Remember: Richard Wayman Kinney and Cora Lee Smith

Monday, April 30, 2018

Richard Wayman Kinney and Cora Lee Smith

Note: Many thanks to my fellow family history researchers at Ancestry.com, who are so generous about sharing photos and information. We all benefit.

My great-great uncle, Richard Wayman Kinney, was born in 1856 to John Shepherd Kinney and his wife, Sarah Crabtree, in Greenfield, New Brunswick. Richard's wife-to-be, Cora Lee Smith, was born in New Brunswick in 1864.

As many other members of the Kinney family had moved from New Brunswick to Iron River, Michigan, the young couple must have journeyed out there for their wedding. At least that's what I thought. However, I heard from J. Wayne Kinney, Richard's great grandson:

Richard left for Michigan before he was married. He promised to come back to New Brunswick once he was established. Cora got tired of waiting, and headed for Michigan in 1885.Two of the children, Pearl and John Beverly, were born in Michigan. They moved to Presque Isle, and then to Easton, in the early 1890s. My grandfather, Wilbur, was born in Easton in 1899. In 1906, they moved to Atkinson.

Marriage Record from Iron River, Michigan

(the recording clerk must have been a little hard of hearing!)

Here is a beautiful family portrait of the young couple in 1889 with their first two children, both born in Michigan. Later they moved to Maine, where all the rest of their children were born (see Wayne's note, above).