My Genealogy Hound

COL. JOHN KINNANE. In whatever he undertakes, Col. Kinnane may properly be termed a “hustler” among the most active business men of Springfield. He is at present engaged as a dry-goods merchant and attends strictly to business, being in his store early and late with his coat off, metaphorically speaking, looking after his force of seventy-five clerks and seeing that his customers are waited upon with promptness and courtesy. He is practically a self-made man — one who has paddled his own canoe from an early period in his life, thus gaining those independent and self-reliant qualities of character which have contributed in such a marked degree to his success in life. He is a prominent man is politics and justly earned his title of Colonel, by appointment on the staff of Gov. Campbell in 1890.

The lithographic portrait* shown in connection with this sketch represents the lineaments of a gentleman yet in the early prime of life, for our subject is less than thirty-six years of age, having been born September 29, 1854, in the town of Tarbert, Ireland. He is the youngest son of James and Catherine (Odell) Kinnane, with whom he spent his boyhood days and obtained his education in the country schools. When fourteen years old he began his mercantile experience in the dry-goods store of Todd & Co., at Limerick, with whom he remained two years. In 1869 he determined to seek his fortunes in America and after several weeks spent on the ocean, landed safely at Castle Garden, N. Y. Thence he proceeded immediately to Springfield, this State, and established the business which he has since conducted so successfully. For a period of twelve years it was under the control of Kinnane Bros., and at the expiration of this time the firm became Kinnane & Wren, which is its title at the present time.

This store occupies Nos. 19, 21, 23 and 25 Limestone Street, and the stock consists of a complete line of dry-goods, carpets, drugs, wall paper and boots and shoes and gives employment to about ninety clerks, seventy-five of whom are salesmen. The firm does a wholesale and retail business, the most extensive of anything of the kind in the city. By strict attention to all the details of general trade and courteous treatment of their customers, they have become widely and favorably known to a large portion of the people of Clark County and there are very few homes within its limits to which their goods have not at some time or another found entry.

The subject of this notice was first married to Miss Sadie McGarr, of Springfield, who became the mother of one son, John James Kennane. She died at her home in Springfield, June 20, 1883. The present wife of Col. Kinnane was formerly Miss Molly Brady who at the time of their marriage was a resident of Tiffin, this State. The Colonel, politically, is a stanch Democrat and fully as active in the councils of his party as he is in his business affairs. He was elected Alderman from his ward in 1880, serving one term and was one of the committee to select a site for the post-office. He occupies a neat and comfortable home and is well known to the people among whom he is a universal favorite.

*A portrait was included in the original printed volume.