Genesee County MI Archives Biographies.....Kelly, Frank L. December 16, 1893 - June 3, 1957 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kelly Wernette http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00030.html#0007483 March 27, 2012, 6:00 pm Source: Genesee County Genweb Author: Kerlly D. Wernette "THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FRANK KELLY, 1893-1957" By Kelly D. Wernette/kellywernette@yahoo.com In 1885, John F. Kelly married Magdalena Foltz, known thereafter by her married name "Mary Kelly." Mary was born in Fort Recovery, Ohio on April 5th, 1866. Mary and John Kelly produced five children during their long marriage and one of their children was my grandfather, Frank Leopold Kelly, 1893-1957. Frank was born in Rush Lake, Minnesota on December16, 1893. John Kelly, Frank's father, was a civil war orphan. Therefore, there is very little information on his early years. He may have been born in Cincinnati, Ohio around 1854. The family has no documented evidence of his birth or whereabouts for the first thirty years of his life, so Frank had no known relatives on his father's side of the family. On the contrary, Mary Kelly has a very well documented genealogy and family history. Through her, Frank was related to the Doll, Weis, and Foltz families of northwestern Minnesota. These relatives on his mother's side were the early pioneers and the original settlers of the Rush Lake section of Ottertail County Minnesota in 1866. They had traveled by oxcart and covered wagon from St. Cloud during an emigration from Fort Recovery Ohio known historically as "The Trail of Hope," so Frank's grandfather and grandmother, John and Lena Foltz, were perhaps the oldest pioneer family in the area. The first 14 years of Frank Kelly's life was spent surrounded by a huge extended family on his maternal line of the family. He was born into a devoutly Catholic German community. The Catholic part of his upbringing has an interesting historical background. According to the history of Rush Lake Township, many of the early settlers of this community were under the direction of a renegade priest known as Father Albrecht. During Frank's mother's early life this extremely popular religious leader would be excommunicated for failure to comply with the wishes of the local Bishop. The community at that time stuck with their ex-communicated priest during the early years of settlement. The following lines appear in the history of Rush Lake: "Rush Lake, the location of the second permanent settlement in the county, was first settled by a colony of Germans in the summer of 1866 from Ohio. The leader of the colony was a German Catholic Priest. He and his people came from St. Joseph, Mercer county, Ohio, and within a few years their farms were in a high state of cultivation. ~ These people left Ohio on account of some religious difficulty, and under the leadership of their priest, Joseph M. Albrecht, came in a body to Otter Tail county to make their permanent home." The event that lead to the good father's excommunication seems rather comical by today's standards. Several young ladies appeared at Mass wearing "hoop skits." Father Albrecht allegedly took a switch to the girls and drove them out of the church. The Bishop having heard of this event, excommunicated the priest. However, most members of the community stuck with the priest and would eventually emigrate once again in 1883 when the Great Northern Railroad opened its first line to Oregon. Many of Frank's uncles and aunts left with the Albrecht contingency but his grandfather and grandmother did not. John and Magdalena Foltz stayed at Rush Lake, and become members of the St. Lawrence Parish, a mainstream Catholic church. They are buried in the St. Lawrence Cemetery. Religion played a smaller role in the life of Frank Kelly. By the time he was born the entire Father Albrecht crowd had emigrated to Oregon. Perhaps the residue and pain of these early events in Rush Lake created an ambivalent attitude toward the Catholic religion, because Frank would never be a active Catholic during his lifetime. However, his mother Mary Kelly stuck with Catholic religion to the end of her life. Her funeral services was held at the St. Francis Catholic church, Brainerd, Minnesota. There is a family photo of a large white house that has these words written on the back: “John F. Kelly family lived from 1885-1907. --Frank was born here."This is clearly written on the back of this photo. This home is located in the northwestern corner of Minnesota at Rush Lake, Ottertail County. Frank Leopold Kelly was born in this house on December 16, 1893. He attended the Rush Lake Elementary School and his teacher was Peter Ritter. The photo of Rush Lake Elementary School can be seen by searching the Ottertail Museum photo collection. Also, a complete biography of Frank Kelly and other family members can be viewed by going to the Aitkin County Genweb page in Minnesota. This biography has pictures which could not be reproduced on this site. Go to this URL: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mnaitkin/lifetimes.htm On December 16, 1893, Mary (Foltz) Kelly gave birth to Frank Leopold Kelly in her home at Rush Lake, Minnesota. During the family's Rush Lake years, 1885- 1907, Mary would have other children as well. They were Francis Rose Kelly (1886), Joseph George Kelly (1890), and Cecilia Mary Kelly (1896). The Kelly family photo album has a wonderful picture of Frank Leopold Kelly and his little sister Cecilia about 1900. This photo shows the typical school attire for this period at the Rush Lake Elementary School. The photo has "Olson Photography Perham”, written clearly on the front of the image. The family would only stay in the Rush Lake area until 1907. That year the Rush Lake Bulletin Newspaper had an announcement that John F. Kelly was selling his land and farm equipment to move his family to Brainerd, Mn. They lived at Rush Lake between 1885-1907. This historic photo is the oldest photo we have of Frank Leopold Kelly. To view this photo go to this URL: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mnaitkin/lifetimes.htm Tracing the "picture" of Frank Leopold Kelly's life in these early years is quite easy. The family historian has wonderful documentation of his life and excellent photographs that can be used to reconstruct the important events of his life. We see him and his little sister pictured as early as 1900. We see his brother Joe and sister Francis Rose pictured in 1898. We see him pictured as a football player in 1907 and as a basketball player in 1910. Then he moves on to Columbus College where we see him pictured in numerous athletic pictures (1914-1915). During his courtship, early marriage, and adult life we can see Frank pictured during key historical moments. Hundreds of wonderful old pictures help us reconstruct and put together a "picture of his life." The Kelly family scrapbook has a photo of the Columbus College football Team circa 1914. Frank is in the back row third from the right. He is also pictured as the manager/coach of the school baseball team the same year. Columbus was a Catholic college and the Priest in the middle indicates the religious leaders supported athletics. The school was purchased by the Catholic church in 1909 and the stayed open until 1923. In 1923 the school became the Chamberlain Indian School which it still is today. It is interesting to note that information about Columbus College in Chamberlain, South Dakota, is extremely difficult to come by. If you search for information on the internet almost nothing comes up. So Frank Kelly’s collection of 15 sports photos with team pictures might be of interest to future historians. In 1907 we see a very important historical photograph. This key year for the Kelly family was caught on film. Mary Kelly and her oldest daughter Francis Rose are pictured standing in front of an old farm house with a white picket fence. This is the home that Frank was born in and where he would spend the first 14 years of his life. This would be the last year the family would live together in Rush Lake. In the Rush Lake Bulletin Newspaper a story appeared announcing the sale of all of John F. Kelly's land and property. The article announced the family was moving to Brainerd, Minnesota. We have few pictures of Frank Kelly's father John F. Kelly, 1854-1933. There was one historic one taken in 1929 in Fairburn, South Dakota. Joseph Kelly and Wife Ophelia are pictured with John. Joe was the oldest son in Frank's family and was a successful business man in the Black Hills area. He managed a store in Rapid City, South Dakota before opening his own store, the "Kelley Market." From studying census data on the John F. Kelly family we see an interesting transition in how the family spelled there last name. In the 1900 census all of the family spelled there last name Kelley. In the 1920 and 1930 census the “e” was dropped and the more modern Kelly was used. Only one member of the John F. Kelly family maintained the older spelling though out his life. Oldest son Joe Kelley took his old school name with him to California where he owned and operated a successful furniture business after leaving Rapid City South Dakota. Leaving Rush Lake was a difficult move for the Kelly family. John F. Kelly was leaving his farm and homestead to travel to Aitkin, Minnesota to work for the Railroad. The family would soon move into a nice home on Birch Street and young Frank would attend school. He would graduate from the 8th grade in 1910 from the Aitkin school district. A wonderful story appeared in the High School yearbook that year about an 8th grade boy who helped the High School team win the Minnesota Central State Championship that year. The youngster was Frank Leopold Kelly. Frank would play again in 1911 and the team would only lose two games that year. In 1912 Frank was given a scholarship to attend Columbus College in Chamberlain, South Dakota. He didn't know it at the time, but he had officially left home forever. During 1912, Frank would be a true student athlete. He would successfully complete his course work and participate in a wide variety of sporting activities. We see him picture as coach, manager, boxer, football player, basketball player, and baseball player. We also see him dressed as a cowboy riding a horse in front of the downtown Chamberlain storefronts. This wild- west appearance was very authentic for 1912. The Indian wars on the Great Plains continued on well after the 1890's. Frank was less than 100 miles from Wounded Knee South Dakota and the renegade Sioux warriors of Sitting Bull. The Black Hills to the southwest of Chamberlain was still considered dangerous” Wild County”. A man still needed his six-shooter. It is a point of historical fact that Frank owned one and brought it with him to Michigan. In 1914 a key event took place in the life Frank L. Kelly. While visiting a picnic on America Island, a small island park on the Missouri River in Chamberlain, South Dakota, he meet and became infatuated with a pretty young girl named Stella Louise Thiese. Stella was a local girl and her father owned land in Alexandria, South Dakota. She was also a student/athlete and collegian. She attended the Girls' Island Business School in Grand Island, Nebraska. When they meet they were usually chaperoned, as was the tradition of the time. A picture exists of Frank and Stella at America's island in 1914. They are, of course, surrounded by Stella's family, the Thiese/Ryberg families of South Dakota. Within a year of this picture they would be married. In 1915 Frank and Stella were married in Yankton, South Dakota. Frank soon discovered that the Thiese family of South Dakota was among the earliest settlers and homesteaders. They drove their wagons west from Iowa in the late 1800's and and early 1900’s. Stella's dad, August Thiese, owned homes in the Alexandria and White Lake regions. William Thiese, Stella's uncle, was a well known blacksmith, businessman, and custom buggy whip manufacturer in the Alexandria area. William had registered one of the first claims in the Yankton area at the federal land office. His family and his daughters were close friends with Stella during her high school years. The newlyweds left Yankton South Dakota to visit the Thiese family of Guttenberg, Iowa. These members of Stella's family traced their origins back to Germany. William Thiese the elder immigrated from Germany in 1865. He claimed his farm on the rich fertile flood plains of the Mississippi River and produced 14 children. Stella would introduce Frank to the family and shortly thereafter they took a job to raise a little money. During this stay in Iowa a picture exists of Frank and Stella working the soda fountain counter together in Mason City, Iowa. Frank would then take Stella to visit his family in Minnesota. How long they stayed there is uncertain. According to family lore, Frank would leave Stella with his family while he went east to obtain a job. Frank, according to family lore, would get a job as a projectionist for a new movie theater in downtown Escanaba, Michigan in 1917. Stella would join him in Escanaba where they lived for less than a year. That same year Frank and Stella would move to Flint, Michigan. Frank would once again work as a projectionist, this time for the old Realta theater of Flint. During their Flint years, 1917-1958, Frank and Stella produced a large family of seven children. At first they lived at 421 W. Fifth Street where Stella kept a detailed account of every penny in a bookkeepers ledger. This still exists. For a short time the family lived on Hector Street. Finally, they settled into a home they lived in for over 50 years, the home at 2526 Lawndale. This nice "Dutch Colonial" home, often referred to commonly as a "barn style," was a very historic style home for the Flint area. While living here Frank would land a much better job working for Buick plant 12. He began his forty-year career at Buick with an office job. He was the Administrative Assistant to O. W. Young, the General Manager of Buick. Mr. Young advised Frank to acquire some technical training to compliment his business training at college. Frank agreed to do just that. Just before the Great Depression of 1929, Frank began taking night classes at GMI in Flint. The school was only a short distance from his home. He would eventually become a tool and die maker, a critically important technical job, and his future employment at Buick was assured. His job survived through the depression and prevented him from serving in World War II. His work building the engines of war was considered critical to the defense department. He was soon the foreman at the Grand Blank Tank Plant, in Grand Blank, Michigan. He held this position throughout the war years. Frank did join the Michigan National Guard during those years and he appeared on a list in the Flint Journal called the "Uncle Sam Roll of Honor in Flint." Stella would also work on the Ration Board from 1941-1946. Frank's youngest son Don Kelly also served in the occupation forces of Japan in 1946. According to family lore, Frank asked to return to his old job after the war. He didn't want to continue as a foreman. He reportedly didn't like the politics of being an administrator. He was willing to do it during the war, but when the war ended he wanted out. In 1937 Frank had been an avid union supporter. Prior to the Great War the battles were being fought between labor and management, so when the workers went on strike in the "Sit-down Strike of 1937," he was an enthusiastic participant. All the workers in Flint literally sat down on the job, refusing to continue until GM agreed to negotiate a labor contract with the union. Rumors ran rampant that Federal Troops might be called into the situation. Stella Kelly played her small part in this strike, according to family lore. She used to make up a basket of sandwiches and sneak them into the Plant 12 window under the noises of the security plant guards. After a long standoff, the union won the day and I think Frank never saw himself as a management person from then on. Although he would serve as a foreman during WWII, he returned to his union when the war ended. Frank, throughout his life and throughout his years in Flint, 1917-1957, would always be associated with sports. He was one of the "original seven" referees in the Flint area. He coached, played for, and umpped for many of the factory teams during his era. He won trophies for bowling, baseball, basketball, and more. Between 1925-1930 he coached a semi-pro basketball team in Flint. It was the team sponsored by O. W. Young, the General Manager of Buick. They played other divisions of GM all around the country. He is of course "pictured" in the official Buick Program from that era with his team. When Don and Earl Kelly, his athletically gifted sons, were at the peak of their athletic prowess in the late 30's and early 40's, he always opened his home for the athletes after the big game and victory dance. Eddie Kruppa, who would play for Notre Dame; Lyn Chadnois, All American from Michigan State; and Dominic Tomasi, All American from the University of Michigan, all gathered at the home of Frank Kelly to socialize. Frank's values were tied to the sporting world. It was here in the world of athletics that he formed the notion that sporting achievement coupled with an enlightened academic education were keys to success. Both Don and Earl were indeed successful. They each made first team All State in Football and Basketball for Flint Northern. Some of their individual high school records still stand. Earl earned a football scholarship to play for Ohio State where he also earned a degree in business. He also turned down a basketball scholarship to play for Kentucky. Don won an basketball scholarship to Central Michigan University where he earned his degree in teaching. He went on to coach and teach at Pontiac Northern for 39 years. Don's single game rebounding record of 26 in one game in 1952 is still the best all time performance in CMU basketball history. Don led CMU in rebounding for two consecutive years in 1953/54 and led CMU to a victory over the University of Michigan. Earl would play professional basketball for a Columbus team and would become the owner and president of an Ohio hotel chain. In 1939 Earl led Flint Northern to a State Championship and was All State first team for two consecutive years. Both Don and Earl have joined there Flint Northern teammates in the Flint Sports Hall of Fame. So Frank did indeed pass on this love of sport and sportsmanship to his sons. Some of Frank Kelly’s family stayed in Minnesota. Rose his oldest sister stayed in Brainerd with her husband Joe Wise and her daughter Johanna Wise. John F. Kelly would eventually split from his wife Mary and move to Duluth. George Kelly graduated from Perham High School and joined the Army during World War II. He served in a bomber unit in England that took heavy casualties over Germany. He sent Frank postcards from England throughout the war. He was also an outstanding baseball player in the Perham area who started several leagues and coached. He was Frank's little brother. Francis Rose Kelly, his older sister, has one child still alive in 2004: Johanna Wise at 96. Frank was a colorful individual who was known to smoke a cigar and take a nip of whisky on occasion. Yet, according to his daughter Dorothy Kelly, he did not smoke or drink in the house in front of the children. Stella simply would not allow it. So he was known to walk down Lawndale Avenue past St. Luke's Catholic Church to visit the pub on Friday nights. Here in the 1950's a man could have a pint of beer, a good cigar, and watch the Friday night fights on TV. Frank had himself been a fighter in college and he continued to love this manly art long after his last bout with the gloves in Chamberlain, South Dakota in 1915. When Frank's daughter Dorothy bought the family a TV in 1952, he preferred fights and an occasional baseball game. However, the baseball games put him to sleep. In fact, both Frank and Stella where atypical people for this era. It was unusual to find two parents with a high school education in the 1920's. Yet in the Kelly home of Flint we find two parents with college degrees. Since they both had over two years of college completed, they represented an unusual cultural demographic. Stella was a particularly unusual parent. Here she was, a college graduate who played on the Alexandria girls basketball team of 1908-1909. Then went on to play on her college girl's basketball team of 1911-1914. In some ways Stella's life mirrored Frank Kelly's life. They both graduated from college and played on college sporting teams. They had a lot in common right from the very beginning. Frank must have realized that Stella was no ordinary girl. She was an intrepid, forward- thinking woman. She represented the future and she was the perfect woman to help bring a family into a world where woman would play increasingly important roles in business and sports. Frank and Stella passed on the scholar/athlete tradition. Many of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have graduated from college. Sports and scholastic achievement have played an important role in the lives of many of there descendants. Frank, in the 1950's, was known mostly for his umpping and bowling. These were his primary loves in the twilight of his life. He traveled all over the State of Michigan to attend bowling tournaments (200 average) and to umpire sporting events. Dorothy Kelly, his daughter and statistician, often traveled with him to keep the records. Based on these experiences she became an avid sports fan herself. She also knows more about Frank Kelly than anyone in the family, so I relied on her for the information I used to write this small biography. In my many interviews with Dorothy she had a keen memory and wonderful antidotal material to share. I would like to thank Dorothy for her important contribution to this remembrance of Frank Leopold Kelly. In 1957 Frank Leopold Kelly died. He was a man who had experienced the American West on the Great Plains of South Dakota. He had lived with pioneers and homesteaders in the hardwood forest of northwestern Minnesota. He had participated in the Industrial Revolution, the growth of General Motors, and the creation of unions. Yet somehow, I will always think of him as an athlete and scholar. This tradition seems to be his most enduring legacy. This was the glue that bonded him with Stella and so many of his sons, daughters, and grandchildren. This was the vehicle that took him from Minnesota to Flint and provided him with an interesting life. This is what worked for Frank and Stella. FROM THE AITKIN HIGH SCHOOL 1909 YEARBOOK The basketball season opened with great enthusiasm on the part of those concerned. The auditorium was in almost constant use outside of school hours, as there were nine teams using it. The boys' team was aided considerably by Mr. Dales, especially in their team work and signal work. Hronesh at center went out after the Grand Rapids game, upsetting the team considerably, as a new center had to be worked out. Lueck having gone into a guard position, and Schnarr being put out of the running by an accident in the Duluth game, the material for the position was considerably cut down. Kelly, an eighth grade man, filled it creditably, however. Lueck at guard was especially strong, letting his men have but six baskets in eight games. Petraborg played an especially fine game, making forty-two buckets in one game. Note from biographer: My grandfather Frank L. Kelly was the "eighth grade man" mentioned above. It is interesting I think that Frank L. Kelly would go on to coach and manage a semi pro basketball team from 1920-1930. Obviously, the lessons learned in Minnesota payed off. This truly demonstrates that the eighth grade boy who filled in to help Aitkin High win a State Championship truly came a long way in his remarkable life. Pictures discussed in this biography of Frank L. Kelly can be viewed by going to this URL: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mnaitkin/lifetimes.htm Additional Comments: The John F. Kelly Family 1. John F. Kelly, Born October 17, 1857, Cincinnati, Ohio. Died December 30, 1933, Duluth, Minnesota. Married Magdalena (Mary) Foltz, 1885, Rush Lake, Minnesota. Buried Evergreen Cemetery, Brainerd, Minnesota. Death certificate says John was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Born October 15, 1869. John was possibly a Civil War orphan according to family lore. No person, including himself, knew the exact date of his birth, place of birth, or parents names. John put Cincinnati Ohio down on many census reports so I used that one. However, his date of birth changed from census to census? For parents names he always put question marks. Question marks appear on death certificate as well. However, he is connected somehow to the Foltz, Doll, and Wise families of Minnesota and Fort Recovery Ohio. John is the family mystery man. 2. Mary (Magdalena) M. Kelly, Born 1866, Fort Recovery, Ohio. Died April 26, 1943, Crow Wing County, Minnesota, (Brainerd) Buried Evergreen Cemetery, Brainerd, Minn. 3. Francis Rose Kelly. Born 1866, Rush Lake, Minnesota. Died August 27, 1953, Crow Wing County, Minnesota, (Brainerd). Married Joseph P. Wise, 1906. 4. Joseph George Kelley, Born March 2, 1890, Rush Lake, Minnesota. Died March 6, 1954, San Bernardino, California. (lived: Ontario California) Married Orpha Kelly, South Dakota, est. time 1919. California death records shows name as Kelley. Wife Orpha (Alvina) Kelley died on September 5, 1980, San Bernardino, California. Joe Kelley was the only family member to spell his name with the e in Kelley. 5. **Frank Leopold Kelly, Born December 16, 1893, Rush Lake, Minnesota. Died June 3, 1957, Flint, Michigan. Married Stella Louise Thiese (Kelly) August 26, 1915, Yankton, South Dakota. 6. Cecilia Mary Kelly. Born 1896, Rush Lake , Minnesota. Died 1979. Des Moines, Iowa. Married George Carlson. 7. George James Kelly. Born June 2, 1908, Aitkin, Minnesota. Died July 22, 2003, Manatee, Florida. Wife Dorothy Kelly from Aitkin, Minnesota. US army in England in WWII **Frank Leopold Kelly is my grandfather. My mother Ruth Elaine Kelly was Franks youngest daughter. Kelly D. Wernette: kellywernette@yahoo.com The Frank Leopold Kelly Family 1. Frank Leopold Kelly, Born December 16, 1893, Rush Lake, Minnesota. Died June 3, 1957, Flint, Michigan. Married Stella Louise Thiese (Kelly) August 26, 1915, Yankton, South Dakota. 2. Stella Louise (Thiese) Kelly. Born August 22, 1891, Postville, Iowa. Died May 19, 1958, Flint, Michigan. 3. James Lewis Kelly, Born April 3, 1918, Flint, Michigan. Died July 22, 1951, Flint, Michigan. Married Sue Pennington/California. 4. Dorothy Magdalena Kelly. Born December 4, 1919, Flint, Michigan. As of 2012 92 years old. Living at the Elizabeth House in Clio, Michigan. 5. Earl Francis Kelly, Born March 26, 1921, Flint, Michigan. Died September 5, 1996, Dayton, Ohio. (Kettering) Married Esther Evans (Kelly) in 1943 (Ohio). Esther Kelly died on February 19, 2012 near Kettering Ohio. 6. Marguerite Kelly. Born September 30, 1922, Flint, Michigan. Married Daryl DeRyk, Tarzana, California. Died October 6, 2003, Burton, Michigan. (near Flint, Mi) 7. Frank Robert Kelly (Bob). Born November 22, 1923, Flint, Michigan. Married Edith? 8. Ruth Elaine Kelly (Wernette). Born December 31, 1925, flint, Michigan. Died December 21, 2008, Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Married George Wernette August 16, 1949, Flint, Michigan. Previous marriage; James Oliver Diamond; married October 2, 1946 in Lucas County, Ohio. Justice of the Peace#161281; Divorced James Oliver Diamond on September 30, 1947. One child; Kelly Diamond Wernette; born 08/23/1947. 9. Donald Eugene Kelly. Born August 31, 1927, Flint, Michigan. Died October 25, 1991, Waterford, Michigan. Married Betty Failing on June 12, 1948, Flint, Michigan. Betty (Failing) Kelly died October 29, 2004, Waterford, Michigan. Don and Betty Kelly adopted 6 Children. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/genesee/photos/bios/kelly618nbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/genesee/bios/kelly618nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 28.8 Kb