I am new to this list. I descend from the Kinney family of Hancock County, from about 1837 to 1872. My great great great grandfather was named LAVALETTE KINNEY. He was born on May 6, 1826 in Buffalo New York, son of JOSEPH KINNEY and PRISCILLA RICHMOND. I have it that JOSEPH moved his family to Illinois in 1837. LAVALETTE married JANE BUTLER on October 15, 1849 in Quincy in Adams Co., but he settled in St. Albans Twp. in Hancock Co. Here he raised a large family including my great great grandfather, JOSEPH RICHMOND KINNEY, this was a family that was very good about passing down old surnames! I have it that LAVALETTE served as a Justice of the Peace and as Township Assessor, is there any immediate information about that? My second question, can anybody do a lookup on the burial of his parents? JOSEPH died in 1843 and PRISCILLA in 1861, buried in Chili Twp. I have all the census except for 1840 where I can't seem to find any of them! These Kinneys left Illinois in the early 1870s for Kansas, where they experienced a few tragedies. LAVALETTE died of Typhoid fever on Oct. 25, 1894 in Mitchell Co. KS. In 1903 much of the family relocated to Chelan Co. Washington. Must be partly the reason I live in this state!!! -Mark Vernon Seattle, WA