When I was twelve years old I was assigned a family history project. Little did I know that one simple assignment would ignite a lifelong passion.
The Irish Settlement, quite simply, is an area in northeastern Pennsylvania encompassing parts of three counties - Bradford, Sullivan and Wyoming. The descendants of these settlers gradually began to branch out and today they can be found all over the United States. It is not uncommon to find important information regarding Irish Settlement families in various newspapers surrounding the area.
Though John Kinsley is credited as the founder of the Irish Settlement and the small area of Stowell, Wyoming County, where he and his family lived is considered to be the original Irish Settlement, I cannot help but extend the name to the entire close-knit community of Irish settlers. These people lived together, worked together, went to church together, and frequently intermarried. They shared the same religion, values and hardships. It is interesting to note that many of these families emigrated together. Some first crossed paths whilst working the canals and coal mines, and later choosing to settle near each other.
Though I have been actively running a fairly successfully group on Yahoo for those who are interested in researching their Irish Settlement ancestors, I felt that branching out may assist even more individuals. Especially those who are not exactly aware their ancestor was part of the Irish Settlement. A relative of a descendant of John Bernard McKernan recently contacted me after finding a reference to JBM on my old Rootsweb tree. Their family had no information about JBM's origins and I had very limited information on JBM after he left Pennsylvania for Tennessee. One can only speculate why he left Pennsylvania. Perhaps the mystery will never be solved, but it will be interesting to put forth some theories nevertheless. The greatest bit of information though was learning JBM carried with him a photo album which is apparently in the current possession of his granddaughter. That is an invaluable piece of history.
