Morris Kavanagh seems to have established a fish importing business at Waterford, Ireland, and had himself gone to Newfoundland, with three of his sons, in the mid eighteenth century. The sons were: Laurence, Morris and Edward. After the fall of Louisburg, Morris, and his sons, arrived there from Newfoundland, about 1760, where Laurence set himself up in the fish and cattle business. He enjoyed the support of many London merchants in this enterprise. Morris Sr., and the other sons, Morris Jr. and Edward, apparently returned to Ireland.

Kavanagh, Keevan – Kavanagh is one of the very few ancient Gaelic Irish surnames which has neither the prefix Mac or O: it is wrong to call it Ó Caomhánach in Irish. In Irish it is simply Caomhánach which is an adjective denoting association with Caomhán, in this case St. Caomhán, the first Kavanagh having been fostered by a successor of this saint. First found in Co. Carlow.