John H. Kennedy
(1871-1953)
John H. Kennedy was born in 1871 in the Webster community of Taylor County, WV, the son of Josiah and Ruth Ann (Minerd) Kennedy Sr. He moved back and forth from Grafton to Ohio during the 1890s and early 1900s.
In 1896, he married Emma Mayle (1881-1970), the daughter of Reece and Martha (Mayle) Mayle. John was a decade older than his bride. They had 11 children -- Maybelle Johnson, Carrie Minard, Everett (Ernest?) Kennedy, William " Edward" Kennedy, Myrtle Dickinson, Almeda Thompson, Homer Kennedy, Ruth A. Hill, Pauline Sephus Flowers, Hayward Kennedy and Louisa Tabler Thomas.
The Kennedys lived in Knottsville, Taylor County when the census of 1910 was taken, and John labored as a farmer. By 1920, they had moved to Zanesville, Muskingum County, OH, where their home was on Walnut Street. In Zanesville, John worked as a laborer in a local iron works, and son Ernest was employed in a glass house. The Kennedys were members of the Bethel Ridge United Methodist Church.
When the 1930 census was enumerated, the family lived in Sharpsburg, Bern Township, Athens County, OH. The entire family of John, Emma and their seven children were all marked as "Negro" in the 1930 census, and all as having been born in West Virginia. John's occupation was given as farmer, while sons Ernest and William were workers in a glass factory.
John passed away at home
near Sharpsburg at the age of 82 on Nov.
5, 1953. Following the funeral at the Mt. Hermon Church (seen here), he
was laid to rest in the Mt. Hermon Cemetery, where many of his Minerd/Minard
cousins also rest for eternity. At the time, he had 28 grandchildren and eight
great-grandchildren. Emma outlived John by 17 years, and also suffered the
deaths of five children. She died at the age of 89 at Mary's Rest Home near
Zanesville, said the Zanesville Times Recorder, "leaving 113
survivors," including 33 grandchildren and 74 great-grandchildren. She was
laid to rest beside her husband.
Daughter Carrie Kennedy (1902- ? ) is believed to have married Stephen Minard and lived on Sandy Creek near Philippi, WV. If so, she may have been arrested in late August 1939 for appearing without clothes with a male companion, Early Kisner. Circa 1953, after her marriage to Stephen had ended, she made her home in Sharpsburg.
Son Everett (Ernest?) Kennedy (1903-1948) "was born in Taylor County, WV, but had lived in Zanesville most of his life," said the Zanesville Times Recorder. He was "employed at the Morrison Motor Co." Everett married Beulah Gibson and resided in Zanesville. They had no children. Everett died at home of a heart attack on Jan. 10, 1948, at the age of 44. His funeral was held at the residence of his parents in Sharpsburg.
Son William "Edward" Kennedy (1906-1989) resided in Sharpsburg. His wife was Rachel Mayle, daughter of Carl and Ella (Hill) Mayle of Sharpsburg. They had at least eight children. Sadly, in November 1944, their month-old twins Mary Fern and Garry Vern Kennedy died of "acidosis and dehydration" at Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Franklin County, OH, with burial at Mount Hermon Cemetery. The identity of the other six children -- three sons and three daughters -- is unknown. William later moved to Morgan County, OH, where he labored as a coal miner. He outlived his wife, but the details are not known. He died at Marietta Memorial Hospital on Oct. 16, 1989, at the age of 83.
Daughter Myrtle Kennedy (1908-1961) was born on Aug. 5, 1908, at Berryburg, Barbour County, WV. She married Henry Dickinson (1899-1964 ) on April 11, 1927. The Dickinsons had seven children -- Betty Dickinson, Juanita Dickinson, Jane Dickinson, Janet Sue Dickinson, Paul Dickinson, Robert Dickinson and Ronald Dickinson. They made their home in Cutler and Vincent, OH for many years. In the early 1960s, sons Paul and Robert lived in England, presumably serving with the US Air Force. Myrtle passed away at home at the age of 56 on Nov. 21, 1961. She was laid to rest at the Decatur Chapel Cemetery near Cutler. Henry outlived her by three years. He died at the age of 65 at the Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital in Parkersburg, WV on June 5, 1964.
Daughter Almeda Kennedy (1911-1948) married Harold Thompson ( ? - ? ). They had two children, Richard Thompson and Linda Thompson. the Thompsons resided in Chesterhill in the 1940s. Tragically, Almeda died at the age of 37 on May 16, 1948, at the Camden-Clark Hospital in Parkersburg, WV. The Zanesville Times Recorder said she "had been a patient for the past two weeks." Burial was in the Chesterhill Cemetery.
Son Homer Kennedy (1914 - ? ) lived in Detroit circa 1948 and in Barberton, OH in 1953.
Daughter Ruth A. Kennedy (1915- ? ) married (?) Hill. They resided in Sharpsburg in the 1950s and Zanesville in the 1970s.
Daughter Pauline Kennedy (1918- ? ) married (?) Sephus and (?) Flowers. Circa 1948, she lived in Sharpsburg.
Son Hayward Kennedy (1921-1953) married Lena Mae Hale ( ? - ? ) of Zanesville on May 1, 1939. They had no children. Hayward was a veteran of World War II, serving as a private in the 1749th Engineer Regiment of the U.S. Army. The Kennedys resided in the 1950s in Canton, Stark County, OH, where Hayward was a construction worker. Tragically, he engaged in "acute alcoholism" and during a period of unemployment was found dead in his automobile, near his home, in the early morning of March 14, 1953. His remains were taken to Chesterhill for the funeral at the Mt. Hermon Evangelical United Brethren Church, followed by burial in the Mt. Hermon Cemetery.
Daughter Louise Kennedy (1922- ? ) married (?) Tabler and (?) Thomas. She made her home circa 1948-1972 in Canton, Stark County, OH.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Mark A. Miner