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 [...]

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 this city [...]

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 [...]

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 (60), his [...]

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 image courtesy of Virginia Hansen.

Original Documents
The original source documents are provided below. Most browsers will let you “right-click” [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 now [...]