My Old Ohio Home - Kelly

Mary (Rodgers) Kelly Anderson, of Cleveland, Ohio

2018-10-10T00:00:00-04:00

When I started researching Edward and Anna Rodgers' daughter Mary, she was mostly just s legend. It went: "She was married to a Patrick Kelly and a Dudley Anderson. She was on stage. We had a picture of her with Lillian Russell." Well I haven't found any pictures at all of her, but there is enough information to fill out the rest of the story.

First, her birth record is now online: Mary was born February 23, 1866, in Kilkeel Parish, County Down, Ireland, the daughter of Edward Rodgers and Ann Cunningham. Next, Mary was recorded as five years old when she arrived in New York from Liverpool with her mother Ann and her brother William on April 15, 1872. And she is fourteen, attending school, and living in her parents household in Newburgh, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1880.

After that the trail gets a little harder to follow. Let's start with her first husband,

Patrick Kelly

I couldn't find a record of the marriage of Pat Kelly and Mary Rodgers, but their son Patrick was born in Cleveland on December 4, 1885, at 1784 Harvard. Both parents were said to be living at that address. The 1885 through 1887 Cleveland City Directories say that was the home of Mary Rodgers' parents, but there is no record of Patrick and Mary at that address themselves.

Patrick's age on the birth record was 25. His son's 1900 Census in the Rodgers' household said that Patrick (Sr) was born in Tennessee. And the son's marriage license said that the son himself was born in Nashville, Tennessee. We know he was born in Cleveland, so when he said "Nashville" he might have been referring to his father's birthplace by mistake. Or his future wife was the one who applied for the license.

At any rate, I couldn't find a match for Pat Kelly, born about 1860, in Nashville. He is not the man who died in Nashville on September 15, 1885, age, 31. That man was single.

A comment at the Miko Family Tree at ancestry.com once said this about Mary Rodgers' first husband:

Mary's first husband was Pat Kelly who was a minor league baseball player. They had one child. Pat died tragically from being hit in the head by a thrown baseball.

I have no reason to doubt that information. If Patrick Kelly died in Cleveland, he could be the man who died in a hospital on March 31, 1887, of an accident. He was married, age 30y 3m, and said to have been born in Ireland. His parents were named Michael and Mary. The "accident" part fits the family story about his death, but the death record called him a laborer. That was a blanket term for a lot of occupations back then, but I don't know if it would include ball player. Then again, if he was a ball player he could have been on the road and died anywhere.

In the 1886 Cleveland City Directory there is a listing for a Patrick Kelly, catcher, living at 2274 Fayette St. Fayette became E 76th after 1906, so this was the Rodgers' neighborhood. In 1888 there is a Michael Kelly at that address, but his father's household in 1860 and 1880 did not include anyone named Patrick.

The Miko Family tree next adds:

Upon his death, Mary follows her acting passion which takes her to NYC where she meets Dudley Anderson. They marry, have a child, Edward (my grandfather) and leave him with Pat Kelly's mother and pursue their Vaudville passion/money.

Which brings us to Mary's second husband,

Dudley Anderson

I don't know where Mary Rodgers met William D Anderson of Richmond, Virginia, but there is a marriage record for Mary Kelly, age 21, and Dudley Anderson, 21, on the 28th of June, 1887, in Oil City, Venango County, Pennsylvania. The occupation of both: "Performer in show." Perhaps they were appearing at the Opera House in Franklin, PA, eight miles down the road.

They took a bit of "artistic license" with the information on the application. Mary's father was listed as P.H. Kelly and her mother was Mrs. E. Rodgers. "Date of death of former husband: none. Date of divorce of woman at any time: None."

1887 Marriage Record, Mary Rodgers and Dudley Anderson

Their only son, Edward Anderson, was born August 16, 1888, again at the Rodgers' home on Harvard. He and Mary's first son, Patrick Kelly were living with Mary's parents in 1900.

The Miko Family Tree concludes by saying that Mary and Dudley Anderson pursued their career

by moving to Butte, Montana where Dudly ends up having an affair with another performer and running off to Chicago to start a new life. He left Mary without funds where she eventually dies of Scarlet fever.

There was a little more to it than that, as we shall see.

Mary Rodgers' Career

Mary Rodgers and Dudley Anderson were performing together by at least 1887. This clip from the Baltimore, Maryland, Sun of October 24, 1887, advertises their appearance at a matinee performance at the Odeon Theatre that afternoon. Mary's stage name was Minnie Kelly and Dudley's was Bobby Carroll.

October 24, 1887, Baltimore Sun, page 1

"How do we know those are they?" you might ask.

As the article about William D Anderson of Richmond, Virginia, mentioned above, explains, the transcription at familysearch.org of Dudley Anderson's death record (Chicago, March 19, 1932) says "alias Bobbie Carroll." It gives his birthplace as Richmond, Virginia, and his parents' names match closely enough to those on his marriage record with Mary Rodgers. So Dudley Anderson equals Bobby/Bobbie Carroll.

A 1893 newspaper clipping, included below, refers to a lady as "Mrs Bobbie Carroll, alias Minnie Kelly." Mary was married to Dudley at the time, so Mary Rodgers equals Minnie Kelly.

And now, back to our story. I found another appearance in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in January 1889, but after that I think they did move west, as the family said. In August 1890, they are in Butte, Montana, billed as Bobby Carroll and Miss Minnie Kelly, comedy sketch artists:

August 9, 1890, Butte, Montana, Daily Post, page 1

Then comes this news report from Deadwood, South Dakota, in April 1893:

Mrs Bobby Carroll, alias Minnie Kelly, one of the Gem stars, during a fit of melancholia yesterday morning drank a large quantity of carbolic acid with suicidal intent. When she realized what she had done she changed her mind and called lustily for help. A doctor was soon on hand, who after hard work got her out of danger.

April 22, 1893, Deadwood, South Dakota Black Hills Daily Times, page 7

What prompted Mary to drink carbolic acid was not mentioned in the story. But whatever it was, I think that was the end of the line for the Rodgers-Anderson marriage and for the Bobby Carroll-Minnie Kelly partnership. They were not mentioned together again. In January and April 1895, the Elwood, Indiana, Daily Press refers to Bobby Carroll's wife as "Caroline Gardner" not Minnie Kelly.

Mary stayed in Deadwood for a while. A June 1893 review from that city refers to Minnie Kelly executing her character part in fine style. And the October 17, 1895, Deadwood Weekly Pioneer-Times reported the arrest of a Bill Chadwick on complaint of Minnie Kelly who claimed that he had struck her. He was fined $5 and costs.

Her next stop might have been Missoula, Montana. The March 22, 1896, edition of the Missoula, Montana, Missoulian stated:

An exceptionally fine program will be given at the Cremorne this week. Two new stars Misses Minnie Kelly and Mamie Castle, who have been creating a furore throughout the east with their grand duetts and character songs will make their initial appearance before a western audience.

And this ad comes from the April 1 Missoulian:

April 1, 1896, Missoula, Montana, Missoulian, page 1

They were still there on May 2.

I don't know what Mary Rodgers, aka Minnie Kelly, was doing between May 1896 and her death in November 1897. She may have been performing somewhere–not all old newspapers are available online. But the next mention of her was this sad announcement on page 5 of the Anaconda, Montana, Standard, November 12, 1897:

Minnie Kelly, aged 27, died yesterday at St. James hospital. The funeral will occur Sunday at 2 o'clock p.m. from Sherman's undertaking rooms.

November 12, 1897, Anaconda, Montana, Standard, page 5

followed a few days later by:

Butte Has More Than Its Share of Sad Processions
The last sad rites were performed yesterday over the remains of four residents of Butte who had passed away during the previous week. ... Minnie Kelly, formerly a variety actress at the Casino, from Sherman's undertaking rooms. ...

November 15, 1897, Anaconda, Montana, Standard, page 7

Her death certificate (November 11, 1897, Butte, Montana), recorded under the name Minnie Kelly, said she died of pneumonia and was buried in the Catholic cemetery. This probably refers to St Patrick's Cemetery, Butte, since I think that was the active Catholic cemetery in the city at the time. I might be wrong.

Conclusion

So, finally, some closure for Mary Rodgers' short, sad life. She left a brief show business legacy, but more importantly she has descendants through her son by Dudley Anderson, and more grand-nieces and nephews than I can count. Now if we could only find that photograph with Lillian Russell.

For Mary Rodgers' family and the genealogy sources, find Rodgers in the Ohio Families section of this website.

Sources

Irish Civil Registrations
Ellis Island Records
1880 and 1900 US Census of Cleveland
Ohio County Birth Records
The Miko Family Tree, at ancestry.com
Ohio Deaths and Burials, familysearch.org
Cleveland Public Library News and Necrology File
Pennsylvania County Marriages, familysearch.org

Selina (McVeigh) Kelly, of Kilkeel and Chicago

2018-10-09T00:00:00-04:00

When Christina O'Rourke, age 22, who was born in Killowen, arrived in the United States on October 6, 1906, she said that she was headed to the home of her aunt Celina Kelly, at 122 East 4th, Chicago, Illinois ---

We arrive at Selina (McVeigh) Kelly by way of her niece Christina (O'Rourke) Flood, whom we discussed in the last article, Christina O'Rourke, Killowen to Chicago.

The names Selina M'Veigh and Bernard Kelly are both listed on the same page of the Civil Registration Marriage Index for the second quarter of 1882 in Kilkeel district. The actual marriage record should confirm that they married each other, and not any of the other five people on the page.²

Edited March 2018. They were married May 4, 1882, in the Catholic chapel at Massforth.

There is a birth record for a child, Annie Kelly on May 8, 1888, in Lake, Cook County, Illinois. Her parents' names are Salina McVeigh and Barney Kelly.³

In 1900, there is a Bernard and Salina Kelly at 546 or 548 West 42nd St., Chicago, with a daughter Annie and six other children. In 1910 they are at 5629 Grove Ave. They have boarding with them a Patrick Doyle, age 24. Patrick could be Salina's nephew if he is related to the James Doyle who is in the John McVeigh household in Dunnaval, Mourne, County Down, in 1901. ^{4, 5} See the previous article, mentioned above.

In 1920 Selina, now Celia, Kelly is widowed and living at 6508 King Ave with daughters Anna, Mary, and Helen still at home.⁶

Finally, there is a death record for a Celia Kelly born in County Down who died May 12, 1926, in Chicago. She was widowed, and her spouse was Bernard Kelly. There is no image available online and her parents' names are transcribed as John McGee and Mary McVeigh. I would be surprised if the names on the actual record weren't actually Mary McGee and John McVeigh instead.⁷

So I think it is safe to say that this Selina (McVeigh) Kelly is a daughter of John McVeigh and Mary McGee of Dunnaval Townland, Kilkeel, Ireland, and is the sister of Margaret McVeigh, wife of William Rourke in Ballyneddan Townland, Kilbroney. Work backward to see the earlier articles in this series.

Selina's birth date is difficult to determine. Her death record says she was born August 15, 1866. Her 1900 Census information says she was born in December 1873 but had been married 18 years. Her 1910 and 1920 censuses would put her birth year about 1863 or 1864. And there is a Selina Kelly, age 21, who passes through Castle Garden in 1884 that may be her. My guess is she was born about 1862 or 1863.

Concluded in John and Mary (McGee) McVeigh of Dunnaval Townland, Kilkeel.

Footnotes

1. Ellis Island Records, arrival of Christina O'Rourke, 1906.

2. Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958, Volume 1, page 714. For Selina: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FYWM-34F, and for Bernard: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FYWM-RNG.

3. "Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NQYK-MPR : accessed 22 Nov 2013), Salina Mcveigh in entry for Annie Kelly, 08 May 1888.

4. "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQG-JFC : accessed 25 Nov 2013), Annie Kelly in household of Bernard Kelly, ED 878 Precinct 17 Lake town Chicago city Ward 29, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing sheet 5A, family 48, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1240280.

5. "United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MK8C-TYJ : accessed 25 Nov 2013), Bernard Kelley, Chicago Ward 31, Cook, Illinois, United States; citing sheet , family 209, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1374290.

6. "United States Census, 1920," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MJ7N-VL9 : accessed 25 Nov 2013), Celia Kelly, Chicago Ward 32, Cook (Chicago), Illinois, United States; citing sheet , family 249, NARA microfilm publication T625, FHL microfilm 1820349.

7. Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947, ancestry.com.

Mildred Gaughan, 1922, Newburgh, Cleveland

2018-10-08T00:00:00-04:00

Mildred Gaughan,
1922

This website includes a picture of the 1922 second grade class at Holy Name Parish on Broadway on the southeast side of Cleveland. My mother was in that class and identified most of the children in the picture. She identified the second young woman from our left in the back row as Mildred Gaughan. There was a Mildred Gaughan living in the area, described below, who is probably her.

Mildred Gaughan was born January 17, 1916, in Cleveland, the youngest of three children of Edward Gaughan and Sarah Kelly. In 1920 the family was living at 7818 Vineyard Avenue. In the household with Mildred and her parents were her older brother Henry John, and her older sister Geraldine.

In 1930 the family was at 15805 Chatfield Avenue on the far West Side, and in 1940 Sarah and the children were at 11107 Detroit. Henry and Sarah seemed to have separated about 1939. Sarah died in 1948 in Cleveland and Henry in 1950 in Florida.

For her part, Mildred married Leroy Carl Frank sometime about 1964. This might have been her second marriage, since her Social Security record says that she was known as Mildred Anna Boatman in April 1958. She died October 17, 1990, in Lakewood.

The Gaughans

When I saw that Edward had registered for the Draft in World War I as "Edward Heraty Gaughan", I had a feeling that knowing his middle name would be helpful sooner or later, and I was right. But the key to finding his home in Ireland was his petition for naturalization in August 1913. There he said that he had been born April 13, 1882, at Lurgacloy, Ireland.

On the 1901 census of Lurgacloy, Binghamstown South, County Mayo, there is only one Gaughan household, that of Hugh and Honora Gaughan. Hugh's mother in law, Bridget Heraghty living with them. Although I didn't find Edward's birth or baptism record, I am fairly certain this is his family. In addition, there is a Mary Gaughan who died single in Cleveland in 1926 whose death record said that her parents were Hugh Gaughan and Honora Herity. Mary's place of birth was listed as Belmullet, the nearest town to Lurgacloy.

The Kellys

Edward Gaughan's petition for naturalization also informs us of his wife Sarah's birthplace: Newport, Ireland. And Sarah's death record said that her parents were Owen Kelly and Julia McLaughlin. Newport is also in County Mayo, and house 4 on the 1901 Census of Roskeen North, Newport West, County Mayo, includes a Sarah Kelly, daughter of Owen and Julia.

Conclusion

Having been successful at finding their county of origin in Ireland, I was a little disappointed that there doesn't seem to be any living descendants of Edward Gaughan and Sarah Kelly. Mildred married late in life, her sister Geraldine died single, and their brother Henry's obituary did not mention children. Perhaps a descendant of one of their relatives in Co. Mayo will be helped by this research to find out what became of Edward or Sarah.

Sources and more information for the Edward Gaughan family are in the Ohio Families tree on this site.