The Life of Bridget Ryan Kelly & Relatives: Transcript

This blog documents a written history about Bridget Ryan Kelly (my 3GGM). The narrative was passed down to me via my great-grandmother Irene Crelly Munns (Bridget Ryan Kelly’s granddaughter). Irene was an avid sharer and note taker on family history (the old-fashioned way before the internet).

The memories were written down sometime after 1961 and before 1976, because 1961 is the latest year of reference for someone passing away. Also, there is no death date for George Kelly, who died in 1976.

Content is transcribed exactly as written other than my notes for additional context as shown in italics. Note: I set aside my grammar-geek self and did not copy edit it like I do so many other things. 🙂

Transcript

• Michael Kelly: born Feb. 4, 1846; died Sept. 11, 1930

• Bridget Ryan: born Feb. 27, 1846; died Dec. 2, 1927

(Note from Erin: Michael was born in Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland, and Bridget in Co. Clare.)

They were the first couple married at Holy Cross by Fr. Paul. Feb. 9, 1868. John Callahan and Mary Ann Kelly were witnesses. 

Bridget Ryan came to the U.S. in 1864. Most likely stayed in New York State for a time. She had 2 sisters and one was half-sister and 2 half-brothers. The half-brothers were Callahans, one was John. One was married and had 2 sons, Bill and Michael. Michael was killed at Blairstown at a railroad crossing. Jay Markam was killed there also. They were first cousins. 

Mrs. Dan O’Brien was the half-sister and was called Aunty O’Brien. They had an adopted son. 

Ellen Ryan Markam married John Markam and had 5 children, lived in Newhall most of their lives. Their children were not raised Catholics. 

Kathryn Ryan Maloney married Dennis/David (hard to read) Maloney and had 2 daughters, Mary and Kathryn. Neither were married. They lived in Nevada, Iowa. 

When Bridget Ryan came to this country, some cousins of hers were on the same boat going to Australia. It seems as though the father and mother came over later. Believe the Callahan brothers and Aunty O’Brien were already in Benton Co.

My mother told about Grandpa Ryan wanting home rule for Ireland. (Note from Erin: This reference to “My mother” is to Mary Kelly Crelly, Irene’s mother and Bridget’s daughter. “Grandpa Ryan” here is Bridget’s father Thomas Ryan, who was born in County Clare in and emigrated to Iowa.)

Over there they had to be off the streets at 9 o’clock and could not congregate in numbers. They had to go to English school and of course some would not go to an English School. Grandma Kelly came over when she was grown and she could write and read well so she must have gone to an English School. 

Great-Grandpa Ryan died about 1902 and Great-Grandma Ryan died before that. They were both buried in Calvary Cemetery. (Note from Erin: “Great-Grandpa Ryan” is again Thomas Ryan. “Great-Grandma” is Margaret Ryan, maiden name unknown. Calvary Cemetery is aka as Kelly Cemetery.)

Children of Michael & Bridget Kelly

Name	Born	Died
Mary	Dec. 24, 1868	July 2, 1934
Patrick	Aug. 11, 1870	Aug. 19, 1950
James	Nov. 29, 1871	Aug. 31, 1887
Ellen	Nov. 12, 1873	Aug. 20, 1878
Annie	June 8, 1875	April 16, 1931
Margaret	Feb. 8, 1877	Jan. 12, 1878
Margaret	Oct. 28, 1878	Sept. 23, 1879
Michael	Oct. 31, 1880	Dec. 1, 1886
John	July 28, 1883	Oct. 15, 1937
George	July 5, 1885

James was thrown from a horse and killed. Michael died from diphtheria contracted from a school teacher. 

Mary married Patrick Crelly Feb. 8, 1893 at Van Horne and had 5 daughters, Irene, Ruth, Madge, Bernice and Lucille. (Note from Erin: This family settled and farmed near Larchwood, Iowa. They are my direct ancestors.)

Patrick married Mary Barry Jan. 25, 1899 and had 6 children, Lloyd, Ralph, Neil, Leona, Catherine and Ronald. Leona and Catherine are the only ones living.

Annie married Thomas Burk April 25, 1899. They had 3 children, Evelyn, Harold and Vern. 

George married Nellie Powers Nov. 24, 1908. They had 3 children, Virgil, Lorraine and Collette. Virgil died in 1961. 

This was taken off the monuments at Calvary Cemetery: Mary Ryan & Pat Kelly were Natives of Kilkenny, Parish of Graigue, Ireland.

Transcript Background & Feelings

In the transcript, Mary Kelly, daughter of Bridget and Michael, is my 2GGM. She married Patrick Crelly, and they moved to northwest Iowa to Larchwood.

Their daughter Irene is my great-grandma, and I knew her as a child. She was a kind and lovely woman. Irene married Thomas Jay Munns, and they farmed on the Munns farm near Rock Rapids in Lyon Co., Iowa. I grew up here.

This excerpt captures me most in the transcript:

When Bridget Ryan came to this country, some cousins of hers were on the same boat going to Australia. It seems as though the father and mother came over later. Believe the Callahan brothers and Aunty O’Brien were already in Benton Co. My mother told about Grandpa Ryan wanting home rule for Ireland. Over there they had to be off the streets at 9 o’clock and could not congregate in numbers. They had to go to English school and of course some would not go to an English School. Grandma Kelly came over when she was grown and she could write and read well so she must have gone to an English School. 

First, I did not realize that I perhaps have some distant cousins in Australia. 

Second, my heart breaks at the comments about wanting home rule for Ireland, the 9 pm curfew and not being able to congregate in numbers. Oppression is awful. 

Bridget was about 18 years old when she emigrated.

Our 2014 Iowa Family History Trip

In 2014, my husband, kids, mom and I took a vacation to eastern Iowa to stop at Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Antique Archaeology in LeClaire, the racetrack in Newton, and to visit my sister Caitlin, who lived in Des Moines at the time. We also made several stops in Benton County, Iowa, where many Irish settled in the 1880s, including the Kelly, Ryan and Crelly families. 

My husband and kids had *tons* of patience while mom and I walked and talked through several cemeteries. In relation to this transcript, we visited the Catholic church in Van Horne, now Immaculate Conception Church, where there are stained glass windows with the Kelly and Ryan names on them. 

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We also visited Calvary Cemetery, which as I noted earlier, is also known as Kelly Cemetery, located along busy Highway 30.

The old Kelly farm was also along Highway 30. We drove by there as well as by land on gravel roads throughout Benton Co. 

Looking for More Answers in Ireland

In spring 2017, my husband and I visited Ireland, where we had luck finding locations where Michael Kelly’s family came from, specifically the Parish in Graigue referenced at the end of the transcript. More on that in a future Kelly blog.

I had been hoping to do some in-person research in 2020, but we had to cancel our summer trip due to the coronavirus. Here’s what I want to discover:

• I’d love to know more about Bridget’s parents, Thomas and Margaret. I’m interested in their lives and Bridget’s childhood in Co. Clare. I need to dig in to find more Irish resources and perhaps contact the Co. Clare Heritage & Genealogy Centre. (However, that office’s research costs are much higher than what I’ve paid in other counties in Ireland.)
• I want to find out more about the Callahan half-siblings and who Bridget’s mom was married to previously.
• When we’re able to rebook a trip to Ireland someday, I want to visit the part of Clare where they lived. And, of course, I’d love to find out if we still have any distant cousins there (or in Australia for that matter).

~Slainte, EPJ