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Georgia Kinney Bopp
Revised 25 October 2006

D R A F T

Diary of Rev. Joseph Green 1700-1715
Diary citation information:
Image 1
Image 2

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(October 2006 emails from Jeff Green to GKBopp, minor edits):

I received my copy of the Diary of Rev. Joseph Green today.  I was interested in finding a copy because the diary was cited by Edward Randolph Kinney as a source of information about Henry Keney during the Salem witch trials.  A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled onto this website that advertised a copy for sale. It was the first I've seen and without hesitation, I pounced on it. I expected to find at least one entry regarding Henry Keney, but that turned out not to be the case.

 

The Rev. Joseph Green began keeping his diary on March 4, 1700 and it ended on June 18, 1715.

The Rev. died on November 26, 1715 at the age of 40 years.

 

Henry Keney himself is not mentioned once in Rev. Green's diary.

 

The only entries that mention the Kenney's at all are the following:

 

1711

Dec. 26

Curious winter weather. Ye three Deacons at my house. Disposed of ye contributions for ye poor as follows:

Widow Kenny, 15 shil.; Widow Sheldon, 10 shil.; Wildow Silby, 10 shil.; Jona. Kenny, 10 shil.; George Wyatt, 7 shil.; Thomas Prince, 4 shil.;

N. Good, 9 shil.; and there remains 9s. 9d. with Dea. E. Putnam. and 20 shil. with Dea. Ingersoll, and 19 shil. due from Sam'l Putnam

Henry Keney, Sr's. widow

 

1712

Sept. 29

Gathered apples.  Old Widow Kenny buried.

Henry Keney, Sr's. widow

 

1714

April 13

I went to ye funeral of Henry Kenney's Wife.  I changed horses with Ben. Knight and gave him 50 shil. to boot.

Henry Kenney, Jr's. wife, Priscilla Lewis Kenney

 

1715

Mar. 4

Rec'd into church Tho. Kenney & Tarrent & Ben. Putnam.

Thomas Kenney, Jr.

(This is Thomas Kenney, Jr. b. Jun 27, 1678 who married Martha Cox and went to Connecticut before May 1717.)

 

The only person I could find in the diary besides young Ann Putnam who went to speak with Rev. Green of anything regarding the witch trials, was the wife of John Dale, Henry Keney, Sr's. neighbor and son-in-law. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Mrs. John Dale who spoke to the reverend on Feb. 9, 1708 was not Henry's daughter, but the second wife of John Dale.

 

Henry's daughter, Elizabeth Kenney Dale, had passed away on Feb 06, 1694/95, ten weeks after giving birth to her fourth child.

 

 

Below is [THE ERRONEOUS INFORMATION] reportedly written by Edward Randolph Kinney ca. 1940 under the subject HENRY KENEY (1623-1710):

 

<From the diary of the Rev. Green, we learn of the one outstanding incident in Henry's life. Confirming the court records of Salem, Mass. during the witchcraft excitement in 1692, under the Rev. Cotton Mather, into the spotlight steps Henry, his wife Ann and daughter Elizabeth, as star witnesses of the state against Rebecca Nurse (they ..more saintly woman). The trio take their places on the witness stand and tell their story of fancied evidence -- another victim of distorted minds. The "Court" pronounced the verdict "guilty" and sentence of death on gallows hill. Henry, his wife and daughter Elizabeth, had played their part far too well. I often wonder if they were a part of the sordid band of townsmen who witnessed the execution. In the days that followed Henry and his wife and daughter reflected upon the scene, the possibility of an act of unjustness preyed upon their minds. The diary of the Rev. Green, speaks of repeated calls by Henry upon him. His penitent attitude his one desire for forgiveness, in the legal murder of Rebecca Nurse. Then like the angry finger of God seeing him out, his grandson Jonathan marries Rebecca Nurse, the daughter of the ill-fated one. Remorse climaxed the rest of the days of Henry.>

 

 

 

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