The Kinally Family History & Geneaology

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Welcome to the Kinally family history website

My name is Martin Kinally, and I welcome you to this site, which is a dedicated genealogy resource documenting the ancestors, descendants, and historical records of the Kinally surname and its derivatives. This site brings together family tree research, historical documents, and census records to trace the lives of the Kinally family across generations.

The Kinally family appears in a range of historical sources including parish registers, civil registration records, census returns, and other archival documents. Research on this site focuses on identifying family relationships, places of origin, migration patterns, and key life events such as births, marriages, occupations, and deaths.

This genealogy project aims to preserve and share accurate family history research for both current family members and others researching the Kinally surname. Where possible, information is supported by original sources to ensure accuracy and historical reliability

You can explore the Kinally family history by using the SEARCH button above and:
Search for an individual ancestor by name
Browse surnames and family branches
View places associated with Kinally ancestors
Explore individual life histories and source records
This site is regularly updated as new documents, photographs, and records are discovered

Origins of the Kinally Name and Derivatives Problem

My family name is Kinally, but my ancestral line indicates it was originally McKinelley.

The mi-spelling over the years makes research and reliable verification challenging. Many Irish immigrants dropped the Mc (or Mac) from their surname, and of course spellings on birth, marriage, death and census documents were open to interpretation if reading and writing skills were absent.

Many variants are linked to Kinally - especially names like Kinneally / Kenealy / Kennelly / Kennally which derive from an ancient Gaelic surname. The Gaelic O’Cinnfhaolaidh (or Ó Cinnfhaolaidh) meaning something like “descendant of the head of a wolf.” This was a patronymic name - showing descent from a particular ancestor, and dates back many centuries in Ireland, recorded from at least the 12th century.

Historical records and surname research place families with these names primarily in south-west Ireland, especially in: County Limerick - often cited as the origination area for the Gaelic root name. County Kerry and County Cork - common regions where variants like Kennelly and Kenealy were historically recorded. These counties are in the province of Munster and were strongholds of Gaelic culture, which helps explain the persistence and evolution of these names.

Michael McKinelley

In my own personal Family Tree, my oldest ancestor was Michael McKinelley (my great, great, great grandfather. He is named on the birth certificate of his son John McKinelley in 1832 in Manchester. His occupation was a warehouseman, and I suspect he was born in Ireland and emigrated to England as many did in that time. John married Sarah Ann Green in Greenwich, London, and was a brushmaker and they had five children, of which three survived to marry.

William John McKinelley born in 1866 was my great-grandfather and was a leather bag maker in London all his life. He married Alice Kay and they had six children the first of which, Bertha, was registered as a Kinally instead of McKinelley.

One of her brothers was James Victor Kinally, who was my grandfather. He married Elizabeth Jessie Millbank in London and was a sheet metal worker, and they had six children the oldest of which was Victor James Kinally, my father.


Questions and Answers

Q. How do I research an individual's ancestors?

A. Once you locate an individual, the easiest method is to press the Ancestors tab. This will show you a graphical display of both the paternal and maternal ancestors. Once you have the ancestor chart displayed, if you need to see additional ancestors, you can click on the arrows located at the far right ancestor. There are a number of formats for you to choose from - see which one works best for you. Try the PDF if you want to save to view or print.

Q: Is there a way to print the display without all the headers and icons?

A: Yes, just click on the Print link locate above the control tabs. A format that is simplified for printing is presented and you can use the print function of your browser to print the page.

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Register as a user

Q: Why can't I see all the information on a certain person?
A: We take great pains to protect the privacy of all family members. All names, dates and other information of living individuals are 'hidden'. Registered users can have access to this information. If you are a direct descendant or relative of people listed on this website, please take a moment to register by clicking on More... below. You will be asked to provide evidence of your relationship. When accepted, you will be able to view all records of your ancestor's descendants contained in the database.

Q: What if I forget my username and/or password?
A: If you can't remember your username then, via the 'Log In' page, enter the email address you supplied when you registered and I will send you your username. However, for security purposes we do not have access to your password. So, if you forget it, you can ask the system, again via the 'Log In' page, to issue you with a temporary one. Just enter the email address you supplied when you registered and your username.

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Work in progress.....

This is an independent family history research project created to document and preserve the genealogy of the Kinally family for future generations.

It is an ongoing project and will be expanded to document not only relationships but also to reflect the life and times of many of the Kinally ancestors