Edna Rose Kelley/Edna Florence Perry West 1909-1990

I should have a picture of Grandma West, but I don't.  This is one of my few ancestors that I knew/remember.  She was 61 when I was born and my first recollection of her was when she was babysitting me and my younger sister Kathy.  We were at her house in Mesa, Arizona.  She made us lunch and Kathy did not like the sandwich.  Grandma told her that if she did not eat the sandwich, she could not have dessert.  Kathy did not budge on eating her sandwich, and neither did Grandma, so Kathy received no dessert.  I decided to be nice and share my dessert with Kathy.  As I was handing it to Kathy (it was a chocolate covered marshmallow sandwich type dessert) Grandma's dog jumped up and scared me.  I dropped the cookie on the floor and Grandma threw it away.  I was a bit disgruntled because I felt I should have gotten a replacement because I was being nice and sharing it with my sister.  Grandma did not see things my way.

Edna Rose Kelley was born May 19, 1909 in Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma.
Her Father:  James Andrew Kelley
Her Mother:  Sarah Ellen Trembeley
Siblings:

• Susan Lou Kelley 
• James Kirk Kelley 
• Norvel Miles Kelley
  Alonzo Alfonso Kelley
• Clifford Thompson Kelley
  Olivia Gertrude Kelley
• Elsie Lucille Kelley
  Velma Virginia Kelley
  Buster Benjamin Kelley
  
  
  She did not know these siblings very well as children because she was adopted around the age of 5.  She was adopted by Immogene Perry.  She was raised by Immogene until she was an adult.  
  
  
  She married Dale Matson West on .  This was Dale's second marriage.  His first wife and son died in unrelated situations.
  
  I later learned that while she was raised separately from her family, she did keep in touch with them and they visited as adults.
  
  The family seemed to break apart with Susan marrying, Olivia (known to me as Aunt Babe) going to an institution, and her parents divorcing around the time that Edna was placed for adoption.  There is some rumor that there were some ladies in the local Baptist church who decided they knew what was best for the Kelly family and caused some of these events to happen (adoption and possibly the institutionalization). 

Foreman Spencer (1784-1872) and Dorothy Wiseman Biography - Kelley line

Foreman Spencer &

Dorothy Wiseman

1784 - 1872

Foreman Spencer was born on September 1, 1784 in Maryland. He was the son of Joseph Spencer and Margaret Foreman. Joseph was a shoemaker by trade, a skill along with tanning he taught his son, Foreman. Dorothy Wiseman was born August 6, 1788 in Little Kenesaw in West Virginia. She was the daughter of Caleb Wiseman. So far I have been unable to determine her maternal ascent.

Around 1800 Foreman immigrated to Ohio, where he settled and built himself a log cabin. He was the first settler in the Muskingum County. To pay off his land Foreman went to West Virginia to borrow $100 from his uncle, after returning home he returned to West Virginia to marry Dorothy Wiseman around 1809. The couple founded the town of Shannon, Ohio, where Foreman supplemented his income from farming with a tanning business.

Foreman and Dorothy Spencer started their family with the births of William Wilson Spencer in 1811, Foreman Spencer Jr. in 1812, Wiseman Spencer in 1814, Harriett Spencer in 1816 and Owen Spencer in 1818. In 1817 Foreman and Dorothy built the first brick home in the county, manufacturing the bricks themselves on their farm. The 1820’s found the Spencer family growing with the births of Joseph Spencer in 1823, Elizabeth Spencer in 1824 and Minerva Spencer in 1825.

In 1830 the family was still residing in Muskingum County, Ohio. On March 27, 1834 William Wilson Spencer married Sarah Cole and they started their family with the births of Samuel Spencer in 1835, Martha Spencer in 1837, John Spencer in 1838 and William Spencer Jr. in 1839. On March 31, 1836 Foreman Spencer married Matilda Dick in Falls Township in Muskingum County, Ohio and they started their family with the births of Edward Spencer in 1837 and William H Spencer in 1838. On April 23, 1839 Harriett Spencer married John Baxter. Dorothy (Wiseman) Spencer passed away on September 10, 1830 in Muskingum County, Ohio at the age of 42 for reasons unknown at this time.

In 1840 Foreman Spencer Sr. married Margaret Evans in Muskingum County, Ohio. Unfortunately Foreman’s happiness was short and Margaret passed away in 1844. There was documented one birth from this marriage, but the name of the child was unknown. William and Sarah Spencer’s family continued to grow in leaps and bounds with the births of Wiseman Spencer in 1841, Frances Spencer in 1842, Marshall Spencer in 1844, Jared Spencer in 1846, Jay Spencer in 1848 and Louisa Spencer in 1849. Foreman and Matilda Spencer had one more child; John C Spencer was born in 1844. Harriett and John Baxter started their family with the births of Foreman Spencer Baxter in 1840, Isabell Baxter in 1842, Angeline Baxter in 1844, Sarah Baxter in 1845 and Charles Owens Baxter in 1849. On November 23, 1849 Owen Spencer married America Hawkins Ashby in Andrew County, Missouri. On March 28, 1844 Elizabeth Spencer married Benjamin Cole and they started their family with the births of George Cole in 1847 and Harriett Cole in 1849.

The 1850’s found Foreman and his unmarried children still residing in Muskingum County. They had eight other people living with them to help provide labor for his rather large farm. His real estate was valued at $8100. William and Sarah Spencer had their last child in 1850 with the birth of their daughter Sarah Spencer. Foreman Jr. and Matilda Spencer were living in Upper Sandusky in Wyandot County, Ohio where they had their last child, Winfield Scott Spencer in 1851. Harriett and John Baxter’s family continued to grow with the births of Mary Ann Baxter in 1852, George Henry Baxter in 1854 and Cynthia Prudence Baxter in 1856. Owen and America Spencer were living in Nodaway Township in Andrew County, Missouri where their family grew by leaps and bounds with the births of Foreman Edward Spencer in 1851, Benjamin Franklin Spencer in 1852, Anna M Spencer in 1855, Robert Fulton Spencer in 1856 and Joseph Wiseman Spencer in 1858. Elizabeth and Benjamin Cole had one more child; Sophia Cole was born in 1855.

Sometime in the late 1850’s or early 1860’s Foreman sold his farm in Ohio and traveled to New York where he sailed to San Francisco from. He settled again close to Portland, Oregon and started all over again. William and Sarah Spencer remained in Muskingum County, Ohio. William died on December 25, 1864 in Muskingum County at the age of 55. Wiseman Foreman died on July 29, 1860 at the age of 48 for causes unknown to me at this time. Harriett and John Baxter were living in Gentry County, Missouri. They had two more children, John Wiseman Baxter was born in 1860 and Joseph Grant Baxter in 1865. Sometime in 1861 or 1862 Harriett and her husband chose to move to Oregon where she joined her father. Owen and America Spencer were living in Gentry County, Missouri also. Elizabeth and Benjamin Cole’s family continued to grow with the births of Elizabeth Cole in 1862, Matilda Cole in 1864 and Emery J Cole in 1869.

By 1870 Foreman Spencer was living with Harriet and Benjamin Baxter and their seven children whom they had brought to Oregon with them. They were living in Dayton Township in Yamhill County where Foreman owned 300 acres of farm land. His real estate was valued at $2500 and personal estate at $3300. John Baxter’s real estate was valued at $500 and personal estate at $1175. Owen and America Spencer were living in Allen Township in Worth County, Missouri. Elizabeth and Benjamin Cole had moved their family to Henderson County, Illinois. Foreman Spencer Sr. died on February 14, 1872 in Dayton Township in Yamhill County, Oregon at the age of 87.

The Kelley line opens up!

I got this from a fellow researcher, so it all still needs to be verified, but a fun story!

Benjamin Herndon Kelley

Okay, Kristina, thank you for the clarification. Then, Benjamin Herndon Kelley was the ggg grandfather of us both.

Norval H. Kelley had nine brothers. Of the ten sons of Benjamin Herndon Kelley, five served in the Civil War. Not all of them survived the conflict. One survived only to be killed very shortly after his discharge, by bushwackers. The ones who served were: Owen H., Thomas Allen, William Grant, Alfred C., and Jasper Newton. The one who was bushwacked was Owen H.

All of the ten sons of Benjamin Herndon Kelley were over six feet tall, and all ten sons weighed over 200 pounds. Perhaps the daughters were a bit smaller? That would have been quite a family in those days!

Benjamin Herndon was a reverend in a line of Baptist preachers. His brother, David Jerrel was also a reverend. There were at least four generations of Baptist preachers in DJK's line.

Benjamin Herndon Kelley was born in Virginia, 28 Oct 1795. All of his thirteen children were born in Kentucky. Benjamin Herndon lived in Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, and Missouri. His last known record was 1870 in Missouri. No one seems to know any more, where he is buried.

(This is from Wikipedia, both the text and picture) I am assuming that "Bloody Bill Anderson (pictured) is not a relative, but I needed to find a definition of bushwacked to make sure I understood tomorrow's post.

Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there are large areas of contested land and few Governmental Resources to control these tracts. This was particularly prevalent in rural areas during the Civil War where there were sharp divisions between those favoring the Union and Confederacy in the conflict. The perpetrators of the attacks were called bushwhackers.

Bushwhackers were generally part of the irregular military forces on both sides. While bushwhackers conducted a few well-organized raids in which they burned cities, most of the attacks involved ambushes of individuals or families in rural areas. In areas affected by bushwhacking the actions were particularly insidious since it amounted to a fight of neighbor against neighbor. Since the attacks were non-uniformed, the government response was complicated by trying to decide whether they were legitimate military attacks or criminal actions.