| Notes |
- 1790 Census: David Kennedy and family resided in the Fayette District, Moore County, North Carolina.
p. 248, line 14: David Cannady - (Males): 4 (under 10), 1 (10-16), 1 (16-26), 1 (26-45), 1 (45+); and (Females): 2 (under 10), 1 (16-26), 1 (26-45), 1 (45+). Slaves - 2.
1800 Census: David Kennedy and family resided in Moore County, North Carolina.
p. 603, line 15: David Kennedy - (Males): 3 (under 10), 1 (10-16), 3 (16-26), 1 (26-45); and (Females): 1 (under 10), 1 (10-16), 1 (16-26), 1 (26-45), 1 (45+). Slaves - 11.
1815 Tax List for Moore County, North Carolina: Total of 1178 acres valued at $2750.
Before 1825: member of Fall Creek Baptist Church. Petitioned to establish a church near his "schoolhouse," from which Mechanics Hill Baptist Church was born. Kennedy was the chief contributor to the building of their meeting house, and he was their first deacon.
From the Moore County Historical [rest of title illegible], "Country Doctor for a Half Century," by H.B. Shields, M.D. (1975): "Probably the most famous character produced by the upper end of Moore County shortly after the Revolutionary War was David Kennedy, gun-smith, mill-owner, and fiddler. Following in the footsteps of his father, Alexander Kennedy, a Revolutionary soldier who made the "Kennedy rifle" used in the Continental armies, David Kennedy carried on the gun-making business, and had at one time the largest gun factory in this section of the South. The part of the county known as Hemp, now Robbins, North Carolina, was once called Mechanics Hill, after his guns shops and other industries of a mechanical nature. Besides his business activities, his interest in education and religion were likewise known and recognized. He gave the land for old Mechanics Hill Baptist Church, was its first deacon, and represented it at various meetings of the Sandy Creek Baptist Association.
When Kennedy moved to Alabama around 1835, my grandfather, Cornelius Shields, bought the old Kennedy homestead ... my remembrance of the old David Kennedy home is quite vivid. It was a splendid house for its day and age; not equaled by any in the county unless it were the House in the Horseshoe, which it resembled. I remember, especially, the long covered passageway, with banisters on either side, that connected the 100 foot distance between the main house and the kitchen. In the parlor of this house was the finest hand-carved mantel that I have ever seen. It was intricately carved, in bas-relief, in grape-vine design, with the leafy vine running up both sides and across the top of the mantel."
From http://www.mooreyp.com/communities.html: "In 1795 gunsmith David Kennedy built a sawmill on the spot where the Fayetteville-Salem road crossed Bear Creek in northern Moore County. Kennedy also manufactured rifles that were Moore County's main contribution to the War of 1812. Later, gold was found on the same 400 acres Kennedy had sold for only $4. It was only a trickle of gold but it kept the town alive until the Durham-Charlotte railroad came through in 1904. "
David Kennedy served in the General Assembly of North Carolina until 1790, and with his brother Alexander, was appointed a Trustee of Mount Parnassus Academy in 1809 (Laws of N.C. 1809, Chapter 76). Under his wise and talented handling, the manufacture of guns progressed greatly after the family was established in Moore County; they employed seventy-five men, making it a large industry for that day; this enterprise is still remembered in North Carolina and the Kennedy rifle was rather famous and specimens still existing are valued. When they were in their fifties, David Kennedy and his wife moved to Lauderdale County, Alabama, and lived with their son Hiram on his plantation, about fifteen miles north of Florence near Green Hill; they are buried in the old family cemetery.
The manufacturing process Kennedy used in making his guns was unique. Large grindstones operated by water power shaped the barrels into octagonal design. The metal was then drawn out and molded by large trip hammers, also operated by water power.
At last came the test of truing the sights. This was accomplished by shooting across the mill pond to a target on the other side, close to which a man stood to mark the deviation from the bull's eye. Patiently, the sights were varied until found absolutely true. Being shrewd, and a talented fiddle player, Kennedy used this for his business. Not wanting to keep paying such high prices for gun locks he imported from New York, Kennedy made a horse-back trip to the factory with just one thought in mind. Upon arrival, it was not long until Kennedy learned the method was a carefully guarded secret. Soon he was winning the hearts of the workers with his violin, and he was able to enter the factory and access "The Big Secret." He observed and remembered. It was no longer necessary to import locks, he made his own.
Records show that the gunmaker was church-minded. He gave the land and bore the expense of the construction of the Mechanic's Hill Baptist Church, a frame building 40 x 60 feet. Inside are narrow uncomfortable wooden benches of an earlier day, the pews divided from each other by plank wood railings. Kennedy served as the first deacon of this church. An "act of God" saved his life from a rolling timber in his log yard. He was said to have declared that because God had allowed him to live, he would use some of his logs for spiritual purposes.
Despite his devotion to religion and his business success, misfortune overtook him when he stood security for his brother for a large stock of merchandise. He was forced to sell out for a song. One 300 tract of land sold for $4.00. Thousands of dollars of gold dust was mined later from this same tract.
Discouraged, David Kennedy disposed of all his possessions and moved to Alabama with his son Hiram. The Kennedy Homestead was located on the road from Robbins to the Standard Mineral Company.
Where are the Kennedy rifles? They still exist, but have vanished from public view. Their scarcity, compared to the number who want them, makes them collector's item. There are still Kennedy rifles around Robbins but they say folks don't want it known -- it's a big secret. Kennedy rifles were manufactured for the War of 1812.
Book 137 Page 305
200 acres, Moore County, on Bear Creek
Entered 21 February 1812
Issued 24 December 1812
Book 127 Page 438
240 acres, Moore County, on Persimmon Branch
Entered 2 January 1808
Issued 6 July 1811 between 1808 and 1812 Moore County, NC.213
A Bible which Kennedy gave to the church proves his piety. On the fly leaf of the book he wrote -- "David Kennedy his book he may read good but God knows when. "
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1768 - 1837 (69 years)
[5, 6, 8, 9]