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Kennedy Family
Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa


Background
The article concerns the descendants of Fountain Kennedy, December 15, 1809 in Kentucky, a pioneer of the States of Indiana and Iowa. Fountain was married twice, first to Elizabeth McKinney in Washington Co., Indiana on October 19, 1830. To this union two surviving children were born, including Edwin and Sarah. His first wife Elizabeth is believed to have died in Indiana between the years of 1833-1838, since Fountain married a second time, on April 11, 1839 to Jane Robinson in Putnam County, Indiana. To this union there were eight known children, including Robert, Eudora, John, Belle, Norval, Julia, Merritt, and Granville.

Children of Fountain Kennedy and Elizabeth McKinney
Edwin R Kennedy (September 25, 1831 - July 09, 1862), married Eliza M Dunn in 1854 Monroe Co., Iowa
Sarah Kennedy (October 21, 1845 - bef 1930), married Granville Arnold on June 10, 1852 in Monroe Co., Iowa
Children of Fountain Kennedy and Jane Robinson
Robert Jerome Kennedy (November 24, 1841 - November 14, 1928), married Diadema Sortwell on January 11, 1866
Eudora Kennedy (December 25, 1842 - abt. 1904), married William L Bailey on June 27, 1894
John E Kennedy (February 24, 1844 - February 29, 1928), married Rachel Esther Davis on January 01, 1873
Isabella Zerilda Kennedy (April 25, 1846 - abt. 1934), married unknown
Norval Franklin Kennedy (January 20, 1848 - December 15, 1935), married Margaret Lucretia Long on June 19, 1873
Julia Ann Kennedy (December 19, 1849 - October 08, 1938), never married
Merritt Kennedy (December 19, 1849 - March 30, 1941), married Mary Margaret Beasley on April 12, 1874
Granville Kennedy (July 24, 1851 - 1888), never married

Fountain and Family

Although Fountain Kennedy's ancestry is unknown to this author, it is believed that he was a younger brother of Elijah and Norval Kennedy who were both married in Washington County, Indiana in the early 1820s. The early history of Washington County mention an Elijah and Fountain Kennedy as brick masons. According to the 1840 census for Putnam County, Indiana, the young family of Fountain Kennedy was enumerated next to the family of Norval Kennedy.

By 1848 Fountain relocated his family to the Monroe County, Iowa area where he established a residence in Urbana township. It was here the younger members of the family were born, beginning with his son Norval. In 1852 daughter Sarah married Granville Arnold in Monroe County, and in 1854 his son Edwin married Eliza Dunn. Fountain's family resided in Monroe County into the 1860s, and Fountain continued at his trade of brick mason. Tragically, his eldest son Edwin died in 1862 Monroe County just prior to his 31st birthday, leaving a widow and two children. By the middle 1860s Fountain relocated to the area of Iconium in neighboring Appanoose County, Iowa. It was in this county that many of the younger children married. First was son Robert to Diadema Sortwell in 1866, son John married Esther Davis in 1873, son Norval married Margaret Long in 1873, and in 1874 son Merritt married Mary Beasley. Daughter Belle seems to have married at one point since she is listed as a widow in census records, and an apparent son? Ora Victor Kennedy (born 1876) was living with her and Julia.

At age 65 Fountain Kennedy died in Appanoose County on May 21, 1875. His widow Jane outlived him by almost 13 years, passing away at age 77 on January 24, 1888. It was also the year 1888 that youngest son Granville died at about age 36.

Families of Surviving Children

As mentioned previously the eldest son Edwin, or Edward, died at a young age leaving a widow and two children. Edwin's widow Eliza and children Mary and Edwin Jr. continued living in the Monroe County area until the early 1880s when they relocated to western Iowa. Thei daughter Mary married James Triplett in Mills County, Iowa in 1883 and Eliza remained with the Tripletts until her death in Harrison County, Iowa in 1903.

The second oldest child of Fountain was Sarah. Sarah and Granville Arnold remained in Monroe County for most of their married lives. They had 10 surviving children including Frances, Elizabeth, Florence, Josephine, Granville, Emma, Robert, Leola, Lewis, and Frank. Following the death of her husband Granville in February 1906 (in Mills Co., Iowa), Sarah moved to the area of Harrison County, Iowa, where her widowed sister-in-law Mary Triplett lived, residing with her daughter Leola Kiger. Sarah passed away in the early 1920s.

Fountain and Jane's oldest son Robert moved from Iowa to Missouri after his marriage in 1866. By the early 1870s Robert and his family moved to Indiana, the birth State of both he and his wife Diadema. They had a family of nine known children including Josephine, Louisa, Warren, Nellie, Robert, Ira, Florence, Fred and Minnie. The family lived in Marion County, Indiana for many years. Following Diadema's premature death in Indiana in 1894, Robert continued to care for the younger children. In 1910 and 1920 Robert was living in Barber Co., Kansas with his son Robert. Robert Sr. passed away about 1928.

Daughter Eudora Kennedy was among the children who cared for their widowed mother Jane prior to her death in 1888. Eudora married William Bailey at age 51 and live in Appanoose County, Iowa until her death in the early 1900s.

Son John Kennedy married in 1873 and remained in Iowa a few years before moving to Nebraska. John and Esther had a family of three children, including Della, Alice, and Clyde. The moved back to Monroe Co, Iowa in the 1890s, and by the early 1900s rellocated to Riverside Co., California. Esther died there in 1910, while John lived another 18 years, passing away in Riverside County on February 29, 1928.

Daughters Belle and Julia Kennedy were among the children who remained with their widowed mother Jane following Fountain's death in 1875. Both Belle and Julia lived together in Appaoose County, Iowa until their deaths in the 1930s. Although Julia never married, Belle seems to have been married at one point, for both lived with Ora Victor Kennedy who is thought to have been Belle's son.

Son Norval Franklin Kennedy married Margaret Long in 1873 Appanoose County, Iowa. They had a family of eight known children, including Daniel, Frank, George, Allie, Harriet, Martha, Mary and Esther. Norval and Martha spent all of their married lives in Appannose County, both passing away at Centerville in the 1930s.

Son Merritt Kennedy married Mary Beasley in 1874 and moved to Wayne County, Iowa. They had a known family of three, including son Ver Kennedy who died about age 10 in 1888, and two surviving daughters named Vila and Grace. Merrit spend most of his married life living in the Corydon, where his wife passed away in 1919 and he in 1941.

Article compiled by Dennis Walsh, March 2007.