My Genealogy Hound
Below is a family biography included in The History of Washington County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888. These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary. Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.
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Arthur Kelsey is one of the successful agriculturists of Washington County, and, although only a resident of the county since 1883, it has been a sufficient length of time for him to establish his reputation as a progressive farmer. He was born in Ireland July 28, 1822, and is the son of William and Mary E. (Knox) Kelsey, also natives of Ireland, and the former a farmer by occupation. Arthur was reared to farming, and in 1847 immigrated to the United States, settling first in New Jersey, whence he went to Dutchess County, N. Y. In 1850 he removed to New Orleans, and for five years was engaged in draying and transferring. In 1855 he went to Atchison County, Kas., remaining in that State nine years, thence going to St. Louis County, Mo., where he purchased a farm of sixty acres, for which he paid $125 per acre. He disposed of his farm in St. Louis County in 1883 in order to get more land, and subsequently located in Washington County, purchasing his present farm of 837 acres, one of the choicest pieces of property in the county. In 1848 he married Miss Bedelia Rooney, who was born in Kilkenny, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey have five children, viz.: William, James, Ellen, Arthur and Minnie.
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This family biography is one of 138 biographies included in The History of Washington County, Missouri published in 1888. For the complete description, click here: Washington County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps
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