Tracing the “Kelly” surname back from my particular branch of the family tree will lead you to St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery near Bancroft, Nebraska. This is where my great-great grandfather is buried, along with several other family members. Images for all headstones at this cemetery can be found on the NebraskaGravestones.org website. Michael [... read more ...]
Two of my grandparents are buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Omaha, Nebraska. John W. Obteshka ( b. 1916 d. 1991 ) Dorothy Mae Street ( b. 1911 d. 2006 ) Evergreen Memorial Park is located at 2300 S. 78th Street, Omaha, NE, 68124. From Google Maps: View Larger Map
Four different family members are buried at Westlawn-Hillcrest Memorial Park in Omaha, Nebraska. It is interesting to note that the birth year for William Street is listed on his headstone as being 1878, which is two years earlier than indicated on other source documents. David Theodore Boese ( b. 1901 d. 1990 ) [... read more ...]
One of my uncles is buried at the Baltimore Pike Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Robert W. Kelly ( b. 1931 d. 1999 ) Baltimore Pike Cemetery is located at 3200 Costello Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45211. From Google Maps: View Larger Map
This is a photograph of my great-great grandfather Michael Kelly with (I assume) his first three children. My best guess is that it was taken in the late 1890′s. Handwritten notes on the back of the photograph list four names: Grandfather Kelly “Mike”, Aunt Nell, Dad Kelly (J.R.), Aunt Jane (standing). From everything I have [... read more ...]
This is my great-grandfather’s security badge from the early 1940′s. He worked at the Jubilee Manufacturing Company, which was apparently a defense contractor in Omaha, Nebraska. The badge consists of a round piece of metal with a “safety pin” fastener on the back. The image is considerably larger than the actual badge, which only measures [... read more ...]
This is the WW1 draft registration card for William Alexander Obteshka (exempt because he was not a US citizen). This document was apparently filled out on 5 Jun 1917. William Street claims that he was born 3 Jul 1889. His age at the time of registration was 28 years. He claims to be [... read more ...]
These census documents contain information about the Obteshka household in Omaha, Nebraska, during the early part of the 20th century. The handwriting on these forms is sometimes difficult to read. January 1920 – Omaha City, Douglas, Nebraska According to the 1920 census, William Obteshka (30), Parska (26), Alex (4), and John (3) lived [... read more ...]
My grandfather’s “Certificate of Delayed Birth Registration”, apparently filed in June 1948 when he was about 46 years old. His birth is declared to be October 27, 1901, having taken place in South Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska. His father’s name is listed as Henry Boese (known to have used the last name Base upon arrival [... read more ...]
Deciphering the information about my great grandparents in this branch of the tree is proving to be quite the challenge. My understanding from family members is that my great grandfather’s surname was “Boese” when he immigrated from Germany. When they came to the US, they changed their name to “Base” (which is pronounced the same [... read more ...]
My grandmother’s birth certificate, documenting her birth on October 30, 1902 in Madison Township, Fremont County, Iowa. Her father is listed as Willis E. Ackley, and her mother is listed as Mary Coppage. Document courtesy of Virginia Hansen. The original source documents are provided below. Most browsers will let you “right-click” on these [... read more ...]
These census documents provide information about the household in which my maternal grandmother was raised. The fist document is from the US Census in 1920. The second document is from the Iowa State Census in 1925. April 1920 – Madison Township, Fremont, Iowa The United States census from April 1920 shows Willis Ackley [... read more ...]
These records contain information about my great grandmother when she was a child, growing up with her family in England. The 1881 census form indicates that William Warman (42) and his wife Alice (32) lived at 6 Whitehorn Street with three children – Alice (7), Caroline (2), and Florence (9 months). They apparently had a [... read more ...]
This marriage license documents the marriage between William Street and Caroline Sarah Warman on December 11, 1905. The database documentation at Ancestry.com lists the location as the Saint John Parish at Hackney, Middlesex, Hackney, London. The document itself includes a number of interesting pieces of information. Both individuals are listed as being 27 [... read more ...]
This is the border-crossing document showing my great grandparents’ entry into the US. It comes from the Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger Crew List database. The card is filled out for William Street, and indicates that his was accompanied by his wife Caroline Sarah and a daughter (known to be Florence, but not listed by [... read more ...]
This is my great grandfather’s WW1 draft registration card. Family members do not believe that he ever actually served in the armed forces. This document, however, provides useful about him. This document was apparently filled out on 12 Sep 1918. William Street claims that he was born 23 Jan 1880. His age at [... read more ...]
These records contain information about my great grandparents’ household in the early part of the 20th century, and illustrate the fact that records of this sort are indeed subject to original errors (in addition to present-day interpretation errors). April 1910 – Omaha City, Douglas, Nebraska According to the 1910 census, William Street (31), [... read more ...]
This is the marriage certificate for Michael Kelly and Joanna Evans. The license was signed on 19 May 1873, and the ceremony performed on 26 May 1873, in Oakland, Burt County, Nebraska. Michael was 26 years old at the time, and Joanna was 16 years old (verbal consent of her father is indicated on the [... read more ...]
The following obituary appeared in the The Bancroft Blade On September 2, 1921. I have attempted to recreate the text here in its entirety, although some of the original text is difficult to properly recognize. Michael Kelly, Nebraska pioneer who departed this life at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Alvin Browning in [... read more ...]
Finding this 1880 census document for the Kelly family was not a straightforward process. The online database I use to search these records apparently had the last name entered incorrectly — but understandably given the original document — as “Kelby” instead of “Kelly”. I succeeded in tracking this down by searching for Michael’s neighbors from [... read more ...]
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 [... read more ...]
The following newspaper articles discuss my great-great grandfather, Michael Kelly. The first article was published about his death in 1921. The second was apparently a history piece written in the mid-1980′s. Based partially on information in the first article, I believe that Michael’s birth year has been erroneously reported to be 1849. Instead, I believe [... read more ...]
These records contain information about my great-great grandfather and his family during the early part of the 20th century in Bancroft Township, Cuming County, Nebraska. These documents include information about the year he immigrated to the US, but it is difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from the conflicting data. Additionally, two of these documents support [... read more ...]
These records contain information about my great grandparents’ household in the early part of the 20th century, where my paternal grandfather grew up as a child. It also appears that they are living next door to my great-great grandfather at the time (but I am not directly addressing that in this particular article). April [... read more ...]
My parents were given these family-tree documents around 1962 by the Kelly family. Nobody knows exactly when the data was compiled, but it was apparently very close to that time since the documents include data from 1958. Three pages are included, with the first page apparently discussing my grandfather’s sister Margaret, and the remaining information [... read more ...]
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