I believe this census document shows my great-great grandfather Michael Kelly, living next door to his brother Patrick in November 1870. The form indicates that Michael was 22 years old, Patrick was 24 years old, and they both worked as farmers. Patrick had an estate worth $210. Patrick could not read or write, but presumably Michael could.
November 1870 – Township 23 Range 7 East, Cuming, Nebraska
This document plays a pivotal role in my decision to claim that Michael was born in 1848, as opposed to 1849 as it has been commonly reported. The other document supporting my claim is the newspaper clipping from the Bancroft Blade announcing his death. There are several documents claiming his birth year was 1849. Notably, one of these documents is a US Census form from 1900, which states very clearly that he was born in November of that year.
My reasoning for claiming 1848 as his actual year of birth is as follows. (A) It is widely accepted that Michael came to the US with his brother Patrick in the mid 1800s and settled in Cuming County, Nebraska. (B) The population of Cuming County was small enough that I feel confident in my assumption that the Kelly’s on this census document are indeed my ancestors. (C) This document was filled out on November 3, 1870. (D) There is a very high likelihood that the census worker actually spoke with Michael directly. (E) The census worker documented Michael as being 22 years of age, on this date which was presumably just two days after his birthday. (F) Later documents, such as the 1900 US Census, may very well have been filled out through discussion with other family members such as his wife. (G) I would believe the information coming directly from Michael thirty years earlier to be more accurate than information being gathered thirty years later from perhaps another family member.
Original Documents
The original source documents are provided below. Most browsers will let you “right-click” on these links and then “Save Link As” to save a copy of these documents to your computer.
This website serves as a repository for photos, blog entries, and other creations from the somewhat random mind of Patrick M. Kelly. There may also be a bit of pocket lint or loose change in the lower right-hand corner.