| ![Show Contents]() Keniston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Wales The forbears of the name Keniston once lived in or near some now-lost place called Kynaston, which experts agree was probably in the English border county of Shropshire. The surname Keniston belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Early Origins of the Keniston familyThe surname Keniston was first found in Shropshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kinnerly, some say before the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066. Conjecturally they are descended from the Princes of Powys in Wales, through Griffith, son of Joerweth Goch, Lord of Mochnan, younger son of Meredith, Prince of Powis who took refuge in Shropshire. King Henry III of England gave him lands in that county. He married Matilda, the heiress of Ralph le Strange by whom he acquired the Manor of Kinnerly. Griffith' son, Griffith Vychan settled at Tre-gynvarth, which, when anglicized, is Kynvarth's Town, which, when spoken, became slurred into Kynastown, or Kynaston. Early History of the Keniston familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keniston research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1433, 1459, 1491, 1495, 1516, 1534, 1554, 1564, 1587, 1590, 1621, 1622, 1640, 1642 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Keniston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Keniston Spelling VariationsCompared to other ancient cultures found in the British Isles, the number of Welsh surnames are relatively few, but there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations. These spelling variations began almost as soon as surname usage became common. As a result, people could not specify how to spell their own names leaving the specific recording up to the individual scribe or priest. Those recorders would then spell the names as they heard them, causing many different variations. Later, many Welsh names were recorded in English. This transliteration process was extremely imprecise since the Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh used many sounds the English language was not accustomed to. Finally, some variations occurred by the individual's design: a branch loyalty within a family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The Keniston name over the years has been spelled Kynaston, Kynerston, Kinnaston, Kinaston, Keniston, Kennison, Kenison and many more. Early Notables of the Keniston familyProminent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Francis Kynaston (1516-1590), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Shropshire in April 1554; Sir Francis Kynaston or Kinaston (1587-1642), an English lawyer, courtier, poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keniston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Keniston migration to the United States | + |
Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Keniston:
Keniston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Thomas Keniston, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "George" 1
- Allen Keniston, who arrived in Virginia in 1624 aboard the ship "Margaret & John" 2
- Richard Keniston to Virginia in 1655
- Rich Keniston, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 2
Keniston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- D D Keniston, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Keniston (post 1700) | + |
- Davis B. Keniston, American Republican politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives Seventh Suffolk District, 1923-24 3
- Davis B. Keniston, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1916 3
| Historic Events for the Keniston family | + |
USS Arizona - Mr. Donald Lee Keniston, American Seaman Second Class from Ohio, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 4
- Mr. Kenneth Howard Keniston, American Fireman Third Class from Ohio, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 4
- Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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Keniston migration to the United States 
