Johnson County KS Archives Biographies.....Kelly, W. H. 1858 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 21, 2008, 2:19 am Author: Ed Blair (1915) W. H. Kelly, a leading business man of Edgerton, and a prominent factor in Johnson county, is a member of one of the representative pioneer families of this section of the State. His parents, William E. and Catherine Kelly, were natives of Ireland. They were married at Middletown, Ohio, in March, 1857, and about that time came west, locating at Elmwood, Ill. They remained there until 1870 when the family came to Kansas and located on a farm in Gardner township. The father was a successful farmer and at the time of his death owned 325 acres of land. In 1898, the parents left the farm, which is still owned by members of the family, and removed to Olathe, where the mother died in 1909, and about four ninths later the father passed away. William E. Kelly and his wife were the parents of the following children: William H., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. W. D. Hendrix; John D.; Thomas T.; Martin J.; Rev. Bernard S.; Mrs. Ella Geer; Sister Marion; Joseph A.; Mrs. J. A. Marshall; Frank X.; Charles M.; Edward E.; Mrs. William Sherr and one who died in infancy. Edward E. and Mrs. Sherr are also deceased. W. H. Kelly was born in Peoria county, Illinois, April 25, 1858, and in February, 1870, came to Johnson county with his parents. He remained on the home farm and received a good common school education, and then took a commercial course in Spaulding's Business College at Kansas City, Mo. In 1882 he entered the employ of the Johnson County Co-operative Association, where he remained until 1884, when he came to Edgerton in the employ of the G. B. Shaw Lumber Company, and remained with that concern until 1888. At that time Mr. Kelly and W. H. Short purchased the Phoenix Milling Company's mill at Edgerton, and that business was operated under the firm name of Kelly & Short until the death of Mr. Short in 1890, when M. J. Kelley, a brother of W. H., purchased the W. H. Short interest in the business and it was conducted by Kelly Brothers until January, 1907, when the plant was destroyed by fire. M. J. Kelly then retired from the business, and W. H. rebuilt, and now the business is conducted by him and his son, Ira. They are extensive buyers and shippers of grain, field seeds and feed of all kinds, and in addition to their well equipped elevator, they operate a corn mill and manufacture corn meal, corn chop, graham and whole wheat flour, and also do custom feed grinding. They also operate what is known among grain men as a shelling and cleaning house. This is especially equipped for cleaning grain and shelling corn in "Transit." The plan is for shippers to have their wheat and corn cleaned here, before shipping it to market and they have a very extensive business of that character. During the season of 1914 they cleaned about 100,000 bushels of grain which was in transit to the market. Mr. Kelly was married to Miss Mary Hendrix, who died at Olathe in 1885. In 1887 he was married to Miss Margaret I. O'Connell and the following children were born to this union: Ira J., who was educated in the public schools and St. Mary's College, and is now associated with his father in business. Maurine, a graduate of St. Mary's Academy in the class of 1914 and Mary W., a senior at that institution. His oldest daughter, Catherine, died in 1900, aged eight years; his youngest daughter, Mildred, died in 1902, aged one year, and their mother, also the mother of Ira, Maurine and Mary, passed away in 1901. In 1907, Mr. Kelly was married to Miss Anna M. Shea, of Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Kelly is a Republican and takes an active part in local politics and in 1910 was the nominee of his party for county treasurer for Johnson county. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF Johnson County Kansas BY ED BLAIR AUTHOR OF Kansas Zephyrs, Sunflower Sittings and Other Poems and Sketches IN ONE VOLUME ILLUSTRATED STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY LAWRENCE, KANSAS 1915 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/johnson/bios/kelly258nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ksfiles/ File size: 4.5 Kb