In 1833 he and his wife, Mary Rand of Raleigh and their two youngest children moved to Selma, Alabama where he died in 1860. In the late 18th century, Thomas S Kenan built the present Liberty Hall in Kenansville. This home burned to the ground prior to 1800 however, several furnishings were saved.

This first Liberty Hall was furnished with many pieces brought over from Europe and also contained several American pieces in particular a few choice North Carolina pieces. James Kenan who named the home Liberty Hall due to the many political meetings and gatherings that took place during this in American history. His wife Elizabeth Johnson Kenan continued to live in the old place until her death in 1789 at which time it passed to their son Gen. Thomas Kenan lived on this plantation until his death in 1766. Thomas Kenan was the first Kenan to emigrate to the United States, sailing from Ireland in 1736 and arriving in Wilmington, North Carolina that same year. This home was located on what was then called Turkey Branch Plantation near the present town of Turkey, North Carolina.

The first Liberty Hall was built by Thomas Kenan in the late 1730s. Liberty Hall History of the first Kenans to come to America

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