|
<Return to the Previous Page>
| Seeking a Male "Kelley"
from Pike County Arkansas for DNA testing |
| |
|
Much of Genealogy research is
based in excluding possibilities. There are many reasons
to suspect that my O'Kelley ancestor may have been William Kelly
the son of
Giles Kelly
of Brunswick Co Virginia. Some researchers have concluded that the Kelleys who
live in Pike County Arkansas are descendants of
Giles Kelley of
Brunswick Co Virginia and he is likely the grandson of the Giles
Kelly who left
Waterford Ireland in 1677
on the ship St George and landed in Maryland.
There were a great many Kelly families living in America at the
time of our revolutionary war but my family and the family of
Rev James O'Kelly are the only two Kelly families
living in America at that time who changed their surnames from
Kelly to O'Kelly or O'Kelley and I believe there likely was a
family dispute that caused brought this surname change and the 1785 will of
Giles Kelly seems to indicate that his son William Kelly may
have broken with the family as his will states, "I
give and bequeath unto my son Samuel Kelly the Land whereon I
now liveth to him and his heirs forever, and also one negro
Slave named Solomon, on condition that he pay unto my son
William Kelly (if ever he shall appear to demand it) the sum of
fifty pounds". The statement "if
ever he shall appear to demand it" sounds like
William may have been estranged from his father and if true it
could be the reason my surname
is O'Kelley today and it all came about because of a family dispute. If the Kelleys living in Pike Co Arkansas are descendants of the Giles
Kelly of the Brunswick Co VA 1785 will then a DNA test will prove
or disprove this possibility. If you are a Kelley whose
ancestors have lived in Pike County Arkansas since the 1800s and
are willing to complete a 37 Marker DNA test at no costs to
yourself, please contact me at
Rick_OKelley@hotmail.com. |
| |
|
|