John Kelley Jr (or Kalley ??), my 5x Great Grandfather) is a Man of Mystery ….despite countless hours of research, this man's origins remain elusive. Who were his parents?? When and where was he born?? Of ALL of the compiled Genealogies of Kelley/Kelly/Killey/Kalley Families in Massachusetts, neither he, nor either of his wives, or even any of his children's names mentioned. The only mention of THIS particular Kelley family is found in a brief biography of Joel Kelley Sr and Jr (my 4x and 3x Great Grandfathers). Joel Kelley Jr was a Grandson of THIS particular John Kelley. This biography can be found in the "Genealogical and Family History of Western New York" pg. 169-170 (I've attached it here).
In the biography of Joel Kelley Jr., the author noted that Joel was a descendant of the immigrant John Kelly who settled in Newbury, MA in the mid 1600's. However, the author failed to give the line of descent, or at the very least, the source where this information was found in order to come to that conclusion. Based on this lack of supporting information for this so-called connection between John of Newbury and Joel Kelley, it seems to have been just an erroneous assumption by the author. Added to this, some of the author's information regarding Joel Kelley Sr and Jr is completely incorrect, as records that I have found reveal. The author has the wrong surname for Joel Sr's wife (it was Southwick NOT Southworth), Joel Jr's birth date is incorrect, and he was never involved in politics as the author suggests; that was a different Joel Kelly entirely. These errors and the absence of any of THESE Kelley's names in the compilation of the Newbury Kelly's clearly told me to be very skeptical of this supposed connection. I have systematically gone through every single man named John Kelly within the Newbury Kelly compilation (more than once over the last decade to make sure I'm not missing anything), and I can say pretty confidently, that THIS John Kelley is not connected with the Newbury Kelly's, as ALL of the John Kelly's found within that compilation (as well as in the Norwich Kelly branch who were spawned from the Newbury Kellys) are accounted for, and do not include THIS John Kelley, or any members of this Kelley family.
Here is what I've been able to determine based on my extensive research, about THIS John Kelley, based on records and published sources …and it certainly isn't much…
His year of birth 1740 is a complete guesstimate based on the year he was married and the average age for a man to be married at that time. But really, he could have been born at any point during this estimated timeframe 1730'ish-1746'ish.
John's marriage record to Resign Tomlin (my 5x Great Grandmother) indicates that he was a Jr (so was his Father's first name also John OR, was THIS John just the younger of two John Kelley's that happened to be residing in the same town??). My guess is as good as yours….
John's marriage record indicates that he was "of Hopkinton". John and Resign were married on 18 Apr 1766 (she was 17 yrs old). Note: I've come across several Trees on Ancestry that show that this is the same John Kelley that was baptized in 1759 in Hopkinton, MA. This may be problematic. If you have basic arithmetic skills, you'll catch my drift. IF the John Kelley baptized in Hopkinton IS in fact THIS John Kelley, then the date shown for his baptism HAD to have occurred when he was an ADULT. ZERO possibility of the John's being one in the same otherwise.
Origins……THIS John Kelley more than likely descends from one of the early Boston Kelly's (mid 1600's to very early 1700's) that I've found. So far, I've identified 4 Kelly couples. The likeliest descent is probably via a man named Henry Kelly, who MAY be either the Henry Kelly that arrived in Massachusetts in 1707 or the Henry Kelly (or Calley, Kelley, etc depending on the record) who was the son of Peter Calley and Ruth (maiden name unknown) of Dorchester, who married around 1669. Which one, I do not know, but one of these Henry Kelley's married Elizabeth Allen in Boston in 1707 and they had 3 children (that I have found so far), Henry Jr., Elizabeth and Robert Kelley, all born in Boston. .
John Kelley's first Wife Resign Tomlin's family has been infinitely easier to trace. Resign descends from the Tomblin/Tomlin family, who were early settlers in Massachusetts, coming in the mid 1600's. The first verified Tomlin/Tomblin in Resign's line is John Tomblin who married Sarah Barnes. John and Sarah (Barnes) Tomblin were the parents of Resign's Grandfather, Deacon Isaac Tomlin. FYI…Isaac's birth record in Boston was erroneously transcribed as "Isaac Tomson" for any of you who are also researching this family, because surely, I can't possibly be the ONLY one who is…or am I?? LOL..
Resign's Father, Hezekiah Tomlin, died when she was less than 2 months old. Hezekiah Tomlin, as the oldest surviving son, and Heir of Isaac Tomlin (or Tomblin as some records show), he inherited the Tomlin family homestead on Tomblin Hill, which is located in Northborough, MA. Upon her marriage to John Kelley, as the only Heir of her Father, it appears that Resign inherited the family homestead. Written accounts indicate that after they married, she and John resided there for around 8 years until they sold the property in the mid 1770's to an Elizabeth Grey of Boston. This property then came into the possession of Stephen Maynard, and later, to the Isaac Davis family of Northborough. When the American Revolution was beginning, records show that John Kelley was a Minute Man for the town of Northborough and that he and his Company marched at the first alarm in Lexington. It appears that at some point during all of this, the Kelley family removed to Barre, MA (which had been part of the Northwest District of Rutland). Barre initially was called Hutchinson, but that name didn't stick and was very brief.
John Kelley and Resign Tomlin had several children together, however, only their first 2 children's birth dates were recorded in town records (Anne Kelley 1768 and Hezekiah Tomlin Kelley 1770, both born in Northborough). Luckily, who are thought to be John's other children with Resign, their baptism dates (only showing their Father's name John Kelley) were recorded in the First Church of Barre, showing that 3 of their daughters (Patty, Hannah and Resign Kelley) were all baptized on the same date in July 1782. Their last two children were also baptized in the First Church of Barre, Grace Kelley in 1784 and Joel Kelley (my 4x GG) in 1786. My only guess as to why their children's actual birth dates do not show up in town records is, because at that time, the town of Barre was still in the process of forming and of course, the American Revolution was beginning, occurring and ending right when these two were having babies. I suppose people had more pressing matters to concern themselves with at that particular time, and gosh darn it….things such as good record keeping may have fallen by the wayside..can't really blame them. Just a theory.. but, this could very well explain the absence of a death record for Resign (Tomlin) Kelley, because it just doesn't seem to exist.
It is very likely that Resign died right after, or in the year following son Joel Kelley's birth in 1785/1786. I surmise this because Barre town records show that John Kelley then married Sarah Amsden on 31 Oct 1787. This correlates with the dozen year gap shown in records between son Joel's baptism in 1786 and the later round of baptism's for children of John Kelley (and I assume, Sarah Amsden) that occurred in 1797 (3 daughters (Polly, Betsy and Relief). Yet again, we have baptisms occurring in a group. First Church of Barre baptismal records show 2 additional children of John Kelley (and Sarah Amsden), Isaac Amsden Kelley bapt in 1799 and Clarissa Kelley bapt 1801.
Like most of his children with Resign Tomlin, the children John Kelley appears to have had with Sarah Amsden all followed the pattern of being baptized in the First Church of Barre (again, 3 daughters all being baptized on the same date), as well as the absence of actual birth dates for any of them. The 1790 and 1800 US Census records for John Kelley show him residing in Barre with just about the right amount of children when comparing it to the number of children the First Church of Barre baptismal records show. There is only one male in the household in the 1790 Census that I cannot account for. If this was a son of John's, he had to have been born of first wife Resign. But, if so, why wouldn't this son have shown up in the Barre baptismal records? The other option was that this was a relative, and not a son.
The 1800 Census reveals that one of John's daughters he had with Resign was still in the household, but, which one? Hannah, Patty or Resign? Daughter Anne had married by that time, and I have not found marriage records that can conclusively match Hannah, none are found for Resign and if Patty is THE Patty Kelley that married Edmund Clark, well, this marriage had not yet taken place. So, it could very well be Patty who was the female still residing at home. If so, what happened to Hannah and Resign? Here we are again, with the possibility that they too could have been deceased by then, but as in the case of their Mother Resign, the lack of death records in the Town of Barre is obscuring this issue.
After the 1800 Census, all traces of John Kelley and Sarah (Amsden) Kelley seem to vanish. I've been able to trace about half of John Kelley's children that he had with both Resign and Sarah, but as for what became of John (and two of his daughters with Resign Tomlin - Hannah and Resign Kelley) and second wife, Sarah Amsden (and their last two children- Isaac and Clarissa), at this point, despite spending countless hours trying to figure out where they went and when they died, I have found NADA. The only clue I have found is that a couple of John Kelley's children ended up in Vermont, so it is possible that this is where John, Sarah and the children I've been unable to trace ended up.
Also for anyone else who is researching THIS particular Kelley family….FYI….there was ANOTHER Kelley family that was living in Barre, MA at the same time as THIS John Kelley and family, late 1700's-1800's. Besides my TWO Joel Kelley's, there were 2 OTHER Joel Kelleys (Joel (married Mary Nurss and then Susannah Brintnall)), and his son, Joel B Kelley (who married Adeline Billings) residing there BESIDES my 3x Great Grandfather, Joel Kelley Jr and at the SAME time. These OTHER Kelley's descend from Henry and Elizabeth (Allen) Kelley, mentioned above, via their son, Robert Kelley.
Naturally, due to these OTHER Kelley's residing in Barre at the same time as MY Kelley's, almost a 100 years after the marriage of Henry Kelley and Elizabeth Allen in 1707, the fact that both Kelley families had a Joel Sr and a Joel Jr, well..my interest in them has been peaked. Coincidence? Perhaps. Currently I am focusing on them to try and find a connection between MY Kelley's and the OTHER Kelley's or to rule out a connection between the two families. Should a connection fail to exist, I've got other candidates to work on…and it's A LOT of work! GAH!!!
My 4x GG Joel Kelley Jr probably left Barre around the time he got married in 1807. He ended up settling in Northborough, MA, with his wife, Casandra (Southwick) Kelley, while the OTHER two Joel Kelleys (Sr and Jr) stayed in Barre, where both raised their families and lived the rest of their lives.
In the biography of Joel Kelley Jr., the author noted that Joel was a descendant of the immigrant John Kelly who settled in Newbury, MA in the mid 1600's. However, the author failed to give the line of descent, or at the very least, the source where this information was found in order to come to that conclusion. Based on this lack of supporting information for this so-called connection between John of Newbury and Joel Kelley, it seems to have been just an erroneous assumption by the author. Added to this, some of the author's information regarding Joel Kelley Sr and Jr is completely incorrect, as records that I have found reveal. The author has the wrong surname for Joel Sr's wife (it was Southwick NOT Southworth), Joel Jr's birth date is incorrect, and he was never involved in politics as the author suggests; that was a different Joel Kelly entirely. These errors and the absence of any of THESE Kelley's names in the compilation of the Newbury Kelly's clearly told me to be very skeptical of this supposed connection. I have systematically gone through every single man named John Kelly within the Newbury Kelly compilation (more than once over the last decade to make sure I'm not missing anything), and I can say pretty confidently, that THIS John Kelley is not connected with the Newbury Kelly's, as ALL of the John Kelly's found within that compilation (as well as in the Norwich Kelly branch who were spawned from the Newbury Kellys) are accounted for, and do not include THIS John Kelley, or any members of this Kelley family.
Here is what I've been able to determine based on my extensive research, about THIS John Kelley, based on records and published sources …and it certainly isn't much…
His year of birth 1740 is a complete guesstimate based on the year he was married and the average age for a man to be married at that time. But really, he could have been born at any point during this estimated timeframe 1730'ish-1746'ish.
John's marriage record to Resign Tomlin (my 5x Great Grandmother) indicates that he was a Jr (so was his Father's first name also John OR, was THIS John just the younger of two John Kelley's that happened to be residing in the same town??). My guess is as good as yours….
John's marriage record indicates that he was "of Hopkinton". John and Resign were married on 18 Apr 1766 (she was 17 yrs old). Note: I've come across several Trees on Ancestry that show that this is the same John Kelley that was baptized in 1759 in Hopkinton, MA. This may be problematic. If you have basic arithmetic skills, you'll catch my drift. IF the John Kelley baptized in Hopkinton IS in fact THIS John Kelley, then the date shown for his baptism HAD to have occurred when he was an ADULT. ZERO possibility of the John's being one in the same otherwise.
Origins……THIS John Kelley more than likely descends from one of the early Boston Kelly's (mid 1600's to very early 1700's) that I've found. So far, I've identified 4 Kelly couples. The likeliest descent is probably via a man named Henry Kelly, who MAY be either the Henry Kelly that arrived in Massachusetts in 1707 or the Henry Kelly (or Calley, Kelley, etc depending on the record) who was the son of Peter Calley and Ruth (maiden name unknown) of Dorchester, who married around 1669. Which one, I do not know, but one of these Henry Kelley's married Elizabeth Allen in Boston in 1707 and they had 3 children (that I have found so far), Henry Jr., Elizabeth and Robert Kelley, all born in Boston. .
John Kelley's first Wife Resign Tomlin's family has been infinitely easier to trace. Resign descends from the Tomblin/Tomlin family, who were early settlers in Massachusetts, coming in the mid 1600's. The first verified Tomlin/Tomblin in Resign's line is John Tomblin who married Sarah Barnes. John and Sarah (Barnes) Tomblin were the parents of Resign's Grandfather, Deacon Isaac Tomlin. FYI…Isaac's birth record in Boston was erroneously transcribed as "Isaac Tomson" for any of you who are also researching this family, because surely, I can't possibly be the ONLY one who is…or am I?? LOL..
Resign's Father, Hezekiah Tomlin, died when she was less than 2 months old. Hezekiah Tomlin, as the oldest surviving son, and Heir of Isaac Tomlin (or Tomblin as some records show), he inherited the Tomlin family homestead on Tomblin Hill, which is located in Northborough, MA. Upon her marriage to John Kelley, as the only Heir of her Father, it appears that Resign inherited the family homestead. Written accounts indicate that after they married, she and John resided there for around 8 years until they sold the property in the mid 1770's to an Elizabeth Grey of Boston. This property then came into the possession of Stephen Maynard, and later, to the Isaac Davis family of Northborough. When the American Revolution was beginning, records show that John Kelley was a Minute Man for the town of Northborough and that he and his Company marched at the first alarm in Lexington. It appears that at some point during all of this, the Kelley family removed to Barre, MA (which had been part of the Northwest District of Rutland). Barre initially was called Hutchinson, but that name didn't stick and was very brief.
John Kelley and Resign Tomlin had several children together, however, only their first 2 children's birth dates were recorded in town records (Anne Kelley 1768 and Hezekiah Tomlin Kelley 1770, both born in Northborough). Luckily, who are thought to be John's other children with Resign, their baptism dates (only showing their Father's name John Kelley) were recorded in the First Church of Barre, showing that 3 of their daughters (Patty, Hannah and Resign Kelley) were all baptized on the same date in July 1782. Their last two children were also baptized in the First Church of Barre, Grace Kelley in 1784 and Joel Kelley (my 4x GG) in 1786. My only guess as to why their children's actual birth dates do not show up in town records is, because at that time, the town of Barre was still in the process of forming and of course, the American Revolution was beginning, occurring and ending right when these two were having babies. I suppose people had more pressing matters to concern themselves with at that particular time, and gosh darn it….things such as good record keeping may have fallen by the wayside..can't really blame them. Just a theory.. but, this could very well explain the absence of a death record for Resign (Tomlin) Kelley, because it just doesn't seem to exist.
It is very likely that Resign died right after, or in the year following son Joel Kelley's birth in 1785/1786. I surmise this because Barre town records show that John Kelley then married Sarah Amsden on 31 Oct 1787. This correlates with the dozen year gap shown in records between son Joel's baptism in 1786 and the later round of baptism's for children of John Kelley (and I assume, Sarah Amsden) that occurred in 1797 (3 daughters (Polly, Betsy and Relief). Yet again, we have baptisms occurring in a group. First Church of Barre baptismal records show 2 additional children of John Kelley (and Sarah Amsden), Isaac Amsden Kelley bapt in 1799 and Clarissa Kelley bapt 1801.
Like most of his children with Resign Tomlin, the children John Kelley appears to have had with Sarah Amsden all followed the pattern of being baptized in the First Church of Barre (again, 3 daughters all being baptized on the same date), as well as the absence of actual birth dates for any of them. The 1790 and 1800 US Census records for John Kelley show him residing in Barre with just about the right amount of children when comparing it to the number of children the First Church of Barre baptismal records show. There is only one male in the household in the 1790 Census that I cannot account for. If this was a son of John's, he had to have been born of first wife Resign. But, if so, why wouldn't this son have shown up in the Barre baptismal records? The other option was that this was a relative, and not a son.
The 1800 Census reveals that one of John's daughters he had with Resign was still in the household, but, which one? Hannah, Patty or Resign? Daughter Anne had married by that time, and I have not found marriage records that can conclusively match Hannah, none are found for Resign and if Patty is THE Patty Kelley that married Edmund Clark, well, this marriage had not yet taken place. So, it could very well be Patty who was the female still residing at home. If so, what happened to Hannah and Resign? Here we are again, with the possibility that they too could have been deceased by then, but as in the case of their Mother Resign, the lack of death records in the Town of Barre is obscuring this issue.
After the 1800 Census, all traces of John Kelley and Sarah (Amsden) Kelley seem to vanish. I've been able to trace about half of John Kelley's children that he had with both Resign and Sarah, but as for what became of John (and two of his daughters with Resign Tomlin - Hannah and Resign Kelley) and second wife, Sarah Amsden (and their last two children- Isaac and Clarissa), at this point, despite spending countless hours trying to figure out where they went and when they died, I have found NADA. The only clue I have found is that a couple of John Kelley's children ended up in Vermont, so it is possible that this is where John, Sarah and the children I've been unable to trace ended up.
Also for anyone else who is researching THIS particular Kelley family….FYI….there was ANOTHER Kelley family that was living in Barre, MA at the same time as THIS John Kelley and family, late 1700's-1800's. Besides my TWO Joel Kelley's, there were 2 OTHER Joel Kelleys (Joel (married Mary Nurss and then Susannah Brintnall)), and his son, Joel B Kelley (who married Adeline Billings) residing there BESIDES my 3x Great Grandfather, Joel Kelley Jr and at the SAME time. These OTHER Kelley's descend from Henry and Elizabeth (Allen) Kelley, mentioned above, via their son, Robert Kelley.
Naturally, due to these OTHER Kelley's residing in Barre at the same time as MY Kelley's, almost a 100 years after the marriage of Henry Kelley and Elizabeth Allen in 1707, the fact that both Kelley families had a Joel Sr and a Joel Jr, well..my interest in them has been peaked. Coincidence? Perhaps. Currently I am focusing on them to try and find a connection between MY Kelley's and the OTHER Kelley's or to rule out a connection between the two families. Should a connection fail to exist, I've got other candidates to work on…and it's A LOT of work! GAH!!!
My 4x GG Joel Kelley Jr probably left Barre around the time he got married in 1807. He ended up settling in Northborough, MA, with his wife, Casandra (Southwick) Kelley, while the OTHER two Joel Kelleys (Sr and Jr) stayed in Barre, where both raised their families and lived the rest of their lives.
John Kelley Jr (or Kalley ??), my 5x Great Grandfather) is a Man of Mystery ….despite countless hours of research, this man's origins remain elusive. Who were his parents?? When and where was he born?? Of ALL of the compiled Genealogies of Kelley/Kelly/Killey/Kalley Families in Massachusetts, neither he, nor either of his wives, or even any of his children's names mentioned. The only mention of THIS particular Kelley family is found in a brief biography of Joel Kelley Sr and Jr (my 4x and 3x Great Grandfathers). Joel Kelley Jr was a Grandson of THIS particular John Kelley. This biography can be found in the "Genealogical and Family History of Western New York" pg. 169-170 (I've attached it here).
In the biography of Joel Kelley Jr., the author noted that Joel was a descendant of the immigrant John Kelly who settled in Newbury, MA in the mid 1600's. However, the author failed to give the line of descent, or at the very least, the source where this information was found in order to come to that conclusion. Based on this lack of supporting information for this so-called connection between John of Newbury and Joel Kelley, it seems to have been just an erroneous assumption by the author. Added to this, some of the author's information regarding Joel Kelley Sr and Jr is completely incorrect, as records that I have found reveal. The author has the wrong surname for Joel Sr's wife (it was Southwick NOT Southworth), Joel Jr's birth date is incorrect, and he was never involved in politics as the author suggests; that was a different Joel Kelly entirely. These errors and the absence of any of THESE Kelley's names in the compilation of the Newbury Kelly's clearly told me to be very skeptical of this supposed connection. I have systematically gone through every single man named John Kelly within the Newbury Kelly compilation (more than once over the last decade to make sure I'm not missing anything), and I can say pretty confidently, that THIS John Kelley is not connected with the Newbury Kelly's, as ALL of the John Kelly's found within that compilation (as well as in the Norwich Kelly branch who were spawned from the Newbury Kellys) are accounted for, and do not include THIS John Kelley, or any members of this Kelley family.
Here is what I've been able to determine based on my extensive research, about THIS John Kelley, based on records and published sources …and it certainly isn't much…
His year of birth 1740 is a complete guesstimate based on the year he was married and the average age for a man to be married at that time. But really, he could have been born at any point during this estimated timeframe 1730'ish-1746'ish.
John's marriage record to Resign Tomlin (my 5x Great Grandmother) indicates that he was a Jr (so was his Father's first name also John OR, was THIS John just the younger of two John Kelley's that happened to be residing in the same town??). My guess is as good as yours….
John's marriage record indicates that he was "of Hopkinton". John and Resign were married on 18 Apr 1766 (she was 17 yrs old). Note: I've come across several Trees on Ancestry that show that this is the same John Kelley that was baptized in 1759 in Hopkinton, MA. This may be problematic. If you have basic arithmetic skills, you'll catch my drift. IF the John Kelley baptized in Hopkinton IS in fact THIS John Kelley, then the date shown for his baptism HAD to have occurred when he was an ADULT. ZERO possibility of the John's being one in the same otherwise.
Origins……THIS John Kelley more than likely descends from one of the early Boston Kelly's (mid 1600's to very early 1700's) that I've found. So far, I've identified 4 Kelly couples. The likeliest descent is probably via a man named Henry Kelly, who MAY be either the Henry Kelly that arrived in Massachusetts in 1707 or the Henry Kelly (or Calley, Kelley, etc depending on the record) who was the son of Peter Calley and Ruth (maiden name unknown) of Dorchester, who married around 1669. Which one, I do not know, but one of these Henry Kelley's married Elizabeth Allen in Boston in 1707 and they had 3 children (that I have found so far), Henry Jr., Elizabeth and Robert Kelley, all born in Boston. .
John Kelley's first Wife Resign Tomlin's family has been infinitely easier to trace. Resign descends from the Tomblin/Tomlin family, who were early settlers in Massachusetts, coming in the mid 1600's. The first verified Tomlin/Tomblin in Resign's line is John Tomblin who married Sarah Barnes. John and Sarah (Barnes) Tomblin were the parents of Resign's Grandfather, Deacon Isaac Tomlin. FYI…Isaac's birth record in Boston was erroneously transcribed as "Isaac Tomson" for any of you who are also researching this family, because surely, I can't possibly be the ONLY one who is…or am I?? LOL..
Resign's Father, Hezekiah Tomlin, died when she was less than 2 months old. Hezekiah Tomlin, as the oldest surviving son, and Heir of Isaac Tomlin (or Tomblin as some records show), he inherited the Tomlin family homestead on Tomblin Hill, which is located in Northborough, MA. Upon her marriage to John Kelley, as the only Heir of her Father, it appears that Resign inherited the family homestead. Written accounts indicate that after they married, she and John resided there for around 8 years until they sold the property in the mid 1770's to an Elizabeth Grey of Boston. This property then came into the possession of Stephen Maynard, and later, to the Isaac Davis family of Northborough. When the American Revolution was beginning, records show that John Kelley was a Minute Man for the town of Northborough and that he and his Company marched at the first alarm in Lexington. It appears that at some point during all of this, the Kelley family removed to Barre, MA (which had been part of the Northwest District of Rutland). Barre initially was called Hutchinson, but that name didn't stick and was very brief.
John Kelley and Resign Tomlin had several children together, however, only their first 2 children's birth dates were recorded in town records (Anne Kelley 1768 and Hezekiah Tomlin Kelley 1770, both born in Northborough). Luckily, who are thought to be John's other children with Resign, their baptism dates (only showing their Father's name John Kelley) were recorded in the First Church of Barre, showing that 3 of their daughters (Patty, Hannah and Resign Kelley) were all baptized on the same date in July 1782. Their last two children were also baptized in the First Church of Barre, Grace Kelley in 1784 and Joel Kelley (my 4x GG) in 1786. My only guess as to why their children's actual birth dates do not show up in town records is, because at that time, the town of Barre was still in the process of forming and of course, the American Revolution was beginning, occurring and ending right when these two were having babies. I suppose people had more pressing matters to concern themselves with at that particular time, and gosh darn it….things such as good record keeping may have fallen by the wayside..can't really blame them. Just a theory.. but, this could very well explain the absence of a death record for Resign (Tomlin) Kelley, because it just doesn't seem to exist.
It is very likely that Resign died right after, or in the year following son Joel Kelley's birth in 1785/1786. I surmise this because Barre town records show that John Kelley then married Sarah Amsden on 31 Oct 1787. This correlates with the dozen year gap shown in records between son Joel's baptism in 1786 and the later round of baptism's for children of John Kelley (and I assume, Sarah Amsden) that occurred in 1797 (3 daughters (Polly, Betsy and Relief). Yet again, we have baptisms occurring in a group. First Church of Barre baptismal records show 2 additional children of John Kelley (and Sarah Amsden), Isaac Amsden Kelley bapt in 1799 and Clarissa Kelley bapt 1801.
Like most of his children with Resign Tomlin, the children John Kelley appears to have had with Sarah Amsden all followed the pattern of being baptized in the First Church of Barre (again, 3 daughters all being baptized on the same date), as well as the absence of actual birth dates for any of them. The 1790 and 1800 US Census records for John Kelley show him residing in Barre with just about the right amount of children when comparing it to the number of children the First Church of Barre baptismal records show. There is only one male in the household in the 1790 Census that I cannot account for. If this was a son of John's, he had to have been born of first wife Resign. But, if so, why wouldn't this son have shown up in the Barre baptismal records? The other option was that this was a relative, and not a son.
The 1800 Census reveals that one of John's daughters he had with Resign was still in the household, but, which one? Hannah, Patty or Resign? Daughter Anne had married by that time, and I have not found marriage records that can conclusively match Hannah, none are found for Resign and if Patty is THE Patty Kelley that married Edmund Clark, well, this marriage had not yet taken place. So, it could very well be Patty who was the female still residing at home. If so, what happened to Hannah and Resign? Here we are again, with the possibility that they too could have been deceased by then, but as in the case of their Mother Resign, the lack of death records in the Town of Barre is obscuring this issue.
After the 1800 Census, all traces of John Kelley and Sarah (Amsden) Kelley seem to vanish. I've been able to trace about half of John Kelley's children that he had with both Resign and Sarah, but as for what became of John (and two of his daughters with Resign Tomlin - Hannah and Resign Kelley) and second wife, Sarah Amsden (and their last two children- Isaac and Clarissa), at this point, despite spending countless hours trying to figure out where they went and when they died, I have found NADA. The only clue I have found is that a couple of John Kelley's children ended up in Vermont, so it is possible that this is where John, Sarah and the children I've been unable to trace ended up.
Also for anyone else who is researching THIS particular Kelley family….FYI….there was ANOTHER Kelley family that was living in Barre, MA at the same time as THIS John Kelley and family, late 1700's-1800's. Besides my TWO Joel Kelley's, there were 2 OTHER Joel Kelleys (Joel (married Mary Nurss and then Susannah Brintnall)), and his son, Joel B Kelley (who married Adeline Billings) residing there BESIDES my 3x Great Grandfather, Joel Kelley Jr and at the SAME time. These OTHER Kelley's descend from Henry and Elizabeth (Allen) Kelley, mentioned above, via their son, Robert Kelley.
Naturally, due to these OTHER Kelley's residing in Barre at the same time as MY Kelley's, almost a 100 years after the marriage of Henry Kelley and Elizabeth Allen in 1707, the fact that both Kelley families had a Joel Sr and a Joel Jr, well..my interest in them has been peaked. Coincidence? Perhaps. Currently I am focusing on them to try and find a connection between MY Kelley's and the OTHER Kelley's or to rule out a connection between the two families. Should a connection fail to exist, I've got other candidates to work on…and it's A LOT of work! GAH!!!
My 4x GG Joel Kelley Jr probably left Barre around the time he got married in 1807. He ended up settling in Northborough, MA, with his wife, Casandra (Southwick) Kelley, while the OTHER two Joel Kelleys (Sr and Jr) stayed in Barre, where both raised their families and lived the rest of their lives.
In the biography of Joel Kelley Jr., the author noted that Joel was a descendant of the immigrant John Kelly who settled in Newbury, MA in the mid 1600's. However, the author failed to give the line of descent, or at the very least, the source where this information was found in order to come to that conclusion. Based on this lack of supporting information for this so-called connection between John of Newbury and Joel Kelley, it seems to have been just an erroneous assumption by the author. Added to this, some of the author's information regarding Joel Kelley Sr and Jr is completely incorrect, as records that I have found reveal. The author has the wrong surname for Joel Sr's wife (it was Southwick NOT Southworth), Joel Jr's birth date is incorrect, and he was never involved in politics as the author suggests; that was a different Joel Kelly entirely. These errors and the absence of any of THESE Kelley's names in the compilation of the Newbury Kelly's clearly told me to be very skeptical of this supposed connection. I have systematically gone through every single man named John Kelly within the Newbury Kelly compilation (more than once over the last decade to make sure I'm not missing anything), and I can say pretty confidently, that THIS John Kelley is not connected with the Newbury Kelly's, as ALL of the John Kelly's found within that compilation (as well as in the Norwich Kelly branch who were spawned from the Newbury Kellys) are accounted for, and do not include THIS John Kelley, or any members of this Kelley family.
Here is what I've been able to determine based on my extensive research, about THIS John Kelley, based on records and published sources …and it certainly isn't much…
His year of birth 1740 is a complete guesstimate based on the year he was married and the average age for a man to be married at that time. But really, he could have been born at any point during this estimated timeframe 1730'ish-1746'ish.
John's marriage record to Resign Tomlin (my 5x Great Grandmother) indicates that he was a Jr (so was his Father's first name also John OR, was THIS John just the younger of two John Kelley's that happened to be residing in the same town??). My guess is as good as yours….
John's marriage record indicates that he was "of Hopkinton". John and Resign were married on 18 Apr 1766 (she was 17 yrs old). Note: I've come across several Trees on Ancestry that show that this is the same John Kelley that was baptized in 1759 in Hopkinton, MA. This may be problematic. If you have basic arithmetic skills, you'll catch my drift. IF the John Kelley baptized in Hopkinton IS in fact THIS John Kelley, then the date shown for his baptism HAD to have occurred when he was an ADULT. ZERO possibility of the John's being one in the same otherwise.
Origins……THIS John Kelley more than likely descends from one of the early Boston Kelly's (mid 1600's to very early 1700's) that I've found. So far, I've identified 4 Kelly couples. The likeliest descent is probably via a man named Henry Kelly, who MAY be either the Henry Kelly that arrived in Massachusetts in 1707 or the Henry Kelly (or Calley, Kelley, etc depending on the record) who was the son of Peter Calley and Ruth (maiden name unknown) of Dorchester, who married around 1669. Which one, I do not know, but one of these Henry Kelley's married Elizabeth Allen in Boston in 1707 and they had 3 children (that I have found so far), Henry Jr., Elizabeth and Robert Kelley, all born in Boston. .
John Kelley's first Wife Resign Tomlin's family has been infinitely easier to trace. Resign descends from the Tomblin/Tomlin family, who were early settlers in Massachusetts, coming in the mid 1600's. The first verified Tomlin/Tomblin in Resign's line is John Tomblin who married Sarah Barnes. John and Sarah (Barnes) Tomblin were the parents of Resign's Grandfather, Deacon Isaac Tomlin. FYI…Isaac's birth record in Boston was erroneously transcribed as "Isaac Tomson" for any of you who are also researching this family, because surely, I can't possibly be the ONLY one who is…or am I?? LOL..
Resign's Father, Hezekiah Tomlin, died when she was less than 2 months old. Hezekiah Tomlin, as the oldest surviving son, and Heir of Isaac Tomlin (or Tomblin as some records show), he inherited the Tomlin family homestead on Tomblin Hill, which is located in Northborough, MA. Upon her marriage to John Kelley, as the only Heir of her Father, it appears that Resign inherited the family homestead. Written accounts indicate that after they married, she and John resided there for around 8 years until they sold the property in the mid 1770's to an Elizabeth Grey of Boston. This property then came into the possession of Stephen Maynard, and later, to the Isaac Davis family of Northborough. When the American Revolution was beginning, records show that John Kelley was a Minute Man for the town of Northborough and that he and his Company marched at the first alarm in Lexington. It appears that at some point during all of this, the Kelley family removed to Barre, MA (which had been part of the Northwest District of Rutland). Barre initially was called Hutchinson, but that name didn't stick and was very brief.
John Kelley and Resign Tomlin had several children together, however, only their first 2 children's birth dates were recorded in town records (Anne Kelley 1768 and Hezekiah Tomlin Kelley 1770, both born in Northborough). Luckily, who are thought to be John's other children with Resign, their baptism dates (only showing their Father's name John Kelley) were recorded in the First Church of Barre, showing that 3 of their daughters (Patty, Hannah and Resign Kelley) were all baptized on the same date in July 1782. Their last two children were also baptized in the First Church of Barre, Grace Kelley in 1784 and Joel Kelley (my 4x GG) in 1786. My only guess as to why their children's actual birth dates do not show up in town records is, because at that time, the town of Barre was still in the process of forming and of course, the American Revolution was beginning, occurring and ending right when these two were having babies. I suppose people had more pressing matters to concern themselves with at that particular time, and gosh darn it….things such as good record keeping may have fallen by the wayside..can't really blame them. Just a theory.. but, this could very well explain the absence of a death record for Resign (Tomlin) Kelley, because it just doesn't seem to exist.
It is very likely that Resign died right after, or in the year following son Joel Kelley's birth in 1785/1786. I surmise this because Barre town records show that John Kelley then married Sarah Amsden on 31 Oct 1787. This correlates with the dozen year gap shown in records between son Joel's baptism in 1786 and the later round of baptism's for children of John Kelley (and I assume, Sarah Amsden) that occurred in 1797 (3 daughters (Polly, Betsy and Relief). Yet again, we have baptisms occurring in a group. First Church of Barre baptismal records show 2 additional children of John Kelley (and Sarah Amsden), Isaac Amsden Kelley bapt in 1799 and Clarissa Kelley bapt 1801.
Like most of his children with Resign Tomlin, the children John Kelley appears to have had with Sarah Amsden all followed the pattern of being baptized in the First Church of Barre (again, 3 daughters all being baptized on the same date), as well as the absence of actual birth dates for any of them. The 1790 and 1800 US Census records for John Kelley show him residing in Barre with just about the right amount of children when comparing it to the number of children the First Church of Barre baptismal records show. There is only one male in the household in the 1790 Census that I cannot account for. If this was a son of John's, he had to have been born of first wife Resign. But, if so, why wouldn't this son have shown up in the Barre baptismal records? The other option was that this was a relative, and not a son.
The 1800 Census reveals that one of John's daughters he had with Resign was still in the household, but, which one? Hannah, Patty or Resign? Daughter Anne had married by that time, and I have not found marriage records that can conclusively match Hannah, none are found for Resign and if Patty is THE Patty Kelley that married Edmund Clark, well, this marriage had not yet taken place. So, it could very well be Patty who was the female still residing at home. If so, what happened to Hannah and Resign? Here we are again, with the possibility that they too could have been deceased by then, but as in the case of their Mother Resign, the lack of death records in the Town of Barre is obscuring this issue.
After the 1800 Census, all traces of John Kelley and Sarah (Amsden) Kelley seem to vanish. I've been able to trace about half of John Kelley's children that he had with both Resign and Sarah, but as for what became of John (and two of his daughters with Resign Tomlin - Hannah and Resign Kelley) and second wife, Sarah Amsden (and their last two children- Isaac and Clarissa), at this point, despite spending countless hours trying to figure out where they went and when they died, I have found NADA. The only clue I have found is that a couple of John Kelley's children ended up in Vermont, so it is possible that this is where John, Sarah and the children I've been unable to trace ended up.
Also for anyone else who is researching THIS particular Kelley family….FYI….there was ANOTHER Kelley family that was living in Barre, MA at the same time as THIS John Kelley and family, late 1700's-1800's. Besides my TWO Joel Kelley's, there were 2 OTHER Joel Kelleys (Joel (married Mary Nurss and then Susannah Brintnall)), and his son, Joel B Kelley (who married Adeline Billings) residing there BESIDES my 3x Great Grandfather, Joel Kelley Jr and at the SAME time. These OTHER Kelley's descend from Henry and Elizabeth (Allen) Kelley, mentioned above, via their son, Robert Kelley.
Naturally, due to these OTHER Kelley's residing in Barre at the same time as MY Kelley's, almost a 100 years after the marriage of Henry Kelley and Elizabeth Allen in 1707, the fact that both Kelley families had a Joel Sr and a Joel Jr, well..my interest in them has been peaked. Coincidence? Perhaps. Currently I am focusing on them to try and find a connection between MY Kelley's and the OTHER Kelley's or to rule out a connection between the two families. Should a connection fail to exist, I've got other candidates to work on…and it's A LOT of work! GAH!!!
My 4x GG Joel Kelley Jr probably left Barre around the time he got married in 1807. He ended up settling in Northborough, MA, with his wife, Casandra (Southwick) Kelley, while the OTHER two Joel Kelleys (Sr and Jr) stayed in Barre, where both raised their families and lived the rest of their lives.
Family Members
Children
-
![]()
Anna Kelley Adams
1768–1834
-
Hezekiah Tomlin Kelley
1770 – unknown
-
Resign Kelley
1782 – unknown
-
Hannah Kelley
1782 – unknown
-
Martha "Patty" Kelley
1782 – unknown
-
Grace Kelley Young
1784–1843
-
![]()
Joel Kelley
1785–1864
-
Betsy Kelley
1788–1820
-
![]()
Mary "Polly" Kelley Moon
1792–1861
-
![]()
Relief Kelley Codner
1796–1877
-
Isaac Amsden Kelley
1799 – unknown
-
Clarissa Kelley
1801 – unknown
Advertisement
Advertisement
