John was working for Jerusha's father Samuel Millikin in La Salle Co., IL prior to their marriage. He signed his name on the Dec. 1860 La Salle Co., IL marriage application as John B. Kelley. So we know that that was the correct spelling of "Kelly" for this family, although some other family members preferred the more common spelling, which is the way others tended to write it when hearing it. This could be why he's "J.B. Kelly" on his cemetery marker. Going by the birthdates of the children, John & Jerusha appear to have moved from La Salle Co., IL to Worth Co., MO sometime between when dau. Rebecca was b. in 1865 and son John Robert Kelley/Kelly was b. in 1867.
According to the story that's been passed down in the family, after taking his crops to market in Grant City in Nov. of 1871, John B. Kelley stopped in a saloon for a card game. He won at the card game, but that wasn't lucky for him because, as the story goes, John was murdered and robbed on the way home. It's thought that one robber hid under the canvas in the back of John's wagon, while another waited down the road with the two horses. The Kelley team knew the way home. Bessie found the wagon with John's body waiting at their gate the next morning. The murderers were never caught. However, a Worth Co., MO jury and inquest into his death the next day, 9 Nov. 1871, determined that instead of having been the victim of a robbery, he had accidentally fallen, possibly due to drinking too much after winning at cards in the saloon, and was dragged home by the horses pulling his wagon. They thought he might have been kicked in the head by his team of horses. His body was wrapped around one of the front wheels. He was only 33 when he died.
John & Jerusha's youngest dau. Emma, who was married at least twice and moved to CO. Emma Kelley was b. 3 Jan. 1870 or 1871 near Grant City, Worth Co., MO. Emma was left off of the 1870 census for this family, so perhaps 1871 was the correct year. She was in the 1880 Norwalk, Pottawattamie Co., IA census for Jerusha's sister Amanda Wightman, as Emma Kelley. Amanda took her to raise her. Emma was married first to possibly a Mr. Hartmen, then after divorcing him, apparently married a Mr. Morgart.
John didn't serve in battle during the Civil War. Before the war, he was working for Samuel & Rebecca Millikin raising horses. Horses were greatly needed for the war effort, so as we can tell from the birth dates of his children, he continued raising horses in Illinois throughout the war. People who were engaged in occupations like that were exempt from the draft.
According to the story that's been passed down in the family, after taking his crops to market in Grant City in Nov. of 1871, John B. Kelley stopped in a saloon for a card game. He won at the card game, but that wasn't lucky for him because, as the story goes, John was murdered and robbed on the way home. It's thought that one robber hid under the canvas in the back of John's wagon, while another waited down the road with the two horses. The Kelley team knew the way home. Bessie found the wagon with John's body waiting at their gate the next morning. The murderers were never caught. However, a Worth Co., MO jury and inquest into his death the next day, 9 Nov. 1871, determined that instead of having been the victim of a robbery, he had accidentally fallen, possibly due to drinking too much after winning at cards in the saloon, and was dragged home by the horses pulling his wagon. They thought he might have been kicked in the head by his team of horses. His body was wrapped around one of the front wheels. He was only 33 when he died.
John & Jerusha's youngest dau. Emma, who was married at least twice and moved to CO. Emma Kelley was b. 3 Jan. 1870 or 1871 near Grant City, Worth Co., MO. Emma was left off of the 1870 census for this family, so perhaps 1871 was the correct year. She was in the 1880 Norwalk, Pottawattamie Co., IA census for Jerusha's sister Amanda Wightman, as Emma Kelley. Amanda took her to raise her. Emma was married first to possibly a Mr. Hartmen, then after divorcing him, apparently married a Mr. Morgart.
John didn't serve in battle during the Civil War. Before the war, he was working for Samuel & Rebecca Millikin raising horses. Horses were greatly needed for the war effort, so as we can tell from the birth dates of his children, he continued raising horses in Illinois throughout the war. People who were engaged in occupations like that were exempt from the draft.
John was working for Jerusha's father Samuel Millikin in La Salle Co., IL prior to their marriage. He signed his name on the Dec. 1860 La Salle Co., IL marriage application as John B. Kelley. So we know that that was the correct spelling of "Kelly" for this family, although some other family members preferred the more common spelling, which is the way others tended to write it when hearing it. This could be why he's "J.B. Kelly" on his cemetery marker. Going by the birthdates of the children, John & Jerusha appear to have moved from La Salle Co., IL to Worth Co., MO sometime between when dau. Rebecca was b. in 1865 and son John Robert Kelley/Kelly was b. in 1867.
According to the story that's been passed down in the family, after taking his crops to market in Grant City in Nov. of 1871, John B. Kelley stopped in a saloon for a card game. He won at the card game, but that wasn't lucky for him because, as the story goes, John was murdered and robbed on the way home. It's thought that one robber hid under the canvas in the back of John's wagon, while another waited down the road with the two horses. The Kelley team knew the way home. Bessie found the wagon with John's body waiting at their gate the next morning. The murderers were never caught. However, a Worth Co., MO jury and inquest into his death the next day, 9 Nov. 1871, determined that instead of having been the victim of a robbery, he had accidentally fallen, possibly due to drinking too much after winning at cards in the saloon, and was dragged home by the horses pulling his wagon. They thought he might have been kicked in the head by his team of horses. His body was wrapped around one of the front wheels. He was only 33 when he died.
John & Jerusha's youngest dau. Emma, who was married at least twice and moved to CO. Emma Kelley was b. 3 Jan. 1870 or 1871 near Grant City, Worth Co., MO. Emma was left off of the 1870 census for this family, so perhaps 1871 was the correct year. She was in the 1880 Norwalk, Pottawattamie Co., IA census for Jerusha's sister Amanda Wightman, as Emma Kelley. Amanda took her to raise her. Emma was married first to possibly a Mr. Hartmen, then after divorcing him, apparently married a Mr. Morgart.
John didn't serve in battle during the Civil War. Before the war, he was working for Samuel & Rebecca Millikin raising horses. Horses were greatly needed for the war effort, so as we can tell from the birth dates of his children, he continued raising horses in Illinois throughout the war. People who were engaged in occupations like that were exempt from the draft.
According to the story that's been passed down in the family, after taking his crops to market in Grant City in Nov. of 1871, John B. Kelley stopped in a saloon for a card game. He won at the card game, but that wasn't lucky for him because, as the story goes, John was murdered and robbed on the way home. It's thought that one robber hid under the canvas in the back of John's wagon, while another waited down the road with the two horses. The Kelley team knew the way home. Bessie found the wagon with John's body waiting at their gate the next morning. The murderers were never caught. However, a Worth Co., MO jury and inquest into his death the next day, 9 Nov. 1871, determined that instead of having been the victim of a robbery, he had accidentally fallen, possibly due to drinking too much after winning at cards in the saloon, and was dragged home by the horses pulling his wagon. They thought he might have been kicked in the head by his team of horses. His body was wrapped around one of the front wheels. He was only 33 when he died.
John & Jerusha's youngest dau. Emma, who was married at least twice and moved to CO. Emma Kelley was b. 3 Jan. 1870 or 1871 near Grant City, Worth Co., MO. Emma was left off of the 1870 census for this family, so perhaps 1871 was the correct year. She was in the 1880 Norwalk, Pottawattamie Co., IA census for Jerusha's sister Amanda Wightman, as Emma Kelley. Amanda took her to raise her. Emma was married first to possibly a Mr. Hartmen, then after divorcing him, apparently married a Mr. Morgart.
John didn't serve in battle during the Civil War. Before the war, he was working for Samuel & Rebecca Millikin raising horses. Horses were greatly needed for the war effort, so as we can tell from the birth dates of his children, he continued raising horses in Illinois throughout the war. People who were engaged in occupations like that were exempt from the draft.
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