KERR FAMILY CHRONICLES

© Christopher Earls Brennen

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE CHILDREN OF SAMUEL KERR AND SARAH MACDONALD

Samuel and Sadie Kerr had four children:

  1. Margaret Elizabeth Kerr was born on Dec.8, 1940. Born with a deficient heart, Margaret died on Jan.2, 1941 and was buried in the Brackaville Parish Church graveyard in Coalisland, County Tyrone.

       
    Left: Sam & Sadie Kerr with Doreen in 1964.    Right: Four generations in 1971: Dana Brennen,
    Doreen Brennen (nee Kerr), Margaret MacDonald (nee Neill), Sarah Kerr (nee MacDonald)
    and Katharine Brennen.

  2. Katharine Doreen Kerr was born on Dec.19, 1942, in the home of her maternal grandparents in Line Side, Coalisland, County Tyrone just hours after her father had left for the North African theatre of war. It was months before he learnt of her birth. She was christened in Brackaville Parish Church, Coalisland. Doreen spent the early years of her life living with her mother and later her sister in a cottage on the estate of Lord Charlemont at Drumcairne near Stewartstown, County Tyrone. She became a favorite of Lord Charlemont and he often invited her to tea. She remembers one day when she was sent home because the doctor was going to visit. Instead of going home she played around outside and observed that the doctor had left a small boy in his car parked outside. She was later to marry that small boy. Doreen first saw her father when she was nearly four years old and he returned from the war a sick man. The family moved to Fairmount Park, Dungannon just before Christmas of 1947 and Doreen attended the Union Place Primary School in Dungannon. After passing the 11 plus examination she enrolled at the Dungannon High School for Girls. At the High School she excelled at English and History, winning several awards. After graduation Doreen went to Queen's University, Belfast where she also studied English and History. At the end of her second year at Queen's she married Christopher Brennen whom she had met during the summer of 1960 at the seaside resort of Portrush, County Antrim. Doreen and Christopher were married on June 29, 1963, in the St.Giles Registry Office in Oxford, England. The reception following the wedding was held in the famous Bear Inn in Woodstock, near Oxford and featured entertainment by Chris's Oxford friends and more bottles of champagne than there were guests. That September of 1963 Doreen returned to college at Queen's in order to complete her degree. Within two weeks in June 1964 she completed her exams and gave birth to her first daughter, Dana Michele Brennen. Later that summer Doreen and Chris set up home in a small house at 23 Sandford Road, Littlemore on the outskirts of Oxford where they lived while Chris completed his doctorate. In October 1966, Chris went to work at the National Physical Laboratory and they lived for a brief period in Teddington and for most of the time in Shepperton. During this time their second daughter, Katharine, was born at a maternity hospital in Chiswick on March 28, 1967. At the end of 1968, Doreen and the two girls returned to live with her parents in Dungannon for a few months in order to save for the fares to the United States. Thus, for three months, Doreen worked as a teacher at the Aughnacloy Secondary Intermediate School. Then, on Dec. 31, 1968, Doreen, Chris and the two girls left the U.K. for the United States. After brief stops in New York and Boston, they arrived in Pasadena, California, where Chris was to work at the California Institute of Technology. For six months they lived in an apartment at 830 N.El Molino, Pasadena before renting a house at 1915 Las Lunas Street. During these early years in California they extensively explored the western United States, camping along the way. In May 1972 their son Patrick was born in the Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena. Then, in 1976, they purchased their first home at 3840 Mayfair Drive, Pasdena. In 1980, they moved to 360 Olive Tree Lane, Sierra Madre. In 1983 they temporarily relocated to a house at 355 S. Holliston, Pasdena, the residence of the Master of Student Houses at Caltech, returning to Sierra Madre in 1987 when Chris completed his tenure as Master. Doreen died of cancer on Aug.22, 2007, and was buried beside her son, Patrick, in Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California. Doreen and Chris had three children described in the next chapter.
  3. Elizabeth Jacqueline MacDonald Kerr was born on May 5, 1947, in Green Cottage, Drumcairne and christened in Donaghenry Parish Church, Stewartstown. Like her elder sister she attended the Union Place Primary School in Dungannon and then Dungannon High School for Girls. At High School she met Michael Mills, a boarder at the nearby Royal School, Dungannon. After graduation from high school in June, 1964, Jacqui completed a one-year secretarial course at the Technical School in Dungannon. She then spent a year living with her elder sister, Doreen, and her husband, Christopher Brennen, in Oxford, England. There she worked as a secretary for the market research firm of A.C.Neilson between Sept.1965 and May 1966. She then moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland where, in Sept.1966 she went to work for Hill and Craig, a children's clothing manufacturer. During this time she lived in a bed-sitting room on the Ravenhill Road. In April 1968 she switched jobs and began work for the Guinness company in Grosvenor Road, Belfast. Meanwhile Michael Mills (born Aug.31, 1947) had graduated from the Royal School, Dungannon, where he had excelled in a number of sports. He played rugby for the school and for the Ulster Schools team against Connaught Schools. He was a fast bowler on the school cricket team. He also excelled at the javelin throw representing the Irish Schools at internationals in 1964, 1965 and 1966. For these achievements he was awarded a World Schools Plaque in 1965. Michael then went to Queen's University, Belfast where he graduated with a B.Sc. in economics in 1969. Michael and Jacqui were married in Belfast on March 8, 1969. They first lived on the Ormeau Road in an apartment whilst Mike completed a graduate Diploma in Business Administration and Jacqui continued to work for Guinness. After obtaining his diploma in 1970, Michael joined the Esso petroleum company and he and Jacqui moved to Southwell, England, when Mike became a marketing trainee in nearby Nottingham. During this period Jacqui worked for the C.E.G.B. in Nottingham; later she left the C.E.G.B. to do temporary secretarial work for the Ford Regional Office in Nottingham. In Jan.1974, Mike became a Marketing Analyst at the London head office of Esso and they moved to Crowborough, Sussex, where Mike played for the Crowborough Cricket Club. In August 1976 they were off again, this time to Dublin, Ireland, where Mike became the Planning Manager for Esso Teoranta. In Dublin they lived in Foxrock and Mike played for the Merrion Cricket Club. They lived in Ireland for eight years, returning to the London area in May 1984 when Mike became the Regional Sales Manager (South) and then Operations Manager (UK) for Esso. During that time they lived in Fetcham near Leatherhead, Surrey. In 1988 the family returned to Northern Ireland when Mike became managing director of Ulster Carpets. Mike and Jacqui have three daughters:
    1. Holly Deborah Mills was born in Crowborough, Sussex, England on September 22, 1975. She attended three primary schools in Dublin, Kill-of-the Grange School, Alexandra College and Rathdown School. When the family moved back to the London area she attended Eastwick Middle School and Manor House School near Bookham, Surrey. Holly appeared as a schoolgirl in a production of ``The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' by the Mid-Surrey Theatre Company. In 1988 Holly attended Victoria College, Belfast.
    2. Karen Julie Mills was born in St. Michael's Hospital in Dun Laohgaire, Dublin, on October 6, 1978. In Dublin she attended Rathdown School and, when the family moved back to London, Eastwick First and Middle Schools near Bookham, Surrey. In 1988 Karen attended Victoria College, Belfast.
    3. Victoria Lesley Mills was born in St. Michael's Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland on October 19, 1980. She attended Manor House School near Bookham, Surrey. In 1988 Victoria attended Victoria College, Belfast.
  4. Christine Flora Louise Kerr was born in Fairmount Park, Dungannon, County Tyrone on June 24, 1954. She was educated at Union Place Primary School in Dungannon and later attended the Dungannon High School for Girls. After graduation in June 1975 she enrolled in a nursing program at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast and became a registered nurse in Sept. 1976. Christine visited Pasadena, California in Feb.1975. Shortly thereafter she met Bill Anderson at the wedding of her high school friend, Alex McQueen to Richard Butler in the Methodist Church, Dungannon. Bill was a jewelry salesman who happened to be visiting the McQueens who had a jewelry store in Dungannon. Bill was from Giffnock, near Glasgow and was born on Sept.11, 1928. He was divorced from his first wife, Frances, by whom he had two children, Rodney and Ruth. He and Christine became engaged on Sept.23, 1975 and they were married on April 23, 1976, in the Netherlee Church, Glasgow; the reception which followed was held at the Macdonald Hotel in Giffnock. They set up home at 15 Ruthven Avenue in Giffnock toward the end of 1976. Before the birth of their first child, Christine worked as a nurse in the Victoria Hospital, Glasgow. In 1980(?) they moved to Welford-on-Avon just outside Stratford, England. Bill worked as a representative of a jewellry marketing company, Lipkin Jewelry. While raising her children Christine worked occasionally as a nurse at the Chase Hospital between Stratford and Warwick. Then in 1987 Bill and Christine purchased a retail jewellry store in Warwick; before changing its name this store was called Alfred Jones. Furthermore they rented out their house in Welford and went to live in the flat above the store in Warwick. Christine and Bill had two sons:
    1. Grant Anderson was born in hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, on Jan.9, 1978. He attended Welford Primary School and the Croft School near Stratford.
    2. Edward Anderson was born in a nursing home near Stratford-on-Avon on March 26, 1981. He attended Welford Primary School and the Croft School near Stratford.

Christopher E. Brennen