Needham Kennedy — Mathew W. Aldridge‘s father-in-law — just gets more and more interesting.
New Berne Weekly Journal, 17 January 1884.
and
New Bern Daily Journal, 9 April 1884.
How did this man, enslaved until 1865, own a steamer plying the Neuse River from Goldsboro down to New Bern??? And why has he left so little trace in the record? I’m on the hunt.
Here’s an article from a Raleigh newspaper announcing the Rough and Ready‘s arrival in North Carolina:
Star, 8 December 1847.
Stay tuned.
Scuffalong: Genealogy. 
Great post! I love finding interesting, seemingly unexpected, information about my ancestors; like your find about your ancestor owning a steamboat! That’s awesome.
Have you checked out the N.C. Probate/Estate Records database on FamilySearch? Maybe you can find a will or probate records that will give you more info.
The hyperlink at Needham’s name goes to an earlier post about his estate. The NC Supreme Court case that arose from the disposition of certain of his property notes that he intestate, so no will was filed. Nor does FS list an estate. I’ll have to look further afield. Needham Kennedy was not my ancestor; he was the father-in-law of my great-great-great-grandfather’s brother. Therefore, I’m starting from scratch with him.