The subject of my column this week is the Kelly family.

Charles Brinton Kelly was born in Bucyrus, Ohio, on April 28, 1857. He was the youngest of 10 children. He was 30 years old when he came to Mancos in 1887.

He liked horses and had done considerable packing, so he was drawn to the Lew Jarrett Livery business. Lew wasn't in good health, so it wasn't long before he took Charles in as a partner. Jarrett and Kelly's livery stable was located south of the bridge on Main Street and on the corner of Main and First streets. Because of continuing poor health, Jarrett retired, and Charles became the sole owner of the livery. He conducted pack trips into Mesa Verde for many years and in 1909 became the fist permanent Park Ranger at Mesa Verde National Park. He died in June 1927.

M. Jennie (Mahala Jane) Miller was born on June 15, 1859 in Etna, Mo.. She was one of seven children. She became teacher and only she may have known the exact reason why she applied for a teaching position in Mancos, Colo. She arrived in Mancos in 1891. She most likely came from Durango to Mancos via a wagon driven by Charles Kelly, who was freighting supplies into Mancos. Had she arrived two years later, she would have had the comfort of riding in a train from Durango.

Charles may have been impressed by the spunky lady whom he helped with her luggage at the Lemmon Hotel at the south end of Main Street.

Jennie was in her second year of teaching when Charles won her hand and married her on Jan. 31, 1892. Jennie finished out the school year, but that was the end of her teaching career. On Oct. 16, 1893, Jennie gave birth to a son, Charles Miller Kelly. She and Charles gave him all the attention proud parents do, but early in 1897 he came down with the dreaded influenza and passed away on Feb. 21, 1897.

The loss of young Charles was eased when Jennie gave birth to twins, Ira and Eileen, on July 4, 1895. Ira grew up helping his father in the livery business and later helped convert it to an auto garage. In June 1921, he married Mary Esther Cooper. Ira was a strong man with just as strong a spirit. He was a 50-year member of the Mancos Masonic Lodge and served on many and various types of water boards. He was chairman of the Mancos Water Conservancy District until 1969. He served two terms as a Montezuma County Commissioner and was the Mancos School Board president from 1939-1950. He died July 13, 1972.

Ira and Mary had daughter named Jean who was born on Dec. 23, 1922. She married Clay Bader, who was born on July 4, 1921. Their marriage was difficult to achieve because Clay was in the Navy, but finally it took place on Oct. 30, 1943, in a small Methodist church in Malden, Mass. They had two children, Margie and Kelly. Margie married Larry Russell, and they had three children, Erica, Rachel, and Kent.

Clay had an 80th surprise birthday party on July 4, 2001. Then on Mancos Days in 2012 Clay and Jean rode in the Mancos Days parade. Only one month later on Aug. 24, Clay quietly passed away.

Darrel Ellis is a historian of the Mancos Valley. Email him at [email protected].