Kennedy, Louise Achey, 1860-1945

Louise Achey Kennedy (1860-1945) was the only child of John Jacob Achey (1830-1934). She was a charter member of the Jonathan Dayton Chapter of the DAR and a genealogical researcher. She married Grafton Claggett Kennedy (1859-1909) an attorney in the Dayton law firm of Kennedy, Munger, and Kennedy. (The other partners were his half-brother, Eugene and Warren and Harry Munger.) Graften was a staunch Republican, who in 1882 organized the first Montgomery County Board of Elections.

The Kennedy's had two children Katherine Louise Kennedy Brown (1891-1988) (see MS-146) and Graften Sherwood "Duke" Kennedy (b.1893). The family home was a mansion called "Duncarrick" (Home of the Kenndedy's) located at Keowee and Webster streets. The Kennedy's were prominent in Dayton Society from the late 19th century well into the 20th century. Their friends included the Winters, Wrights, Barneys and Pattersons. As a wealthy and prominent family, the Kennedy's traveled extensively in Europe and spent their summers in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

On December 1, 1918 Graffon Sherwood "Duke" Kennedy married Lucille Glidden (b.1891) of Brooklyn, New York. They had three children Katherine "Kay" Kennedy Barney (b.1919), Frances Lucille "Lou" Kennedy Sharp (later Albert) (b.1922), and Grafton Sherwood Jr. "Terry" (b.1926).

On April 20, 1921 Katherine married Kleon Thaw Brown (b.1886) the son of Reverend William Kennedy Brown (1834-1915) and Martha Haight McClellan (1838-1916) aprominent figure in the late 19th century American Temperance movement, (MS-147 contains the papers of Martha McClellan and Reverend William Kennedy Brown). Kleon was the youngest of six children. Following his fathers death in 1915 his mother lived with him till her death in 1916.

Kleon was manager of ST&GA Gebhart Company of Cleveland form 1914-1919. In 1920, he became an executive in the sales department of NCR Corporation. Tragically, Katherine's marital happiness ended when the couple's only child died in infancy, then Kleon died suddenly on May 20, 1925. Katherine never remarried and moved back to Duncarrick to live with her mother. Katherine became involved in Politics and Dayton Society for over fifty years. Louise Kennedy's mother also spent time at the mansion after the death of her husband.

From the guide to the Louise Kennedy Collection, 1870-1947, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)