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Imogene Kinard "Gene"
Kennedy
Founder of
Montgomery County Genealogy Society
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When you walk
into the Genealogy Dept. of the Montgomery Co. Library, you will see a "pixi-looking"
lady with a sparkle
in her eye and a
smile on her face, and hear her say, "Will you
sign the register, please?" This is
Imogene Nellie (Kinard) Kennedy, known to all as "Gene".
Imogene Kinard Kennedy
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Born in
Anadarko, Oklahoma, Gene was raised in Matagorda
Co., Texas and
is a graduate of Cameron College in Lawton,
Oklahoma.
She and her husband, Leon, live in Chateau Woods
in south Montgomery Co.
They have four daughters and three
grandchildren.
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Gene began
working on her genealogy in 1959 and so far,
has traced
three ancestors back to the Revolutionary War and
one back to 1611 in Jamestown. After
having been on the staff at Clayton
Library in Houston for five years, she joined the staff at Montgomery Co.
Library and established a much needed
Genealogy Dept. as soon as funds became
available. In the four years
she has been here the library has acquired, under her direction, 600
microfilm reels, over 800 books, and three
microfilm readers to add to the one
already in the library. The
Genealogy Dept. started upstairs but was soon moved
downstairs to a larger room; then that
room was enlarged. Plans are now in effect to enlarge even more.
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In 1976
Gene founded the
Montgomery County Genealogical
Society
and has
watched it grow with pride. It has brought
people together with a common
interest and has allowed us all to make new friends. She also
established the volunteer crew, called
Genealogy Aides, to help the library patrons in the Genealogy Dept.
and to relieve Gene so she can have more time
to work at
acquiring more books and material for the department.
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Thanks to Gene,
the Montgomery County Library has a fine Genealogy Dept. and we no longer
have to drive 60 miles to
Clayton to work on our family history. Gene has inspired us,
guided us, and insisted on neatness. We
are lucky to have her and hope she will stay with us for many many
years.
From Montgomery County Genealogical Society, Anniversary Issue,
1977, p 3.
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