Alexander Kennedy    

ALEXANDER KENNEDY, farmer, post-office Balm, was born September 17, 1835, in Butler County, to David and Mary (Armstrong) Kennedy. The father was a native of Ireland, immigrated to America about the year 1800, and settled in Allegheny County. He was a brick maker, and finally located in Butler County, where he engaged in the milling business. He died July 5, 1858, and April 30, 1858, his wife died. They had ten children: James (deceased), Jane (married Ethen Kelley), Catharine (deceased), David, Alexander, Margaret, Melissa, George G., Robert A. and John E. George, David and Robert were in the war. Our subject was educated in the common schools and was brought up at farm labor. He enlisted in Company D, Fourteenth Pennsylvania Reserves, for three years, but after being wounded at South Mountain, in the right leg, he was discharged. He thus served only nineteen months. He was in the battles of his regiment, in the seven days’ fight, was taken prisoner the second day, confined in Libby and Belle Isle prisons for thirty-nine days, and was exchanged at the second battle of Bull Run.  He married Maria, daughter of Samuel Shaffer, a native of Huntingdon County, Penn. Her mother, Elizabeth Simenton Shaffer, was a native of Center County, and lived with her husband in that county until his death, 1871. Since then she has been a resident of New Castle. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy have two children: Florence and William. He and wife and Florence are members of the First United Presbyterian Church of Mercer, and he is a stanch Republican. About five years ago he sold his farm in Butler County and bought where he now resides, and is engaged in farming and stock growing. Although not long a resident of this county, his name is to be seen at the head of every enterprise that tends to build up and sustain the good name of Mercer County.

History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present : including its aboriginal history, its early settlement and development, a description of its historic and interesting localities, sketches of its boroughs, townships and villages, neighborhood and family histories, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc. : also, a condensed history of Pennsylvania. Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1888.  Read this book on line - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.