Re: Kerns, Coe family in Virginia
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In reply to:
Re: Kerns, Coe family in Virginia
Carl Robert Coe 4/26/08
Carl, first I want to say that you are a credible researcher, as evidenced by the outstanding work on the Coe family history, I being a proud owner of your book. I was not the source of information that John E. Kerns was a son of John Kelly and Mary Grant. That information came to me from several descendants, but I rejected it because there is no record of their existence. My final conclusion about the identity of John E. was based on the examination of every available data-bit, both public and private, including the oral traditions. It took two decades of research to eliminate the noise and to pin down the nuggets on this one. It was a tough call. One advantage that I have, is that my reseach on the Kerns family started in 1961, now in the 47th year (and hoping to conclude in 2009). The project was set up to account for every person with the surname, especially those born here in Virginia; not just researching one family unit nor one Kerns lineage from afar. The other advantage is being a specialist on the community where John E. Kerns was born and raised. I not only walk the landscape and write about it in the local newspapers, but have reconstructed the community as it might have been two-hundred years ago. When I see John E. Kerns' name on the 1850 and 1860 censuses for Frederick County, VA, I see more than a name on paper; I visualize the spot where those those two dwellings used to be. One impediment to this research was that John E. Kerns was born out of wedlock; three years before his mother married a man who was not the father. Finally, I want to say the Clyde W. Kerns Jr. was a major source of information that went into the date bank for analysis. Without his help, there would have been an unsolved mystery. He now concurs with my conclusion on the identity of John E. Kerns.
More Replies:
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Re: Kerns, Coe family in Virginia
Cindy Perkins 5/03/10
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Re: Kerns, Coe family in Virginia
Kathleen Spencer 7/03/08
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Re: Kerns, Coe family in Virginia
Carl Robert Coe 5/07/08