Preston County, West Virginia Biography of CHARLES T. KELLY This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: ********************************************** ***The submitter does not have a connection*** ********to the subject of this sketch.******** ********************************************** This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume II, pg. 562-563 Preston CHARLES T. KELLY, postmaster of Terra Alta, has the broad capability of practical business knowledge and thorough training in business affairs. He is a native son of Preston County, and is undoubtedly one of the county's best known citizens. He was born at Valley Point July 25, 1873, son of Smith E. and Mary E. (Browning) Kelly, also natives of the same county. His maternal grandfather, James Browning, was grandfather of ex-sheriff J. D. Browning, elsewhere men- tioned in this publication. The paternal grandfather of the postmaster was Edward Kelly, who was born in the Pine Swamp settlement of Preston County and spent his life in the vicinity of Cranesville, where he was buried. He mar- ried Miss Falkenstein. Their children were: Ellis and John W., both of Terra Alta; Smith E.; Jane, wife of Bud Stockman and a resident of Terra Alta; and Margaret, wife of S. H. Shaw, of Terra Alta. Smith E. Kelly was born April 3, 1839, and spent all his active career as a farmer, moving to Terra Alta just a few months before his death, which occurred in 1894. He en- listed in the Union Army at the time of the Civil war, but could not meet the physical qualifications of a soldier and was discharged. He took a genuine interest in the welfare of his community, was a member of the Official Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church, superintendent of the Sunday School, was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and always an enthusiastic republican. His widow, who was born in November, 1840, is now in her eighty-second year. Their children were: James Albin, of Grafton; Stephen Fuller, of Terra Alta; Edward Howard, of Buck- hannon; Frank, who married Miss Laura Ouppet and died as a young man at Bruceton Mills; Charles Thatcher; Grace, wife of John Sellers of Oakland, Maryland; Lettie, Mrs. S. H. Jackson, of Oakland; and Loye, wife of M. O. Miller, of Terra Alta. Charles T. Kelly acquired a common school education, and he reached manhood with a practical knowledge that did not reach beyond his experience as a farm boy. On leaving the farm and coming to Terra Alta he entered the service of the firm of Offutt & Lakin, leading merchants of the village. He was with them sixteen years, and had been promoted to the responsibilities of buyer and manager when he resigned. He resigned to become farm superintendent and superinten- dent of construction of the new buildings of the Tuberculosis Sanitarium of the State at Terra Alta. This service required three years of his time, and at the end he returned to the Offutt-Lakin Company and was in that employment four years more. He then accepted a second call to the state government, as storekeeper under the State Board of Control. He had supervision of all the provisions of every institution in the state, and this was an office requiring a great deal of travel. After five months he resigned and accepted the appointment of postmaster of Terra Alta, which was made September 20, 1921. He succeeded Mrs. B. F. Scott, who had been acting postmistress. Mr. Kelly is a member of the company that owns and publishes the Preston Republican, the only paper of Terra Alta, republican in politics and of weekly issue. In politics he needed no coaching from his father to attract him to become an enthusiastic supporter of the republican party and principles. He cast his first presidential vote for William McKinley, and in every national election since then has continued to give his support to the republican candidate. He has been county committeeman of his party, and has exerted himself to see that the party program was properly supported. He was one of the local citizens who urged the selection of Terra Alta as the site for the State Tuberculosis Sanitarium, and was delegated as a representative to accom- pany and chaperon the State Board, who came to inspect this property. When the location was finally fixed he handled the matter of the petition to make up the deficiency of twenty- five hundred dollars in the purchase price agreed upon be- tween the site owner and the commission, due to the fact that the owner raised his price to that extent after the loca- tion had been made. This money was immediately pledged and preparations began for the construction of the first build- ing. Mr. Kelly at different times was a member of the Town Council, and was on the board when bids were let for street paving and the paving work begun. He was reared a Methodist, and has been closely associated with the work of that church since boyhood. Fraternally he is a Mason, Odd Fellow and Knight of Pythias, has filled the chairs in the Masonic and Odd Fellows Lodges and Mrs. Kelly is a member of the Eastern Star. December 10, 1901, he married Miss Nina Fry, a native of Terra Alta and daughter of Dr. Robert R. and Catherine (Sturgis) Fry. Her father was long prominent as a practicing member of the medical fraternity at Terra Alta, where he died in 1916, at the age of seventy-two. He is survived by his widow and his two children, Mrs. Kelly and Laverna, wife of G. M. Ridenour of Terra Alta. Mrs. Kelly completed her education in Washington City. Since her marriage she has been deeply interested in all the business and civic affairs in which her husband has taken part. She is head of the local missionary work of the Methodist Church, and both of them were loyal workers at the time of the war, assisting in the various drives, while Mrs. Kelly did much knitting and other work for the local Red Cross Chapter. She is a member of the Eastern Star.