JAMES E. KEENAN

JAMES E. KEENAN, was born in Centre County, Pa., in 1841, and is a son of Stephen and Ellen (Kiernan) Keenan.

The senior Mr. Keenan was a native of County Cavan, Ireland. He came to the United States about 1824, settled in New York City, where he was engaged as a tailor seven years, and then located in Pennsylvania. He reared a family of four sons and three daughters.

The subject of this sketch received an academic education, and at the age of fourteen years engaged in the printing business for a short time. In the fall of 1859 he came South, and in 1861 joined an independent company at Iuka, Miss., under P. D. Roddy, which company formed a part of Major Baskeville’s battalion. He participated in the battles of Shiloh, Harrisburg, Miss., Sulphur Trestle, Tenn., and others in Northern Mississippi and Northern Alabama, and was in several skirmishes on the retreat to Selma. He also participated in the battle of Selma and in all the engagements in which his command took part. In 1863 he was promoted to second lieutenant, and surrendered at Pond Springs, Ala., May 5, 1865.

After the war, Mr. Keenan came to Tuscumbia, and in 1870 engaged in general merchandise business, in which he has been very successful. He is an enterprising, public-spirited man, and takes a great interest in the development of the public schools.

Mr. Keenan was married in May, 1868, to Lettie Warren, of Tuscumbia. She is a daughter of Mervyn and Mary (Sloss) Warren, natives of Ireland and the State of Alabama, respectively. To this union were born nine children, viz.: Mervyn W., William S., Mary, Ellen, deceased, James E., Lettie, John, Margaret and Belle. The family are members of the Presbyterian Church, and Mr. Keenan is a F. & A. M.

[SOURCE: Northern Alabama Historical and Biographical. Illustrated. Smith and De Land, Birmingham, Ala. 1888., p. 438] Typed for inclusion here by Linda Ledlow.

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