The chief purpose in presenting these records is to
preserve the same for posterity and to add the same
to that which has already been compiled by the Kells
Family Association of America. Edward W. Kells,
President, and Robert A. Kells, Secretary-Treasurer
and Historian.
The last compilation was made in 1934. This story
will deal mainly of nineteen and their descendants.
This small group of the Kells family came to Canada
on the sailing ship the "Princess Alice" in 1846,
embarking at Liverpool and landing at Quebec City
after a voyage of forty-five days.
The "Princess Alice" broke up and sank at the end of
this voyage.
June 13, 1969
At this date the first and second generation have
passed away. So far as is known there are only three
of the third generation left namely - Anna Kells Shannon
- the youngest daughter of William Lawrence Kells. Effie
Hassard Wadge - twin sister of the late Aaron Hassard and
youngest daughter of Jane Kells Hassard - and George Wook
Kells now living in Ottawa, the son of Richard Kells and
Jane Speers.
George Wood Kells of Ottawa states that he
remembers many of the members of the original
family. "In particular I remember my Grandad
George Wood Kells real well and liked him very
much. He had lived at our home on one or two
occassions [occasions?] previous to this last
trip from the 6th of Peel in 1883 or 1884. Two
boys brought him up that seventeen miles in a
plain farm wagon. He had with him a homemade
box for a trunk, a mattress and a blanket, the
last of his worldly possessions after all his
generosity to various members of his family.
My mother and my sister Elizabeth and myself
were standing,at the kitchen door when the
wagon came into the yard. They drove him down
to the barn, turned around smartly, drove back
a little past the house and stopped. The boys
dropped out - dropped the backboard - pulled
out the box and the mattress, then lifted the
"old gentleman", as we called him, to the ground.
He hobbled towards where we were standing. My
mother and we children gave him a warm welcome.
During all the time Grandad was with us I never
remember my mother either by look or gesture,
indicate that he was unwelcome. We children at
that time did not realize what it was all about.
He used to amuse himself with us youngsters and
pretend to chase us with his cane turned upside
down. He made it a point of never catching up
to us. Toward the end of his days he was
disoriented, especially after his first sleep
at night. He talked of "going back home"
presumably to Ireland. Occasionally, he did
get away from the house and always made his way
towards the G.T.R. track and the bush behind it.
We were a large family than and Grandad's bed
was upstairs with us. My bed was next to his,
end to end. The night he died, my dad and brother
Aaron were up and down all night. Coal oil was
then in use and I remember one of their lamps had a
blue bottom stand. That was March 16, 1886. The
snow was deep and the weather was cold. From the
front door we children watched the funeral procession
move away to his last resting place - Winfield.
Thomas Kells: - bachelor - Spent his later days with
younger brother David and his sister Elizabeth. The
winter before he passed away he lived at my home on
the 10th of Wallace for about three months. The last
time I saw him was when he passed the school during
recess on his way to Elizabeth Ott's home. He was
wearing a grey suit and long boots. He had passed me
by before I could greet him. He left $1200. in cash,
given to him earlier by his father George Wood Kells.
He had never worked. In his will he left $300. to
three of his nephews, Robert Malcolm and David and
the remaining $300. to me out of which his funeral
expenses were to be paid. A few years later there
was little over $100. for me, but I was very grateful
as it was my High School Days.
William Lawrence Kells - When I wrote Entrance
examinations to High School I stayed at his place
and went out to his farm north of Listowel to watch
birds. I remember him at my mother's funeral, and I
also was at his funeral December 22, 1907. I visited
his eldest son Robert in New Rochelle, New York on two
or three occasion [occasions?]. He was always a grand
host. Of course, I knew all other members of the
family. Clarissa, whom I liked best of all. Then Edward,
[Olive?] Lottie and Anna the youngest with her snapping
black eyes - still living in California this date
(1969). The rest of Unce William' family have all gone
to their reward.
Elizabeth Kells Ott: - My sister Elizabeth visited at
her home on the 10th of Maryborough. Her daughter seemed
closer to us than most other relatives. I remember
William her oldest [boy?] who with his family moved to
Pasadena. John R. Ott was a frequent visitor to our
home before he married. He loved horses, and was an
all round good fellow.
Mary Ann Kells: - Mrs. John McKensty and
later Mrs. John Higgins. She was quite small
in comparison to other members of the
family. Very versatile, charming and
considerate. She was a great cook. I remember
a meal I had at Uncle Philip Ott's home which
she cooked. It was a special flour pudding
with raisins and figs (nothing has come up to
it since). She was a great favourite with
my father Richard Kells. This will be born
out by the fact that the feeling must have
been mutual as she left him the back half
of her fifty acre farm on the 6th of Peel
when she passed away. She used to spend a
lot of time at our home on the 10th of
Wallace.
Jane Kells Hassard: - Wife of Robert
Hassard was a big bonnie woman, expressing
physical strength in all her movements,
yet a very striking woman with a beautiful
Irish complexion. She gave me the
impression as a boy in my teens that if she
were a man she would make a good chief of
police in a metropolitan city. I remember
the day of her funeral. My Dad returned
from Dundalk the same hour that I returned
from Harriston High School. It was a Friday.
The senior members of the Hassard family
whose homes I visited or met on the pathway
of life were Jemima Allen whose early married
life was spent at Farewell, Ontario. Lynn
McPherson, whose husband kept store at
Farewell and later at Mount Forest. Rachael
Pool who lived at Toronto and later Vancouver.
Effie Wadge who was single in the nineties
and went west to North Dakota where she was
married. Robert George a very handsome
fellow, who died at the age of 24. And Aaron
who was a twin to Effie.
Ancient History - Myths and Traditions
There is no name that occurs more
frequently in the myths, traditions and
history, or in the names of small places
in Ireland and Scotland, than KELLS. In the
mythical history of these countries the
ancestry of the Kellses has been traced
back to Milesius, founder of the Milesian
of Scottish nation many centuries before
the Christian era.
Much information of intense interest
will be found in the following volumes
selected from a large number
Ireland's Ancient Schools and Scholars
The Israel of the Alps
The Valley of Light
Agnew's French Protestant Exiles
O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees
Sources of Information Concerning Kells History
The basis of the history of the Kells
family is the family records which were brought
from Ireland in 1846, and which have been added
to through correspondence from time to time,
and while far from being complete, give much
information with reference to a people who have
had a strange and unusual experience.
The statements made in the old records have
been verified by comparison with printed
histories which can be referred to in the
Genealogical Department of the New York
Public Library at 42nd Street.
The early history of the Vaudois will
be found in "The Israel of the Alps", by Rev.
John Montgomery, Glasgow, Scotland, translated
from the French history by Alexis Muston D.D.
or Bordeaux.The facts for this history were
taken from the manuscripts of Vignaux, an
Vaudois pastor. The family traditions agree
with this history.
"The Valley of Light", by W. Basil Worsfold
published by McMillan & Co. London, also
verifies the old records.
"A History of the Thirty Years' War, describes
the raid of the French on the German Huguenots
and establishes the date as probably 1631.
The family records state that the time of the
flight from Germany to Britain was before the
middle of the 17th Century, and John O'Hart,
a recognized authority on Irish family
pedigrees, states in his book "Irish Pedigrees",
that there were no families by the name of
Kells in Ireland at the close of the 17th Century
verifying the statement that the family came to
Ireland early in the 18th Century. However, this
gives no hint as to the original names or whether
they were a family or a community. We must
therefore assume as correct the statements
in the oldest existing family record that the
Kellses of Ireland have descended from the
father, mother and one child, who in company
with other refugees, reached the shores of
England early in the seventeenth century.
According to the oldest written records
that can be found, the Kells family originated
in the Piedmont Valleys, now one of the most
northern provinces of Italy, but at one time
a part of France under the rule of the Duke
of Savoy. The inhabitants of Piedmont were
called Vaudois or people of the valleys, and
later as Waldenses.
Little was known of them until the
beginning of the 13th Century when political
and religious persecutions were inaugurated
against them, the horrors of which are fully
described in various histories these
persecutions were continued intermittently
until the close of the 16th Century when
many of the Vaudois sought safety in [flight?]
Among these exiles was a pastor, the
first of the ancestors of the family of whom
we have any record. Passing through Switzerland,
and across Lake Geneva, after many hardships
they found a secure retreat for a time in the
Palatinate, on the banks of the
Rhine in Germany, associating themselves with
the Hugenots. Here the exiled pastor died,
and a son, whose name has been recorded as
Alexander was born.
During the Thirty Years' War, which was
brought about by the Reformation, the Huguenot
Community was raided by a party of French
soldiers. The home of Alexander was burned
and most of his family massacred, but he escaped
with his wife and one child, among other refugees
to Britain locating near the Tweed River, in the
Cheviot Hills, which form the boundary between
England and Scotland.
The first members of the family to visit
Ireland were two young men attached to one of
the regiments of William III when he invaded
the country in 1690.
There is also a tradition that some
members of the family visited Ireland in one
of Cromwell's regiments, but no proof to that
effect can be found, and the name of a member
of the family is not listed in the official
published list of "Cromwell Land Adventures",
although members of the family acquired so-called
Cromwell Lands in Ulster County, under easy
tenure, and later by purchase.
The young men who visited Ireland with
William III are said to have come from the
North of England, near the Tweed River, and
were probably grandsons of Alexander (Kells)
who was one of the early religious refugees.
Their names were Robert and Alexander, names
occurring frequently in the families of later
generations. Alexander, one of the young men
already mentioned, was twice married, but of
his first wife and family, no record can be
found. His second wife was a member of the
Scottish clan of Carwford [Crawford?], and
said to be related to Sir William Wallaces
family. The name of only one child is recorded,
Robert by name.
Robert Kells was born in Northumberland County,
England near the Tweed River, in the vicinity
of the Cheviot Hills, on March 3, 1699. He died
at Buffalen, in Temrleport Parish, Cavan County,
Ireland, on April 4, 1805, being one hundred and
six years, one month and two days old. When a
young man he went over into the southern part of
Scotland. Here he married a young Scottish girl
by the name of Lawrence, whose family were
Covenatnters, but of Scandanavian origin.
About the year 1730 Robert Kells passed
over into Ireland accompanied by his brother,
and other relatives, settling near Ballyconnel
in the County of Cavan.
The date of the birth of Robert Kells
II has not been recorded but he died about
1834 at the age of seventy-seven. He was a
tall, fair haired man of soldierly appearance.
He learned, and sometimes
worked at the trade of shoemaking in
Ballyconnell, but generally engaged in farming.
He was also a soldier in the Irish Rebellion of
1798: He married Margaret Wood of Ardew, whose
parents were of Welsh descent. They had seven
sons and three daughters. Ralph, Thomas, Elizabeth
and Ellen died young. The surviving children were
Robert, Alexander, George Wood, Henry and Jane.
Jane, the eldest of the family, emigrated to
America in 1846 with her brother George Wood,
and later died at his residence.
Robert married Mary McAllister. They had a
large family of which five reached maturity;
Edward, Robert, Henry, Thomas, and Jane.
Henry married Jane Sommerville. He had a
large family as well. About 1850 he disposed
of his property and emigrated to Australia
with his family, with the exception of his
eldest daughter Jane, who emigrated to America
with her cousin George.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME KELLS
The origin of the name Kells is rather
uncertain, but the following reference to
it is taken from "Harrison's Surnames of
the United Kingdom"/ Henry Harrison, London,
1912.
Kells: (Celt) Belonging to Kells, Scotland. It
is doubtful whether this name is an Anglicized
plural from of Gael or Cill, a cell or church,
(Latin, Cella) or gael or coil, a wood or
forest. As there are the remains of an ancient
forest in the parish, supposed to have been a
royal hunting ground, the latter' is probably
the true etyman.
Kells: (Ireland): The Irish Kellses are usually
the Anglicized form of Irish "caella", place
of cill, a church or cell, but Kells in Meath
was formerly Kenlis, for Irish Caennles; "head-
fort" (cean-head, plus-lis fort.)
As it was required by the British statutes
that foreigners adopt an English name in order
to own landed property, it is likely that the
ancestors of the family selected their name,
or the Anglicized form of the one they had,
shortly after coming to Britain.
EARLY HISTORY OF THE KELLS FAMILY
According to traditions, the Kells family
originated in the Piedmont Valleys, now one
of the most northern provinces of Italy, but
at one time a part of France and under the rule
of the Duke of Savoy.
The inhabitants of Piedmont were called
Vaudois or people of the valleys; and later as
Waldenses. The Vaudois were among the earliest
Christians and according to Samuel Smises, in
his "History of the Vaudois", they were probably
Christianized by St. Paul early in the second
century.
During the Middle Ages, missionaries from Kells
and other towns visited the Piedmont Valleys
and established monasteries there. The first of
record being St. Columbanus, who founded a
monastery at Babbie, which is still standing.
For reasons both political and religious,
the Vaudois in common. with other dissenters,
were persecuted intermittently for centuries,
and from time to time, those who could
do so, fled for protection to parts of Europe
friendly to their beliefs, for they were
among the earliest Protestants.
Among the refugees, late in the 16th century,
was a Vaudois pastor who with his family sought
safety on the banks of the Rhine in Germany, allying
with the Huguenots, a people of similar beliefs, and
subjected to constant persecutions. The locality in
which the ancestors of the Kells family resided was
raided by a party of French soldiers and the pastor
and his wife and one child escaped the general
massacre, and with other Huguenots fled to Britain
for safety. This event occurred before the reign of
Louis XLV, or about 1575. They joined refugees in the
County of Northumberland, near the banks of the Tweed
River, in the vicinity of the Cheviot Hills in England.
Until near the close of the 17th Century the
history of the family is almost a blank. Of the early
descendants of these refugees little is known. Some
of them went over into Scotland, and are there at the
present time.
SAINT COLUMBA OR COLUM CILLE
St. Columba, otherwise known as Colum Cille
or Colum Kells, was born in the north-west of
Ireland about 521 A.D.. He is represented, according
to an ancient chronicle, as having resigned his
hereditary claim on the kingship of the island
with the object of devoting himself to a monastic
life.
About the year 553 he founded a monastery
at Durrow, in central Ireland, which became his most
important establishment in that country, and shortly
after he founded another at Kells.
He withdrew from his native land to Iona in 563.
This island was afterwards known as Hy-Columkille,
and became, through the missionary exertion of himself
and his successors in the Abbitial See, the radiating
center of Christian civilization in the north of Britain
and the chosen burial place of the kings of Pictland
and Scotland.
FAMILY TRADITIONS
Among the family traditions are claims of Ancient
Origin; Royal Blood; Coat of Arms; etc.
As to Ancient Origin, the Vaudois of the
Alpine Valleys claim to be of very ancient origin,
dating back to, or even before the time of Christ.
In a volume published in London, and written by
Samuel Smiles, the statement is made that they
were probably Christianized by St. Paul early
in the Second Century. A school-master in
Ireland claimed to have traced the family back
to the time of King David, but those records if
they ever existed are now lost. The family is
certainly of quite ancient origin.
The claim of Royal Blood probably
originates in the fact that St. Columba, or
Colum Cille (Colum Kells) was a blood relative
of King Diarmait, monarch of all Ireland in the
7th Century, and hereditary heir to the throne,
renouncing his claim to devote himself to a
religious life. From this saint, whose relatives
visited the Alpine Vallies as missionaries, and
intermarried with the ancestors of the family,
the Kellses are believed to have received their
Royal Blood and original family name or its
equivalent.
Diligent search in all records of crests
fail to locate a Coat of Arms for the family.
The family however, has a crest, a Boar's head.
The Baron of Kells, in Kilkenny, Ireland, who
may have been related to the family, has a very
elaborate and beautiful Coat of Arms. The Crawford
family, related to Sir William Wallace and other
distinguished families of Britain, with whom the
Kellses intermarried have crests which may
rightfully be adopted.
St. Columba, otherwise known as
Colum Cille or Colum Kells, was born in
the north-west of Ireland about 521 A.D.
He is represented, according to ancient
chronicle, as having resigned his
hereditary claim on the kingship of the
island with the object of devoting himself
to a monastic life.
About the year 533 he founded a
monastery at Durrow in central Ireland,
which became his most important establishment
in that country, and shortly after founded
another at Kells.
He withdrew from his native land to
Iona in 563, which island afterwards known
as Hy-Columkille, became through the
missionary exertions of himself and his
successors in the Abbatial See, the
radiating centre of Christian civilization
in the north of Britain, and the chosen
burial place of the Kings of Pictland
and Scotland.
The names of both St. Columba and St.
Patrick are still legible on one of the
ancient stone crosses to be seen at the
town of Kells. Colum Cille is commemorated
as one of the three patron saints of Ireland
on June 9th, the anniversary of his death
in the year 597.
THE BOOK OF KELLS
The Book of Kells, which is now in the library
of Trinity College, Dublin, is a splendid
manuscript copy of four Gospels, written on
parchment, in Latin, and richly ornamented
with illustrations.
It dates from the sixth century, and was
then produced by St. Colum Cille, and the
monks of the Monastery of Kells. Each Gospel
is prefaced by an illuminated page, having
reference to the manuscript following, and
contains both figures and scrolls of the most
varied and beautiful designs, coupled with
a brilliancy of coloring which is simply
marvellous, when the age of the volume and
vicissitudes it has undergone are taken into
consideration. Not alone the title pages, but
the capital letters, are in scroll form and
richly colored, and the Celtic designs are
of such beauty that they are now reproduced
in every description of art and needlework.
The Book of Kells was jealously guarded from
its earliest years, and tradition affirms that
it was kept in a case of gold, and finally
stolen from the monastery in 1006, to be found
several months later under sods in a bog, minus
it's gold cover and many of it's beautiful pages.
Subsequently, the book came into the hands of
Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, and it was presented
by him to Trinity College, together with other
valuable works, about the year 1656.
The book is now kept in a glass case in the
college library and shown to visitors upon the
production of an order from one of the Fellows;
and those privileged to behold it are struck,
not only by the varied, yet even harmonious tone
of it's coloring, but by the clear firm writing of
the manuscript. On many of the pages the ink
appears as fresh as though it were only a writing
of yesterday, making it difficult to realize that
this precious volume is the work of hands which
were laid to rest over twelve hundred years ago.
The Book of Kells in its present condition
contains 339 leaves of thick, finely glazed
vellum, but no estimate has been made of the
number of leaves that have been lost.
A complete history, with colored reproduction
of many of its pages, is to be found in the
"Book of Kells", by Sir Edward Sullivan,
published in London, England.
PLACES NAMED KELLS
The town of Kells, in the County of
Meath, in Ireland, is situated on the Blackwater
River, a tributary of the Boyne, about forty miles
from Dublin. The town is one of the chief market
places in the county and it's streets are well
kept and present an appearance of neatness.
It was known in days as early as St.
Patrick's, by the Latinised form of Cenondae,
bearing at a somewhat later date the names of
Cenannus and Kenlis. Kenansa was its old Irish
name. Within its precincts today, there are
standing three very ancient Irish stone crosses,
a round tower, unroofed and still about ninety
feet high; and a building which has long been
described as the house of St. Columba.
The history of Kells and it's Abbey, from late
in the 9th Century to the end of the 10th, is
a tale of continuous struggle against domestic
and foreign aggression. In 899 the Abbey was
sacked and pillaged. In 918 the Danes plundered
the town and laid the church level with the
ground. Rebuilt, it was again spoiled and
pillaged by the Danes in 946. Three years
later, [Godfrey?], son of Sitric, plundered
the Abbey. In 967 the town was despoiled by
a United force of Danes and Leinster people;
while in 996 the Danes of Dublin made yet
another pillaging raid on both the town and
the Abbey.
The village Kells, in the County of
Antrim, Ireland, is situated on the Kells
River, a tributary of the Main River which
discharges its waters into Lough Neagh. It is
an unimportant place of about 185 inhabitants.
The Vi11age of Kells, in the County of
Kilkenny, Ireland is situated on a tributary of
the Barrow River which empties into Waterford
Harbor. It has about 200 inhabitants.
The Village of Kells, in Kircudbrighshire,
Scotland, is situated in Kells Parish, the
remains of a royal hunting ground. The
Parish is situated between the Ken and Dee
Rivers and contains 48,521 acres, with a
population of about 900. There is a range
of hills called by the same name in the
Parish. It is probable that the Kells Family
received their name from this Parish.
Port Kel1s. British Columbia, founded by
the Kellses of Cavan about 1890.
LONGEVITY OF THE KELLS FAMILY
The Vaudois were remarkable for their
longevity, a trait that was inherited by their descendants for centuries after
they had left their native valleys.
A quotation from "The Valley of Light"
states..."For still in the said valley there
are at present, old people, many of them who
approached, and some of whom have passed the
age of 100 years".
David C. Agnew of Edinburgh, Scotland,
who is the author of two large volumes devoted
to the Vaudois, makes special reference to
their longevity.
In "The Israel of the Alps", particular
reference is made to the great age of Vignaux,
a Vaudois pastor, who died in 1605 in his one
hundredth year.
The records of the Kells family shows
that they inherited the longevity of their
ancestors. Robert Kells of Templeport Parish,
Cavan, Ireland, the first of the family of whom
we have exact record, having been born in 1699
and died in 1805. Also his daughter Phoebe,
reached the age of [109?] years and his son
George died at the age of 96. His grandson
Robert Kells, of Ballyhady, lived to the age
of 104; and his grandson James of Kellenaff
passed on at 103. Richard Kells of Palmerston,
Ontario Canada reached his 90th year, as did Frances
Kells Waddingham of California, and Robert Johnston
(Kells) of Canada. Lucas Kells of Los Angeles,
California lived into his late eighties.
As our records are incomplete there are
undoubtedly many others in the family who have
reached a patriarchal age.
The Kells Family in Ireland
Traditions differ somewhat as to when the
first members of the family visited Ireland,
but it is generally agreed that two young men of
the name Kells, were with the "Land Adventurers"
when Oliver Cromwell invaded the country. It is
also claimed that members of the family were
with the armies of King William at the Battle
of the Boyne in 1690, and that they came into
possession of large tracts of land in the
"Ulster Plantation", in the northern counties
of Ireland; considerable of which is still
occupied or owned by their descendants;
especially those in the Counties of Cavan
and Fermanagh.
One of these young men, after returning
to England or Scotland, was twice married,
but of his first marriage we have no record.
His second wife was a Miss Crawford, a
descendant of the brother of Sir William
Wallace, one of the Kings of Scotland,
and traditions also claim, a sister of St.
Patrick. Of his children the name of only
one is recorded; Robert, by name, after one
of the Kings of Scotland.
Robert Kells was born in Northumberland
County, near the Tweed River, England, in the
vicinity of the Cheviot Hills, on March 3, 1699.
He died in the town land of Buffalen, ner
Ballyconnell, in the County of Cavan, Ireland;
and his remains were interred in the graveyard
of the Templeport Parish Church. The date of
his death was April 4, 1805; at the age of
106 years, 2 months and 3 days.
Robert Kells received a liberal education, and
is said to have been ordained a clergyman of the
established church. When a young man he went over
into Scotland, where he taught school and did
pastoral work. Here he married Elizabeth Lawrence,
whose family were Covenanters.
During the reign of George III of England; Robert Kells
received a commission to remove to Ireland where he
became the Warden of the Parish of Templeport, in the
County of Cavan, Ireland. With him also came a number
of his relatives, including the Crawfords, Johnston and
Lawrence families.
Robert Kells also received a grand or the overcharge of
a large tract of land in the townlands of Buffalen, Urnagh
and Kellenaff in the County of Cavan, near Ballyconnell.
He resided in the town land of Buffalen, and the property
was distributed amongst his relatives and other tenants;
considerable of which is still owned or occupied by his
and their descendants. Robert Kells had a large family,
the names of the following have been recorded: George,
James, Robert, Ralph, Andrew, Henry, Phoebe, Elizabeth
and Ellen.
THE KELLS FAMILY IN AMERICA
The first representatives of the family known to have
come to America are claimed by their descendants to have
been Scotch or of Scotch-Irish ancestry.
John Kells, also recorded as Johannis Kels in the records
of the Dutch Church at Claverack, Columbia County, New York,
came to America about 1750. In the census of 1790 he was
listed as living at Claverack, N.Y. [New York?] and that he
had a wife; and four children under sixteen years of age,
and four over sixteen years of age; and five slaves. He died
in 1799.
The census of 1790 also records the names of Jacob Kells and
wife and two children under sixteen years of age, living at
Claverack, N.Y. [New York?]
The records of the New York State Historian show that John
Kells enlisted in the British Army, Capt. Thos. Terry's Company,
Suffolk County, Long Island on May 4, 1758; and Daniel Kells in
Capt. John De Garmo's Company, Albany, N.Y. [New York?] on December
24, 1763.
In the early years of the 19th Century, the Kells families became
so numerous that there was no longer room for them on the estates
in Ireland, and they began to move to other counties-.On the island
or emigrate to the British Colonies in America, and Australia and
New Zealand, to be followed from time to time by their relatives.
The famine years of the 1840's also caused many to emigrate.
About 1837, Henry and Andrew Kells, and their nephew James Kells
of Cavan, settled near York (Toronto), Canada West (Ontario).
In 1846, Johnston Kells and George Wood Kells, nephews of Henry
and Andrew, with their families, emigrated to Canada West, settling
at Kingston and Toronto.
In 1847, Robert and James Kells, sons of Robert Kells of Armagh
County, Ireland, emigrated to America. Robert settled at Kingston,
Ontario and James near Newport, Kentucky.
About 1838, John, Robert and Frank Kells, brothers from Cavan
County, Ireland, emigrated to America. John went to Albany, N.Y
[New York?].; Frank to Ohio, and Robert remained in New York.
At some later dates from Ireland; William Ke11s of Fermanagh;
William of Cavan; Hewitt of Cavan; Edward of Queens and others,
some with their families ... and they continue to come.
Among the gold seekers of 1849 were Charles Edmund and William
Kells of New York; while many. others were among the pioneers
in California, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, Washington, Alabama,
Mississippi and British Columbia.
ROBERT KELTS of BUFFALEN (his family)
George Kells, the eldest son of Robert Kells,of Buffalen,
was born in Scotland, January 2, 1733, and died in March
1829, being two months over ninety-six years of age. The
names of some of his children are recorded as: Richard;
Robert; Sarah; and Jane. George settled on part of the
estate in Killenaff.
James: Settled on a farm in the townland of Ballyhady.
The name of his wife and those of his children have not
been recorded, with the exception of one, James by name,
who fought in the Battle of Waterloo, and who emigrated
to America in 1837.
Robert: Settled on a farm in the town land of Buffalen.
He also worked as a shoemaker. He married Margaret Wood,
of Ardew. They had ten children: Ralph; Thomas; Richard;
Elizabeth and Ellen died young. The others were: Alexander;
Robert; George Wood; Henry; and Jane.
Ralph: Settled on a farm near Ballyconnell. He saw active
service in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. He had a son Ralph
who married Margaret French.
Andrew: Also saw active service in the Irish Rebellion of
1798. Early in the 19th Century he emigrated to America,
and was last heard of at Youngstown, New York.
Henry: Emigrated to America early in the 19th Century and
settled near Brampton, Ontario.
Phoebe: Married a farmer named Mark Little, who lived in
Fermanagh. She died about 1852, at the age of 109 years.
Elizabeth: Married a Mr. Morton. One of their sons married
Sarah, the eldest daughter of James Fee and Mary Kells of
Ballyhady.
Ellen: Married a man named Henderson.
GEORGE KELLS OF KILLENAFF
Richard Kells: eldest son of George Kells, inherited part
of his father's estate. He married his cousin, a Miss Lawrence.
They had seven children: William; James; John; Richard; Hannah;
Sarah; and Ellen.
Robert: Settled in the town land of Ballyhady. He was born March
5, 1765, and died September 1868, being 103 years and seven months
old. Of his family the names of David; Mary; and Bessie have been
recorded.
Sarah and Jane were the first and second wives of James Johnston.
By the first marriage there was a son named William; and by the
second, a daughter Jane and a son Matthew. They were the ancestors
of the Johnston branch of the family who settled in Wellington
County, Ontario, in 1847.
RICHARD KELLS OF KILLENHAFF
William: The eldest son of Richard Kells, was born about
1801, and died at Tonneyraven, Cavan County about the age
of 79.
James: Who died at the age of 103, and John who died at the
age of about 60, after spending a few years in the West
Indian Island of St. Croix; returned and married two cousins,
the Mises Netterfields. James, settled at Ballyconnell; and
John settled at Ballymagovern, Cavan County.
Richard: Came into possession of a large part of the estate
Killenaff, and died at the age of about 88. He married Mary
Davis whose Mother's maiden name was Netterfield. Their
children were: James; John; Edward; Richard; William; Robert; _
Isaac; Thomas Davis; Moses Netterfield; Anna; David; Mary
Eliza. David, the only one of whom we have a record, came to
Toronto about 1894. He was born August 1860. He married Mary
Ella Caldwell, born October 1872. They had no family.
EDWARD KELLS OF KILLENHAFF
The names of the parents of Edward Kells have not been recorded.
Apparently he was a son of George Kells of Killenaff, for he
shared in the estate. His wife was Elizabeth, one of his Johnston
cousins. He died about 1844, and his wife about two years later.
Of his children the name of Johnston; Frances (Fannie) Elizabeth
and Jane are recorded. Johnston married Jane Herbert and
accompanied by his sister Frances, emigrated to Canada in 1846.
Jane married John Thornton of Belturbet, Cavan County. Elizabeth
married a Mr. Duff, and after his death, a Mr. Kelly.
John Thornton had three children: Abraham; Elizabeth, who married
a Mr. Hunter, and Esther; who married Joseph Armstrong. They emigrated
to Canada about 1850
ROBERT KELLS 11 OF BUFFALEN
Robert Kells II, third son of Robert Kells of Buffalen, died about
1834, at the age of 77 years. He generally engaged in farming, but
learned and sometimes worked at the trade of shoemaking
in Ballyconnell. He was also a soldier in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
He married Margaret Wood, of Ardew, whose parents were of Welsh descent.
They had seven sons and three daughters. Ralph; Thomas; Richard;
Elizabeth; and Ellen died young. The surviving children were Robert;
Alexander; George Wood; Henry and Jane.
Jane: The eldest of the family, emigrated to Canada in 1846 with
her brother George Wood, and died at his residence Sept. 1863,
at the age of 77 years.
Robert: Married Mary NcAllister. Of their family Edward; Robert;
Henry; Thomas and Jane reach maturity. Edward remained in Ireland.
Robert married Miss Dickson, and also remained in Ireland. Henry
went with a British regiment to New Zealand, and settled in Auckland.
Thomas and Jane went to Australia.
Henry: Married Jane Sommerville. About 1850 he disposed of his
property and he and his family emigrated to Australia, with the
exception of his daughter Jane who had emigrated to America with
her-cousin (should that be uncle??) George Wood.
Alexander: Married his cousin Margaret Kells. They had one daughter,
Margaret, who went to Australia with her Uncle Henry.
George Wood: Married his second cousin Maryanna Lawrence.
They had eleven children. George and Thomas died in infancy.
The surviving children were: Aaron; Maryanna; Richard; Thomas;
Jane; William; Elizabeth; David and Margaret. He emigrated to
America with his family in 1846.
GEORGE WOOD KELLS
George Wood Kells, son of Robert Kells II, of Buffalen, was born
at Ballyconnell, Cavan County, Ireland on October 16, 1796. On July
29, 1824 he married his cousin Mary Anna Lawrence, who was born in
1801 and died February 23, 1875. He learned the trade of shoemaking
and conducted shoe and grocery stores in Killeshandra, Swanlinbar and
Ballyconnell.
In the spring of 1846, accompanied by his cousin Johnston Kells,
he emigrated to America with his family. He resided for a year
in Toronto, conducting a small store on King Street. In 1847 he
purchased a farm in the township of Peel, Wellington County,
Ontario, where he remained until 1870, when he retired. He died
March 16, 1886.
His children were Thomas and George who died in infancy; Aaron;
Maryanna; Richard; Thomas; Jane; William; Elizabeth; and David
.... born in Ireland; and Margaret, born in Canada.
JOHNSTON KELLS AND FAMILY
Johnston Kells, son of Edward Kells of Killenaff, who came into
possession of his father's share of the estate in the townland
of Killenaff, Cavan County, Ireland, was born on the estate,
January 1809.
He was educated for the profession of school teaching and civil
engineering at Trinity College, Dublin, and practised his
professions for a number of years in Northern Ireland,
principally in the counties of Cavan and Fermanagh. His last
position being at Castle Archdale, on Lough Erne near Inniskillen.
On the death of his mother in 1846; she having survived his father
by about two years; he disposed of his claims in the estate of his
cousin Richard Kells, whose descendants are now in possession.
Johnston Kells, George Wood Kells and other relatives emigrated
to British North America in the spring of 1846. The voyage
being undertaken on the "Princess Alice", a three masted sailing
vessel bound for Quebec, and after a stormy voyage, landed in
safety after seven weeks and three days on the ocean. the ship
afterwards foundering from damages sustained by running on a
rock in the lower St. Lawrence River, having been kept afloat
by temporary repairs and strenuous work at the pumps by the crew
and passengers. From Quebec the journey was continued to Toronto
on the "Roland Hill" a small steamer. Passengers stopped at
Montreal, and other places on the St. Lawrence River and Lake
Ontario.
Johnston Kells and his family stopped at Kingston, Ontario,
below the Thousand Islands. For a time he was principal of
Victoria Street School; and he also did work as civil engineer on
the Wolf Island Canal, and on the Grand Trunk Railway, the first
railway line in Canada.
Leaving Kingston, he taught school in other places in Ontario,
his career ending at Toronto. He died on March 2, 1878, and his
remains were laid to rest in the churchyard of St. James Cathedral
in Toronto.
Johnston Kells was twice married, his first wife being Jane Herbert,
a schoolmistress and descendant of an old British family. She was
born in Ireland in September of 1814, and passed away August 15,
1849. Her remains were interred in the Kingston Methodist cemetery.
By this union there were seven children: Frances Ann; David; Herbert;
Thomas; Edward William; and Elizabeth born in Ireland, and Sarah
Jane born at Kingston, Ontario.
The second wife of Johnston Kells was Hannah Cowan born in Fermanagh,
Ireland. By this union there were eight children: Martha Ann; John
Wesley Edgar; Emily Jemima; Robert Johnston; Henry Smith; Charlotte
Amelia; Eleanor Hannah and Joseph Cowen.
FAMILY OF JOHNSTON KELLS
Frances Anna: born November 24, 1835. Married Joseph Waddingham.
Died August 25, 1921 at Los Angeles, California! Children: Edward
F; ... who married Isabella Warrin [Warring?], and after her death
he married Vernice E. Warring. Other children were: William
Johnston; Joseph Herbert; Albert Bascom; Frances Anna and (Mrs.
Strong).
David: born August 7, 1837. Died June 5, 1892. Married Nellie
Warner. Children: William, who went to Australia; Maud (Mrs. Henry
Dawson:; Nellie (Mrs. Maloney); Herbert, who married Alice Maloney;
David Albert, who married Anna Girvin.
HERBERT: born July 31, 1839. Died February 2, 1907. Married Mary
Jane Robinson. Children: Herbert R.; Edward W., who married Clara A.
Andrews; Martha Adelaide (Mrs. S. Cook); Emily Mary (Mrs. John
Jetherington); and Sarah Jane (Mrs. A. Silk).
Thomas: born June 8, 1841. Died July 1893. Married Sarah E. Ross,
and after her death .... Rose King. Children: William Edward who
married Mattie Chard; Charles David who married Eva Kelly; Mary
Elizabeth (Mrs. Charles L. Gesell); Herbert R. who married Kelia
Curram; and Thomas Johnston, child of the second marriage who
married Mildred Hutchinson.
Edward William: born July 1, 1842. Killed in a train wreck.
Married Adelia Garen. Children: Leslie Thomas who married Ida Harris;
Florence May (Mrs. Wm. N. Harris) ; Jenny [Hasel?] (Mrs. Robert
McDowell); Herbert LeRoy who married Lola Mayberry; Myrtle Dell
(Mrs. Ernest A. Henne); Glen Ross; Edna (Mrs. John R. Beck);
Chelsea Garen who married Augusta Keeth; and Kenneth David
who married Emily Wells.
Elizabeth: born August 6, 1845. Married David J. Hersey.
Children: Mary Jane; Harriett Elthea (Mrs. Fred M. Hatch) ;
Walter David who married Helen Lobdell; Herbert Wallace who
married Minnie Hartsel; Elizabeth R. (Mrs. J.S. Standles)
and John Arthur.
Sarah Jane: born February 9, 1848. Married Mr. Cameron. Died
at Oil City, Pa., leaving two sons.
Martha Ann: first child of second wife. Born Nov.l, 1850.
Died January 25, 1886.
John (Wesley Edgar: born September 21, 1852. Had daughter
who married the Hon. Politte Elvins, Mo.
Emily Jemima: born February 6, 1855. Died May 12, 1915.
Married John Sawden. No children.
Robert Johnston:born April 15, 1858. Married Mary Meyer.
Children: Marie and Thelma.
Henry Smith: born February 6, 1859. No record.
Charlotte Amelia born April 19, 1861. Married Percival
Lindsay.
Eleanor Hannah: born May 19, 1863. Married Timothy Barber.
7 child.
