NOW, THE GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS' GENERATION: ANCESTOR NO. 15: JOSEPH KIRNER, SR. (~1837-1907)
Joseph Kirner is a brick wall ancestor . That means he is the most distant Kirner ancestor for whom I can NOT find evidence of parents. Every document found that names him occurs in the second half of his life. No baptism or marriage record has been found for him, and he is not found in any census record until he was in his mid-thirties. He was born in New York City, and his parents were German immigrants. [1] His surname evolved from Körner to Kerner to Kirner, and was sometimes assumed to be Kernan, Kearny, or Kiernan , an Irish name. His trade as a bricklayer, also called a mason, helps distinguish him despite the recorded name variations. On a few documents, he was named John Joseph, but most called him Joseph. German men of the era often had the first name John (Johann) and went by their middle names. Joseph probably married Rosanna McGuire/Maguire in 1860 in New York City, judging from the age of his eldest child, John Joseph Jr., who was born on May 27, 1861. [2] Hi...