Kidney
The story of the Kidney family in early Albany begins with the arrival of John Kidney from Barbadoes in the 1690s. His marriage to Albany native Maria Vanderwerken produced four sons and established the family in Albany and its hinterland. The Kidneys maintained a constant if marginal presence in the commuity over several generations.
In 1720, only the elder John Kidney was included on a list of Albany freeholders.
In 1742, three Kidneys (John, Roelof, and Jacobus) were included on a list of freeholders in Albany and Rensselaerswyck.
In 1756, the households of cooper Ralf Kidney and slooper John Kidney were listed on the census taken by the British army.
In 1763, the names of three Kidneys (John and John Jr.) were included on a list of Albany freeholders.
In 1771, the names of "Mrs. Kidney & son" appeared on a list of communicants of St. Peter's Anglican church.
In 1790, no Kidney-named households were listed on the Albany census but a "Roeloff Kidney" was living in Catskill. Additional households were established in Dutchess County.
The first city directory in 1813 listed John Kidney and Revolutionary War soldier Jonathan Kidney as blacksmiths living on Hudson Street - not far from where the first Kidney made his home more than a century earlier.
Sources: This exposition on the Kidney family in early Albany is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. Internet resources: Gary Kidney and his impressive list of sources.