Bio-Kennedy, JohnMayle

Home

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 Maybelle (Kennedy) Johnson ~

Daughter Maybelle Kennedy (1898-1972) was born in Athens County on May 15, 1899. She married (?) Johnson. They had no children, and made their home in Sharpsburg in the 1940s and in Zanesville in the 1950s.

Maybelle was found dead in her home on 819 Howard Street in Zanesville on Sept. 8, 1972, at the age of 73. Her funeral was held in Chesterhill or Sharpsburg.

~ Daughter Carrie Kennedy ~

Daughter Carrie Kennedy (1902- ? ) is believed to have married cousin 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 Kennedy ~

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 ~

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 both 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) Dickinson ~

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 nine children -- Junior Leroy Dickinson, William Henry Dickinson, Betty Dickinson, Juanita Carmichael, Delores "Jane" Mayle, Janet Sue Wells, Paul Raymond Dickinson, Robert Dickinson, and Ronald Bruce Dickinson.

They made their home in Cutler and Vincent, OH for many years. During the Korean War, son William served in the US Army stationed in France, and tragically was killed in a railroad accident in August 1951. (See below for more.)

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.

Son William G. Dickinson (1930-1951) joined the US Army in March 1951 during the Korean War. His tragic death "occurred when the Basel-Calais express crashed into the rear of the stalled Frankfurt-Paris train" in Mentz, France, reported the Zanesville Signal. "Pvt. Dickinson, who had been in France only three weeks was bound for Germany on assignment." Three other American GIs also lost their lives in the senseless incident. His remains were returned to United States soil for a funeral at the Cutler Mission followed by burial at Decatur Cemetery.

Son Ronald Bruce Dickinson (1947-2011) was born on March 15, 1947 in Cutler. Following graduation from Warren Local School in 1965, he joined a laborers union in Canton, OH, and remained there for about 43 years. His children were Tina Dickinson, Lee Dickinson, Bruce Dickinson, Beth Dickson, Zach Dickinson and Matthew Dickinson. After retirement, Ronald returned to Cutler, where he spent his final years. He died in Cutler on July 2, 2011, at the age of 64. He was laid to rest in Decatur Cemetery, following a funeral led by Brother Phillip Mayle. His obituary was published in the Marietta Times.

Daughter Delores Jane Dickinson married (?) Mayle.

Daughter Juanita Dickinson wed (?) Carmichael.

Daughter Janet Dickinson married Richard Wells.

Son Robert Dickinson married Pauline and resided in Mesa, AZ.

~ Daughter Almeda (Kennedy) Thompson ~

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 ~

Son Homer Kennedy (1914 - ? ) lived in Detroit circa 1948 and in Barberton, OH in 1953.

~ Daughter Ruth Ann (Kennedy) Hill ~

Daughter Ruth Ann Kennedy (1915- ? ) was named for her grandmother and great-grandmother. She wed James Guy Hill ( ? - ? ) . They resided in Amesville in the 1930s, Sharpsburg in the 1950s and Zanesville in the 1970s.

They had 10 children -- Henry Leon "Hank" Hill Sr., Wilbur Dean Hill, Raymond "Deck" Hill, Shelby "Jean" Fisher, Robert R. Hill, Jerry L. Hill, Donald "Ricky" Hill, Tony James Hill, Dorothy Mae Barnett and Vivian Mayle.

Daughter Vivian L. "Biddy" Hill (1935-2010) was born on Tick Ridge near Amesville, Athens County, OH. She married Julius "Judy" Mayle and had nine children -- Michael Mayle, Emery Mayle, Evelyn Mayle, Melanie Mayle, Duane Mayle, Paul Mayle, Jeff Mayle, Regina Walker and Bonnie Tramill. They attended the Bethel Wesleyan Church in Plantsville, OH. Vivian died at the age of 74 on Jan. 4, 2010, with burial at Mt. Hermon Cemetery.

Son Robert R. Hill (1936-2006) lived in Amesville. He married Rochelle Tabler on Dec. 17, 1961. The Hills had three daughters -- Doretta Mayle, Eva Smathers and Tammy Hill. Said the Zanesville Times Recorder, he "was a construction laborer for Shelly and Sands. he was a member of Laborers Union 329, former Bern Township trustee, enjoyed hunting and fishing and adored his two grandsons." On Aug. 10, 2006, Robert died at the age of 69 in Marietta Memorial Hospital. He was laid to rest at Mt. Hermon Cemetery.

Son Wilbur Dean Hill (1938-2005) married Betty Jo Ann Cook on Christmas Day 1958. They lived in Stockport, and had five children -- Debra Kay Walker, Lisa Ann Vilardi, Molly Jo Richards, Jane Ellen Connor and Wilbur "Billy" Hill. Wilbur "was a coal miner and retired from Central Ohio Coal after 28 years," reported the Zanesville (OH) Times Recorder. "He was an avid horseshoe player and coon hunter, member of Fur Traders Association and was a loving husband, father and grandfather." Wilbur died at the age of 66 on May 4, 2005, at home. He rests for eternity at Mt. Hermon Cemetery.

Son Henry Leon "Hank" Hill Sr. (1940-2007) was born in Sharpsburg. Said the Athens (OH) Messenger, he was a "graduate of Amesville High School" and "retired from Columbia Gas Co. as a transmission mechanic. He was a member of Allegheny Wesleyan Church and a veteran of the U.S. Army." Henry married Zelma L. Butcher in 1964, and they were married for 43 years. They had two sons -- H. Leon Hill Jr. and Terry L. Hill. He passed away at the age of 67 on Aug. 25, 2007, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Parkersburg, Wood County, WV. He was buried at Mt. Hermon.

~ Daughter Pauline (Kennedy) Sephus Flowers ~

Daughter Pauline Kennedy (1918- ? ) married (?) Sephus and (?) Flowers. Circa 1948, she lived in Sharpsburg.

~ Son Hayward Kennedy ~

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 suffered a heart attack and 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) Tabler Thomas ~

Daughter Louise Kennedy (1922- ? ) married (?) Tabler and (?) Thomas. She made her home circa 1948-1972 in Canton, Stark County, OH.