History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties

"History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties Wisconsin"

Compiled by George O.Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others. Printed in 1924 by H.C.Cooper. Jr. & Co., Minneapoli-Winona MN. ill. 787 pages. The first two hundred pages are history of the three counties, the remainder of the book is biographies.

Biography

Kennedy, Arthur E. a well known farmer in the town of King, Lincoln County, who is making steady progress in the development of his farm and business, was born in the town of Almond, Portage County, Wis., Nov. 4, 1880, son of Andrew and Capitola (ELSE) KENNEDY. The parents were American born but were respectively of English and Irish ancestry. When their son Arthur was between one and two years old the moved moved to South Dakota and settled on a farm near Doland, Spink County, Mrs. KENNEDY being the first woman to settle in the town, which was named Capitola after her. Watertown, the nearest village or settlement of any importance, was 50 miles away. Arthur E. was still a small boy when his parents died, and he was reared by his Uncle, John ELSE, who, when he was nine, took him to the state of Washington, and there he remained until he was sixteen. His education was acquired in the common school and at the age of 16 he began working for himself. In the spring of 1900 he returned to Portage County, Wis., where he spent the next 12 years of his life. He was there married Aug. 16, 1901, to Vinnie BUSCHKE, who was born in that county Feb. 13, 1880, daughter of Julius and Augusta (SCHMUDLACK) BUSCHKE. He and his wife began home making on a rented farm and they remained there until 1912. In that year he moved with his family to the town of King, Lincoln County, and brought his present place, consisting of 200 acres of wild land, situated about midway between Tomahawk and Rhinelander. There was a small clearing, and a small log hunting shanty was the only building on the place. Mr. KENNEDY'S 12 years on the rented farm in Portage County had advanced him but little on the road to prosperity, as when he arrived here he had nothing but a cow or two and a few household effects, and had to borrow money from H. A. ATCHERSON, the man from whom he bought his farm, to pay the railway freightage. With that small exception he has never had any financial help, and his industry and grugality have borne better fruit here than in his former place of residence. He has now 140 acres under the plow, has a comfortable, gas-lighted frame house, and some other fairly good buildings, which though not all strictly modern in style and equipment are adequate to his present needs; one of them is a well built stave silo. Mr. KENNEDY is engaged in general farming, but is working more and more into dairying, keeping pure-blooded Holstein cattle. He has a good operating equipment, and each added season sees him in better circumstances than before. His wife has proved a good helpmate and has done her part in helping to built up the family fortunes. When they first came here there was but one house in sight between their place and Tomahawk, and the only road to town was a lumber or "tote" road winding through the woods. Now State Highway No. 63 passes in front of their home. Politically Mr. KENNEDY is a Progressive Republican. He served his town as assessor for nine years and has been secretary and treasurer of Tomahawk National Farmers' Loan Association since its organization. Religiously he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while Mrs. KENNEDY is a Lutheran, and they attend and help to keep up the Lutheran services which are held in the school house near by. They have had five children: Esther, born Aug. 23, 1903, now Mrs. Arthur TAVES of the town of King, and who has one child, Harold; Arden, born Jan. 6, 1906; William, born April 17, 1908; Melvin, born March 30, 1914, and Alice, born Aug. 18, 1916. A sad tragedy deprived them of two of these children, Arden and William, who on July 9, 1921 were drowned whiling bathing with other members of the family in a lake adjoining the home farm. Mrs. KENNEDY was one of a considerable family, numbering ten children, of whom eight are still living. Including all they were as follows: Edith, who is now the wife of Ernest PARKER of Deerfield; Vinnie, wife of Arthur E. KENNEDY; Frederick, of Coloma, Waushara County, Wis.; Emil, deceased; William, a farmer in the town of Harrison, Lincoln County; Erma, wife of Matt CALLAHAN, a farmer in the town of Harrison, this county; Anna, wife of Gust HELLER, a farmer and carpenter of the town of King; Minnie, now Mrs. Edward HELLER of Coloma, Wis.; Henry, deceased; and Ahart, of Coloma, Wis. The homes of William, Erma and Anna adjoin the Kennedy place.

Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 559-560, History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties Wisconsin; Compiled by George O. Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others 1924, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co

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