William Washington Jones Kelly
1802 to 1921
Contributed by: Russell James
1802 Feb 4 Hanson Kelly and Susan Clark are married
in New Hanover County, North
Carolina. Bondsman was Samuel Bludworth. Witness was Thomas F. Davis.
Source: Jean McCall Coleman Olin@puritanproject.com
1814 Apr 07 born in Wilmington, North Carolina to Hanson
and Susan Clark Kelly
Some
sources say 1791 or 1792, but they are wrong.
Another William Kelly in
Escambia
County who was alive at time of this William was the
one
who was born in 1792.
Source
(bad): gravestone marker put up by SCV
says 1792
Source (bad): http://www.familysearch.org
Hanson
was a port authority police officer in Wilmington and an importer/exporter.
182? Kelly
family moves to Pensacola.
1830 Census,
population schedule, Escambia County, West of Escambia River, page 61, line 14
Kelley,
Hanson
3
males 5-10?
1
male 50-60?
2
females 10-15
3
females 15-20
1
female 30-40
2
slave males 0-10
1
slave male 24-36
2
slave females 0-10
1
slave female 24-36
1831 Nov 24 Hanson Kelly appointed postmaster of
Pensacola
Source: “Postmasters of Pensacola, Florida,
1821-1962.” Archives Division, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Escambia County, Florida.
1832 Nov 11 admitted to the Bar in Escambia County
Source: Kelly family papers, Historical Resource
Center, Pensacola, FL
1833 Hanson
Kelly is listed for the first time in the Pensacola Gazette as postmaster. There are missing
years
1831-1832. In 1830, another man is
listed as postmaster.
Source:
Pensacola Gazette, 18 January
1833, p. 3
Hanson
Kelly is on the board of directors of the Bank of Pensacola
Source:
Pensacola Gazette, 25 January 1833, p. 2
Hanson
Kelly is operating an import/export business
Source:
Pensacola Gazette, 25 January 1833, p. 2
1834 Jul 5 Mary Ella Smith born in Coosahatchie,
Beauford District, South Carolina
Source: Confederate application of Mary Ella Kelly,
A-12312
1835 Appointed
auctioneer for Escambia County by Territorial governor
Source:
Territorial papers
14 Nov Kelly began serving as clerk of the superior
court of Escambia County until 1842
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 9 Jan 1836, p.
1, listed for first time as court clerk
with the date of notice given as
14 Nov 1835.
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 4 Dec 1841, p. 3
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 25 Dec 1841, p. 3
Source: Pensacola Gazette, Jan 1842
1836 Kelly
listed as master in chancery for the superior court
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 18 June 1836, p. 2
1837 Jan 23 Signed a petition to Congress asking for
the establishment of a steamboat mail
route
from Pensacola to Mobile.
Source: Territorial papers
1840 Census,
Florida, Escambia County, page 19, line 20
Found
in the census in the household of his father Hanson Kelly
Hanson
Kelly had one son 5-10, one son 15-20, two sons 20-30, one daughter 0-5,
Two
daughters 20-30, and a wife 40-50. He
also owned 3 male slaves 0-10, one
Male
slave 36-55, 1 female slave 0-10, 2 female slaves 24-36, and one female
Slave
36-55.
Source: 1840 U.S. Census, population schedule,
Florida, Escambia County, page 19, line 20.
1841 Feb 10 nominated to be justice of the peace for
Escambia County by governor Reid and
served
in this capacity until the 1850s.
Source: The Territorial Papers of the United States.
Vol. XXVI. Page 259.
Source: Marriage Books C & D, Escambia County,
Florida show that Kelly
married
couples well into the late antebellum period.
Mar 27 Hanson Kelly ran for mayor against B. D.
Wright. Wright won.
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 27 Mar 1841, p. 4
Hanson
Kelly’s import/export business included ownership of an ice house
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 10 Apr 1841, p. 2
Dec Secretary of a public meeting that asked
the Postmaster General to establish a steam
ship
mail route from Mobile to Pensacola.
Hanson also attended this meeting.
Benjamin
D.
Wright was the chairman of this public meeting.
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 11 Dec 1841, p. 2
1842 Kelly ran
for senator for western district of Florida
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 8 Aug 1842, p. 3
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 8 October 1842, p.
2
article
about him from Apalachicola Journal
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 15 Oct 1842, p. 2
lost
election
1843 Was the
curator for the estate of Ann S. Drake
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 15 April 1843, p.
4
1844 Sep Served as secretary of a public meeting
called to express feelings toward the death of
Commodore
Alexander J. Dallas.
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 14 Sep 1844, p. 2
Elected
to the Florida territorial senate from Escambia County
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 28 Sep 1844, p.
1 add in favor of Kelly
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 9 Nov 1844, p. 2
announcement
of victory.
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 21 Dec 1844
p. 2
1845 Listed as an eligible voter in the 1st
statewide election from Escambia County.
Source: Statewide Election Returns, RG 156, S486,
Florida State Archives.
May 26 elected to first Florida State House of
Representatives from Escambia and Santa Rosa
counties
as a Whig
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 4 May 1845, p.
3. Endorsed Kelly as Whig candidate.
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 31 May
1845, p. 2. Announces election victory.
Legislature
met in November and January at this time.
1846 6 Apr Elected alderman for Pensacola
Source: “Some Officials of the City Government of
Pensacola.” Florida Historical
Quarterly 3, no. 3 (January 1925), 32.
Served
his term as Alderman concurrent with his term as state representative.
01 May Served as secretary of a public meeting
called to form a company from Escambia and
Santa
Rosa County to go serve in the Mexican War.
Source: Pensacola Free Democrat, 6 May 1846,
p. 3.
Was
Secretary of the Escambia Lodge No. 15 F & AM of the Masonic Order
Source: Pensacola Free Democrat, 01
Jul 1846 p.1 advertisement
Source: Escambia Lodge No. 14 F & AM
Was
a member of this lodge’s “Christian” section until his death.
Source: Gene ???, secretary, Escambia Lodge NO. 14
F&AM, upon
viewing
the gravestone marker of Kelly.
Elected
to the Florida state senate from Escambia County
Source: Pensacola Gazette 10 Oct 1846 p. 2
Source: Pensacola Gazette 24 Oct 1846,
p. 2.
Source: Tallahassee Floridian 21 Nov 1846, p.
2.
Legislature
met in November and January at this time.
Was
nominated by fellow senators to become the president of the Senate, but lost
after a few
votes.
1847 Captain of
Company A, Florida Volunteers, Mexican-American War
To training at Ft.
Pickens
Apr Served as commanding officer of Ft.
Pickens for one month
Source: Letter, Whiting to Totten, 22 Apr 1847.
1848 Mar Service in Mexico, mustered out in New
Orleans
Source: Davis, T. Frederick. “Florida’s Role in the War with
Mexico.” Florida
Historical Quarterly (1945).
Source: James, Russell D.
“Florida Volunteers In the Mexican War, 1846-1848” Thesis, University of West Florida, 2002.
Source: James, Russell D. Too
Late For Blood: Florida Volunteers in
the Mexican War. Milton, FL: Cantadora Press, 2002.
1850
Census: page 127,
household 81 Escambia County
KELLY Hansen 73 port master NC
Hannah 60 NC should be Susan
W.W.I. 34 lawyer NC should be W. W. J.
Frederick 29 NC
Blakely 23 NC probably Hanson, Jr.
1850 Elected
Worshipful Master of the Escambia Lodge No. 15 F & AM
Photograph
is in the Escambia Lodge No. 15 F & AM
1851 Jan 2 received bounty land warrant No. 50-160-1293.
Dec 30 married Pauline Virginia Mitchell
Source: Marriage Book C, page 68, Escambia County,
Florida
Source: LDS website
Source: Pensacola Gazette 01/03/1852 page 3,
says “purser Kelly”
Source: http://searches1.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/archives/fl/escambia/vitals/marriages/1521854.txt
Re-elected
Worshipful Master of the Escambia Lodge No. 15 F & AM
Jan 2 Granted bounty land warrant No.
50-160-8036 for his service in the Mexican War.
1852
Daughter Pauline Virginia was born.
Mar 19 Used Mexican War bounty land warrant to
locate land at the land office at Tallahassee
Land
Office, Tallahassee, Florida. E1/2 of
E1/2, Section 14, Township 2 North, Range 27 West in Santa Rosa County.
April 5 joined the Corps of Pursers of the United
States Navy
Source: Confederate parole application letter LDS
1578753
Source: General Register of the United States Navy
and Marine Corps….page 402
Source: National Archives. Military Service Records of W. W. J. Kelly as
purser
in the U.S. Navy, 1852-1861.
May 21 ordered
to sea service with the U.S.S. Perry
Source: Kelly family papers. “Chronological Biography of William Washington Jones Kelly, A. D.
1814-1878.”
Not
clear when he joined the Navy but was given a rank of “major,” one
unique to the Purser Corps. Navy
officers usually don’t have this rank.
Re-elected
Worshipful Master of the Escambia Lodge No. 15 F & AM
1853 Sep wife Pauline Virginia Mitchell Kelly dies
of yellow fever.
Source: Obituary in Pensacola Gazette 09/10/1853 page 3
Source: Kelly Mexican War Pension application says
she died of yellow fever.
1855 Apr 03
returned to duty as the purser aboard the U.S.S. Perry
While
he was in Navy, his daughter was cared for by family, probably a sister or
his
parents.
May 11 Hanson Kelly died in this year intestate and
his estate was handled by Hanson Kelly, Jr., who does
not show up on any
of the census returns (may have been Blakely).
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 12 May 1855, p. 2
Source:
Hanson Kelly probate record, Escambia County Clerk of the Court Archives, file number
0-616-CP-03
Source: St. Michael’s Cemetery book
Jun 25 Susan Kelly died.
Source: Pensacola Gazette, 30 Jun 1855, p. 2
Source: St. Michael’s Cemetery book
1856 May 18 Marries Mary Ella Smith in Pensacola
Married
by Rev. Dr. Sparrow of the Presbyterian Church
Source: Mexican War pension application of Mary Ella
Kelly, 15 January 1889.
Source:
No record in Escambia County marriage books
Source:
Pensacola Gazette, 24 May 1846, p. 3.
Says “Major Kelly.”
Jul
18 Detached to settle accounts in
Pensacola
Source:
Kelly Family Papers
Sep
03 returned to duty at the Pensacola
Navy Yard
Source: Kelly family papers
1856
Sep 23 detached from service at Pensacola Navy Yard to serve
as purser on the U.S.S. Preble
Source: Kelly family papers. “Chronological Biography of William
Washington Jones Kelly, A. D. 1814-1878”
1857
Sep 23 appointed to
act as purser for the U.S.S. Preble
Oct 25 appointed to act as purser for the U.S.S. Southern
Star as well as the Preble
Source: Kelly family papers. “Chronological Biography of William
Washington Jones Kelly, A. D. 1814-1878”
Source: A letter to his sister from Rio De Janeiro laments his father’s
passing and talks about the state of affairs aboard ship. The ship he was on is not enumerated in the letter.
1860
Census: Escambia
County, page 16, household 368
KELLY W. W. J. 45 U.S.N. $1000 $10000 NC
Mary
Ella 26 SC
Pauline
V. 8 FL
Mary
S. 3 FL
W.
W. 2 FL
Fedrick NC insane
Kelly was
probably the legal guardian of his brother.
Slaves 1 38 F Mul
1 30 F Black
1 19 F Black
1 31 F Black
1 28 M Black
1 19 M Black
1 4 M Black
1 2 M Black
1 1 M Black
Jun 7 buys lots 21 & 22, Sq. 26, Section
19, Township 2S Range 30W in Pensacola.
Source: Deed book P, page 130, Clerk of the Court
Official Records Division,
Escambia
County, Florida.
1861 Jan 21 Kelly resigned his commission as a purser
in the U.S. Navy
Source: Confederate parole application and letter.
LDS 1578753
Source: General Register of the United States
Navy and Marine Corps,
page
402.
Source: Biographical Rosters of Florida’s
Confederate and Union Soldiers,
pg.
1998.
??? Agreed to pay $20 toward the raising
of two companies from Escambia County for 12
months
service.
Source: “Secession in Florida—Pensacola on Its Own
Documents, Letters, and
Other
Papers.” Florida Historical
Quarterly 16, no. 4 (April 1848), 283.
Mar 26 joins Confederate Navy and commissioned a paymaster with no
regular rank.
1862 Oct 23 appointed as C.S.A. Navy paymaster at
Savannah Station until 20 December 1864.
Source: Confederate parole application and letter
LDS 1578753
Source: http://www.csnavy.org/csn64register.htm
Source: Florida a Hundred Years Ago, page ???
Family lived in Augusta, Georgia
at this time.
Source: Confederate pension application A-12312
1864 Served in
the Mobile Squadron of the Confederate Navy.
Was
captured as a prisoner of war in the summer of 1864.
Oct
20 received as a Confederate prisoner
of war at Washington, D. C.
Source: Kelly Family Papers.
1865
May 04 surrendered to the Union forces at Mobile
Source: Confederate parole application and letter
LDS 1578753
Source: Biographical Rosters of Florida’s
Confederate and Union Soldiers.
May
10 took oath of allegiance to the Union
and was paroled in Mobile
Source: Biographical Rosters of Florida’s
Confederate and Union Soldiers
Source: Confederate parole application and letter
LDS 1578753
Jun 30 Returned to Pensacola and wrote a letter to
his sister on the state of the city, homes.
Source: Letter, 30 June 1865, Pensacola Historical
Society, Pensacola, Florida.
Sep 11 Took the Amnesty Oath for Confederate Pardon
Source: Confederate parole application and letter
LDS 1578753
Oct 28-Nov 7 Delegate from Escambia County for Florida
Constitutional Convention. Served
on the Committees of: Executive Department; Right of Suffrage and
Qualification of Officers; and Finance, Accounts and State Liabilities.
Source: Shofner, Jerrell H. Nor Is It Over Yet: Florida in the Era of
Reconstruction,
1863-1877. Gainesville: The University Presses
of
Florida, 1974
Was
a signer of the Reconstruction Constitution of Florida, representing Escambia
Cnty.
Nov 19 elected 1st Lieutenant
Governor of Florida
Source:
http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/kelly9.html#RYA014WWQ
Source: Shofner, Jerrell H. Nor Is It Over Yet: Florida in the Era of
Reconstruction,
1863-1877. Gainesville: The University Presses
of
Florida, 1974
Source: Shofner, Jerrell H. Nor Is It Over Yet: Florida in the Era of
Reconstruction,
1863-1877. Gainesville: The University Presses
of
Florida, 1974.
Source:
Guide to the Records of the Florida State Archives. Tallahassee:
Florida
Department of State, 1988. pg. 299.
This
source says that there are no records of the first set of
lieutenant
governors of Florida.
Source: Kelly Family Papers, Pensacola Historical
Resource Center
Source: The Florida Handbook, 1995-1996.
His
only constitutional duty as lieutenant governor was to preside over the Senate.
Dec 20 takes oath of office as lieutenant governor
Not
clear why he didn’t earlier, as the legislature was in session in
November. He
did
not preside over the Reconstruction Senate until the January term.
Source: Kelly Family Papers, Pensacola Historical
Resource Center
1869 Accepts
mortgage of property in lots 1, 2, & 3, square 37, city of Pensacola from
James Brown,
who
owed Kelly $150.
Source: Deed book R, page 446, Clerk of the Court
Official Records Division,
Escambia
County, Florida.
1870 Census,
Escambia County, Pensacola, page 13, household 93, family 87
KELLY, Wm.
W. J. 57 City Clerk $1000 NC
Mary
E. 45 Keeping house SC
Pauline
E. (?) 15 FL
Mary
S. 13 FL
Annie
P. 11 FL
Wm.
W. J. 9 FL
Aaron
S. 7 GA
Eliza
P. 5 FL
His
son Aaron S. Kelly was obviously born while the Kelly family was in George,
when
Kelly
was serving in the Savannah Squadron of the CSA.
Purchased
land from Thomas Harrod in lots 6 & 7 Sq. 38, Pensacola.
Source: Deed book S, page 263, Clerk of the Court
official records division,
Escambia
County, Florida.
1871 Served as
circuit court judge for the First Circuit of Florida
to Source: Memoirs of Florida
1874 Source: Confirmations of County Elections in
Florida Senate Journals
Source: “Judges for Escambia County.” Archives Division, Clerk of the
Circuit
Court, Escambia County, Florida
This
is the first time he served a two-year term.
Source: People of Lawmaking in Florida
1875 Jan 14 received a quit claim deed from Nancy M.
Gregory for lot 173, Sq. 25, Pensacola.
Source: Deed book U, page 258, Clerk of the Court
official records division,
Escambia
County, Florida.
1878 Sep 03
died in Pensacola, Florida
Source: Confederate pension application of Mary Ella
Kelly
Source: Mexican War pension application of Mary Ella
Kelly
Sep 08 buried in St. John’s
Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida
Source: St. John’s Cemetery plot books, book 1, page 14, section 1, lot
28, grave 9. Grave is at NE corner
grave of NE corner lot of NE corner section of cemetery This lot in the
cemetery is designated “Masonic” in the plot book.
This position of the NE is
important to the Masonic order. He
probably was well respected as a member
and was thus given this plot.
Source:
http://www.dataline.net.au/~tfoen/personnel.html
1880 Census,
Escambia County, Pensacola, ED44, pp. 21, household 278, family 278
KELLY,
Mary E. F 45 widow at home
Mary
S. F 22 single at home dau
W.
W. J. M 20 single laborer son
Annie
V. F 19 single laborer dau
Aaron
S. M 16 single at home son
Eliza
F. F 14 single at home dau
K.S. M 9 single at home son
KELLY,
Pauline Virginia F 26 single teacher other
found
in the house of John and Mary E. Brosnahan pg. 101B
Dec 1 Virginia Pauline Kelly married John K.
Humphreys.
Source: marriage license, book J, page 475, Clerk of
the Court Archives,
Escambia
County, Florida.
1885 Aaron Kelly
was living at 1st & 9th Ave., Pensacola.
Mary Ella not living alone, obviously.
Source: 1885 Pensacola City Directory
http://www.rootsweb.com/~flescamb/1885i_l.htm
John K.
Humphreys was living on Alconiz & Wright Streets and employed as a mail
clerk at the
post
office.
Source: 1885 Pensacola City Directory, Pensacola.
1886 Mrs.
Pauline Kelly Humphreys is listed as a member of the First Presbyterian Church,
Pensacola
Source: 1886 Membership Roll, First Presbyterian
Church, Pensacola.
1887 July 5 Mary Ella filed application WC-4038 for
widow’s benefits for William’s Mexican War
service
Source: White, Virgil D., trans. Index to Mexican War Pension Files. Waynesboro, TN: The National Historical Publishing Company,
1989. pg. 289 .
Source: Mexican War pension application of Mary Ella
Kelly, WC-4038
1889 Jan 14 Mary Ella lived at 530 E. Aragon Street,
Pensacola. She was 60 years old at the
time.
Source: Mexican War pension application of Mary Ella
Kelly, 14 January 1889.
1893 Mary Ella
Kelly living on the beach on E. Gregory Street.
Source: 1893 Pensacola City Directory, Pensacola,
Florida
Aaron
Kelly living at Frascati Garden and was a laborer.
Source: 1893 Pensacola City Directory, Pensacola,
Florida
http://www.rootsweb.com/~flescamb/direcil.htm
1905 Mary
applies for Confederate pension from Florida and the application is denied #D07643
Source: http://www.csnavy.org/fl/fla,pension.htm
Source:
Confederate pension file of Mary Ella Kelly for William W. J. Kelly, #D07643
She
failed to provide information about William’s oath of allegiance.
Lists
children/grandchildren as:
Daisy
E (?) 18
Annie
Rowlie (?) 16
Nellie
Owens 3
Catherine
Boardman 7
Barbara
Boardman 5
Sadie
Boardman 25
1907 Mary
applies again for Confederate pension from Florida and the application is
accepted #A12312
Source: http://www.csnavy.org/fl/fla.pension.htm
Source: Confederate pension file of Mary Ella Kelly
for William W. J. Kelly, #A12312.
1908 Aaron Kelly
listed as a registered voter in precinct no. 13 (E. Palafox) for Pensacola.
Source: Pensacola Journal, 24 October 1908.
1909 Nov 9 Mary Ella Kelly receives a letter from the
Florida Board of Pensions that she was never
entitled
to a pension for William’s Confederate service because he took the oath of
allegiance
to the United States.
Source: Letter to Mary Ella Kelly, Confederate
pension file of Mary Ella Kelly for William W. J. Kelly,
#A12312.
1921 Dec 16 Mary Ella Kelly dies. Buried in plot 2S,
Section 16
Source:
Bancroft, Janet, ed. Index to St. John’s Cemetery of Pensacola, Florida.
1995.
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