Kinchen, Francis E.

Francis E. Kinchen; Livingston Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller

Francis E. Kinchen, an ex-service man, is one of the young and popular citizens of Livingston Parish, and for several years has been engaged in banking. He is cashier of the Albany Bank, which was opened for business as a branch of the Livingston Bank and Trust Company of Denham Springs on March 26, 1921. It was reorganized as the Albany Bank May 15, 1923. The bank has capital stock of $15,000, the officers being: W. M. Jordan, Jr., of Albany, president; W. E. Morris, of Hammond, Louisiana, vice president; Steve Resetar, of Albany, vice president; and F. E. Kinchen, cashier.

Mr. Kinchen was born in Livingston Parish. April 18, 1895. His grandfather, John Calvin Kinchen, is a native of Louisiana, has spent practically all his life in Livingston Parish, and is now a retired farmer near Albany. Matthew H. Kinchen, father of the Albany banker, also lives on his farm near Albany. He was born in Livingston Parish, and has spent all his life there. He was a millwright for many years, combining his trade with the work of the farm, but since 1912 has given his entire attention to farming interests. His country place is located three-quarters of a mile northwest of Albany. At time present time he is postmaster of Albany, and one of the men of substantial influence in that locality. He is a democrat, and one of the leading supporters of the Bethlehem Baptist Church of Albany, and a member of the Masonic fraternity.

Matthew F. Kinchen married Barbara Welch, who was born in Livingston Parish. Francis E. is their oldest child; Henry T. assists in the management of the home farm; Nora A. is the wife of Rufus . Glascock, engaged in time oil business, while she is assistant postmaster; Lulu Adeline is bookkeeper for the Albany Farm Bureau; Mary A. and Annie students in the Albany High School; Carrie, J. C. and Aline.Francis E. Kinchen attended the public schools of 13 native parish, and on leaving school, in 1914, spent six months as a clerk in the store of F. G. Ard at Albany, following which for several years he clerked in stores in Albany, Walker, Corbin, Holden and Baton Rouge, including six months on the road as a commercial traveler. During this time he also performed his military duty as a soldier of the World war.

On March 26, 1921, he entered the Albany branch of the Livingston Bank and Trust Company as assistant cashier, and has been cashier since the reorganization of the bank. The real estate firm of Resetar, Jordan & Kinchen was formed January 1, 1925.Mr. Kinchen is a democrat and holds a commission as notary. He is vice president of the Livingston Parish School Board, having served on the board since 1922. He belongs to the Bethlehem Baptist Church, Denham Springs Lodge No. 297 of the Masonic Order, and for a time was secretary and treasurer of the Albany National Farm Loan Association.He was inducted into the United States service July 6, 1918, being sent to the special training camp of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi at Starksville for eight months. He was their transferred to the Coast Artillery Corps, serving in Battery F of the Thirty-sixth Regiment at New Orleans three weeks and then at Camp Eustis, Virginia, in the same branch of service. He was also at Camp Lee, Virginia, and finally at Camp Beauregard at Alexandria, Louisiana, where he was honorably discharged December 24, 1918.On November 2, 1924, he was united in marriage with Miss Pearl Tanner, of Ascension Parish. Her father has been connected with the Y. & M. V. Railroad for the past ten years.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 187, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.