'THE KELLY FAMILY
SKETCH READ AT THE CELEBRATION OF
SAMUEL KELLY'S 92D BIRTIIDAY
17 December 1890
The progenitors of the
American branch of the Kelly family were John and
Samuel Kelly,
natives of
About the year 1750
they and their only sister, Abigail, emigrated from
They located on the Wateree river, near what is at
present the
city of
Samuel married Hannah
Belton, a native of Queens Co.,
In 1762, the Kelly family removed from the
neighborhood of
John made his home on the south side of
It is with the family and descendants of John and
Mary (Evans)
Kelly that we are particularly interested today. A
contemporaneous writer of the day says that
during the first years of the Revolution, the back districts of South
Carolina
scarcely knew that a war was in actual
progress, but that during the latter
years of the contest -- from 1780 to 1784 -- the neighborhood of
peaceful
Quakers on Bush River was continually harassed by the foraging parties
of both
Whig and Tory forces. Stock was seized,
crops destroyed, and private property
became the prey of contending factions.
In January of 1781,
as Gen. Tarleton's army was marching to attack Morgan at the Cow-Pens,
and
while Colonel Ferguson's regiment was encamped on Bush River, Samuel
Kelly and
his sister Anna were one day on their way to meeting, beset by a band
of
marauding Tories, who determined to carry Samuel before Col. Ferguson
in hopes
of extricating information from him which might be of value to the
British
officers.
In vain the sister
begged and pleaded for the release of her brother: his Captors were
inexorable,
"Then," said Anna, "if you take my brother you will take
me also." When the officer found the
sister was determined to accompany them, and, considering the awkward
situation
of taking a young lady prisoner before his superior officer, he
discharged them
both, and a few days later, when the
officers of His Majesty's 71st Regiment assaulted Abijah O'Neall and
lacerated his head with their swords until his scalp hung in tatters
over his
skull, it was Anna Kelly who, in her angel-hood,
took him. to her father's house, and nursed him back to life.
Judge O'Neall, in his
Annals of Newberry, describes
John Kelly, Sr., as “tall and erect in form,
florid complexion, clear blue eye, ample forehead and grey
hair."
He and his wife were parents of nine
children: Isaac, who died at the age of
16 years; Anna, who married Abijah O'Neall; Samuel, who married Hannah
Pearson
; John, who died in childhood; Timothy died in early manhood; second
John marred
Morris Gaunt; Robert married Sarah
Patey; and Moses, who
married Mary Tague. They were. the parents
of the Hon. Robert Kelly, of
In those days it was not contrary to the discipline
of the
Friends' Church to own slaves, and of
these human chattels Mr. Kelly was a large holder.
Amongst his slaves
was one young man of unusual promise, and Mr. Kelly told him that if he
would
be true and faithful, he would cause him to be manumitted at his
death.
The slave was so much pleased with the idea of gaining his freedom,
that he
mingled poison with the waters of a
favorite spring at which he knew his master was fond of drinking,
thereby causing the death of his indulgent owner.
Under the laws of primogeniture, the estate descended to the eldest son Isaac, and his death following very soon after, the inheritance passed to the younger brother Samuel.
Samuel Kelly and his sister Anna (Mrs. O'Neall) were both conscientiously opposed to the institution of slavery, and determined to rid themselves and their families of its stain.
In 1798. Samuel and his brother-in-law, Abijah
O'Neall,
purchased of Dr. Jacob Roberts Brown, the option on his military
claim of 3,000 acres of land, said to be located on the
Little Miami River, near the town of
And one night, when
they had made their campfire in the wilderness, after eating their frugal supper they carefully returned
the surplus to their saddle-bags, and hobbling their horses to keep them from straying, they replenished their
camp-fire,
and lay down to sleep. At a late
hour in the night, one of them was startled by something pulling at the
saddlebag on which his head was pillowed,
and as he sprang hastily to his feet, in surprise he saw s
large gray
wolf disappear in the darkness. It was not
the presence of the wolf, but the boldness of the act, that caused the
surprise.
During their hasty
visit they were unable to locate all the land named in the
warrant, but
were so pleased with what they
did find, that they determined to return
home and at once make preparations to complete the purchase and
take
possession. Mr. O'Neall was able to close up his business in
Both brothers being
members of the Bush River Friends' Meeting, they asked for
certificates
of membership, which the meeting refused
to give, saying that it was the act of insane men to take their
families into the wilderness. The reply
was that they merely went to prepare
the way for the rest of the Meeting!
Judge O'Neall says: "The exodus begun by Abijah O'Neall in 1799 and Samuel Kelly in 1800 was followed so rapidly that Bush River Meeting melted away like frost on a May morning, and at the lapse of the next six years the meeting which he had frequently seen attended by five hundred Friends, had practically passed out of existence, and in a few years more its doors were closed forever."
In mid October of
1800, Samuel Kelly with his family started to the
Some reminiscences of
the journey have been left by one who was old enough to recollect
vividly its incidents
-- Mrs. Mary Whitacre -- and she describes one of their most difficult
day's
travel, the passage of Clinch Mountain:
"The train started at daylight; and by putting two
and
even three teams to a single wagon, they were pulled up the
mountain-side,
where it seemed almost impossible for a led horse to climb, and when
the top was
reached, the wagons were let down the opposite side by tying stout
cables to
them, and then taking a turn around a convenient sapling or tree, and
holding taut
or allowing the rope to slip, as the case might require. Where the
descent was
not so precipitous, trees were cut down
and tied on behind, to act as a drag -- happi1y, an antiquated style of
rub-lock."
Mrs. W. was at that
time 11 years old, and her brother Samuel was only 2 years of
age; yet
she rode most of the way on horseback and carried her baby brother on
her lap.
The family arrived at Waynesville on the
last day of November, after forty days of continuous travel.
Mr. Kelly's family spent their first winter at the home of their relative, Mr. O'Neall, and early in the following spring they moved into a house which had in the meantime been built on this farm, and only a short distance from where we are now assembled. Here Mr. Kelly made his home, and made it a typical home; a home which was a synonym for love, peace, kindness, benevolence, hospitality and every christian virtue.
Here was the hearthstone around which the Friends'
Many of us remember Samuel Kelly, senior, well. The description given of his father, John Kelly might almost, without change, be used in describing him. In the prime of life he stood six feet high, a stature which his great age but little decreased. Broad shouldered, and with a well-proportioned form, he had the same clear Irish skin, the same open, frank eye, the same straight nose, a broad, full forehead, and a head of silvery white hair. He retained his faculties unimpaired, with the exception of his hearing, up to the close of his life. His active habits he a1ways retained. He was much given to exercise on horseback, and he and his favorite saddle-horse, Charlie, were alike known by everyone.
To Samuel Kelly and his wife were born eight children: Mary, who married Andrew Whitacre; Isaac, who died unmarried; John married Mary O'Neall; Timothy married Avis Sleeper; Samuel -----------; Moses died in infancy; and Moses who first married Abigail Satterthwaite, and secondly Ann, daughter of Edward and Rachel Hatton, and Anna, who died in maidenhood.
We are now ca11ed upon to speak of our venerable
kinsman and
friend, whose 92d birthday we have assembled here to
commemorate. In him we see an exemplification of
the language of the Psalmist:
'"The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children."
In him we see the fruits of the good life of that christian man, John Kelly; and in him ,we see reflected the christian benevolence, the kindness and love of that noble old man, Samuel Kelly, Sr. In him we see an illustration of christian virtue, sobriety, faith, and temperance in all things.
Samuel Kelly, son of Samuel and Hannah Pearson
Kelly, was born
in
On January 8th, 1829, he was united in marriage with Achsah, daughter of Isaac and Margaret (Carter) Stubbs. To them four children were born, three of whom now survive. Mrs. Kelly deceased October 23d, 1840. On May 3d, 1843, he was married to Ruth Ann Gause. They were the parents of two children, both of whom died in infancy, and were followed by the death of their mother, September 13th, l863. On April 30th, 1868, Mr. Kelly was married to Sarah Pine, who departed this life April 27th, 1877.
When Samuel Kelly was first married he located on a farm three miles south of Morrow. Here he remained until 1850, when he returned to the old home place, the home of his childhood, the place around which so many fond recollections cluster, and which was so full of associations of parents, sisters and brothers.
This love of home, this continuity, is perhaps a
family
characteristic, and of it one of his cousins writes: “At
Our relative
has seen many changes in the land of
his adoption. When he first came to Waynesville, Abijah O'Neall
lived on
the hill east of Corwin, and the McKinsey farm was occupied by Abraham
Studebaker, and a family whose name was Miller lived on the river near
what in
time past was known as Dutch Ford. Then,
north, east and south was all a wilderness. William Smalley lived
near
road, nor a bridge. There was not a church-building nor a
school-house in what is now
Now we drive from one side of the county to the other, over nine hundred miles of free turnpike road, and never wet the tires of our buggies; and from where the Kelly cabin stood, we see the church-spires of half a dozen different villages pointing to heaven, and our ears are saluted by the sound of a score of different school-bells.
Let us honour the old man whom we have with us today. He it was who helped make this change. Peace has its heroes as well as war. While one devastates and destroys, the other creates and builds up. How much more fitting, then, that we should entwine the laurel around the brow of one who assists in making a nation, than that of him who pulls one down.
He whom we honor
today is a hero of peace. His generation is a grand one. But few
remain. He is
the last link which binds us to those of the past century. A ruder
blast than
usual may soon shake the withered bough to which clings the sere and
yellow
leaf. Old age with its infirmities presses on him, yet his day is not
dark, for
he has carried love and cheerfulness with him, even to the threshold of his second century.
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