From Franklin to Asheville: A Visit with the Kennedys

Until recently, I hadn’t visited the cemetery where the Kennedy family was buried. It’s possible the Kennedy name may sound familiar to you. I’ve written a little bit about Reverend James T. Kennedy, as it relates to his significant influence on St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, where he served as an educator and minister. Carrie Stewart credits him with her manners and education.¹ Much has been recorded about Mr. Kennedy’s life. Unfortunately, so far, I’ve found little of Mrs. Kennedy’s life. This post captures only a fraction of their life experiences here.

Both Reverend Kennedy and his wife, Florine Reese Kyer Kennedy, are buried in Violet Hill Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina. The cemetery is located on the grounds of Harmony Hill Baptist Church.

James Thomas Kennedy (1865-1956) and Florine Reese Kyer (1866-1962)

James Thomas Kennedy was a native of Columbia, South Carolina, born on August 25, 1865. At the age of 22, he answered a newspaper ad that sought the assistance of a church worker in Franklin. He was asked to come to Franklin by Reverend John A. Deal, the Priest-in-Charge of missionary work in Southwestern North Carolina, on January 1, 1887. ²

When he first came to town, he boarded with Carrie‘s parents, James and Luvenia McDonnell (Carrie would’ve been 9 or 10 years old at the time).

While at St. Cyprian’s, he taught numerous Black students in the ways of mathematics, reading, writing, and carpentry. In 1890, he was ordained as a deacon and became Minister-in-Charge of the church. ³

Florine Reese Kyer was born in Columbia, South Carolina on May 28, 1866. She would go on to direct activities in the teaching school, Women’s Auxiliary, and other activities of the church Mission.

James married Florine on June 18, 1890 in Columbia, South Carolina. When they returned to Franklin, the community welcomed them with a big dinner celebration. ⁴

Together, Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy had six children:

• Sophia Katheline Kennedy Miller (2/25/1892-1979)
• Florine Kennedy (11/1894-6/15/1916)
• Rebecca Kennedy (7/1899-9/9/1915)
• Ethel Kennedy Mills (1902-7/22/2004)
• James Edward Kennedy (3/20/1904-1/23/1944)
• John Kennedy (1907-?)

Moving to Asheville

In 1911, the family moved to Asheville, North Carolina and moved with their children who now ranged from age 4 to 19. ⁵ Reverend Kennedy had been sent to St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Asheville, North Carolina to serve the patronage as Deacon-in-Charge. By 1915, Kennedy was ordained to Priesthood and by 1920, he became Archdeacon. With his new position, he was put in charge of the “colored Jurisdiction of Asheville.”⁶

A relative told me that even after moving to Asheville, Reverend Kennedy would travel extensively, preaching to various congregations in the western part of the state. Often times, he even made it back to St. Cyprian’s. By 1938, Reverend James T. Kennedy had retired, but was still preaching as needed for the African American communities of Western North Carolina.⁷ At the age of 84, he also spent his time creating carpentry pieces in his own shop.⁸ As an effective and prolific carpenter, Kennedy crafted multiple wooden pieces for many of the churches in Western North Carolina, including an altar and baptismal font for St. Cyprian’s during his early years.

Lives Well Lived

Mary E. Walters conducted an interview with Kennedy in 1956 and had asked him to reflect on his life. His reply: ⁹

“I just did what had to be done. I accepted life as things came and liked it. I think the greatest of my accomplishments was teaching people to read and write. The results of that work reach down to the present day.”

According to an obituary published in “The Living Church,” Mrs. Florine Kennedy was also an accomplished leader in the community. She served as the first president of the Fifth District of the Women’s Auxiliary of Western North Carolina. ¹⁰

Reverend Kennedy passed away on November 3, 1956 at the age of 91. ¹¹ Mrs. Kennedy passed away on February 15, 1962 at the age of 95. ¹² Both are laid to rest at Violet Hill Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina.

A Brief Note About Violet Hill Cemetery

The cemetery was founded in 1932 by Dr. L. O. Miller, a well-known physician in the local Black community at the time, in an effort to offer a dignified burial place for Black people of all professions and backgrounds. Violet Hill is one of the oldest African American burial grounds in Asheville. ¹³

Today, Violet Hill appears to be connected to a church named Harmony Hill Missionary Baptist Church. The burial site is vast; according to FindAGrave, over 2,300 individuals are buried there. ¹⁴

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1. Wigginton, Eliot. 1979. Foxfire 5: Ironmaking, Blacksmithing, Flintlock Rifles, Bear Hunting. Anchor Books.
2. Sill, James B. 1955. Historical Sketches of Churches In The Diocese of Western North Carolina Episcopal Church. Asheville, North Carolina: Church of the Redeemer. https://archive.org/details/historicalsketch00sill.
3. Ibid
4. Macon County Historical Society, Inc. 1987. The Heritage of Macon County North Carolina. Winston-Salem, North Carolina : Hunter Publishing Company.
5. “United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLSV-FG3 : accessed 28 January 2023), James T Kennedy, Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 112, sheet 5A, family 84, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1121; FHL microfilm 1,375,134.
6. Duncan, Norvin Cornelius. 1965. Pictorial History of the Episcopal Church in North Carolina, 1701-1964. Asheville, North Carolina: The Miller Printing Company. https://archive.org/details/pictorialhistory00dunc_0/.
7. Ibid
8. “Asheville, Buncombe, North Carolina, United States records, Apr 2, 2022,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHN-GQHW-NSNQ-1 : Jan 28, 2023), image 7 of 21; National Archives and Records Administration.
9. Duncan, Norvin Cornelius. 1965. Pictorial History of the Episcopal Church in North Carolina, 1701-1964. Asheville, North Carolina: The Miller Printing Company. https://archive.org/details/pictorialhistory00dunc_0/
10. “Florine Kyer Kennedy.” The Living Church, 1962. https://books.google.com/books?d=&id=fobkAAAAMAAJ&q=florine&f=false#v=onepage&q&f=false.
11. “North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FPKK-8SV : 10 February 2018), James Thomas Kennedy, 03 Nov 1956; citing Asheville, Buncombe, North Carolina, v 27A cn 27186, State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh; FHL microfilm 1,927,390.
12. “North Carolina Deaths, 1931-1994,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FGYV-DW5 : 10 February 2018), Florine Kyer Kennedy, 15 Feb 1962; citing Asheville, Buncombe, North Carolina, v 3B cn 3678, State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh; FHL microfilm 1,953,250.
13. Digman, Finnigan. 2019. “Saving Lives in One of Asheville’s Oldest African American Cemeteries.” Hemlock Restoration Initiative. June 13, 2019. https://savehemlocksnc.org/saving-lives-in-one-of-ashevilles-oldest-african-american-cemeteries/.
14. Find a Grave. n.d. Violet Hill Cemetery. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/48992/violet-hill-cemetery.