Lake County IN Archives Biographies.....Kenney, Jerry M. 1823 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 7, 2006, 10:29 pm Author: T. H. Ball (1904) JERRY M. KENNEY. For eighty-one years Jerry M. Kenney has traveled life's journey, and through a long period has been a resident of Lake county. He came here when this was a pioneer section, the work of progress and improvement having been scarcely begun, and through the intervening years he has watched with interest the advancement that has here been made and has given his co-operation to many movements for the public good. He is a native of the Pine Tree state, his birth having occurred in the town of Hollowell, Kennebec county, Maine, on the 10th of November, 1823. The family is of Scotch lineage and was founded in America in colonial days Charles Kenney, the father of our subject, was a native of Maine and was there reared and married. By occupation he was a lumberman in early life. In 1807 he removed to Ohio, where he remained for three years, and then returned to Maine, where he continued to reside until 1837, when he came to Lake county, Indiana, establishing his home in Eagle Creek township. He cast in his lot with its early settlers and bore his full share in the work of reclaiming the wild land for the purposes of civilization. There he made his home throughout his remaining days, passing away at the age of sixty-six years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Deborah Rollins, was also a native of Maine and died in Lake county, Indiana, when more than seventy years of age. To this worthy couple were born four sons and a daughter, all of whom reached adult age, but Mr. Kenney, who was the fourth child, is now the only one living. Jerry M. Kenney spent the first fourteen years of his life in the state of his nativity and then accompanied his parents on their removal to Lake county, Indiana. He had previously attended the public schools of Maine and after coming to this state he assisted in opening up a new farm, the family being the first to settle on the prairie in Eagle Creek township. He performed much of the arduous tasks incident to the development of a new farm, and to his father gave the benefit of his services until twenty-one years of age. He then went to Door Prairie, where he worked for two years as a farm hand at ten dollars per month. On the expiration of that period he rented land of his father for two years, and then with the capital which he had acquired through his own energy, perseverance and economy he purchased eighty acres of land and began its improvement. He broke the sod, planted crops, set out an orchard and made other substantial improvements until his highly cultivated farm bore little resemblance to the wild tract which had come into his possession. He added to his land from time to time until he is now the owner of about five hundred acres, and he was successfully engaged in general farming until 1854, when he purchased a store at what is called Orchard Grove. There he carried on general merchandising for twenty-seven years in connection with agricultural pursuits. In 1900 he sold his store and retired from business, to enjoy a rest which he had truly earned and richly deserves. In 1848 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Kenney and Miss Phoebe Woodruff, a native of Ohio, who was brought to Lake county by her parents when a maiden of ten years, the family being early settlers of this portion of the state. They became the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters: George W., Lucinda, J. C, Joseph D., Schuyler C. and Effie L. All were born in Lake county and are yet living, with the exception of Joseph D. Kenney. In early life Mr. Kenney was a stanch advocate of Whig, principles and at the dissolution of that party he became a stalwart Republican, and has since voted the ticket of that party organization, where state and national questions are involved. At local elections, however, he votes independently, supporting the candidate whom he thinks best qualified for office. He served for twenty-seven consecutive years as postmaster at Orchard Grove, and he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church since twenty-five years of age, while his wife united with the same denomination at the age of sixteen. They have taken a very active and helpful part in church work, and Mr. Kenney has served as class leader and as Sunday-school superintendent. As one of the pioneers of the county he has witnessed its development from an early day and has borne his full share in the work of progress and improvement. At the same time he has carved out a fortune for himself. He started out in life empty-handed, but he possessed strong determination and by his unfaltering labor and honorable dealing he has gained a handsome property and is justly accounted one of the self-made men of Lake county. Mrs. Kenney was born June 26, 1830, and she was educated in the common schools. For fifty-six years or over a half century have Mr. and Mrs. Kenney traveled the journey of life, sharing alike the joys and sorrows. She is the only survivor of the Woodruff family. Mr. and Mrs. Kenney attended the pioneer school of the early day when the window was of greased paper, and the house was heated by the old-fashioned fireplace. The roof was of "shakes." He has swung the old-fashioned cradle in the harvest field many a day. Mr. Kenney's grandfathers were both in the Revolutionary war and figured in different battles, and Mr. Kenney's grandfather's wife was killed by the Indians when in a block house, through the port hole; this was in the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Kenney have one of the old deeds which was executed April 10, 1843, and signed by President John Tyler, the eighth deed of the kind found in Lake county. They have three other of these documents dated June 25, 1841, and April 10, 1843, by President Tyler, and another dated April 10, 1848, and signed by President James K. Polk,—four of these deeds in this one household. It was as late as 1848 when Mr. Kenney's father went to Wabash, Indiana, to get supplies, such as meat and flour, and took two four-horse teams. He has seen Chicago when most all of the business was done on Lake street and the ox teams were turned loose in the common. Mr. Kenney has always taken an active part in the old settlers' meeting, at Crown Point. When he first knew Lake county there was not a railroad in the entire county, where now fourteen or fifteen great trunk lines cross the county. The first railroad built in the county was the Michigan Central. Mr. and Mrs. Kenney have seen many of the Indians in their vicinity, and Mr. Kenney says he has played with the Indians, and at one time there were about five hundred camped near Shelby, in Cedar Creek township. Additional Comments: Extracted from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Genealogy and Biography OF LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA, WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 1834—1904 A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. REV. T. H. BALL OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO NEW YORK THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1904 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/lake/bios/kenney411gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/infiles/ File size: 7.6 Kb