England
Kennedy’s final voyage
Kennedy sailed to England in 1831. From 1831-1832, records show that he wrote to his sons in the Red River Settlement, sought a position with the Hudson’s Bay Company for his son William, and revised the will he had written two years earlier. On June 6, 1832 he died of typhus and was buried in the vault of St. Mark’s Church, Pentonville, London.
Alexander Kennedy wrote at least two wills, the first in 1829 and the second in 1831. The two wills gave different instructions for dividing up Kennedy’s estate, and the second version did not specifically state what should be done with his property in Orkney. This made the matter of settling Alexander Kennedy’s estate somewhat complicated, and the process stretched on until 1839. Following common practice, the executor of Kennedy’s estate was William Smith, secretary for the Hudson’s Bay Company. HBCA records include extensive correspondence between Smith, Kennedy’s sons, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews and other interested parties.
1831, HBC secretary writes to Kennedy regarding a position for William
1832, Alexander Kennedy writes to his sons
1829, Alexander Kennedy's first will
1831, Alexander Kennedy's second will
1832, Alexander Kennedy’s notes regarding his will
1832, William Kennedy writes to executor of his father’s will
Find out more… search Alexander Kennedy in the Keystone Archives Descriptive Database.