi Angie,
It's fun to get your message and know there's another researcher connected to my husband. I have been emailing Christina, and need to get back to her. I had found the parents of Cabot's 2nd wife, Martha Jenkins, and her siblings - with the help of Martha's brother's descendants - one of which is in Tenby! She will want to know that you are coming to Tenby.
There is another descendant of Thomas, Cabot, and Martha, from the U.S. (CA.), going to Tenby this month. She and her mother came to see us about 6 weeks ago (we had never met) when they were in the Phoenix area for a funeral. I gave her a lot of materials that others had given me and that I had done myself, to help her enjoy the trip and her visit, more. The person who is a descendant of the Jenkins family in Tenby, is the Town Crier's wife, Caroline Thomas, and when she heard from me that Priscilla was coming to Tenby she asked me to tell Priscilla to contact her.
We have been on a three-week trip to do research here in the U.S. and have been home only a week to regroup for another trip. We leave tomorrow to go to Atlanta, Georgia (US) for a pilot training class reunion for Larrie (my husband). They graduated from pilot training 42 years ago and there has not been a reunion for 30 years! It will be something to meet these people again and get reaquainted. Because of all this traveling and research for the first trip, I have not been able to keeep up with my emailing and research on other people.
I am very interested in the KYNASTONs of Shropshire. You will have to tell me about them after I return! There were other Kynastons in the small town that Anna Maria (Kynaston) REED came to with her husband and children from Tenby - Wakefield, Kansas. So far I cannot find any link between them. I will be interested to find out more about Thomas and Cabot's ancestors if we can discover more. We will be gone on this trip until the 9th of May. We'll have to talk more after that. Thanks for writing - I will be in touch after the 9th.
Cheers, Judy
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
Hi Angie,
Please excuse me for not answering sooner. We have been on two trips over a 5 week period with only 6 days in between. We have been home for 2 weeks but I am just now getting caught up enough, to answer emails. I am very excited to know that you are related to the Roblins, Kynastons and my husband.
I will be glad to send you some of my printed pages from my computer program that has all of our family research recorded. Please send me your regular mailing address and I will get it copied and sent. Today I sent a package to a newly discovered cousin (different family - Lancaster) who lives near London. I will also send a few photos of our visit to Tenby and Caldey Island and a copy of the newspaper that told of our visit.
Another cousin from California (that we just recently met) has just returned from Tenby and other places in Great Britain but she has not reported to me yet, how her visit went except that she sent a postcard saying that she was having a wonderful time and had visited almost all of the places that we had told her about. The Town Crier of Tenby is married to a woman who is a cousin also. Her maiden name is Jenkins and her ancestor is the brother of Martha Jenkins - mother of the 6 Jenkins/Kynaston daughters. She and her cousin and I have been conversing about the Jenkins family and they found that Martha Jenkins was the sister of their ancestor. I had written her about wanting to find the parents of Martha (had found out that her maiden name was Jenkins when we visited Tenby). I think she was going to try and get together with Priscilla (of California) when she visited Tenby.
Hope you get this message soon! Judy
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Re: KYNASTONS in Pembrokeshire, ENGLAND and Clay Co., KS. USA
Hi Judy Thanks so much for answering - fully understand about the delay. Sounds as if you lead a very busy life! My personal mail address is angiebunkerscrew@aol.com. My postal address is 43 Bayswater Drive, Rainham, Gillingham, Kent ME8 8TF, England. I am off to Caldy myself next weekend! I am going to Tenby on Tuesday and hope to tour all the places that our ancestors lived (Pembroke Dock, St Clears etc) then on Friday take the boat over to Caldy and staying there until Monday. I am so excited, I have been trying to trace the Kynastons for ages, all I had to go on was a family legend that Great G'Ma Louisa Minter (nee Roblin) was related to some wealthy family and that her father or grandfather had run off with a titled lady!!!!! I have, thanks to you and Tina managed to trace quite a few of them now. I haven't even started on Martha Jenkins line yet. It is quite ironic too that Louisa's husband, John Minter's line can be traced back to 600AD! One of his ancestors did indeed marry a titled lady and her line can be traced back that far. My sorrow is that my dad died never knowing all this. I am going to trawl the graveyards on Caldy and visit the museum and take loads of photos. I am also hoping to enjoy the peace and quiet and explore the terrain. Will send what I can to you when I return. I would dearly love to have your husbands line and details to add to my tree. Who is he a descendant of? So lovely to have found you, please keep in touch. Angie xxx
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