JAMES
S. KENNEDY, the capable and obliging postmaster at Grove City, Mercer
county, Pennsylvania, was born April 7, 1848, in Cool Spring township,
Mercer county, a son of James and Laura (Williams) Kennedy. The father
was born in Hayfield township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1809
and was accidentally killed in 1869 while a resident of Hickory
township, Mercer county. He was a son of William and Mary (Stevenson)
Kennedy. William Kennedy was of Scotch-Irish parents and they were very
early settlers in Crawford county. He died in 1819, being buried in
Salem township, Mercer county. His death occurred in Mercer county, in
which locality he was among the early school teachers. He was also a
soldier in the war of 1812. Mrs. William Kennedy was of the Stevenson
family, which has long resided in western Pennsylvania and the
descendants of which are very numerous. Steven son, the inventor of the
railway locomotive, was a member of this family.
James Kennedy,
the father, was by trade a hatter and made the “beaver” and other fur
hats worn by men in long ago. He and his faithful wife reared five
daughters and four sons—a tenth child dying in infancy. Of this large
family, James S., of this memoir, is the third in order of birth. He
was reared on the farm and educated in the common schools. He left the
farm when just a little more than twenty years of age, and learned the
trade of a stationary engineer, which he followed for about thirty
years. His work was hoisting from coal mines. For many years he took an
active part in politics, and in 1899 was appointed post master at Grove
City and is the present incumbent of this office. He has always voted
the Republican ticket, and in church connection is of the Methodist
Episcopal denomination. He commenced the conflict of life as a
hard-working young man, and has ever been industrious and honorable
among his fellow men. He has made a very efficient postmaster and under
his administration the rural free delivery mail routes have been
established out from Grove City—the first in 1890 and the last in 1897,
and also city delivery service.
Mr. Kennedy was united in
marriage in 1870 to Miss Julia Bower, a native of Upper St. Clair
township, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, born May 5, 1851, and died
April 2, 1900. She was the mother of seven children, two of whom died
in childhood; the surviving are: Mrs. M. A. Young; James A., who is
assistant postmaster under his father; Mrs. Florence Bleakney; Laura
and Julia.
James A. Kennedy, son of James S., was born in
Shenango township, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, March 3, 1873; he was
educated in the. Grove City public schools and at Grove City College.
He learned the stationary engineer’s trade from his father and followed
this for coal mines up to 1899, when he was appointed assistant
postmaster under his father. In 1898 he enlisted in Company F,
Fifteenth Pennsylvania Regiment, or service in the Spanish-American war
and was mustered out of service at Athens, Georgia, February, 1899. He
is still a member of the same company, now known as Company M, of which
he was second lieutenant for three years and for the last two years has
been first lieutenant. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks, Greenville Lodge No. 145. In religious matters Mr.
Kennedy is a member of the Methodist Episcopal denomination.
Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, 1909, Vol. I, pages 514-515
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