Milton Hilton Kennington, born 1857, and Mary Blackman, 1859-1909, were born and married in North Carolina.  They grew up on cotton plantations and went to school near their home.  They married when he was 17 and she was 15.  They left the state of North Carolina, traveling by train, when M H Kennington went to work for the railroad which was being built across the Eastern states into Texas.   Mary cooked for the workers.  They decided to settle in Bowie County near Oak Grove because they had relatives living in that area, the Hegler and Blackman families.  In December of 1901 M H Kennington purchased a 330 acre farm between DeKalb and New Boston near Malta.  They moved there in 1902 and the entire family worked hard to clear land for cultivation.  There were 13 children born to this family and the depended on this farm for their food and clothing.  Three of the babies died at birth and one child smothered to death playing in the cotton seed barn.  Their sixth child was the first one to become an adult and marry.

The thirteen children of M H Kennington and Mary Blackman were:
1. Pheaklna, 1878-1883, buried Oak Grove Cemetery
2. William A, 1882-1888, buried Oak Grove Cemetery
3. Robert L, 1885-1892, buried Oak Grove Cemetery
4. Infant, maybe buried Oak Grove Cemetery
5. Infant (twin), born 1888
6. Carroll, 1888-1929, married Carrie Runnels.  He was a farmer, in the cotton gin business, and a school teacher, buried Read Hill Cemetery
7. Alice, born 1889, married Felix Clemens, moved to West Texas
8. Thomas Watson "Tom", 1893-1958, married Elvie Clemens, a WWI vet, in the cotton gin business, Bowie County Clerk, tax assessor and district clerk,
    civil service employee, nine children, buried in Texarkana
9. Jerry S, twin of Tom, 1893-1978, married first Dot ___, second Mary Elizabeth ___, seven children, buried in Sunnydell Cemetery, Montgomery, Ala.
10. Jessie Forest "Frost", 1896-1980, married Louise Baumgartner (Kubica), father of nine children, farmer, in cotton gin business, civil service employee,
    buried in Pulaskie Cemetery
11. Infant, born 1898
12. Joe T, 1899-1938, married Murtie Atchley, attended Law and Ministry College, father of three, buried in Woodman Cemetery
13. Richard Earl "Dell", 1902-1976, married Ester Clemens, father of five, school Teacher, died in Fort Worth, Texas, body donated to Baylor Health Science
    University in Dallas, Texas