KEARNEY, Alfred Eugene

KEARNEY, PAGE, DAWLEY, ALBEE

Posted By: Gordon Felland (email)
Date: 10/19/2006 at 17:09:00

Alfred Eugene Kearney was born in Lake county, Illinois, in 1861, just at the beginning of the Civil war. His ancestors for more than a hundred years had lived in America. His name indicates that there is some Celtic blood in his veins, but, like that of most Americans, it is mingled with several other strains. His parents were James H. and Emma (Smith) Kearney. His father was a Civil war veteran, whose life was much shortened by experiences in southern war prisons. The family moved to Mitchell county in 1866. Their conveyance was a prairie schooner. They lived on a farm not far from the present town of Little Cedar.

There Alfred Eugene Kearney spent his boyhood and attended the district school. Afterward he attended Cedar Valley Seminary under Professor Alva Bush. He had as schoolmates the author, Hamlin Garland, and Burton Babcock, from his own neighborhood, and many others. In 1881 he entered the service of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, and served as fireman and engineer in such service for twelve years. For the last eleven years he has been the city engineer of Osage, Iowa, and lived in the city.

In 1884 Mr. Kearney was married to Viola J. Dawley, and they have five living children, all of whom have graduated from the Osage high school. They are Mrs. Vernice R. Woodward; Glen S. Kearney, in the United States railway mail service in Oregon; Philip E. Kearney, now in the Royal British Flying Corps; Mrs. Viola J. Page; and James L. Kearney.

Mr. Kearney is secretary of Osage Lodge, No. 102, A. F. & A. M., and an officer in Osage Chapter. He has always been very much interested in boys and young men, and in all kinds of clean athletic sports. In religion he is a Universalist; in politics an independent republican. His pet aversions are the I. W. Ws. and dill pickles. Just now his particular hobby is Albert Eugene Page, aged two years. His greatest desire and ambition is to have our boys help to plant the victorious stars and stripes over the city of Berlin.

Source: History of Mitchell and Worth Counties, Iowa, 1918, Vol. II, Page 581.