From Old Judge cabinet card	Jake Kenyon Born: June 1861 Died: November 3, 1919 Goto Baseball Reference for Jake Kenyon cf Majors: No
	St. Louis Position: cf First game: April 28, 1888 Last game: June 20, 1888 # of games: 13	Signed by St. Louis in early December, 1887 from Topeka (Western League). Released on June 24, 1888 when the Whites folded and returned to Burlington. Signed with Des Moines for the 1889 season. Player profile from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 11, 1888). SABR biography for Jake Kenyon

Jake Kenyon first played professional baseball with Topeka in 1886 at age 24. While that may have been his first professional season, the Topeka State Journal reported that Burchard (a pitcher also signed by Topeka) and Kenyon "have worked together for nearly three years, and will do good work" (May 14, 1886), so it is clear he had been playing in some capacity for a few seasons. He was with Topeka for all of the 1886 season and did such a good job for them that he was the only member of that team to be brought back the following season. The 1887 Topeka Golden Giants are considered one of the best minor league clubs of the nineteenth century. Kenyon was one of two primary catchers, along with Joe Gunson. He hit over .300 for them, and his defense was considered to be outstanding.

Kenyon was signed in November 1887 to play for the St. Louis Whites. He later also turns up in lists of players signed by the St. Louis Browns in the off-season. The Philadelphia Times reported on March 25, 1888 that the contract of Jake Kenyon with St. Louis had been approved by the American Association, and the Sporting Life reported that Jake Kenyon "had been released by the St. Louis Western Association team and signed by the St. Louis Browns." (April 4, 1888) He appeared in three spring training games in March, all with the Browns playing against the Whites, catching Pete Somers. However, while Somers went on to pitch for the Whites through the rest of their spring training, Kenyon didn't appear again in a game with either the Browns or Whites until Opening Day for the Whites. Prior to that game against Milwaukee, Jerry McCormick hurt his shoulder during warmups. Kenyon (signed as a catcher) was put in center field in his place. He played center field again a few days later, and then a few days after that he became the regular center fielder after Hunkey Hines got hurt. Hines missed 11 games, including a six game road trip, and Kenyon started in center field for all but one of them. When the Whites returned from the road trip, Hines returned to center field. Kenyon stayed in St. Louis, still under contract with the Browns. He turned up once more for the Whites in their final game on June 20. After the Whites folded, the Burlington Daily Gazette reported that Kenyon had returned to Burlingon (June 29, 1888). He showed up in a box score catching for a local club in Burlington in July 1888.

Kenyon signed with Des Moines in the Western Association for the 1889 season. He was with Des Moines through the end of May, when the Burlington Hawk Eye reported that Manager William Lucas of the Burlington club secured his release from that club (May 30, 1889). This was his final season in professional baseball.

Jake Kenyon was born in June 1861 in Detroit, Michigan per the 1900 US Census. He married Daisie Cleaver on January 1, 1889 in Burlington. He was a candy maker by trade, even while playing professional baseball. The Topeka Daily Press reported that he worked for Smithers wholesale candy house in Burlington during the winter of 1886-87 (March 15, 1887). He is identified in articles in 1889 and 1892 as working at local candy factories in Burlington preparing for Christmas. In April 1893, the Burlington Hawk Eye noted that the Kenyon family moved to South Bend, Indiana. Ads started appearing in the South Bend Tribute for candy manufactured by J.J. Kenyon in 1894. His store burned down on December 24, 1895, and subsequently he worked as a candy maker for for Whiteman Bros. until April, 1902, when he once again opened his own store. The last mention in the South Bend newspapers was a brief note in the newspaper in December of 1909 that Mrs. W.C. Frazier was visiting the house of her sister, Mrs. J.J. Kenyon.

At some point after that the Kenyon family moved to Ohio. In November 1919, the South Bend Tribute noted the death of J.J. Kenyon, former South Bend resident and owner of a candy and fruit store, in Plainfield, Ohio. Kenyon died on November 3, 1919. He was survived by a wife and two sons.

Date	Pos	AB	R	BH	2B	3B	HR	SB	PO	A	E	BB	HPB	K
4-28-1888	cf	5	1	1		1		0	0	0	0			1
5-2-1888	cf	4	0	1				0	0	0	0
5-6-1888	cf	3	1	0				0	2	0	1	1
5-7-1888	cf	4	1	1				0	3	0	1			1
5-8-1888	cf	5	0	1				1	1	0	1			1
5-9-1888	cf	4	2	3				0	1	0	0
5-10-1888	cf	4	1	0				0	1	1	0			1
5-12-1888	cf	4	0	1				0	1	1	1			1
5-13-1888	cf	4	1	1				2	3	0	2			1
5-15-1888	cf	3	0	0				0	2	0	0	1		2
5-18-1888	cf	4	0	1				0	0	0	0
5-20-1888	cf	4	0	0				0	1	0	0			2
6-20-1888	cf	4	1	1				0	3	2	3			2
13 Games		52	8	11	0	1	0	3	18	4	9	2	0	12