BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



OF 



ROGER HENNEDY, 



PROFESSOR OF BOTANY, ANDERSONIAN UNIVERSITY. 

 BY WILLIAM SIMPSON, F.R.G.S. 



ROGER HENNEDY was born, August, 1809, at Carrickfergus, near 

 Belfast. Although thus an Irishman by birth, he was wholly 

 Scotch by extraction, his mother having been born in Paisley, 

 and his father, then localised at Carrickfergus, was originally 

 from Scotland. His family was a branch of the Kennedys of 

 Ailsa Craig, a relic of which still exists in the ruins of Kennedy 

 Castle, near Stranraer. The very slight transformation of the name 

 from Kennedy to Kennedy took place in Ireland, and must have 

 been at a very recent date, for no others are known of the same 

 name except this one family, and Mr. Kennedy had only one 

 brother, who is still living, now in Chili. 



Roger, when only about two years of age, lived with his grand- 

 father in Carrickfergus, who kept a store, and when the child grew 

 strong enough he helped his grandfather till his death. After this 

 he was apprenticed to the block-cutting with a calico printer 

 in the same locality. His new master was a Methodist, and 

 much given to prayers and other outward forms of a devout heart ; 

 but his practice, particularly with regard to those in his employ- 

 ment, was far from being in harmony with his pretensions. To 

 Roger's mind such a character became particularly hateful; and 

 the impressions, formed at this time, tinged his thoughts and 

 inspired him with a strong antipathy towards every form of religious 

 cant, and this feeling remained with him, and affected in many ways 



