In 1901 Mary Lily Kenan married Henry M. Flagler, the co-founder and guiding force behind the great Standard Oil Company. The Kenan family had originally migrated from Ireland to North Carolina in1730,
where they became strong supporters of education, and helped to found The University of North Carolina. When Mary Lily Kenan died in 1917, she left the bulk of her fortune to her brother, William, who continued his family legacy by creating the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, which laid a foundation for generations to come.
