My Genealogy Hound

JOHN KELLY, Troy, of the firm of Beedle & Kelly, manufacturers of the Champion corn-planter, plow, automatic gates, Monitor wind engines, etc.; he was born in Union Township, Miami Co., Ohio, Oct. 8, 1823, and is a son of Samuel Kelly, a man of great public spirit and enterprise, who was born in Massachusetts, and came to Miami Co., at the beginning of the present century, and located in Union Township; he was a machinist by trade, and at an early day purchased several water privileges on the Stillwater, and erected the first and only cotton factory in the county; he also erected other factories and mills; he was liberal and did much to develop the Stillwater region; in 1866, he emigrated to Iowa, where he died in 1874; our subject was raised and educated in the different manufacturing business in which his father was engaged, until 1844, at which date he went to Providence, and served as an apprentice, until he had completed the trade of machinist, when he went to West Milton and built the machinery for his father’s factory; he remained at West Milton and followed his occupation as machinist until 1868, during which time he built the machinery for several factories and mills; then he came to Troy, continuing at his trade in its different branches until 1873, when he became associated with his present partner in the above business, since which time their business has been on an increase and is now quite extensive having in their employ from forty-five to seventy-five hands; the implements of their manufacture find a market in all the Western States; Mr. Kelly manufactures the two-horse corn-planter, and in the past six years has taken six patents, all improvements on this machine; the whole manufacturing department is under the supervision of our subject. He was united in marriage with Elizabeth J. Miller in 1849, who was a daughter of Zachariah Miller, of West Milton, born in Virginia, of which union sprung four children, viz., Carrie, Mary, J. M. and George C.; the two sons being foremen of the machine-shops and foundry of the firm.