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Just to tell you a little about myself, my name is Vickie and I was born and raised in Kentucky. The majority of my ancestors have been in Kentucky since the 1790’s. I have always loved history, a good mystery and puzzles and that is what Family History Research is all about. As a child we would take day trips on Saturdays and head down some dirt road looking for old cemeteries. A lot of the time we weren't looking for anyone in particular, we just like to read the epitaphs. We would have a picnic lunch packed and have lunch at whatever cemetery we were at. If the weather was bad my Dad and I would go to a courthouse and dig through old records in musty old basements looking for our ancestors. So as you can see I have had an interest in Family History for quite some time.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Francois Kerby I

The ancestor I will be telling you about this week is from my husband’s side and is his third great-grandfather on his Mom’s side of the family.  His name was Francois Kerby I and he was born October 3, 1793 in Saint Helier on the Isle of Jersey in the Channel Islands.  Francois was the son of Jean Kerby II and Marie Metivier who were also from Saint Helier.  I only have one picture of Francois Kerby and it is the following, we had only had the head shot of this photo until I found this one of the full picture at www.familysearch.org


The following is a brief history of our Kerby family on the Isle of Jersey that has been passed down.  The Kerby family may have come to the Isle of Jersey in the early years of the 18th century as I don’t know, nor have I found where the first of our line, Farthingaudo Kerby I, was born, but I do know that all of his children and his descendants for a number of years were all born on the Isle of Jersey.   Farthingaudo Kerby I, 1684-1747, and his sons, Philippe Kerby, 1710-????, and Farthingaudo Kerby II 1712-????, were garrison soldiers.  Jean Kerby I, 1737-????, was a privateer and his son, Jean Kerby II, 1766-????, was a clock and watchmaker and silversmith and his business was taken over by his son Francois Kerby I, 1793-1884.  Francois Kerby II, 1821-1914, was a college graduate who spoke fluent French and was a painter and glazier as well as a clock and watchmaker.  The first Francois left Jersey and went to Wiltshire, England and continued his profession.  The younger Francois went to Yorkshire, England for a few years and then immigrated to the United States, settling in the Utah Territory where he died.  Farthingaudo Kerby I is the furthest we have back so far on our Kerby line.

For those that don’t know the Channel Islands set in the English Channel between France and England.  The following shows a map of the islands in the channel and the next map shows the different parishes within the Isle of Jersey itself.  Though English is the national language spoken here, French is also quite prominent and the Kerby’s spoke both English and French fluently.




Francois Kerby I, was the only son and the middle child of the five known children, born to Jean Kerby II and Marie Metivier in Saint Helier.  The four daughters and siblings to Francois were the following: Anne Kerby 1789-???? who married Francois Le Marquant; Jeanne Kerby 1791-???? who married Clement Sorel; Mary Peggy Kerby 1797-???? who married Phillip du Heaume and Elizabeth Kerby 1799-????.  I haven’t followed any of these girls yet, so that is why I don’t have any death dates or much information about any of them at this time.

Francois Kerby I as well as his son Francois Kerby II, learned the occupation of clock/watch maker and were also painters and poets.  Family stories always said that they would paint the picture on the front of the clocks they made and on the back of the clock they would include a poem.  A cousin of my husbands was at an auction in Southern California a few years ago and saw a clock that said made by Francois Kerby, Isle of Jersey with the year, if I remember correctly.  She got very excited, because she knew this was her great-great-grandfather, but kept her composure and bought the clock, which indeed included a poem on the back.  She never said how much she had to pay for the clock, but I know if it had been me, I would not have left the shop until I became the new owner.  I know I have a picture of the clock she bought, somewhere, but so far I am not finding it.  However, I do have a picture of one of his clocks that is still on the Isle of Jersey. One of my mother-in-law's cousins had this picture and she let me scan it so that I could have a copy of it as well.


Francois Kerby I, soon meet his future wife and on July 13, 1816 at the Parish Church in St. Helier, Francois married Jeanne Guilleaume, who was born March 15, 1791 also in St. Helier and she was the daughter of Clement Guilleaume and Marie Rachel Arrive, who were from St. Helier as well.  I have two pictures of Jeanne, one when she is younger and one when she is older, and they are the following, again just head shots, but I wish I could find the full pictures like I did for Francois.



Francois and Jeanne became the parents of eight children all born in St. Helier and they were the following: Jane Mary Kerby 1817-1899 in Warminster, Wiltshire, England, married Jean de Gruchy; Jean Francois Kerby 1819-1821 in St. Helier; Francois Kerby II (Francis) 1821-1914 in Wallsburg, Wasatch County, Utah, married Marie Le Cornu (My husband’s 2nd great-grandparents); Mary Durell Kerby 1823-1887 in Paddington, New South Wales, Australia, married Edmund Reuben Parker; Esther Kerby 1825-1915 in Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand, married Robert Bartley Jr.; Sophia Kerby 1826-1893, in Warminster, Wiltshire, England, she was a school teacher and never married; Charles Kerby 1830-1879 in Pukehinau Stream, Shellback, Thames, New Zealand, married Caroline Down and Rachel Nankivell and Harriet Kerby 1833-1911 in Warminster, Wiltshire, England, married Thomas John Ryall.

I don’t know how they did it, but four of their eight children left home, one for America and the wilds of the west in Utah Territory in 1857, which was my husband’s ancestor, the other three left in 1854, for New Zealand and a couple of them went to Australia for a time searching for gold and one stayed in Australia where she died.  You know that in those days, letters would have taken months to get to family back home and you knew that once they left, the odds of you ever seeing any of them ever again would have been almost nil.  As far as I am aware Francois and Jeanne never saw these four children ever again.  I don’t have pictures of all of their children, but I do have the following:  Francois Kerby II (I have others of him when he is older), Mary Kerby Parker with her husband and a couple of her children and then Charles Kerby.  I wish I had some of the rest of the children but I don’t.  The reason I have the ones of Mary and Charles is because some of their descendants who still live in Australia and New Zealand found me a few years ago and sent me information on them, including these pictures.




Sometime after the 1851 census was taken in St. Helier, Francois and Jeanne and some of their children left the Isle of Jersey and went to England, settling in the town of Warminster in Wiltshire.  From Francois Kerby II’s journal, I know that his parents, are in Warminster before 1855, because he has stopped to pick up his daughter, Mary, from his sister Jane de Gruchy’s, where she had been attending school.  Jane and her husband Jean de Gruchy had a school where Jean de Gruchy was the head master and Jane and her sister, Sophia Kerby, taught school.  When Francois Kerby II was writing in his journal he mentions that his parents, Francois and Jeanne, had received a letter from their daughter Esther, saying that their daughter Mary was getting married, and Esther and Mary and their families, as well as Charles were leaving Australia and going back over to New Zealand.
Francois Kerby I, was listed as a watchmaker on the 1841 through 1871 census records on the Isle of Jersey as well as in Warminster, England but by 1881 he is listed as deriving income from dividends.  I am not sure exactly what that means, but I am assuming it means that he may have placed his money in some kind of an account and was now living off the proceeds from said accounts.  I know that the family while on the Isle of Jersey and in England as well, were quite well to do for the time period, not wealthy by any means but they weren’t hurting either.

Like I said their children starting getting married and four of them moved far away and Francois and Jeanne got older, as we all tend to do, and soon, Jeanne passed away in Warminster, on June 15, 1875 of acute bronchitis and was buried two days later at the Non-Conformist Church Cemetery on Boreham Road in Warminster.  Francois continued living in their home on Silver Street, but had moved to Emwell Cross, also in Warminster, not far from his home on Silver Street, where he passed away on December 3, 1884 and was buried two days later by his wife at the Non-Conformist Church Cemetery on Boreham Road in Warminster.  The cause of death is listed as senility and decay, with contributing factors of inflammation of the bladder, he was 91 years old.

This ancestor was better off financially then most I have written about, but I am sure it did not make you feel any better knowing you would never see some of your children ever again in this life at least.  Four of his children were half way around the world from them, never to be seen again, he and his wife did have three of their daughters close by though.  They all knew how to write thankfully, so they could correspond with each other, even though it did take months to receive replies to their letters.  Can you even image not knowing how to write and possibly never hearing from your children again.  Francois was living with his widowed daughter, Jane Mary de Gruchy and his single, daughter Sophia Kerby when he passed away.

I wish I knew more about his life, and his day to day dealings, and sometimes I wonder if he kept a diary or journal like his son Francois Kerby II, did.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful if he had?

22 comments:

  1. OMG wow! Well hello from New Zealand. My name is Sue and I am a descendant of Francois also. He was my great great great grandfather. How about that, and I love all the information you have found on him.

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    1. Hi Sue, so nice to hear from you. I have loved writing these stories and hearing from family members around the world. My husband and I live in the United States in the state of Utah. Which child of Francois' do you come through. I know he had 2 daughters and a son that went to New Zealand and Australia so I am assuming you come through one of them. I would love to hear back from you. You can email me directly at DreamingofKentucky@gmail.com

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  2. Hello Vicki, I am the relative who corresponded with you several years ago and gave you lots of information. I have since been to St Heliers Jersey, seen the clock made by Francois 1 which is in the museum, seen their business premises and homes. Also got copies of wills and yes they were well off but also suffered greatly in the wars. I just loved the place, a truly spiritual experience. Jan

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    1. Jan, Always nice to hear from a family member and are you the one from New Zealand or Australia that sent me a lot of old pictures from the Kerby kids that went their in the 1850's? I would love to get copies of any documents and pictures you got while you were in Jersey. My mother-in-law went their a few years before she past away, along with one of her sons and a daughter-in-law. I would love to hear back from you. You can email me directly at DreamingofKentucky@gmail.com

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    2. I'm the one from NZ gr gr granddaughter of Charles son of Francois as is Sue. My grandfather and Sue's grandmother are brother and sister. A wee bit of info to add: Farthingaudo KERBY 1684-1747 married Rachel GAUVAIN 1688-1754 in 1709. Their children were Phillippe 1710-1753, Farthingaudo 1712-1755, Marie 1715-?, Guilleaume 1717-1786, Rachel 1721-?, Elizabeth 1724-1728/29. Jean KERBY 1738-1807 was held a prisoner of war in 1806 as was his son Jean 1766-1807. It seems to me that this 'experience' ultimately led to their deaths in 1807. Jean 2nd as you said married Marie METIVIER (METTIVIE). Children Anne died 1867, Mary Peggy died 1822. Regards Jan

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  3. Thanks Jan for the info on how you and Sue connect as well as the other info I will get that updated in my files.

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    1. Hi Vickie my name is Neil Young I live in Wallsburg Utah, Im a gr. gr. gr. grandson of gramps Kirby my gr. gr. mother was Harriett both of my grandmothers on my dads side was harrietts daughters Mary Viola and Harriet Eliiza, Im nt to savy on comp. but would to talk to ya is there a # I could Ya at.

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    2. Neil,

      I would love to talk to you you can email me at DreamingofKentucky@gmail.com or phone 801-829-8433

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  4. Hi distant cousins. I'm Jerry Clayson and Francois II was my great, great grandfather. His son Joseph is my great grandfather and he sailed to the US when he was only 9 days old. His oldest daughter Melissa was my maternal grandmother. I have one if his paintings of Walsburg he painted for Melissa before she got married so it's about 110 years old. My email is jerryclayson@aol.com and phone 801 4402990. I would love to hear from you.

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    1. Hi Jerry, Melissa was my great grandmother and her daughter Patta was my grandmother.

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    2. Hi Jerry, for some reason I am just now seeing this post. Usually I get an email letting me know something has been posted. It is nice to meet you as well and also you Terry. You are both related to my husband and I also personally know one of your cousins, Jana Kerby Peay who also comes through Joseph.

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  5. Francois KERBY is also my Great great great Grandfather, my maiden name is Kerby -I am in New Zealand.

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    1. Angela so nice to meet you and thanks for making contact.

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  6. I have just come across this ..wow.
    My 88 year mum's maiden name is Hitchings . Her father's name was John Francis Kirby Hitchings. On my mum's side also related to professor de gruchy , who is Buried at Christchurch, Warminster. The non conformist cemetery on Boreham Road is about half a mile from our home . Also mum was related to the Thomas john Ryall..one of the daughters name was Francis Ryall . This is amazing information . Thankyou

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  7. Nick, thank you so much for making contact. You and my husband, Roy Thompson, would be 4th cousins and your common ancestors were Francois Kerby I and Jeanne Guilleaume.

    I have your grandfather in my files already, but I did not have who he married or who his children were. I would love to be able to update my files with your Mom's family info. You can email me directly at DreamingofKentucky@gmail.com

    I look forward to hearing from you again.

    Vickie

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  8. Great to see this information. Thank you for it. Francois I is my 2nd great grandfather. There is a full body picture of his wife Jeanne Guilleaume on Family Search. There is also a picture of a different clock there. Francois was also a silversmith and his registered silversmith mark is on Family Search. The picture you have listed as Mary Kerby Parker and family, is actually a picture of my great grandparents Edward Stock and Mary Kerby, daughter of Francis Kerby II. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to identify the two children. Edward and Mary met in Wallsburg, Utah and later moved to the Show Low area of the Arizona Territory This picture is also on Family Search

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  9. My husband is also a descendant of Francis Kerby II! I've been researching in preparation for a little ancestor birthday party we're having this week for Francis II and III and I'm so glad I came across your website!

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  10. Hello Vickie, my family are descendents of these Kerby from channel isles. On the Sydney Nsw side. The biggest mystery in all our research was Edmund Rueben Parker. We know hecame to Sydney via New Zealand. But cannot find his arrival to NZ records.
    and from where in England or USA.
    Thankyou for all your other information. Love family history
    Michelle (carpenter side)

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    1. Michelle, Thanks so much for making contact and for your comments. I would love to add your family info to our tree. You can email me directly at DreamingofKentucky@gmail.com

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  11. Hello, I have just stumbled across this! Francois Kerby is also my mother's great grandparent. We are going to Jersey on Sunday 1st.

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  12. Sorry, didn't leave my name. It's Debbie Patterson. I have records going back to 1712, but hoping to find more when I go to Jersey. My email is debbieipatterson@gmail.com

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