James B. Kennedy

Source: WEST VIRGINIA In History, Life, Literature and Industry
	by The Lewis Publishing Company - Volume 5, page 29-30

James B. Kennedy, an ex-service man, has spent most of his active career in
commissary work for coal companies and is now manager of the commissary for
the Kelleys Creek Coal Company at Cedar Grove, Kanawha County.
He was born in Shrewsbury, West Virginia, April 12, 1889, son of James and
Anna (Rogers) Kennedy. His father, a native of Ohio, came to West Virginia
when about eighteen years of age, being superintendent of the Shrewsbury
coal mines, also superintendent of the mine at Shrewsbury for the Sunday
Creek Coal Company, and was superintendent of mines for the Winifrede Coal
Company. He is now retired from business and a resident of Shrewsbury. His
wife, Anna Rogers, was born in old Virginia and was brought to West
Virginia when a girl. She attended public schools and was a devout
Catholic. Her death occurred July 29, 1916, and she is buried at Coalburg.
These parents had the following children: Thomas, Mary, Anna, Rose, James
B., Lawrence, william, Edward, Raymond and Helen.
James B. Kennedy attended public schools in Kanawha County. When he left
school he went to work in the mines, and he knows practically all the work
of an actual miner as well as the management of commissaries. About 1905 he
became a clerk for Lane Brothers, merchants at Shrewsbury, and after a year
became clerk in the commissary of the Ephraim Creek Coal Company. He
returned to Shrewsbury as clerk in the commissary of the Sunday Creek Coal
Company, and for a time was with the Coalburg Mining Company in their
commissary. In 1915 he went with the Winifrede Coal Company, and remained
there until he answered the call to the colors at the time of the World
war.
He enlisted in 1917 and was trained at Camp Lee with the Three Hundred and
Fifteenth Field Artillery. A few months later he went overseas and was in
France on the front line of duty during the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne
campaigns. In the Argonne Forest he was gassed, and spent some time at
Chaumont, the general headquarters of the American Expeditionary forces. he
returned with his outfit to Camp Lee, Virginia where he received his
honorable discharge June 10, 1919.
After the war Mr. Kennedy resumed work with the Winifrede Coal Company as
assistant manager of the commissary, and after a few months was promoted to
manager. In June, 1921, he became manager at Montgomery, West Virginia, for
the Fayette-Kanawha Coal Company commissary. Since January 1, 1926, he has
been located at Cedar Grove as manager of the commissary for the Kelley
Creek Supply Company, the subsidiary of the Valley Camp Collieries Company.
Mr. Kennedy is a Catholic, a member of the Knights of Columbus, and in
politics is a Democrat. he married at Charleston, West Virginia, November
21, 1921, Miss Hartzell Barker, who grew up and attended school at St.
Albans, graduating from high school there in 1917. She was an active part
in the methodist Church at Cedar Grove. her father, Andrew J. Barker, was
for a number of years a miner with the Winifrede Coal Company, and is now
associated with a son in the mercantile business at St. Albans. Mrs.
Kennedy's mother died a number of years ago and is buried at St. Albans.
The one child of Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy is Alma June, born October 1, 1922.

Transcribed by: <AUPQ38A@prodigy.com> (MRS GINA M REASONER), 1999

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