Kennedy Family Origins...
& Destinies ~
Under Construction
Irish Origins
The Kennedy family originated from the Ó Cinnéide Fionn clan, one of three clans who shared rulership of the kingdom of Ormond.
Over time the clan’s fortunes had fallen in the face of the dominance of the New English order and in 1849 Patrick Kennedy (1823–1858) and his wife Bridget Murphy (1824–1888) sailed from their homeland to East Boston, where Patrick would take up work as a barrel-maker.
The couple had five children – the youngest of whom, P.J., would really launch the business and political legacies of the Kennedy family.
Patrick Joseph “P.J.” Kennedy (January 14, 1858 – May 18, 1929)
A Tragic Beginning
Soon after Patrick Joseph (P.J.) Kennedy's birth in 1858 Boston, Massachusetts, his father tragically died of cholera - just ten month’s after Patrick's birth. Patrick's older brother had also died of the infection two years before P.J.’s birth, leaving him as the oldest male of the family. Patrick was the first family member to receive a formal education, attending the Boston private Catholic school, Sacred Heart.
An Inspiring Mother
As a tragically widowed single mother left to raise four children on her own Bridget Kennedy impressively managed to purchase an East Boston stationary and notions store where she had been employed. She even managed be quite successful, soon expanding the business into a grocery and liquor store.
