BIO: Harry P. KELLEY, Centre County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/centre/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/centre/1picts/commbios/comm-bios.htm _____________________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1898. _____________________________________________________________________ HARRY P. KELLEY, a successful and prosperous coal operator of Snow Shoe, Centre county, and a member of the Snow Shoe Mining Company, was born in Howard, Centre county, Penn., February 5, 1856, a son of Patrick and Sarah (Flack) Kelley. He acquired his education in the common schools, and continued under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age, when he went to Marion county, Iowa, where for seven months he worked in the coal mines. He was next employed in the John Deer plow factory at Moline, Ill., but at the end of two months was called home by the death of his brother, who was killed while unloading sand. For seven months after his return, Mr. Kelley worked in the lumber woods, and then resumed mining, which he continued to follow uninterrupted from 1881 to 1889. In the latter year he became connected with the firm of Tobin & Kelley, in Snow Shoe township, of which firm his father was a member, but the latter died in May, 1889, and in the following July our subject purchased the interest of Mr. Tobin, the firm becoming Kelley Brothers. Under that name busi- COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 257 ness was continued until 1894, when a number of their mines gave out. The year previous they had purchased the Gansallus property (which they are now operating), comprising sixty-eight acres of excellent coal-land in Snow Shoe township. In 1895 was organized the Snow Shoe Mining Company, of which M. D. Kelley, a brother of our subject, is president; T. B. Budinger, treasurer; W. D. O'Bryan, secretary; and William F. Holt, manager. They are doing an excellent business, much of which is due to the capable management of our subject, who has charge of the Snow Shoe Colliery Mines Nos. 1, 2 and 3. On May 24, 1882, in Cooper township, Clearfield county, Penn., Harry P. Kelley was married to Miss Mary Mosebarger, and to them were born six children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: John, June 3, 1883; Logan, September 21, 1884; Thomas September 3, 1886; Paul, May 30, 1889; Mary, April 20, 1892; and Justina, June 19, 1895. All are still living with the exception of Paul, who died on August 22, 1892. Mrs. Kelley is a native of Clearfield county, and a daughter of John and Eva Mosebarger, who were born in Germany, where they married, and whence in 1857 they emigrated to America, locating in Clearfield county, Penn. There the father engaged in farming until his death, which occurred October 3, 1893; the mother is now residing at Peale, in that county. They had four sons and three daughters: John, who is operating the old homestead farm; George (deceased); Frank, who is conducting the "Coal Exchange Hotel" at Philipsburg, Centre county; Frederick, who is in the hotel business in Grassflat, Clearfield county; Lizzie (the eldest daughter) is married to John McGowan, a prosperous farmer in Moshannon; Mrs. Mary Kelley, the second daughter, taught school five terms in Clearfield county, and one term in Centre county; Annie (the youngest) is married to Richard Sheehe, who is proprietor of the "Columbus House" at Lock Haven, Clinton county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Kelley is an ardent supporter of Democratic principles, and has served for three years as school director in the village of Snow Shoe; fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of that place, while in religious faith he is a Roman Catholic.