Sullivan County PA Biographies
K
ALBERT KAY is one of the progressive and enterprising farmers of Elkland township, Sullivan County, Pa., where he has resided since childhood. He is a son of William and Ann (Bedford) Kay, and was born in Yorkshire, England, March 18, 1847. His grandparents were George and Sarah A. Kay. William Kay, our subject's father, was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1801, and in 1849 immigrated to the United States and obtained employment in the Barclay mines in Bradford County, Pa. He subsequently purchased a farm of ninety-two acres in Elkland township, now owned by Albert Kay, of a Mr. Bedford, and upon this he built a frame house, clearing the entire land and following farming the remainder of his life. He was a man of good business principles and attained a high degree of success in the pursuance of his occupation. Religiously he was a member of the Evangelical Church. He married Ann Bedford, who was born in 1807, and their children were: Joseph; Henry; Elizabeth; Harriet; William; Sarah Ann; Mary Ann; Caroline; and Albert.
Albert Kay, whose name heads these lines, attended the public schools after coming to this country and followed farming and lumbering up to the time of his father's demise. During his younger days many difficulties were encountered in transporting lumber from the great timber-lands of Sullivan County to the markets owing to the narrow but swift streams down which timber had to be floated. It required a man of great skill to safely conduct timber down the Loyalsock Creek to the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, and the trips had to be made during the freshets in the spring and fall. Mr. Kay was unexcelled as a raftsman and made three or four trips every year, always returning by foot. He entered into this line of business as a steersman, but his services were soon sought as a pilot and he followed that occupation for twelve years, during which time but once was his raft caught and held fast. Upon his father's death he purchased the homestead and later bought land adjoining and has followed farming and teaming up to the present. He built an elegant modern house, which is well furnished and is supplied with many conveniences; he also erected new barns and outbuildings, and everything about the place is in first-class order for successfully carrying on farming. He is very industrious and his business enterprises have not only turned out well, but in private life he occupies a high place in the esteem of his fellowmen.
Our subject was united in marriage with Susie King, a daughter of Job L. and Jane (Converse) King. Mr. King was a farmer of Sullivan County and for many years was county surveyor. He later settled at Columbia Cross Roads, where he died at the age of sixty-nine years. He married Jane Converse, and they reared six children, namely: Orlando; Rufus; Septor; Alice; Susie, wife of our subject; and Sadie. Upon the death of his first wife he married Lucinda Brenchley and they had one daughter, Lillian. Our subject is a stanch Republican and has served as commissioner of the township and school director. He is liberal in his religious views. Fraternally he is a member and grand past master. of Lodge No. 522, I. O. O. F., of Forksville.
(Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY 1899 Page 191 Transcribed by Tammy Clark)
THOMAS E. KENNEDY
THOMAS E. KENNEDY, one of the prominent and genial hotel-keepers of Laporte, Pa., who is the owner and proprietor of the well-known Commercial Hotel and who is one of the popular and highly esteemed citizens of that community, was born June 13, 1871, and is a son of Jeremiah and Bridget (Luby) Kennedy, and grandson of Edward Kennedy. Our subject's father is of Irish extraction, and was born and reared in Turbal, County Roscommon, Ireland, and was founder of the prominent and prosperous family in this country. While a young man he departed from his native land and sailed for the United States, locating in Schoharie County, N. Y., where he engaged in the tanning business. He was foreman of tanneries at the following places: Camden, Forrest Port, Moose River, Port Leyden, N. Y.; Ledgedale, Pa.; Cadosia Valley, N. Y.; Thorndale, Pa.; and Laporte, Pa. He pursued his vocation in the latter place until 1889, when he purchased of Dr. Fleshet the building used by him for a drug-store and dwelling. This Mr. Kennedy enlarged and remodeled into a hotel which he conducted until September, 1894. This hotel is now managed by our subject.
He was joined in the bonds of wedlock with Bridget Luby, a native of St. Charles, County Roscommon, Ireland, her father having come to the United States when she was a young girl, locating at Staten Island, N. Y. To this happy marriage the following family of children was born: Edward, a tanner residing at Buffalo, N. Y., was wedded to Maria Brown, who bore him a family of five children,-Raymond Ambrose, Robert, John, and Doratha; James, deceased, married Kate McKenzie, lived in Chicago, and they had the following children,-Francis T., deceased, James, Leo, and Clara; Mary, the wife of Dr. E. S. C. Foster, and two children have been born to them, Jeremiah and Walter; William A., a well-to-do tanner of Sullivan County, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this biographical record; Jerry, a tanner of Titusville, Pa., who married Lizzie Scanlon, and they have reared two children, Regenia and James Francis; Maggie, who was united in marriage with George Nortz and the following children were reared by them,-Eulena May Raphael, Adah Philamenia Gabriel, Raymond Severinus Alloysius, Mary Frances. Vincent William, Emmitte George, Norbert Anselm, Hillary Hyacinth, and Winnifred Margaret; John P., who is a barber and is the father of two children,-J. Howard and E. James; Thomas E., the subject of this personal history; Annie, who remains at home; and Kate, the wife of John E. Gallagher of Muncy Valley, and the mother of five children,-James, Thomas, Maggie, Agnes, and John Anthony.
Thomas E. Kennedy acquired a liberal education in the public schools of Laporte, Pa., and he started out in life as a clerk for James McFarlane of that town; his services were of such an order that he remained with Mr. McFarlane for nearly seven years, and only left his employ at the request of his father who wished him to assist in conducting the hotel. However, he did not remain in his father's hotel long, as he was offered a much better position as head-clerk and overseer of the company store at Jamison City, Pa., and remained in that capacity a period of five years. At the time the company was purchased by the Union Tanning Company our subject became bookkeeper and remained with his new employers fifteen months. He then returned to Laporte, where he remained a short time and then accepted a position with Trexler & Turrell, lumber dealers of Ricketts, Wyoming County, as manager of the company store; he remained in their employ until 1897 when he returned to Laporte and succeeded Mr. T. W. Beahen in the hotel formerly conducted by his father. The Commercial Hotel is very pleasantly situated, is first-class in every particular, contains fifteen large and elegantly furnished rooms, and our subject has established quite a reputation as a host. Mr. Kennedy chose for his companion in life Martha Coleman, a daughter of William Coleman of Benton, Pa., and they are the happy parents of four children, namely: Charles, deceased; Alice; Samuel A.; and Pauline Elizabeth. Politically our subject is a firm supporter of the principles of the Democratic party and has held several minor offices; religiously he and his family are prominent members of the Roman Catholic Church.
(Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY 1899 Page 398 Transcribed by Tammy Clark)
WILLIAM A. KENNEDY
WILLIAM A. KENNEDY, a thrifty and enterprising business man of Laporte, Pa., is foreman of the Union Tanning Company, of Laporte, a position for which he is well qualified, as he has been engaged in the tanning business nearly all his life, having learned the trade during his boyhood days. The gentleman whose biography we write was born at Camden, N. Y., August 21, 1857, and is a son of Jeremiah and Bridget (Luby) Kennedy and a grandson of Edward Kennedy.
Jeremiah Kennedy, the father of our subject, was born and reared in Turbal, County Roscommon., Ireland, and was the first of this branch of the Kennedy family to locate in the United States, coming here when a young man. He first settled in Schoharie County, N. Y., where he pursued his trade as a tanner and at different times was foreman for the tanning companies at Camden, N. Y.; Moose River, N. Y.; Port Leyden, N. Y.; Ledgedale, Pa.; Thorndale, Pa., and at Laporte, where he resided until his death. In 1889 our subject's father purchased the building used by Dr. Fleshet as a drug-store and also his dwelling and remodeled and enlarged the same into a hotel and conducted what is known today as the Commercial Hotel, which is now managed by his son, Thomas E., who took charge of it in September, 1894, Mr. Kennedy retiring on account of poor health. He passed from this life September 21, 1894, at the age of seventy-nine years. Mr. Kennedy was united in marriage to Bridget Luby, who was born in St. Charles, County Roscommon. Ireland. Her father came to America and settled on Staten Island, where he -resided at the time of his death. The following children were the result of this marriage: Edward, a tanner by trade, wedded Maria Brown, and they are the parents of seven children, Raymond, Edward, Nellie, Robert, Donald, John, and Percy James, deceased; Mary, wife of Dr. E. S. C. Foster, with two children, Jeremiah and Solon; William A., the subject of this brief notice; Jerry, a tanner, of Titusville, Pa., joined in marriage with Lizzie Scanlon, with two children blessing their home, Genevieve and James Francis; Maggie, wife of George Nortz, and the following children have been reared by them, Lena, Ray, Ebe, Vincent, and Mary; John M., engaged in the laundry business; Thomas E., a prominent hotelkeeper, whose sketch may also be found in this Book of Biographies; and Annie, at home.
Our subject was educated in the common schools and when a lad he began to learn the tanner's trade, serving an apprenticeship with his father; under the instructions of his father he soon became quite proficient in that line and upon attaining his manhood he was made foreman of the Shaw Bros.' tannery at Grand Lake, Me. He then accepted a position for the same firm at Lincoln, Me.; worked a short time for Ferdinand A. Wyman, of Kingman, Me.; then for Henry Poor & Son; later went to Brace Bridge, Ontario, Can., where he was foreman for the D. W. Alexander Company: he then returned to Maine, where he accepted the foremanship of the E. Church Tanning Company at Beddington. As the winters were very cold in Maine, Mr. Kennedy formed the habit of visiting his father during the cold months, and while on one of his visits, in 1893, he secured the foremanship of the Laporte Tanning Company, and has occupied that position to the present time, although the Laporte Tanning Company has been succeeded by the Union Tanning Company. This tannery is one of the best and largest in the state and gives employment to over two hundred hands; sixty hands are employed in the tannery and also over 150 woodsmen, who cut and bring to the tannery about 600 tons of bark every year. Thirty teams are also constantly in use. The tanning buildings cover about eighty acres of land and the tannery is operated by steam power and has one hundred and fifty boilers and seventy engines. The hides all come from South America and are tanned and finished by the best of skilled labor and marketed at Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Mr. Kennedy has established an excellent and enviable reputation as a foreman, giving entire satisfaction to the company, and is a favorite with the employees. He is also recognized as one of the valued members of the community and always supports enterprises that tend to advance the interests of his borough and county.
Mr. Kennedy was united in matrimonial alliance with Rosanna Stubbs, a daughter of Bruce Stubbs, of Ontario, Can., and four children brighten and beautify the home of our subject and wife, namely: Roy, Thomas, Vincent and Mary. Politically, Mr. Kennedy is a solid Democrat and has served in the town council and as overseer of the poor. Religiously, he and his family are members of the Roman Catholic Church
.(Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY 1899 Page 106 Transcribed by Tammy Clark)