KELSEY FAMILY

ENOS AND NANCY KELSEY	ROBERT AND SUSANNAH ELDER	Grandfathers Family	Grandmothers Family
JONAS AND SARAH KELSEY		BARNES
WILLIAM AND SARAH KELSEY Photos from Scott Thomas Photos from Roberta Kelsey Photos from Charles Kelsey

From http://www.my-ged.com/db/page/hendersn/4347: William Kelsey was born Aug 14, 1835, Somerset, Perry Co, Ohio. He died in Monterey Indiana. Married Sarah J. Barnes in 1858, Markle, Huntington Co. Indiana. Sarah J. barnes died 6 Aug 1877, IN.

He was hit by a train at a crossing in Monterey. One explanation was that he was hard of hearing and did not hear the train coming.

William and his son William share a tombstone as does Nellie Mulford and Claudia Misner, two wives of the younger William Kelsey.

A partial transcript of his daily journal: Journal of W.E. Kelsey Sr.

DR. WILLIAM KELSEY was born in Perry County, Ohio, August 14, 1835; is the son of Jonas and Sarah (Elder) Kelsey, and is one of a family of four children, named Cyrus, Mary, William and Eliza. The father was born in Perry County in 1810; he has chiefly farmed, but in 1849 he went to Huntington County, Ind., where he was engaged subsequently in merchandising, from 1865 to 1875. He has always been an active worker in the Methodist Church, and is now living in retirement in Huntington County. At the age of thirteen, William was taken by his father to Huntington, where he lived until 1858, when he moved to Winamac, and there spent a year; in 1859, he came to Monterey, and has lived here ever since. At the age of sixteen, he began the study of medicine at Markle, Ind., under Joseph Scott, M.D.; in 1856-57, he took a seven months’ course of lectures at the Starling Medical College, Columbus, and then practiced a year in Huntington County before coming to Winamac. He attended a course of lectures, in the session of 1873-74, at the Medical College of Indiana, Department of Butler University, Indianapolis, receiving the degree of M.D. in the spring of 1874. He was married, May 27, 1858, to Sarah J. Barnes, in Huntington County, who has given birth to nine children - William, Charles, Mary, Thomas, James, Nettie, Maud, Freddie and Harry; of these Thomas, Freddie and Harry are dead. April 22, 1879, the Doctor was married at Monterey to Laura Steis, who has borne one son - Jonas Arthur. The Doctor now farms from 300 to 500 acres, having for the past ten or twelve years devoted great attention to agriculture.

"Counties of White and Pulaski Counties, Indiana - Tippecanoe Township" by F.A. Battey & Co. - published in 1883

They wrote "Jonas Arthur" instead of "Aurthur Jonas" and "Laura Steis" instead of "Helena Steis". - Scott Thomas.

AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES
ADVANCED ZONE
A.P.O. 758.

Liffol-le-Grand. Jan. 26th/19.

Dear Grandfather-

You almost caused. a paristoltic action of the bowels when your letter arrived yesterday. I had long ago given up hope of you ever answering any of my letters, and when this one arrived, I was p1eased. and think I will have to keep it as a souvenir, being the first writing ever received from you, and I will be 32 years of age next Aug. I hope it wont be 32 more years before hearing again.

Like yourself, Cecil and I are very happy over the early termination of the war and dread to think what another year would have meant to the boys morally as well as physically. The mental strain along with existing conditions such as the worry over when we will get out of here and the steady grind of the same environment, has placed many a healthy man in the hospital. For instance, the boy who slept just (above me is on his way home, due to a tuberculor left lung. He was as healthy as any man would want to be until he started his worrying. From this point, he got into the habit of laying around the barracks, smoking continually and actually became afraid of work. The result is that worry along with the habits he fell into, due to this worrying, has got the best of him. He is only one of many. Therefor, I guess that the U.S.A. can feel real thankful to be able to get the boys home soon. As for myself, while the war was going on, I worked like a dog and could see good result obtained daily, but since the Armistice, rumors fly so fast, first that we are going home soon and then counteracted by a rumor that we are billed for Germany or Russia, this all is bound to grind on a fellow.

 Cecil and I are very busy in railroad work now. We work together in the same office from 8AMto 4PM, he working a monitor set that rings the stations on our division between Chaumont and Verdun, and I am first trick train dispatcher. Our trains to the front consist of ration trains running on a regular scheduele and it keeps me bouncing to get them out of the yards without any delay. By the amount of provisions going up there, one would imagine that we were expecting to adopt Germany and keep the army of occupation there until the 'new' Germany became of age. Everything we handle here is from the U.S; engines by the thousands, box cars, flat cars and all kinds of equipment besides furnishing the operating end of the bargain with all kinds of American railraod men.

  I have traveled from Bordeaux clear through to northern France, along the English channel over to LaHavre and again down through the heart of France to the Mediterranean Sea and along its shores from Marseilles to the Italian border and everywhere you see piles of American equipment, such as large store houses, thousands of heavy transportation trucks, tools, factories manufacturing necessary articles, even to the salvaging of clothes taken from the dead and wounded. It seems as if Uncle Sam had about as many representatives here as you find Frenchmen surviving the war. In other words, Germany did not have any more chance winning this war than I have of being the next queen of China.

Along with the steady hard grind, Cecil and I have had our pleasures also. Our trip down to the beautiful winter resort of Nice via Marseilles and the Mediterranean, was something worth enjoying. The climate there is a great deal like that in California, raising oranges, lemons, olives, dates and beautiful shrubbery although the fruit nowhere on earth can come up to that of California or Florida as to size and quality. We greatly enjoyed our visit at MonteCarlo and have quit a few interesting things to talk about.Very scenic, lying on a mountain overlooking the Sea and the city of Monaco which is built in the Alps like an immense bowl.One hotel foundation starting in where the roof of the one below left off. We both are due for another vacation many weeks ago but have not taken it account of the way that we have been moving around over this part of France so often. If we do not get to come home soon, we intend to try for a leave either over to London or Paris. But rather than take either trip I would far rather get out of this country and make a bee-line for home. There is no place this side of the pearlygates that can hold a candle to the country that is going republican the next time. That reminds me, the greater part of the A.E.F. seem to be of the opinion that we need a republican president the next time. At least that is what I have heard everwhere that I ask and I have made a special effort to see how the 'land lays'. Hope so, surely. President Wilson spent part of his Xmas, eating dinner at Chalumont just a few miles south of us.His daughter sang for us one night up at the YMCA here in camp but I was too busy to get up. The boys say that she is quite a nice singer.

I am directing a dandy band here now. They play in one of the large warehouses that Uncle Sam has built to catch the overflow of provisions that are on their way to the front.Each Friday night they have the best of boxing matches and boys fight here from every state in the Union, drawing immense crowds from every direction even running special trains in for the events. My band is a crackerjack and very much in demand. Almost.every night with the exceptions of Friday night, we are entertained by opera troops, which I know keeps up the moral of the boys.

 Must close as we have a wreck close by. Some fool engineer has crashed into the rear of a hospital train and jarred a few up, blocking both tracks. Write again soon. Regards to all.

Charles Sennett [signature is bad in my copy but this looks right -sjt]

LINKS TO CHILDRENS FAMILIES

WILLIAM E.	Born March 1, 1859 http://www.my-ged.com/db/page/hendersn/4534. Died Aug 16, 1934. The dates are on his tombstone as are the dates for Ellie and Claudia, his wives. There is a tombsone in the Monterey cemetery which has on it " EMMA wife of Dr. W.E. Kelsey Died Oct 15, 1888 Aged 24Y. 8M 14D". This could be a wife of either Dr. W.E. Kelsey, Either between Sarah Barnes and Helena Steis for the older W.E.K.(1835-1930) or before Ellie Mulford for the younger W.E.K.(1859-1934). There  is another tombstone which reads "Roy D. Son of W.E. & E. Kelsey Died Feb 8, 1888. Aged 2Y.10M.17D.". I figure the E. is Emma from the other tombstone, 1st the young son died then the young wife. Charles Kelsey does not believe Emma was the wife of the older W.E.K but does not really know who she is. -SJT Married Nellie R. Mulford (b. Oct 9, 1873 d. March 11, 1901) on July 9, 1890. Married Claudia H. Misner (b. July 23, 1880 d. Nov. 13, 1909, was from Richmond Ind.) on Mar. 26, 1902.  They had a house next to Arthur Kelsey in Monterey. Ran the Kelsey Drug store in Montery IN. It has been said that his father (W.E. Kelsey) had his office in the back of this drug store. Children were: 1) Walter (married Wilma Masters and had 2 children including a daughter Claudia  Hunneshagen who lives in Monterey. Claudia has a son Jeff Hunneshagen (jumbjet47@yahoo.com) or jsljmh@ameritech.net). Wilma died in 1995; 2) William "Bill" (no children); 3) Donald, married Ruth Chittick (Ruths sisters were Evelyn & Ester) who may still be living in FL. Had 4 children: a) Claudine, b) Donald Alyn, c) David, and d) Kenneth Kelsey; 4) Nellie, married Overmeyer, died in Plam Beach FL, had no children. All these children have died. I received and email from Lynne Rose (Kelsey) Marler (lmarler@iserve.net) who wrote: "Donald and Ruth's children were, in order of birth, Claudine, Donald Alyn, David, and Kenneth Kelsey. Donald Alyn Kelsey, my father, was killed in an automobile accident at the age of 22 while returning from Christmas leave in the army." -SJT(Apr 16,2001) Married Nora Skinkle after Claudia died but they have no children. Charles Kelsey knew her real well. This info on William E. Kelsey came from Charles Kelsey, Roberta Thomas, and Margret Holzinger by personal comm. except for the dates which are on the tombstones. Jeff Hunneshagen and Lynne Rose (Kelsey) Marler have also contributed.
MAMIE	Married Sennett. Children were Bureale[sp?] (had no children), Dr. Cecil (2 children), Dr. Max (2 children), Charles (2 children). [This info is from Charles Kelsey but Lenore Keitzer mentions the Sennetts]
MARY
THOMAS	Died
JAMES
NETTIE	From http://www.fulco.lib.in.us/Genealogy/Tombaugh/Obit%20Bios/Pdf/FulCo%20Obits_Biogs%201886-1890.pdf: Wednesday, November 7, 1888 MARRIED - At three o’clock yesterday afternoon, at the home of Mrs. Hattie CHINN in this city, Mr. Harry CHINN was married to Miss Nettie KELSEY, of Monterey, Elder L. D. RIDGEWAY officiating. The bride, the daughter of Dr. KELSEY, of Monterey, is well known in this city as a most pleasant young lady while the groom is one of Rochester’s most industrious young men, well established in business, and in every way prepared to make the lady, who has chosen him as her life companion, a splendid husband. The newly married couple will reside in this city, and the Sentinel, in conjunction with their many friends, extends congratulations, and best wishes for an abundance of marital happiness and prosperity. http://www.fulco.lib.in.us/Genealogy/Tombaugh/Obit%20Bios/Pdf/FulCo%20Obits_Biogs%201891-1895.pdf: Friday, December 7, 1894 Mrs. Harry CHINN died at the home of her father, Dr. KELSEY, in Monterey yesterday morning, after a brief illness from derangement of the brain. Friday, December 14, 1894 Application was made Monday for the admission of Mrs. Nettie CHINN to the Logansport asylum for the insane. She is the daughter of Dr. KELSEY and wife of Monterey, and is twenty-two years of age. She lived with her husband in or near Rochester until the latter went South for his health a short time ago, when she returned to Monterey temporarily. Before going to Monterey she was treated by a Rochester physician, who it is said by her husband, frightened her by telling her she was likely to suffer from St. Vitus dance, and might lose her mind. She grew very bad two weeks ago. Last week her husband was telegraphed for and came home. On Sunday a commission in lunacy composed of Esquires FREEMAN and GRAVES and Drs. G. W. THOMPSON and W. E. KELSEY held an inquest on her, and the result was as stated. The application was accepted at the asylum, and Sheriff McCAY went to Monterey for her Tuesday afternoon, but found her too bad to be moved. She grew constantly worse, and died Wednesday evening. -- Winamac Democrat.
MAUD
FREDDIE	Died
HARRY	Died
CHARLES

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