I have been having a tough time trying to track down the Irish origins of the 'Kelly' side of my family; so have decided that the only way to find any pertinent information is to track down any Kelly/Kelley reference I come across in Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec mainly) during the early and mid 1800's. I seem to keep 'bumping' into the same researchers all the time - so far with no connection. Our ancestors came over from Ireland but we have lost track of their roots.
I hope to 'meet' others on the web who are willing to exchange info on their own families during that time period and possibly set up a site that will help to narrow down the search for future 'hunters' of Canadian Kelly connections. If you are a Kelly researcher - or know of one - I hope you will get in touch with me by E-mail. I'd enjoy hearing from you. I would like eventually to do the same with the FLEMING surname.
I will try to incorporate, by typing up tables of abstracts, some of the info I have come across on various census or civil records I have been searching through. Let me know if you think they are of any use at all. Several people have located a marriage, through the info I have posted, that they weren't previously aware of and were able to add a bit to their research.
Please contact me if you think you may be connected in any way to a family line - I've been looking for you! By the way - I don't have any family tree, pedigree sheets etc. up yet - I've been busy trying to learn to get a site up; besides I'm having trouble trying to get any of the 'family tree' generators to generate for me properly. Further study is obviously required on my part!
After some partial success with research this summer; we have only 3 male siblings from our 'original' Kelley family remaining unaccounted for at this time!
Where did they come from? (My elusive Kelleys)
This page is dedicated to finding the origins of the family established by Daniel KELLEY and Mariah FLEMMING, married in 1845, in KEMPTVILLE, Ontario. According to census records they were both born in Ireland (therefore the couple must have met either in Upper or Lower Canada). The witnesses at their marriage at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church (previously Sacred Croix) on 8 Sep 1845, were Daniel McEntyre and Mary Ann Cross. (Hint! hint! can anyone find any connections through other listings with similar family names! It is said witnesses can often lead you to the addional sources for family connections - I hope so!)
I have been advised by various sources that KELLEY is the Protestant spelling of the surname; however, they WERE Catholic and they DID sign their name as KELLEY (so I really don't care what anyone else has to say on the subject - the family members I have found after Daniel's death did revert to the Kelly spelling) - I have been told that there could be no possible connection because of the spelling, etc. We ALL know that there are numerous variations of all of our surnames out there in the records; and I refuse to accept that my ancester can't be out there because of the way he spelt his name (one reseacher I actually paid tried this one on me for an excuse for not finding anything).
The couple homesteaded at Lot 24, Concession 5, Wolford Township, Grenville County, Ontario, Canada from approximately 1845 until 1873; when Maria signed her Dower Rights; it would appear that Daniel died sometime between the 1861 and 1871 census, and an infant son also died around 1860-61. We have been unable to locate any church records of births, baptisms, deaths or burials during the 20 odd years they spent in this rural, predominately protestant community.
They raised 8 children:
- John, born circa 1847; no longer on the family farm on the 1871 census
- Michael, born circa 1848; no longer on the family farm on the 1871 census
- Thomas, born circa 1848
- Mary-Ann, born circa 1852
- married William WHALEN 25 Nov. 1889, Carleton Place, Ont.
- died 12 Oct. 1900, of consumtpion
- bore 2 children
- Mary Ellen - who lived to be 104 years old and rejoiced in introducing my son Liam to everyone in her nursing home (she being born in 1888 and he in 1988), as her youngest cousin; the three of us spanning together 100 years, in only 3 generations. (When you consider it from the period of ca 1801 to 1988, we cover only five generations, in a period of 180 odd years - since my great-grandmother's birth to the birth of her youngest great-great grandson who was alive at the same time as her youngest (known) grandchild!){I come from; and have contributed to, a long (short?) line of the youngest children of the youngest children!} The suggestion is in researching genealogy to figure on 20 years per generation - boy have we goofed! (we've missed out on 3 or 4 generations? does that mean that I have more or less missing ancestors to discover?)
- William married Edna ?
- James Patrick, born circa 1854 (I have only just discovered his particulars this summer of 1997)
- was referred to as Patrick on various census records until after the death of his infant brother James ca 1860 (possibly it is an ancestral fathers' name being perpetuated in the family? there must be some reason to switch from being called Patrick to James)
- married Margaret COLVIN on 09 Oct 1884 in Almonte, Ont; (daughter of Daniel Colvin and Jane McCrephal?), they resided at 92 Arthur Street, Ottawa
- was a section foreman with the Canadian Pacific Railway
- was a founding member, and grand president of, the United Brotherhood of Railway Trackmen and a member of the Catholic Foresters and the Star Lacrosse Club
- died on 25 Oct 1894, at 42 years of age, also of consumption; and is buried along with his mother and wife at the Notre-Dame Cemetery in Ottawa, Ont.
- William F., born 08 Apr. 1856
- married Margaret CLARKE, date and place unknown; she perished in a fire (one of 86 women who perished) at the Longue Pointe Asylum in Montreal, Quebec in 1890 during the period that Will was working as a road master with the CPR in Montreal
- married Marie-Laura RICARD, of Calumet Island, on 11 Oct. 1893, Arnprior, Ont.
- was our grandfather - established a large, healthy, family of children - named after obscure Shakespearian characters - in Sudbury, Ont.
- was employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway as roadmaster in Ottawa, Montreal and Sudbury (he actually preceeded the C.P.R. - starting in 1877 and retiring in 1925)
- James born circa 1860; deceased per 1661 census, burial or death records undiscovered as of yet!
- Mary-Ann MERCIER born circa 1864
- 'suddenly' appeared with the family on the 1871 census; parents and circumstances unknown
- was still living with Maria, James Patrick and William in Ottawa on the 1881 census
- was possibly a relative (I may be able to ascertain further "Kelly" info if I can establish who her parents were and why she was raised by the Kelleys)
- was a witness at Mary Ann Kelly's marriage
- was known as 'Aunty May' and, I believe, lived in Carleton Place, Ont.(known by Mary Ellen Whalen - daughter of Mary Ann Kelley Whalen - as far as I know she was the only other 'relative' that Mary Whelan ever spoke of)
How does SHEA/SHEY come into it?
Shea?Where did they go?
(Actually I am finding out bit by bit!)
