Kenneth Dye, Son of William Dey

Kenneth Dye was born on May 17, 1756/7 in Plainfield, New Jersey and died in 1817 in Mason County, Kentucky. He married (1) Jane Vanderbeck who died before 1815. [One of Joseph Dye's daughters had married a Vanderbeck - Joseph would have been Kenneth's uncle]

Will of Kenneth Dye

Kentucky will Book D, pages 141-143

I Kenneth DYE of the county of Mason & state of KY being in a low state of health but of perfect mine & memory, do this fifteenth day of March & year of our Lord one thousand eighteen hundred & seventeen make & ordain this insturment of writing as my last will & testament & do dispose of my estate real & personal in the following manner/

In give to my son David DYE one young bay horse four years old, one cow & calf & six sheep & six hog. I give to my son James Dye bare mare called Iin & fifteen dollars in money & four sheep. I give to my son Hiram DYE ninety dollars to paid him when he arrives at the age of twenty one years. I give to my son Kenneth DYE one hundred dollars & the and ... I now use, the money to be paid him at the age of twenty one. I give to my daughter Jane one bed & bedding & curtains one looking glass & sixty dollars all out of my personal estate. I give to my beloved wife Phebe DYE all the property she brought to me including slaves & housefold furniture. Also provisions of bread & meat sufficient for six months, & two hogs also one half of the rent of the place for the last year, providing she shall except of it as her right of dower on in lieu of her thirds, all the remainder of my estate which is & here disposed to be equally divided between all my sons & daughters towit Peter DYE, WIlliam DYE the children of my deceased daughters Rachel, Margaret & Martha & my daughters Phebe & Jane that is to say the two children of my daughter Rachel to have one share divided between them, the children of my daughter Margaret to have one share divided between them, the children of my daughter Martha to have one share divided between them to be kept interest or laid out in bankstock for them that is all except their share of land at the descretion of my executor to the best advantage year by year till my youngest son comes of age at which it shall be equally divided between all my sons & daugheters & deceased daughters children as before named together with all rents & money that may be left after bring up & sufficiently schooling my youngest son & daughter & my son Hiram six months schooling & payig all my just debts, it is my desire that my sons Hiram & Kenneth be put to trades, such as they may choose, & I do here by appoint my friend Jonathan ROSS executor to this my last will & testament, also guardians to all my children under age. In witness whereof I have set my hand and seal the day & year above named.

John SHOTWELL Sen
Jonathan ROSS
William DYE


Kenneth (his mark) DYE

Mason County as: April Court 1817 This last will & testmaent of Kenneth DYE, deceased was produced in court & proved by the oath of John SHOTWELL Sen & William DYEwitnesses thereto & ordered to be recorded. Sworn to by Jonathan ROSS executor therein named, who together with John SHOTWELL, his security entered into & acknowledged bond in the penalty of eight thousand dollars conditined as the law directs & on his motion certificate is granted him for obtaining a probate thereof in due form. attend Marshall KEY, Clk

1. David Dye was born in 1797 and died in 1866 in Mason County, Kentucky. He married (1) Susannan Burroughs and (2) Nancy Patterson in 1822.
2. James Dye married Susan Fulcher in 1845
3. Hiram Dye married Martha Ann Clift in 1845
4. Kenneth Dye was born in 1796
5. Rachel Dye died before 1817
6. Margaret Dye died before 1817
7. Martha Dye died before 1817
8. Jane Dye
9. Phoebe Dye
10. John Dye married Patience Dey
11. Kenneth Dye was born in 1796

12. Peter Dye was born on April 11, 1782 in Middlesex County, New Jersey. He married Abigail Dye, the daughter of his uncle William Dye. Note that Peter's father's, Kenneth Dye, second wife was Phoebe Mounteer Dye, the mother of Abigail Dye. They had three children - Lawrence, John and Nehemiah. Several individuals have contributed background information which focuses primarly on Lawrence Dye, son of Peter and Abigail.

    The following are exerpts from Fleming County, KY Circuit Court records submitted by Elenanor.

    1. Fleming Co, KY Circuit Court File # 6292, Abner Hord vs. Lawrence Dye (defendent), September 1838 Lawrence owed Abner Hord $75 of a $200 loan which had been "due since 25th day of December 1837 and no part has been paid. The said Lawrence resides or formerly resided in The County of Fleming where he has a tract of land containing 157 acres, 2 slaves and a considerable portion of personal estate as your orator is informed, which said property is under the management and [could not read this word] of his brother John Dye. But the said Lawrence Dye, about the last of December 1837 left the state of Kentucky and went to the State of South Carolina with some horses and mules as he was informed, and the said Lawrence Dye has not returned ... since." Hord asked for an attachment against the lands & effects of Lawrence Dye and payment of court costs. The Sheriff was authorized to seize the lands to the amount of $75 plus interest and court costs and hold them until further order of the court.

    2. Fleming Co Circuit Court File # 6676, David Henderson vs Lawrence and Mary Ann Dye, 11 May 1839 Lawrence owed David Henderson $100 for the "purchase of smith work" 19 Oct 1837. Lawrence was in the "Southern Country of Georgia" and had not returned as expected. His wife, Mary Ann, and his personal property were still in Fleming County, Kentucky. On 16 Nov 1839, Lawrence's property was sold as decreed by Circuit Court: 1 mantle clock, 3 beds and furniture, 1 secretary, 1 dining table, 1 candlestand, 1 looking glass, 6 common split bottom chairs, one cupboard and contents, 1 sorrel colt, 16 head of sheep, 4 hemp breaks, 1 fire shovel, 1 teakettle, 1 cutting machine, 1 ten gallon kettle, 2 smoothing irons, 2 shovel ploughs, 1 wash tub, 1 churn, 1 grindstone, 1 McCormick plow, 1 Cary plough. Sold for a total of $127.14. In testimony his brother, John Dye, stated that Lawrence went to Georgia about 15 Sept 1838 and was last heard from in Crawfordsville, Georgia and that he had with him when he left some household and kitchen furniture and some stock consisting of horses, mules, hoggs [sic], cattle and sheep, "and further this deponent saith not".

    3. Fleming Co, KY Circuit Court File # 6990, Jeremiah Wells vs. Nehemiah and Lawrence Dye, Sept 1840 This suit concerned a note for $640 owed since 1837, with Nehemiah Dye as surety. However in September 1840 Nehemiah "has little or no property of value". An order was entered to seize and sell "the property of said Dye in the hands of his wife, Nehemiah Dye, and Samuel Fitzgerald for payment of $640 with interest from March 1838" plus costs. The Sheriff seized 1 bay mare ($60), 1 dun mare ($40), 4 coults [sic] ($35 each), 1 mule ($30), 2 milk cows ($12 each), 8 yearling calves ($8 each), 1 [Learham]? calf ($50), 80 head of stock hogs ($80), 17 head of hogs (?), 5 tons of hemp ($350).

    4. Fleming Co, KY Circuit Court File # 7243, Claiborn F. Wood vs. Lawrence and Mary Ann Dye and Samuel Fitzgerald, March 1841 Lawrence owed Claiborn F. Wood $83.49. Hiram Dye and Henry C. Tully made a deposition at the counting room of Anderson and Wood, Helena, Mason County, KY, who swore the above amount was a just and true accounting of goods purchased of Anderson and Wood in February 1838 - November 1838 (tea, sugar, coffee mill, molasses, indigo, etc.). The Sheriff seized slaves, Harriet ($200) and Henry ($300) from Mary Ann.

    Kari Northup sent in the following comments about Lawrence Dye:

    At least 3 of Abigail's children emigrated to Illinois (Lawrence, John and Nehemiah), and of those at least two (John & Lawrence) fought in the Civil War in the UNION army. I have thought before that that fact was kind of ironic. Abigail inherited at least one slave in William's will - don't know what happened to that slave. Abigail married Zephaniah White in 1824 after the death of her husband (& cousin) Peter Dye in 1822. Lawrence Dye is also the ancestor who I have the military description of having dark complexion, black hair and black eyes - I have wondered about Indian blood - haven't found it yet, but the description makes me not rule it out. Another ironic thing is that on Lawrence's certificate of disability for Discharge from the army it says: "During the last two months said soldier has been unfit for duty for sixty days in consequence of diarrhea and old age - he being fifty six years of age; the long heavy marches through Kentucky, during the month of October, broke him down completely, and unless he is soon discharged will die." So Lawrence was in an unit from Illinois that saw duty in Kentucky - he was fighting for the Union, and probably knew folks that had stayed in Kentucky that were fighting for the Confederacy - maybe some of his relatives. The Civil War was so full of that kind of thing, it really would be so hard.

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