She was not waiting for circumstances to change before she would invent; she was inventing in the circumstances she had.

Marriage and Family

Mary Kenner was married twice.

Her first marriage was to Will Kenner, from whom she took the surname by which she is known.

The marriage eventually ended.

She married again later in life, to James Terrell, though accounts of the specifics of her personal life are less detailed in the historical record than accounts of her professional achievements.

Her sister, Mildred Davidson Smith, also held a patent — U.S.