Joseph Kerr

GEDCOM Note

KERR FAMILY

• ** Contributed by Milton & Sarah Kerr
  • **************************************************************** ********************

Kerr Family

The farms south of the Summer Hill Brook, including the Kerr Prope rty, although being in the Dunns Corner School District, were part of Summ er Hill, probably due to the fact that the Summer Hill Post Office w as in the Kerr residence.

The Kerrs, Although having a Scottish name, were of Irish decen t. The property known as lot # 29 was granted to John Kerr. Joseph Kerr, b orn in 1821, apparently was his son and is the first we have records of t he original house was built some distance from the present road, near whe re there is a cemetery containing such names as Brown, Donald, Galey, Ker r, Mallory, Thumith.

Joseph Kerr married Susan Galey, and they had eleven children. Fo ur died in childhood. The others were Margaret- who married James Russel l. John Stirling-moved to USA. Andrew - married Alice Dunn and later Edi th Whalen. James -married Annie Cooper. William-never married. Isabella-ma rried John W Woods. Adam -married Jane Cooper, a sister of Annie.

A new house and barns was built nearer to the Gagetown Road a nd in 1900, Joseph and Susan divided the property between James and Ada m. The line going directly through the middle of the house and both famili es had equal use of the out-buildings.

Adam and Jane soon moved to Western Canada, where he died at an ea rly age. His widow and young son, Chesley, returned to Summer Hill and lat er moved to Saint John.

Eventually, James bought their share of the property. William ma de his home with James, he taught school and started a general store, b ut not being a too forceful bill collector, soon had to close the store. W illiam, being a pretty good cook, often cooked in lumber camps.

James and Annie had two children, Hazel, who married Harry Dunn a nd lived at Hampstead and Milton, who married Sarah Warrell, a school teac her from Fredericton.

James was a strong supporter of the Summer Hill United Church a nd the Kerr home was a great stopping over place for ministers travelli ng by bicycle or horse and buggy. The mailmen from Welsford and Gagetown m et there at noon-time, had their lunch, fed their horses and sometimes h ad to stay overnight in bad winter storms or borrow a fresh horse to conti nue their route.

Milton, wife Sarah and family, Robert and Barbara, lived on the fa rm until the Base takeover and then moved to Fredericton.

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