Memorial Record of Western Kentucky, Lewis Publishing Company, 1904,
pp 672-673 [Graves]

     JAMES HESTER HAPPY, the postmaster of Mayfield, is a native son
of this city, where his birth occurred on the 8th of November, 1849,
his parents being James B. and Nannie H.(Brame) Happy.  The father
was born near Lexington, Kentucky, but when eight years of age
accompanied his mother and stepfather on their removal to Graves
county, Kentucky.  His own father, James Happy, is thought to have
been an Englishman.  In this county James B. grew to mature years
and learned the saddler's trade, which he followed in Mayfield for
several years and then for a time was engaged in agricultural
pursuits.  He next embarked in the drug business in Mayfield, being
thus engaged during the period of the Civil war.  Being a strong
Union man, he volunteered in its service, but was rejected on
account of ill health, and on the 24th of February, 1864, because of
his Union sympathy, he was killed by guerrillas.  In an early day he
was an old time Whig, later giving his political support to the
Republican party, and both he and his wife were members of the
Christian church.  He had passed the forty-seventh milestone at the
time of his death, and his widow survived him about fifteen years,
passing away at the age of sixty-two years.  Mr. Happy had been
twice married, his first wife being a Miss Baxter, by whom he had a
daughter, who died recently.  By his second marriage he became the
father of four sons and a daughter, namely: James H., whose name
introduces this review; Adelia, deceased in early womanhood; Robert
D., of Mayfield; and Orlando B., the assistant postmaster at
Mayfield.
     James Hester Happy was reared and educated in Mayfield, the
city of his nativity.  After his father's death his mother took
charge of the drug store, and there James spent four years, while
for the following six years he was engaged in the dry goods
business, and for ten years was a traveling shoe salesman.  On the
expiration of that period he again entered the dry goods business in
Mayfield, thus continuing until 1896, when he sold his store, as he
had been appointed warden of the Kentucky state prison at Eddyville,
a position he retained until August, 1898.  For the third time he
entered the dry goods business in Mayfield which he continued until
May, 1902, when he entered upon his duties as postmaster of this
city.
     On the 1st of December, 1887, Mr. Happy was united in marriage
to Miss Cora E. Kendall, of Savannah, Tennessee, and they have five
children--Marion H., Lenona B., James B., John Kendall and Samuel
Roberts.  Mr. Happy is a stanch and active Republican, has served as
chairman of the county and district committees, also as a member of
the state central committee and as a delegate to two national
Republican conventions, in 1880 and in 1896.  In the first he was
one of the three hundred and six delegates who cast ballots for the
nomination of General Grant.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Happy are members of
the Christian church.

Happy Brame Baxter Kendall
=
TN

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/graves/happy.jh.txt