Second Generationwilliam
Charles was my 4th great grandfather and there are several mysteries associated with Charles, the first is the appearance of "Dean" given as his middle name on the Whiteside family DNA website, no one seems to know the source for that claim. I am unsure how reliable the birth year 1756 might be, Alethea Jane Macon in her book Four O’Kelley Sons and Some of their Descendants - Allied Families presents Charles as the fifth son in her chart, after Benjamin but August 12, 2022 DNA results of James Thomas O'Kelley a traceable descendant of Benjamin proves beyond doubt that Benjamin in Macon's book is not the brother of my grandfather Charles, he is likely a 7th or 8th cousin. George Welborn O'Kelley's family bible gives his grandfather Charles as born about 1760.
I have often pondered on the source of Charles and Francis
forenames. These are not Irish forenames, their origins are
French and my DNA match results and the fact that Charles and
Francis didn't marry Irish immigrant women, they married Crowders
who are cousins of Thomas Jefferson from founding families I have
come to suspect that those names came from French Huguenots who
settled around Manikin VA in the 1600s and it is possible that their
immigrant great, great grandparents may have been the 32 year old
Thomas and Honora Kelly who came to America
with their 5 children in 1691 at the settled with the Huguenots and
that is the source of Charles and Francis forenames. Charles and
Francis may have been 5th America born, well accepted by the
founding families allowing them to marry well. My
grandfather Charles appeared to be a
young man with considerable resources for he was 22 when he married,
owned land very near that time, and at the age of 23 he had the finances
to hire a cousin of Thomas Jefferson to serve as
substitute to serve in the Mecklenburg
Militia in his stead.
~ Charles O'Kelley ~ DAR Patriot Index: Marker at O'Kelly/Whitehead
Cemetery: GPS 34.006711 -83.119172 source
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gaogleth/patriots.htm There may be a blood relationship between
the descendants of Charles O'Kelley and John Farrar as some make the claim
that Charles O'Kelley's mother-in-law was Mary Branch (Crowder) who was the
great, great, granddaughter of Christopher and Mary (Addie) Branch and they
were also the great great grandparents of President Thomas Jefferson and
great great grandparents of John Farrar who appears as the substitute for
Charles O'Kelley. The Crowders and the Branchs settled along the James
River in Virginia about 1620 and lived near each other. If Mary Branch
was the wife of George Crowder as some claim, then the descendants of
Charles and Mary (Crowder) O'Kelley will be maternal cousins to
President Thomas Jefferson.
Georgia Archives lists Charles O'Kelley as receiving land in the
Headright system. DOC 4113: 1783 - 1909, O'Hearn, Josiah - Orvis, James
Charles O'Kelley and Mary Polly Crowder
were said to have married about 1778 in Mecklenburg Co, VA but because the
English ministers who held the authority to marry left America, I suspect
they likely were common law wed explaining why no record has ever been
found. They lived in Oglethorpe Co, GA in 1798–1809 and we know from his
estate documents that Charles was a wealthy slave owner. Four early hand
written estate papers confirm that in 1811 the heirs of my 4th
great grandfather Charles O'Kelley were spelling "O'Kelley" in the full
modern form of our name which is a confirmation that my elders claims that we
always spelled our name as "O'Kelley" seems to be based in fact.
These papers also indicate that at the time of his death, Charles
O'Kelley was a wealthy man. Mary "Polly" Crowder was born on 25 December
1757 in the portion of Lunenburg Co that became Mecklenburg Co, VA in 1764. She appeared in the census on 7 August 1820 in
Oglethorpe Co, GA.8 She
died on 12 November 1842. I am certain that Polly is the
nickname she used because Polly was a common nickname for someone named
Mary. To name a child Mary Polly would be the same as naming her Mary
Mary. The Crowder name is of English origins meaning one who plays the
fiddle but it is very unlikely an English Crowder would have permitted his
daughters to marry the lowly Irish so it is far more likely that Mary's
family were of the Crowders who settled in eastern Ireland sometime after
the 1600s then came to America with the Scots Irish many generations later. The Crowder's have an early
history in America. Mary Crowder's line can be traced back
five generations to Hugh Crowder who came from Surry England in 1619 and
established a small plantation in Virginia Colony. Mary's father
was George -> Bartholomew C -> Bartholomew O -> Henry -> Hugh.
George Crowder was born in
Bristol Parish Prince George Co VA which is likely where the
O'Kellys and Deans also lived. Charles O'Kelley and Mary "Polly" Crowder had the following children.
To my knowledge we have nothing to tell us this lists is correct or in the
right order. We do not have a Thomas in this family but do have a
William which could be and indicator that Charles's father may have been
William and not Thomas or James.
=12 i.
+13 ii.
+14 iii.
+15 iv.
+16 v.
+17 vi.
+18 vii.
+19 viii.
+20 ix.
+21 x.
+22 xi. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
*Source is the Whiteheaddna.com website.
A. DAR source documentation is listed as John H Gwathmey, HIST REG OF VA IN THE REV, P. 437 I personally viewed this book and found Charles Kelly listed but the book gives no other information.
B. formed April 9, 1776 at St Augusta near Fr Pitt. A Guide to Virginia
Military Organizations by E. M. Sanchez-Saavedra Benjamin Kelly and
Charles joined the 10th Company 8th Virg Reg Sept 1776 and served till April
1777.
c. There are some facts known about Major William Croghan. He was born in Dublin Ireland in 1752 and came to America when but 16 years of age and originally served with the British. He would have been a contemporary of Charles and may be the reason Charles enlisted but I suspect Charles was drafted and may have just been assigned to the 10th company because it had an Irish born commander. William at his young age formed his company at St Augusta near Ft Pitt and in addition to Charles there was a Benjamin Kelley born in 1726 and a Michael who I have yet to find his date of birth. William had a rather famous Uncle named George Croghan. George was a surveyor and a contemporary of Charles's father and of George Washington whom he had many dealings and he left written records in his Journal. After the war William married a Caroline Co Lucy Clarke the sister of William Clarke of Lewis and Clarke.
“Muster Roll of Captain Reuben Vaughn”
Virginia Colonial Militia, 1779
(From the Edmund W. Hubbard Papers, Southern Historical Collection, UNC Chapel
Hill, NC)
A list of Men Marched out Under the Command of Captain Reuben Vaughn from
Mecklenburg on a detachment to the Southard Under the Immediate Command of
David Mason, Col. Command. AD 1779
Rubin Vaughn Capt.
Jno. Holmes Lieut.
James Wilson Ensign
Samuel Lark Serg. Maj.
Wm. Holloway “
Thos. Adams
Wm. Mason
Wm. Cradle
Robt. Crowder
Sterling Dixon
James Arnold
Wm. Brandum
Wm. Cunningham
Francis Hinton
Wm. Archer
Howell Hargrove
Wm. Hudson
John Hall
Mark Evans
John Parks
James Hy. Kidd
Wm Conell
Thos. Crage
Richard Lewis Sustituted by Wm. Adkins (deserted)
Jeremiah Lucas “ Jno. Adams
Jeremiah Smith “ Barnet Burnit (deserted)
Ezekiah Crowder “ Epheram Andrews
John Stevens “ Ansel Cunningham
Josiah Cunningham “ Jno. Cunningham
John Guy “ Christopher Guy
Jesse Bowin “ Bracey Bowin
James Bowin “ David Bowin
Hicks Bowin “ Alexander Bowin
Wm. Roberts “ Abel Dortch
Isaac Watson “ Joseph Cradle
John Cook Taylor “ David Dortch
Ray Moss “ Robt. Wilmore
Wm. Hatchell “ Willis Hatchell
Jesse Bugg “ Jno. Mallit
John Goode “ Wm. Guy
James Hicks “ Wm. S. Roberts
James Ramey “ Wm. Delafield
Charles Kelley “
John Farrar
second cousin to Thomas Jefferson
Dick Evans “ Godfrey Evans
Thos. Meares discharged at Salisbury
Thos, Wright Inlisted in Regular Service
Wm. Epps “
Edward Giles “
John Mize “
John Burnit Deserted
John Wilson “
Benj. Burnit “
Lewis Sawyer “
John Decker “
Wm. Mealer “