Welcome to our family

This site is dedicated to the work that my father, Arthur C. Kanagie, Sr., put into the family history and genealogy.  While he was alive, he put a great deal of himself into research regarding the family.  Having all of his papers, I would like to be able to make the information available to everyone working on our family.  I know there are many different views on what to do and how to do it, and also which branches of the tree that individuals are dedicating themselves to.

I will have the information listed according to individuals, trying to make it as clear as I can.  Hoping the listings are clear and understandable. and hopefully as accurate as possible.  Some of the information will have to be researched and made even clearer, but together I think we will be able to do this. I will make a list of all the names and have them clickable to view.  Please be patient with me as I try to seperate the information.


                                                                                        Thank you,  Tom Kanagie.




                                                    GLOBAL ANABAPTIST MENNONITE ENCYCLOPEDIA ONLINE

Kanagy (Kenagy, Kenege, Gnaeg, Gnaegi, Gnagy, Gnagey, Genegy) family Kanagy, an Amish Mennonite family name, is found in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon, and other parts of North America. Hans Gnaegi was a member of the Amish Mennonite church at Montbéliard, France, in 1723. Johannes Gnaeg arrived in Philadelphia in 1742 with a group of Amish immigrants. Barbara Kenege arrived in Pennsylvania from Switzerland in 1749. Christian Gnaegi emigrated from Switzerland to Pennsylvania between 1750 and 1760, settling in Somerset County, where many of his descendants still live. Joseph Kenegy with his five sons, Ulrich, John, Yost, Joseph, and Jacob, migrated from Switzerland to America in 1770 and settled in Berks County, PA. The Mennonite Cyclopedic Dictionary is authority for the statement that "later John and Yost moved to Somerset County, PA., and from there to Ohio, and still later Yost moved to Illinois. From these five brothers, there came a numerous family, scattered from coast to coast." Joseph had a brother John who came to America in 1754, whose descendants live in Ohio. An Ulrich Keneagy, born in Berks County, PA, settled in Lancaster County    in 1795. His Amish ancestors came from Switzerland.

Among the church leaders bearing this family name were Jacob C. Kenagy (1821-94), a Mennonite Church (MC) bishop at East Lynne, Missouri, USA), and S.M. Kanagy (1869-1941), teacher at Hesston College, superintendent of the Mennonite Home Mission in Chicago, and bishop in the Wanner Church (MC) at Blair, ON. Nelson Kanagy was a minister in the Oak Grove Mennonite Church (MC), West Liberty, Ohio. J. Forrest Kanagy, Biglerville, PA, was secretary of the Mennonite Board of Education (MC).