Elvira Kennedy Brownscombe was born in 1809 to David and Rhoda Stearns Kennedy in Mt. Pleasant Township, Wayne County. David Kennedy’s father, David Sr., and wife Rhoda (Tingley) had emigrated from Tolland County, CT in 1794, among the very earliest settlers in the area. Elvira Kennedy was married in 1849 to William Brownscombe, born 1793 in Devonshire, England, and they settled on a farm near Honesdale. William died in 1868, leaving Elvira and her 18-year-old daughter, Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, who became a teacher, to help support her mother and herself. 

Jennie’s story is well known. After two years of teaching, she managed to develop her artistic skills in New York City and became one of the best artists of her day. Jennie made her headquarters in New York, with frequent trips to Honesdale and abroad. Jennie Brownscombe was very proud of her maternal heritage, joining the DAR and the Mayflower Society through Elvira, who was a descendant of both Joseph Stearns, a Revolutionary soldier from Massachusetts, and Elder William Brewster of the Mayflower. Elvira Brownscombe died in 1891 and is buried in Glen Dyberry Cemetery, Honesdale, with her husband and daughter.

From the collection of the Wayne County Historical Society, 810 Main St., Honesdale. The museum and research library are open Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p. m.