Kennedy, James, Sr. 1835-1925

KENNEDY, LEONARD

Posted By: Janet Brown - volunteer (email)
Date: 8/11/2013 at 11:24:05

From the Thursday, October 29, 1925 Hawarden Independent:

DEATH CLAIMS AGED PIONEER

JAMES KENNEDY SR. PASSES ON At RIPE OLD AGE OF 9O

Death Came Tuesday Night at Home of Daughter at Gregory, S. D. Funeral Here Friday

James Kennedy Sr., Civil War veteran, one of the pioneer homesteaders of Union county, southwest of Hawarden, passed away shortly before 10 o'clock Tuesday night at the home of his daughter, Mrs. G. G. Warner, at Gregory, S. D. He was nearly 91 years of age. Mr. Kennedy Went to the Soldiers' Home at Hot Springs, S. D., this fall with the expectation of passing the winter there as he has done for a number of years past. He appeared to be in fairly good health until a couple of weeks ago when gangrene developed in one of his toes. His daughters, Mrs. Warner of Gregory and Mrs. Mike Doctor of Dallas, S. D., accompanied by Mr. Doctor, drove out to Hot Springs to visit him and then decided to bring him back to Gregory. The gangrene spread to his foot and leg and he lived but a week after reaching Gregory.

The body will be brought to Hawarden tonight, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Warner, Mr. and Mrs. Doctor and Mrs. Harriet Doctor, who has been visiting at the home of her son at Dallas. Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock Friday morning at the Catholic church in this city with Rev. Fr. Casey of Akron in charge, and interment will be made in the Catholic cemetery here.

James Kennedy was born in County Cork, Ireland, Jan. 23, 1835, so lacked but a few months of being 91 years of age. He came to America with his mother when he was 10 years old, settling in Rutland, Vt. where he received his early education. Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in the 32nd Illinois Infantry and served until the close of the war. He was wounded in the battle of Shiloh and was taken prisoner and spent about six months in Libby Prison.

After the war he was united in marriage with Catherine Leonard and they settled at Fulton, Ill., later moving to Comanche, Iowa. In the fall of 1868 they moved to Sioux City, but after a year's residence there, they homesteaded in Union county, S. D., west of the present Alex Petry farm. They resided on their homestead for thirteen years and in 1881 moved to Calliope where they lived for several years and then moved onto the farm, south of the Alex Petry place, which he still owned at the time of his death.

Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy left the farm and moved to Hawarden in 1905 and Mrs. Kennedy passed away in 1912, Following the death of his wife Mr. Kennedy made his home with his children except during the intermittent periods which he spent at the Soldiers' Home at Hot Springs.

Mr. Kennedy was the father of ten children, six of whom preceded him in death. The remaining four are Mrs. A. Mann and James Kennedy Jr. of Hawarden, Mrs. Mike Doctor of Dallas, S. D., and Mrs. G. G. Warner of Gregory, S. D.

The death of Mr. Kennedy removes another of the sturdy pioneers of the Big Sioux valley and one of the picturesque characters of this vicinity. He lived a long and eventful life. Though advancing years had made it necessary for him to give up gainful occupations, he maintained an alert mind and fairly rugged physique until his last illness, from which he knew he could not recover, and directed the arrangements for his funeral. His death once more brings home the fact that the ranks of the Civil War veterans as well as those of the early pioneer settlers here are fast being depleted and that the stories of those struggles will soon cease to be told by those who endured them.

From the Thursday, November 5, 1929 Hawarden Independent:

The funeral of James Kennedy Sr., whose death occurred at the home of his daughter, Mrs. G. G. Warner, at Gregory, S. D., on Tuesday night, Oct. 27th, was held from the Catholic church in this city last Friday morning, with Rev. F. Casey of Akron in charge. Members of the G. A. R. attended the service in a body and members of the American Legion acted as pall bearers. Interment was made in the Catholic cemetery.

Poster's note: A photo of Mr. Kennedy is included with the November 5, 1925 news item about his funeral.

Mrs. Kennedy's 1912 obituary is very difficult to ready but it appears to have a marriage date of April 4, 1864 and gives the spelling of her maiden name as Kathryn Leonard.