James Madison Kelley Sr. (abt. 1810 - aft. 1880)

Born about 1810 in Georgia, United States

Husband of Rebecca Jane (Smith) Kelley — married 1 Apr 1835 in Sylacauga, Talladega, Alabama, United States

Descendants

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Biography

James was born about 1810 in Georgia. He died after 1 June 1880, possibly in Clanton, Chilton County, Alabama.

Sources

• "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:29FL-84D : 19 February 2021), James Kelly and Rebecca Smith, 01 Apr 1835; citing Talladega, Alabama, United States, County Probate Courts, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,639,298.

1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Research Notes

James Madison Kelley's 1850-1880 census records state he was born in Georgia. He was enumerated in the 1880 Clanton, Chilton Co, AL census and the official census date (for 1880) was 1 June 1880, therefore he was alive through at least that date.

• Added by descendant Christopher Blake Sims. Through DNA testing several descendants of this man, research has led us to believe his true family comes from William Henry Kelley born 1670 in Kilkenny, Ireland. We don't yet know which of his sons is the correct lineage. A DNA segment on chromosome 1 between 14,831,066 and 23,086,883 leads matches to several Kelley families who all have separate lineages to William Henry Kelley. A phased GEDmatch kit PM185741M1 (Christopher Blake Sims maternal) was used on a segment search for this particular segment to find these common Kelley cousins. Comparing gedcoms led to several Kelley families from early Virginia settlements then spreading to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Another common surname or traveling companion family is found under the surname Smith, also originally from Ireland. This segment has been documented under the DNA Painter Profile for Christopher Blake Sims for Irish DNA via his maternal grandmother Elnora Bullock through her father Charles Fleming Bullock through his mother Ellen Erwin through her mother Sarah Ann Kelley through her father James Madison Kelley using a combination of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousins all descending from James Madison Kelley.