History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, ed.
by William Henry Perrin,  O. L. Baskin & Co., Chicago, 1882.  p. 751.
[Nicholas County]  [Carlisle City and Precinct]

THOMAS KEHOE, editor of the Carlisle Mercury, published at Carlisle,
Nicholas County, Ky., was born in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, May 1,
1850, and removed from that city to Lewis County, Ky., with his parents at
the age of two years, since which time he has continued to make his
permanent home within the borders of the State of Kentucky.  His early
boyhood days were uneventful, and were spent with his parents upon a modest
farm in the vicinity of the famous Esculapia Springs, in Lewis County,
where the family continued to reside until Thomas had reached the age of
nine years.  The educational facilities of Lewis County in those days were
extremely meager, and in 1859 his parents, finding their children growing
up around them without the advantages of schooling, sold their home in
Lewis and removed to a farm in Mason County, in the immediate vicinity of
the city of Maysville, where he attended school a part of the time.  In
1862 the unaccountable course of human events left him without a father's
care, and left his mother for their support.  He had now attended school
altogether about one year and could read and write.  The unfavorable turn
of events compelled him to quit school, and together with those of his
brothers who were old enough to go to work for the support of the family.
Possessing a desire for knowledge, he continued to apply himself in his
leisure moments to reading and other studies, and each succeeding space
of time brought with it its reward of useful knowledge gained.  June 12,
1863, at the age of thirteen years he enlisted in Captain F. H.
Bierbower's Company A., of the 40th regiment of Kentucky volunteers, being
probably the youngest soldier ever regularly mustered into the army of
the United States; the regiment was organized at Falmouth, Ky., and
participated in numerous scouts and skirmishes in Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia, and was the leading regiment in the battle with the famous John
Morgan at Mt. Sterling, Ky., June 7, 1864, and again it led in the battle
of Cynthiana, which, though lasting but a few hours, was one of the
severest battles of the war; in the fall of 1864, the 40th regiment
participated in the battle of Canton, on the Cumberland River; later in
the same year the regiment participated in the battles of Abingdon and
Saltville, Virginia, and in December of the same year was mustered out of
the service; its time having long since expired; at this time Thomas had
served eighteen months in the army and was yet but little over fourteen
years of age.  During his service in the army he had applied himself to
study and returned home with his education much improved.  Business at
this time was in a very precarious condition, and not being able to find
remunerative employment, and having cultivated a taste for adventure he
again joined the army, enlisting in Company I, Fifty-fifth Regiment,
Kentucky volunteers, at Covington, Ky., on March 8, 1865, before he was
fifteen years of age, and was elected an officer of the company.  The
Fifty-fifth Regiment served to the close of the war, but was not engaged
in battle during its term of service, and was mustered out at Louisville,
Ky., Sept. 27, 1865.  April 5, 1866, at the age of sixteen years, he
began the trade of a marble cutter in Maysville, Ky., at which he served
an apprenticeship of three years.  He worked at his trade in various
parts of the country, his skill as a workman commanding ready employment
and the highest wages.  In 1870 he went to Helena, Ark., where he secured
a situation in an engineer corps then being organized for the purpose of
surveying the Helena and Iron Mountain Railroad.  In April, 1871, he
resigned his position in the engineer corps and went to St. Louis, much
improved in health.  From St. Louis he went to Kansas City, returning to
St. Louis in a short time, and from that city went to Owensboro, Ky.,
where he accepted a situation as foreman of the Owensboro Marble Works,
which position he held for three years, during which time he executed in
Italian marble a monument, the design of which took the prize offered at
Chicago in 1872 for the best design produced by any American or Canadian
Sculptor.  In 1873 he engaged in the marble business at Owensboro on his
own account.  In 1875, on July 5, he was married to Miss Fannie Maddox,
daughter of B. F. and Mary L. Maddox, of Daviess County.  Mr. Kehoe
continued in the marble business in Owensboro until November, 1879, when,
finding his health again impaired, he sold out his business and traveled
for some time in Colorado.  In August, 1881, in connection with his
younger brother, Dr. H. C. Kehoe, he assumed editorial control of the
Carlisle Mercury--the latter retiring shortly after to enter the practice
of medicine.  He is the eldest of six brothers and the second of a
family of eight--the children of James and Nora Kehoe.  In regard to the
brothers and sisters of Mr. Kehoe, we will make brief reference in the
order of their ages.  Mary, the eldest, was born in New Orleans, La., and
was raised in Kentucky.  In 1866 she was married at Nashville, Tenn., to
Captain James T. Harahan, who is at this writing President of the
Ponchartrain Railroad and Superintendent of the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad, and resides in New Orleans.  Wm. J. Kehoe, stenographer and
editor, was born in Lewis County, and raised in Mason County, Ky.;
learned the printing business, and for several years was a compositor in
the office of the Cincinnati Commercial.  In 1877, he formed a partnership
with Prof. T. C. H. Vance and purchased the Carlisle Mercury, Mr. Vance
shortly after retiring.  Mr. Kehoe continued its publication and under his
management it became the boldest Democratic journal in Eastern Kentucky.
He was a warm friend of Judge Thomas F. Hargis, and was instrumental in
nominating him for Criminal Judge of the district of which Nicholas County
was a part, and through the colums of the Mercury, was first to mention
that gentleman for the office of Judge of the Court of Appeals.  He took
a leading part in the Owingsville Convention, in which Judge Hargis was
nominated for Appellate Judge, and was Chairman of the District
Convention at Flemingsburg.  In August 1881, he retired from the Mercury
to accept a lucrative position as stenographer in the offices of the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company at New Orleans.  J. D. Kehoe,
printer, editor and statesman was born in Lewis County and raised in Mason
County, Ky.; he began the printing business in Maysville, Ky., at the age
of ten and soon developed a remarkable talent as a fine job printer; went
to Cincinnati when about twelve or thirteen years of age and became foreman
of a printing establishment and afterward returned to Maysville where he
became foreman of the office of the Maysville Republican, which position he
continued to hold for a considerable length of time; resigning his position
in the Republican he opened an office in the city of Maysville on his own
account; was elected and served as Clerk of the City of Maysville; at the
age of twenty-four he received the unanimous nomination of the Democratic
party, for the office of Representative.  In 1881 he again received the
unanimous nomination of the Democratic party for Representative, and was
elected without opposition.  In 1882, while a member of the Kentucky
Legislature he was nominated for the office of Public Printer of Kentucky,
by Hon. W. J. Hendrick of Fleming County, and received a strong vote but
withdrew on the second or third ballot.  Mr. Kehoe is at this writing a
leading member of the Kentucky Legislature, and is Chairman of the
Committee on printing, a member of the Committee on Military Affairs and
represents the 10th District of Ky. in the Committee on Apportionment.
Mark F. Kehoe, cigar manufacturer and merchant was born in Lewis County,
Ky., and raised in Mason County, learned the business of cigar-making at
an early age, and at the expiration of his apprenticeship, established
himself in the business at Union City, Ind., from which place he removed to
Owensboro, Ky., and afterward to Maysville, Ky., where he has carried on
the business of a cigar manufacturer for a number of years.  He is a
high-toned gentleman of refinement and good education and is strictly a
self-made man.  H. C. Kehoe, editor and physician, was born in Lewis County
and was raised in Mason County, Ky.  Learned the printing business at an
early age and developed superior skill as a printer, and in 1877 became
foreman and manager of the mechanical department of the Carlisle Mercury
office, which position he held until 1881, when he became a partner in the
business of the office, and editor of the paper in connection with his
brother, W. J. Kehoe, and afterward his brother Thomas.  During his
connection with the Mercury, his leisure time had been devoted to his
self education, and to reading medicine in the office of D. M. Dills of
Carlisle.  When the town of Carlisle received a city charter, he was
elected first City Clerk, and was elected Collector of City Taxes. In 1881
he retired from the Mercury and attended medical lectures at Pulte
Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is at this writing, just entering
upon the practice of medicine at the age of twenty-three years.  Jennie M.
Kehoe, was born in Mason County, Ky., and was raised in the City of
Maysville, Ky.; where at this writing, she resides with her mother; she
was educated at the Academy of the Visitation in that city.  James N.
Kehoe, printer, was born in the City of Maysville, Ky.; learned the
printing business under his brother, Hon. J. D. Kehoe, and is a workman of
superior genius.  At the age of seventeen he became foreman and manager of
the office of the Clark County Democrat, published at Winchester, Ky., but
returning to Maysville, he is at this writing manager of the business of
J. D. Kehoe, printer and publishers of Kehoe's Annual.  He is the youngest
of the Kehoe family and is endowed with rare mental abilities, which give
promise of a brilliant future.  Mrs. Nora Kehoe, the mother of this family
of self-made men, is a native of Queen's County, Ireland, and is closely
related to the ancient patriotic families of Moores and Lalors, of
Ireland; she was married to James Kehoe, of Wicklow County, Ireland, in
1847, and came to America in 1848, with her husband, at the age of
eighteen years, with whom she shared the joys and sorrows of life until
1862.  She is an intelligent lady of strong religious principles is
strictly conscientious.  She is at present a resident of Maysville, Ky.,
where she has lived for twenty-two years, and where she reared her large
family of children, bringing them up to maturity, in honor, and with
credit to herself.  Mrs. Mary Conroy, the mother of Mrs. Kehoe, was born
in Ireland, in 1798, and now resides at Connersville, Ind., with her
daughter, at the age of eighty-five years.  She is the seventh daughter of
Colonel Dooney, a Commander of the Irish Patriots in the rebellion of 1798.
He was killed in the massacre, on the Curragh, Kildare, Ireland, in the
rebellion of '98, under the following circumstances:  It was the custom of
the brutal British to murder their Irish prisoners, and a surrender of the
patriots having been agreed upon, under conditions of immunity from death,
a large number of the Irish patriot force had preceded his command,
surrendering their arms and marching into an enclosure, but none of those
going in had come out.  When it came his turn to come out he refused to
do so until he understood what was to be the fate of those entering.  His
refusal was immediately followed by the British opening fire upon his
command and upon the unarmed prisoners inside the enclosure, and the
massacre was one of the most terrible in history, all or nearly all of the
prisoners inside being butchered.  A great number of his command escaped,
but he was killed early in the massacre.  Of the paternal ancestors of
the Kehoe family, it may be said that the name has been associated with the
efforts for Irish liberty from the days of "Strong Bow" to "Buckshot"
Forester.  It is one of the oldest Irish names, and some one bearing it
has figured on every battlefield from the Boyne to Vinegar Hill, and down
to the present day, they are found among the 600 "Suspects," who are now
languishing in British dungeons for daring to advocate the cause of liberty.

Kehoe Maddox Harahan Vance Hargis Hendrick Dooney Dills Moore Lalor
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Lewis-KY Mason-KY Kenton-KY Montgomery-KY Owensboro-Daviess-KY
Clark-KY Cincinnati-Hamilton-OH LA TN MO IN Ireland