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Biographical History of Northern Michigan
B. F. Bowen & Co., - 1905

        [24-25]
        
        THOMAS KENNEDY
        
           Nearly two score years have passed
        since the time when MR. KENNEDY took up
        his residence in Antrim county, and in view
        of this statement it is scarcely necessary to
        say that he is numbered among the early
        pioneers of this section, where he has at-
        tained to marked prosperity through his ef-
        forts in connection with the development of
        the resources of the locality, which was prac-
        tically a forest wilderness at the time when
        he made his advent in the county.
           MR. KENNEDY is a native of the fair
        Emerald Isle and is a scion of the stanch-
        est of old Irish stock. He was born in
        Tipperary county, Ireland, on the 2d of Feb-
        ruary, 1833, and is a son of EDWARD and
        MARIA (THORPE) KENNEDY, who passed their
        entire lives in their native land, having been
        folk of sterling worth,—honest and industrious.
        The father was a laboring man and the family
        was in modest circumstances, as a matter of 
        course. The parents were devoted communicants 
        of the Catholic church, in whose faith they 
        reared their three children, JANE and MARIA, 
        who are now married and residing in the United 
        States, and THOMAS, who is the subject of this 
        sketch.
           THOMAS KENNEDY was reared to maturity
        in his native land, where he was afforded
        the advantages of the parochial schools, and
        he early began to depend upon his own re-
        sources. He continued to reside in Ireland
        until 1859, when, as a young man of twenty
        five years, he immigrated to America, be-
        lieving that here were to be had better oppor-
        tunities for the gaining of success through
        personal effort.  He sailed from Liverpool,
        England, and disembarked in one of the
        Canadian ports.  He located in Hastings,
        province of Ontario, Canada, where he re-
        mained about a decade, having followed
        various occupations. At the expiration of
        the period noted he came to Michigan, in
        1868, in the spring of which year he took
        up his residence in Antrim county. He se-
        cured eighty acres of railroad land in Milton
        township, the tract being covered with the
        native timber and entirely unimproved. He
        cleared a little place in the woods and there
        erected his primitive shanty, which served
        as his residence for a number of years, and
        he then turned his attention vigorously to
        the herculean work of reclaiming his land to
        cultivation, securing his first returns from
        the sale of the timber cut on the place. He
        now owns one hundred and eighty acres of
        land, of which ninety-five are under effective
        cultivation, all having been cleared by the
        owner, and on the place still remain about
        thirty-five acres of good timber. In addition
        to general farming and horticulture MR.
        KENNEDY has made the raising of live stock
        a profitable phase of his enterprise, and no
        further evidence of his discrimination and
        progressive ideas need be asked than that
        afforded in the appearance of his fine farm,
        which is one of the model places of this
        county, the improvements being of the best,
        including an attractive modern residence and
        other substantial and well equipped buildings.
           In his political adherency MR. KENNEDY
        is aligned as a stalwart supporter of the prin-
        ciples of the Democratic party, and he has
        ever taken a lively concern in local affairs
        of a public nature, having aided in the ma-
        terial and civic upbuilding of the county.
        He has served nine years as an officer of his
        school district, was township treasurer for
        five years and highway commissioner for two 
        years. Both he and his wife are communicants 
        of the Catholic church, being members of the 
        parish at Elk Rapids.
           In the year 1859 was solemnized the
        marriage of MR. KENNEDY to MISS BRIDGET
        HOGAN, who was born and reared in Ontario,
        Canada, and they have six children, namely:
        PATRICK, JANE, EDWARD, JAMES, MARGARET
        and MARIA. The two elder sons are suc-
        cessful farmers of this county, and the
        youngest son is associated with the work
        of the home farm.
        
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