Annabelle Van Horn Kennedy

Photo caption: Annabelle Van Horn Kennedy while nursing in Chicago.

Public records in her early life, as well as our family records list her birth as 20 January 1882. Her passport and social security records show 20 January 1884. This two-year discrepancy was quite a mystery -- until I found her marriage certificate. Her husband was two years younger than she! So naturally, over the years, she became two years younger! I love this lady!!

Annabelle graduated from Milton College 28 June 1904 with a degree in music (note 1). She pursued a career in nursing and became the head nurse at the University Settlement near the Chicago Stockyards in the early 1910's. The American Journal of Nursing, Volume 11, "Anna Belle Van Horn, who has, since graduation, been the chief nurse in the University Settlement, as gone to California for a much needed rest." (note 2). In a section for the Hahnemann Hospital Alumni Association, "Anna Belle Van Horn, class of 1908, who has been in California for a year, is now head resident in the University Settlement here." (note 3) . The Sabbath Recorder, Volume 71, "Miss Anna Belle Van Horn has returned to her duties at the University of Chicago Settlement after spending several months in California." (note 4).

"The settlement movement was a progressive reformist social movement, peaking around the 1920s in England and the US, with a goal of getting the rich and poor in society to live more closely together in an interdependent community. Its main object was the establishment of "settlement houses" in poor urban areas, in which volunteer middle-class "settlement workers" would live, hoping to share knowledge and culture with, and alleviate the poverty of, their low-income neighbors." (note 5).

Catch that? She volunteered to live in "the projects"! She was a true advocate for the poor. She and her husband John Curtis Kennedy made a notable impact on society in their day. Watch for future postings!

How's this for a "how do you want to be remembered?" The 1910 US Census shows Anna Belle living at the Settlement. The famous Mary E. McDowell (note 6) is the "head of house". I'm sure Anna Belle was being humble about her "head nurse" position and simply stated her relationship to the head of house as "partner". Well, Ancestry.com transcribed "partner" as "bartender (barman)" :) And by the way, the young single Johnie C. Kennedy is also living at the Settlement. (note 7).

Letter written to family & friends December 1, 1967 by an unnamed niece, living in Arlington, VA at the time of Anna Belle's death includes this: Following two years at Milton College where she graduated from the department of music, she took nurses training at the Nurses Training School of Hannahman Medical College in Chicago. She had been interested in missionary work of some kind and while in the city developed a great interest in the poor and the underprivileged. She went to the University of Chicago Settlement House in the Stock Yards district to have charge of the Visiting Nurses Program, and was soon made the Assistant Director of the Settlement. During this time she established the first Well Baby Clinic in the City of Chicago. It was here that she met John Curtis Kennedy, who was doing a sociological study of the working conditions of the stock yards workers. They were married and Uncle John went into politics serving three terms as the City Alderman from the 35th ward. Following this they moved to Seattle."

"At the first meeting of the year Mrs. Anna Belle Kennedy gave a talk concerning her work in the stockyard district of Chicago. Mrs. Kennedy is well acquainted with conditions among the foreign poor of that district, and her informal talk was intensely interesting. She made it very clear that there is much in the line of missionary effort to be done here in the homeland." (note 8).

Note 1:
Title: Milton College Graduates 1868-1982, Compiled from Commencement Programs
Author: Jon Saunders, 2005
See Jon's website "They Came to Milton" http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jonsaunders&id=I49431

Note 2:
http://books.google.com/books?id=TdAAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA143&dq=%22anna+belle+vanhorn%22&cd=1#v=onepage&q=%22anna%20belle%20vanhorn%22&f=false

Note 3:
http://books.google.com/books?id=TdAAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1075&lpg=PA1075&dq=%22anna+belle+van+horn%22&source=bl&ots=tbdl84KghG&sig=4r0HDDxWeXUqAkO9TIDgNthl0GU&hl=en&ei=_Ed6S82CNYzgswOusYTLCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22anna%20belle%20van%20horn%22&f=false

Note 4:
http://books.google.com/books?id=mBxEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA24&dq=%22anna+belle+van+horn%22&cd=2#v=onepage&q=%22anna%20belle%20van%20horn%22&f=false

Note 5:
Wade, Louise Carrol (2004). "Settlement Houses". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society.

Note 6:
http://www.kentlaw.edu/ilhs/mcdowell.htm

Note 7:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=1910USCenIndex&rank=1&new=1&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=angs-d&gsfn=Anna+Belle&gsln=Van+Horn&rg_81004010__date=1882&msrpn__ftp=Chicago&dbOnly=_83004006%7c_83004006_x%2c_83004045%7c_83004045_x&pcat=35&fh=2&h=5083894&recoff=1+2+3+4+15+16+17

Note 8:
The Sabbath Recorded, Volume 77, page 278
http://books.google.com/books?id=Hh5EAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA277&lpg=PA277&dq=%22Anna+Belle+Kennedy%22+Chicago&source=bl&ots=l0KENpKxfx&sig=hNh_UBAVtuHcQvZ1ph6kI87Ayhg&hl=en&ei=aI17S7nICIXasQPV84C9Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Anna%20Belle%20Kennedy%22%20Chicago&f=false