Yavapai County AZ Archives Biographies.....Kelly, William N. 1835 - living in 1896
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 5, 2005, 5:54 pm

Author: McFarland & Poole

p. 489-490

  WILLIAM N. KELLY. Pioneer and representative business men of Prescott,
Arizona, are yearly becoming scarcer and it is rarely that such an honorable
record is found as that attached to the business career of William N. Kelly,
merchant, who has been a resident of the city since the year 1865. Mr. Kelly is
a native of the Old Bay State, born in Beverly, October 18, 1835, and is a son
of Moses and Hannah (Needham) Kelly, natives respectively of New Hampshire and
Massachusetts. On the mother's side the family is closely related to Governor
Endicott, who was one of the first governors of Massachusetts. The father of our
subject was a successful business man and passed the closing scenes of his life
in Massachusetts. William N. Kelly, the third in order of birth of eleven
children born to his parents, was educated in the public schools of
Massachusetts, and at an early age embarked in merchandising as a clerk. Later
he was engaged in the same occupation in Boston. Mass., and then opened a
general store at Lynn, Mass. In 1858 he came West and located in Forest City,
California, but soon after went from there to Eureka and later to Nevada County
of that state, where he was engaged in hydraulic mining for some time. In the
year 1865 he made his way on horseback to Prescott, a distance of about one
thousand miles. He came with four other men, and they were compelled to take
every precaution on their journey, as the Indians at that time were very
hostile. They carried their provisions on horseback with them and managed to get
along with very little trouble. At this time there were only about one hundred
and fifty people in Prescott, and Mr. Kelly, seeing the need of a butcher shop
in the place, immediately started out in that business, buying his cattle for
the most part from South Arizona and New Mexico. In the spring of 1868 Mr. Kelly
went back to California and brought back with him a train load of goods from San
Pedro, paying $300 per ton freight. On his return from California he was
accompanied by the brothers D. and A. Henderson, and they subsequently opened a
general store under the firm name of D. Henderson & Company, which continued for
three years. Mr. Kelly then sold out and was engaged in the butcher's business
for two years, but times being hard, he closed out his business and was engaged
in prospecting and mining for a couple of years. This way he became the owner of
some good property. After that he began clerking for his old partners in
Prescott and in about 1876 he opened a store under the firm name of Kelly &
Stephens, and has been actively and successfully engaged in merchandising ever
since. Mr. Kelly was mayor of Prescott for five years and register of United
States Land Office for nine and a half years. At the present time he is the
receiver of the Prescott & Arizona Central Railroad Company. Mr. Kelly is a
Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity and one of the city's most prominent
men. He has witnessed the development and growth of Arizona and has contributed
his share toward its improvement. In the year 1868 he was married to Miss
Martina Stephens, a native of Missouri and daughter of Varney A. Stephens.
Politically Mr. Kelly is a Republican on national affairs, but votes for the
best men in local affairs. He is a man well liked by all and is a representative
citizen.


Additional Comments:
From:

A Historical and Biographical Record of the Territory of Arizona
Published by
McFarland & Poole, Chicago, 1896


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