Margaret Jane Ralston Kennedy was born in Manchester, Adams County, Ohio on 27 Oct 1800.

The photos on this memorial, taken in her old age, do not do her justice. She was known as a beautiful woman in her younger years.

She was the daughter of Jonathan "John" Ralston and Elizabeth "Betsy" Pitzer Ralston of Brown County, Ohio. Margaret named her second son Jonathan Ralston Kennedy in honor of her father.

Her Ralston family was known as Scot-Irish, although they were not Irish at all. The family, staunch Presbyterians living in Scotland, was forced by the English King James to relocate to Ireland to develop the Protestant religion in Ireland and to counter the Roman Catholic uprisings in Ireland. These forcibly relocated Scots, including the Ralstons, were then the victims of violent religious persecution--and death--from both the Roman Catholic Irish and eventually also by the English king, who then wanted to force his Church of England religion on them. For this reason, they emigrated to America in the 1700's, first settling in Pennsylvania, where they hoped William Penn would be tolerant of their Presbyterian religion.

The Ralston family immigrated to the United States together with their closely related and allied families, the Martins, the Fites and the Gaunces.

Margaret Jane was the sister of Letitia "Lettie" Ralston, John Ralston, Robert Ralston, Joseph B. Ralston and Elizabeth "Eliza" Ralston.

When she was twenty years old, she married William Hugh Kennedy on 22 June 1820 in Clermont County (a part of which later became Brown County), Ohio.

Margaret Jane was described as a beautiful woman. Sadly, the photos in this memorial depict her only when she was an older woman.

In 1845, her husband Hugh Kennedy died suddenly in a cholera epidemic in Brown County, Ohio. Margaret Jane still had four teen-aged daughters at home at the time of her husband's death as well as her older children nearby and valiantly held the family together with her unwavering love and strength of character.

She was the mother of thirteen children, all born in Brown County, Ohio. Her children were: her firstborn Elizabeth A. Kennedy Liming (1921-1853), William Bainbridge "Bridge" Kennedy, Jonathan Ralston Kennedy, Sarah Jane Kennedy Neal, Zanetta "Nettie" Olive Kennedy Curless, Catherine "Cate" Blackburn Kennedy Holloway, Thomas Hamer Kennedy, Oliver Perry"Scott" Kennedy, Leander Jackson Kennedy, Joseph Warren Kennedy (who died as a two-year-old in Brown County, Ohio), Mary Ann Kennedy (who died as a newborn infant in Brown County, Ohio), Matilda M. Kennedy who died at age twelve in Brown County, Ohio and Salina F. Kennedy Hindman (#11016746).

In 1855, a widow for ten years, she and her youngest child 13-year old Salina departed Brown County, Ohio. Before they departed, in March of 1855, her daughter Sarah Kennedy married John Neal in Brown County, Ohio. That daughter Sarah remained in Brown County for the rest of her life. Margaret Jane's other children and their children had already departed for Illinois where her son William Bainbridge "Bridge" Kennedy was readying to relocate the group to Douglas County, Kansas.

Margaret Jane was very hesitant to leave behind in Brown County, Ohio, the graves of her beloved husband, Hugh, and those of her young son Joseph Warren Kennedy and her daughters Mary Ann Kennedy, Elizabeth Kennedy Liming and Matilda Kennedy (Matilda Kennedy is the middle person in the photos accompanying this memorial). After much consideration and with a heavy heart, at the age of fifty-five years, she decided she must join her remaining living children as they relocated to Douglas County,Kansas.

This eldest son, William Bainbridge "Bridge" Kennedy and his wife Elizabeth Jane Curless Kennedy, formerly of Brown County, Ohio, lived in Schuyler County, Illinois where they had married on March 21, 1847 and resided for some time.

Margaret Ralston Kennedy made the rough overland journey with the family group, relocating to Wakarusa, Douglas County, Kansas where she remained for the rest of her life. She never remarried.

The area on the Wakarusa River where the approximately twenty-five Kennedy relatives settled is known as the Kennedy Valley.

Over the years, life in the rough newly-settled Douglas County, Kansas was very hard on the members of the family and as the years passed, they all left the farm land by the Wakarusa River. Margaret Jane's daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Curless Kennedy, is thought to have been the last Kennedy to leave the farm on the Wakarusa River.

The old family cemetery is still there.

A totally fictionalized book was privately published for personal profit, without the permission of Margaret Jane's direct descendents, in 1996 by a non-relative who purported to include personal writings by Margaret Jane Ralston Kennedy as she prepared to leave Brown County, Ohio. That exploitative book was completely made up and none of it was ever written by Margaret Jane. Don't be misled by the vast untruths and misinformation in that fictional published book.

Margaret Jane was the teacher in the first school in Kennedy Valley.

She is buried in this Kennedy family cemetery surrounded by many members of her devoted and loving family.

Margaret Jane Ralston Kennedy was born in Manchester, Adams County, Ohio on 27 Oct 1800.

The photos on this memorial, taken in her old age, do not do her justice. She was known as a beautiful woman in her younger years.

She was the daughter of Jonathan "John" Ralston and Elizabeth "Betsy" Pitzer Ralston of Brown County, Ohio. Margaret named her second son Jonathan Ralston Kennedy in honor of her father.

Her Ralston family was known as Scot-Irish, although they were not Irish at all. The family, staunch Presbyterians living in Scotland, was forced by the English King James to relocate to Ireland to develop the Protestant religion in Ireland and to counter the Roman Catholic uprisings in Ireland. These forcibly relocated Scots, including the Ralstons, were then the victims of violent religious persecution--and death--from both the Roman Catholic Irish and eventually also by the English king, who then wanted to force his Church of England religion on them. For this reason, they emigrated to America in the 1700's, first settling in Pennsylvania, where they hoped William Penn would be tolerant of their Presbyterian religion.

The Ralston family immigrated to the United States together with their closely related and allied families, the Martins, the Fites and the Gaunces.

Margaret Jane was the sister of Letitia "Lettie" Ralston, John Ralston, Robert Ralston, Joseph B. Ralston and Elizabeth "Eliza" Ralston.

When she was twenty years old, she married William Hugh Kennedy on 22 June 1820 in Clermont County (a part of which later became Brown County), Ohio.

Margaret Jane was described as a beautiful woman. Sadly, the photos in this memorial depict her only when she was an older woman.

In 1845, her husband Hugh Kennedy died suddenly in a cholera epidemic in Brown County, Ohio. Margaret Jane still had four teen-aged daughters at home at the time of her husband's death as well as her older children nearby and valiantly held the family together with her unwavering love and strength of character.

She was the mother of thirteen children, all born in Brown County, Ohio. Her children were: her firstborn Elizabeth A. Kennedy Liming (1921-1853), William Bainbridge "Bridge" Kennedy, Jonathan Ralston Kennedy, Sarah Jane Kennedy Neal, Zanetta "Nettie" Olive Kennedy Curless, Catherine "Cate" Blackburn Kennedy Holloway, Thomas Hamer Kennedy, Oliver Perry"Scott" Kennedy, Leander Jackson Kennedy, Joseph Warren Kennedy (who died as a two-year-old in Brown County, Ohio), Mary Ann Kennedy (who died as a newborn infant in Brown County, Ohio), Matilda M. Kennedy who died at age twelve in Brown County, Ohio and Salina F. Kennedy Hindman (#11016746).

In 1855, a widow for ten years, she and her youngest child 13-year old Salina departed Brown County, Ohio. Before they departed, in March of 1855, her daughter Sarah Kennedy married John Neal in Brown County, Ohio. That daughter Sarah remained in Brown County for the rest of her life. Margaret Jane's other children and their children had already departed for Illinois where her son William Bainbridge "Bridge" Kennedy was readying to relocate the group to Douglas County, Kansas.

Margaret Jane was very hesitant to leave behind in Brown County, Ohio, the graves of her beloved husband, Hugh, and those of her young son Joseph Warren Kennedy and her daughters Mary Ann Kennedy, Elizabeth Kennedy Liming and Matilda Kennedy (Matilda Kennedy is the middle person in the photos accompanying this memorial). After much consideration and with a heavy heart, at the age of fifty-five years, she decided she must join her remaining living children as they relocated to Douglas County,Kansas.

This eldest son, William Bainbridge "Bridge" Kennedy and his wife Elizabeth Jane Curless Kennedy, formerly of Brown County, Ohio, lived in Schuyler County, Illinois where they had married on March 21, 1847 and resided for some time.

Margaret Ralston Kennedy made the rough overland journey with the family group, relocating to Wakarusa, Douglas County, Kansas where she remained for the rest of her life. She never remarried.

The area on the Wakarusa River where the approximately twenty-five Kennedy relatives settled is known as the Kennedy Valley.

Over the years, life in the rough newly-settled Douglas County, Kansas was very hard on the members of the family and as the years passed, they all left the farm land by the Wakarusa River. Margaret Jane's daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Curless Kennedy, is thought to have been the last Kennedy to leave the farm on the Wakarusa River.

The old family cemetery is still there.

A totally fictionalized book was privately published for personal profit, without the permission of Margaret Jane's direct descendents, in 1996 by a non-relative who purported to include personal writings by Margaret Jane Ralston Kennedy as she prepared to leave Brown County, Ohio. That exploitative book was completely made up and none of it was ever written by Margaret Jane. Don't be misled by the vast untruths and misinformation in that fictional published book.

Margaret Jane was the teacher in the first school in Kennedy Valley.

She is buried in this Kennedy family cemetery surrounded by many members of her devoted and loving family.