James T Kelly (1860 - 1930)

Born 29 Mar 1860 in Overton, Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 27 Mar 1930 at age 69 in Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Denise Hershey [send private message]

Biography

James was born March 29, 1860 in Overton, Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States. He was the son of Michael Kelly and Mary O'Brien.

James was married to Sarah Jane Deppen and they had at least seven children.

He passed away March 27, 1930 and is buried at the Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum, Saint Louis, St. Louis City, Missouri, United States. ^[1]

The Family

By 1860, James' parents, Michael and Mary (O'Brien) Kelly had moved from Ireland to Kelly Hill in Pennsylvania. They were both 40 years old. Mary's father Patrick age 63, and her mother Mary age 64 lived with them and their children: Mary age 7, Hannah age 6 (Hannah is not in the next census), Ellen age 4, Michael age 3 (Michael is also not in the next census), William age 1, and James, age 3/12. ^[2]

By 1870, Michael was 50 years old and a widower. Mary's father Patrick's age should be 73 but is listed as 70 , and her mother Mary age is now 77 instead of 74. Patrick and Mary are not in the next census. Apparently Michael and Mary lost 2 children and had 2 more. Their children are listed as: Mary Ann age 18, Ellen age 14, William age 11, James, age 10, Catherine age 8, and Margeret age 3.^[3]

By 1880, Mary's parents, Patrick and Mary O'Brien have passed away. Michael was 60 years old. All children are still at home. Their children are listed as: Mary Ann b 1853 - age 27, Ellen S. b 1857 - age 23, William M. b 1859 - age 21, James b 1860 - age 20, Catherine A. b 1862 - age 18, and Margeret b 1866 - age 14.^[4]

The 1890 Census - United States U.S. Census 1890 Census The Eleventh Census of the United States (1890) was destroyed/damaged by fire, at the Commerce Dept. in 1921. We assume all children have moved on. Michael is still alive.

By the 1900 Census, James T has started his own family with Sarah Jane (Deppen) in St. Louis - His family is listed as follows:

-J T Kelley birth PA March 1862 age 38 (note, he's in the 1860 census, so he was: born in 1860, not 1862 and his age would have been 40)

-Sarah Kelley birth Kentucky Aug 1875 age 25

-Eugen Kelley birth Missouri Mar 1895 age 5

-Katy Kelley [this is Mary Catherine?] birth Missouri Oct 1896 age 4

-James Kelley birth Missouri Jun 1899 age 1^[5]

By the 1910 census the family has grown:

-James T Kelly birth PA age 48 (note, he's in the 1860 census, so he was born in 1860, not 1862 and his age would have been 50)

-Sarah J Kelly birth Kentucky age 34

-Eugene J Kelly birth Missouri Mar 1895 age 15

-Mary R Kelly [this is Mary Catherine?] birth Missouri Oct 1896 age 12

-James W Kelly birth Missouri Jun 1899 age 10

-John R Kelly birth Missouri age 8

-Richard F Kelly birth Missouri age 4

-Ambrose D Kelly birth Missouri age 2^[6]

The 1920 census is the last one for James T Kelly. The children are still living at home in St. Louis.

-James T Kelly head birth Pennsylvania age 57 (really age 60)

-Sarah J Kelly birth Kentucky age 44

-Eugene J Kelly birth Missouri age 24

-Mary C Kelly birth Missouri age 22

-John R Kelly birth Missouri age 18

-Richard F Kelly birth Missouri age 13

-Ambrose D Kelly birth Missouri age 12

-Vincent I Kelly birth Missouri age 8

-Robert B Kelly birth Missouri age 3 1/12^[7]

Formation of the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)

Ten men met in 1891 to initiate a national union for electrical workers. See picture attached. James T Kelly was one of those men. He was the first Grand Secretary, and he held the organization together while others recruited members. He and his wife, Sarah Jane Deppen made several personal loans and even mortgaged their farm in order to pay the bills and the latter was to help widows of electrical workers.

Source - Summary of the first few pages of the book "Dreams of Dignity, Workers of Vision - A History of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers" by Grace Palladino Published by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Washington, D.C. All right reserved. Printed by Kelly Press, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. Copyright by Grace Palladino 1991

Another source - the personal memoirs of Helen Jane Kelly Cramer, one of J.T.'s grand-children, where she talks about J. T. and Sarah mortgaging their property on Kelly Hill in PA..

From the Family Biographies published for "The First Irregular Kelly Family Reunion" June 27-29, 1997 and attended by more than 100 relatives, the following paragraphs were written about James T Kelly:

James Kelly was born on March 3, 1860, in Overton, Bradford County, PA. He attended and probably graduated from the Susquehanna Institute in Towanda PA. There is no record of when or why he came to St. Louis or how he got involved in electrical work. In November 1891, he founded the IBEW in St. Louis upstairs over Stolley's Dance Hall.

In 1892, he was living at a boarding house run by Sarah Jane Deppen's aunt and uncle. He married Sarah Jane Deppen on the 23 May 1893, at the Church of the Visitation in St. Louis MO, with Sarah's cousin Mary Deppen and Charles J. Sutter as witnesses.

"At some point in his career he added the initial T to his name, probably because James Kelly was a fairly common one. James taught his sons the business and the older ones especially helped him out. Uncle Jack talked about how they helped him with the electrical work for debutante parties. I'm sure he did some of the wiring for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904. My father, Eugene J., was a lineman before he went into the army in 1918. Vincent I. Was the only son who joined the union and followed in his father's footsteps sometime in the 1940's. -- By Bernadette Kelly Tapella

Argument as to whether J.T. Kelly's middle name is Timothy

Someone on Find A Grave as well as in Ancestry.com has used the middle name "Timothy" as his middle name.

By the time he was an adult, he identified himself as J.T. Kelly. In publications from/about the IBEW union, he's always identified as J.T. Kelly. He did have a grandfather named Timothy and maybe someone made the leap to Timothy as his given middle name.

In all formal documentation I have found about him, none of them have him with a given middle name as Timothy. Many of these documents did not require a middle name or initial, therefore the lack of one is not proof. However, where I found nearby names with middle initials, James didn't have a middle namel, or at best, the middle initial was T.

I have not located a birth certificate. Likely he was born on the remote farm in Forks Township, Overton PA and there were no official documents produced that I have found.

Looking back to the census' during his early years with his parents, Michael Kelly and Mary (O'Brien) Kelly we see that in 1860, none of the family has a middle initial. Then in 1870, none of the family has a middle initial except for Mary Ann, whose middle name is spelled out. In 1880, All family members have a middle initial, except James, his father, and the youngest sister Margeret. These certainly don't prove he didn't have a middle initial, but for his first 20 years documentation has him without a middle initial.

In his later years he was always identified as James T Kelly or J T Kelly.

The death certificate lists his full name: James T Kelly^[8]

Social Security continued for Daughter [Sister Jamesetta] Mary Catherine Kelly - lists him as James T Kelly ^[9]

Conclusion: I believe that "Timothy" should be removed as his middle name, and changed to the initial T. -- Denise Cramer Hershey, daughter of Helen Jane Kelly, daughter of Richard F Kelly, son of J.T. Kelly

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial 48036385
2. ↑ ["United States Census, 1860," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9BSX-9BC8?cc=1473181&wc=7QL9-YRJ%3A1589434177%2C1589426720%2C1589435119 : 24 March 2017), Pennsylvania > Sullivan > Forks Township > image 3 of 18; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)]
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QK1-QQ?cc=1438024&wc=92K4-923%3A518666601%2C519047001%2C519055401 : 13 June 2019), Pennsylvania > Sullivan > Forks > image 18 of 24; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.)
4. ↑ ["United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW6G-DWX : 16 July 2017), Michael Kelly, 1880; citing enumeration district ED 171, sheet 442D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d), roll 1095; FHL microfilm 1,255,095]
5. ↑ ["United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3D8-JTG : accessed 13 June 2019), J T Kelley, Precinct 3 St. Louis city Ward 27, St. Louis, Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 403, sheet 14B, family 282, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,900.]
6. ↑ ["United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M21B-2VP : accessed 13 June 2019), James T Kelly, St Louis Ward 26, St Louis (Independent City), Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 408, sheet 11A, family 236, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 822; FHL microfilm 1,374,835.]
7. ↑ ["United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M88H-D21 : accessed 13 June 2019), James T Kelly, St Louis Ward 26, St Louis (Independent City), Missouri, United States; citing ED 514, sheet 12A, line 26, family 285, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 961; FHL microfilm 1,820,961.]
8. ↑ https://www.sos.mo.gov/images/archives/deathcerts/1930/1930_00011388.PDF]
9. ↑ [U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 on ancestry.com]