Extract of Letter From Dr Geo. [George?] Wood Kells to L.A. Kells, of Belleville, Ont.
[Ontario?]
Your Uncle Robert's work was directed towards the gathering of
information covering the entire family of Kells in any part of
the world, wherever they might be found. It was a big undertaking
at the beginning of the century and it is a much bigger one now.
However, you will have the use of any material I have compiled
during the past few years, and it embraces only the original
nineteen who came out on the "Princess Alice" sailing vessel
in 1846, and their descendants. I am glad to report that I have
been able to account for the original group, but I have been
waiting to clear up some odds and ends of Uncle Aaron's family,
also your Aunt Anna in California. If you have her address,
kindly send it on.
You may be interested to know that I have met Kells people
whereever I have travelled, but at that time was not interested
in making any records.
Have you a picture of your Great Grandfather, George Wood Kells?
According to your late Aunt Clarissa, he had only one taken, as
she dressed him for it, and he would only purchase one, a tintype.
Your cousin, Elizabeth Ott, had it in her possession. I borrowed
it from her daughter, Margaret, and had six enlargements made.
If I have two left, you shall have one,but I will have to search
through belongings of my sister Sarah to find one.
Herewith is your Great Grandmother's photo taken at Flora, Ont.
She died at "Coon Hill Farm" 6th of Peel Twp. in 1875. Her
youngest daughter, Margaret, had it in her possession.
(Margaret Johnston, wife of Robert Johnston, 6th Peel).
There is so much to relate, and it is difficult to know
where to start.
In 1917 I visited Cavan County for ten days, staying at the
O'Shane Hotel, Ballyconnell, and from there I went all around
the country by jaunty car and Tin Lizzies to visit families
where it was reported that such and such man was. One was a
hundred years or more in age, and still in possession of his
faculties. At that time a Richard Kells, his wife and two teen
aged daughters lived next door to the church and the cemetery.
They called this old man "The Gentleman." I suppose he was so
referred to because he had a fine home and was wealthy. This
was the first one by our name that I visited. He was away at
the time, but his wife met me at the door and said I might
call later. Before I left, she told me that she was a Healey
from Dublin, and that her two daughters, fifteen and seventee
at that time, had the best education in the whole of Ireland.
I never went back to their home, but I found out later, just
before I left Ireland, that Richard had called to see me at
the hotel four or five times. Too bad I didn't get to meet him.
Another family lived in the centre of the town. The father was
dead and all the boys were away except for the youngest whose
name was Aaron, and he was the postman, a chap of about twenty.
One of the other boys was then in Belfast, and his name was
George Wood. The mother of Aaron was fine to me, as was Aaron.
I was looking for the church records, but found out they were
kept at the Rectory which was on a fifty acre lot about half a
mile beyond the end of the street After walking a good half
mile, I could not see anything like the place described to me.
There were two farms houses close by, and close together, so I
went into the first one near me, and met the woman of the house.
She was charming, and after I explained what I was
after [----?] [-----?] [-----?] [-----?]
trees, somewhat like our native elms in appearance, at least
a full half mile further on. From this I learned what was meant
by "Irish mile". As an after thought, so it would seem, the lady
said to me, "Oh! by the way, the people next door have the same
name as you." So I went there at once. I rapped at the kitchen
door and was admitted. A swarthy looking woman of about fifty-five
years of age was working over a hot range. While I told her who
I was, she was not very communicative and frequently looked over
her nose as if to say "Tell that to the marines". That is the last
I saw of her.
I then walked on to find the Rectory. There was a fairly long narrow
lane covered over by spreading branches of trees, then an open space
with a large house. The Rector was away, but his sister met me in the
yard. She was a great talker, very pessimistic and haranguing about
the state of the world. I did not get to see any records as I did not
go back. A few nights later, I was told that there was a gentleman to
see me at the hotel. He was waiting for me downstairs, and I asked to
have him sent up. I think I was rather cool towards him for a while.
He was well dressed in black serge and a white shirt, and had blue eyes
and very fair hair. He told me he had been to America for a few years
and was the owner of the farm that I had visited a few days before.
It was then I knew that he was Richard The Gentleman.
At my hotel, all my meals were served in my room, whith no invitations
to the dining room or the bar, so my new friend, "The Gentleman" and I
went to the other hotel on the opposite corner. A Mrs. Clancy, also kept
a store in one part, hardware &c. at the front, and at the back was a
liquor store. On one side was a large room used as a beer parlor. At
10 pm. she order (sic) us out; closing time! We were the only customers
at the time. Although it was late, I went at least half way home with
Richard, up over Daisy Hill with the thorn heldges on either side, a
place made famous by many murders in the past, especially the shooting
of tax collectors. After writing to my Dad and telling him this story,
it is said that he remarked, "That fellow has lost his senses entirely".
He was quite angry. My father was thirteen when left those parts and
he was old enough to remember the geography of his environment, and many
stories about the same, especially Daisy Hill
One of the things that interested me most was to know whether the old
home was still there, so I went to the Post Office. It was looked after
by a Miss Montgomery, a woman at that time about sixty years old. She
was most pleasant and helpful. The building was barnlike in structure
three storeys high and about one hundred feet long, divided into two
parts from front to back. The Post Office occupied one room at the front.
She told me that her nephew was Lieutenant in the permanent army, and he
was then stationed in London. He was twenty four or five years of age,
and she was very proud of him. She also told me that the Montgomerys
and the Kells were related back a few generations. She gave me many
pictures of Ballyconnell, showing the Church of Ireland and the Roman
Catholic Church, the main streets, and the Woodrow river. All of these
have the name "Montgomery" on them. One of them shows four boys in a
boat, two of them Kells, one, George Wood. Also, Miss Montgomery gave
me a box of glass negatives about four or five inches square. These I
sent to cousin Robert Kells in New York, but they never reached him.
The most wonderful thing of all is that she gave me two Deeds of
Property, dated 1840 and 1842, with the seals still attached. All of
these, except the negatives, I have here with me in Ottawa. The
building that the Post Office was in was formerly Grandad Kells
wholesale shoe factory. There were no machine made shoes at that
time. Grandad would go to Belfast or Liverpool and purchase many
hides and sole leather at a time, and had five or six men using
wooden lasts, cutting out the different sizes to be sent out to
small cobbllers [cobblers?]. Each village or town would have two
or three of these shops.
This building was situated across the road from the market place
and the village hall. It was here that many fights would take place.
The "Molly NcGuires" with their side whiskers would arrange a sham
battle with a lot of loud talk, and when a crowd would push their
way in to inquire or see what was the matter, the "Mollys" would
slip out one by one to the outside and hurl bottles, bricks or
stones into the crowd, which by this time was made up of
Protestants. Grandmother Mary.Ann Lawrence would try to keep
her husband at home, especially on account of his business, but
there were occassions [occasions?] when she was unable to do this.
He would make a handspring over the half door at the front and join
the fray. It was said he was very good with the shillelagh.
At this time, also, I visited the two roomed school, and contacted)
the principal, a man then between fifty five and sixty. He told me
that nothing had changed in the school except the seats since my
father had attended there some seventy years before. He gave me a
fairly good picture of the school. I gave it back to him, stating
I would call for it the next day, but I was called away by a friend,
a Lieut. Shaw, to go to Dublin. I never saw the picture nor the school
master again. A few-months later I heard that he was shot a day or
so after 1 had left, but I doubt this.
It might be well to state that People were reluctant to write letters,
especially outsiders. Note the time: 1917. By the time I was ready to
leave Ballyconnell, I began to feel a little nervous, so I decided that
when 1 reached the Central Station at Dublin, I should try and not act
like a stranger. I walked up smart, making each step sound as though
I were going someplace. When I got to the door I was sprprised to see
such a long line of jaunty cars, so I kept on walking, smartly for some
distance before putting down my bags. The middle aged driver seemed
to be in no hurry accepting me. Finally he said, "Up?". I took a side
seat over the left wheel. Anyone who has been at Dublin Central Station
will know that there is quite an incline on the cobble stoned road.
The driver waited until he got to the top before asking, "Sure, where
will I be taking you?" I replied as abruptly as I could, "Take me to the
[-----?] Hotel". With a whoop like a peacock he shouted, "Glory be to God,
it was blown to hell nearly a year ago." You can see how successful I was
in playing the part of a native. I said to take me to the next best hotel,
and that turned out to be the Shelbourne where most of the higher military
personnel stayed. There was no doubt in my mind but that all members of the
staff at the Shelbourne were sympathetic followers of Mitchell collins and
cared very little for the Shelbourne or its guests. After five days I was
on my way back to duty.
I did not contact my friend, Shaw, at the place :blown to hell",
but when I got to the Kingsway Wharf, there he was. As a matter of
interesr Shaw was the chief engineer on the Canadian Northern Railway
west of Winnipeg. I often thought of him, but I never saw him after
that trip to Ireland.
I had an interesting encounter with a young priest on my trip
from Conway to Dublin and on to Shelbourne. He was from Shelbourn.
[Shelbourne?] He had been a padre with the British forces in France
and was return (sic) to his home on .................................
.................. I told him that I had a special notebook and some
pencils so I could write. down any stories that appealed to me. The
only stories I heard on the whole trip were the ones he told me, and
they were good. He gave me a ten shilling gold piece, worth about two
and a half dollars at that time. I wanted to give him silver for it,
but he refused, saying, "No, I want you to have this as a memento of
our trip together This coin is now in possession of Mrs. J.H. Atkinson
of Madoc, Ontario my sister Elizabeth's daughter. I often wish
afterwards that I had recorded his name and address as he was one of
the most charming youn men that I have ever met. One of the stories
he told was that during a riot in Dublin, a lot of pillaging took place.
A servant girl joined in, and going through a shoe store, she got a pair
of Sunday shoes for herself which she tucked under her arm and headed
down the street. On the way, she developed a new idea and chastised
herself for being slow witted, "Why didn't I get a pair of working
shoes too?' She hid her Sunday shoes behind a hedge and went back to
the shop, but everything was gone by this time. Hustling back to the
hedge, low and behold, the Sunday shoes were gone too. So, in a rage,
she shouted out, "Glory be to God, Dublin is full of robbers!".
