1. Home
  2. Pedigree Charts
  3. Bio List
  4. Name Index

Sallie Jane BROWN (b 1870)

Sallie Jane Brown is my maternal grandmother.

Sallie Jane Brown was born probably in Jan 1870 in Union County, South Carolina. She was the daughter of James Gadsbury Brown (b 1830) and Mary Elizabeth Davis (b 1834). Her family appeared in the 1870 US Census living on a farm in Santuc Township in Union County later in 1870. The household included her father James Brown, age 40, his wife, Mary, age 38 and seven children, Judson, age 17, Andy, age 14, Gilliam, age 12, Jeff, age 9, Lizzie, age 6, Ida, age 4, and Sallie, age 3 months.

In 1880, the US Census reported that Sallie was living with her parents and siblings, still in Santuc Township. Her age in that census was recorded as 11 (which may be the source of some reports that the year of her birth was 1869). She attended school that year and, according to the report was already able to read and write.

Sometime later in that decade, probably just as she turned 18 in 1888, Sallie married Thomas Elzie Kelly, a Union County resident only a few years older than herself. Their first child and daughter, Mary (May) Kelly, was born on 07 Nov 1889. Children were born with some regularity throughout the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th. Josie, a daughter, was born on 16 Aug 1891. Jack, a son, was born on 26 Aug 1893. Pearl, a daughter, was born on 27 Apr 1896. Floride, a daughter, was born in September 1898. Thomas Elzie (Jr), a son, was born on 29 Apr 1901. Brown, a son, was born on 24 Aug 1903. Twin daughters, Sadie and Sara, were born on 09 Apr 1905. (Sadie lived only until 16 Apr 1906.) Manning, a son, was born on 28 Aug 1908. Wilma, a daughter, was born on 19 Oct 1909.

The 1900 US Census showed the household of Elzie Kelly living on a farm in Pinckney Township in Union County, SC. Sallie's month of birth was reported to be Jan 1870. She had been married to Elzie for twelve years and she had borne five children, all still living, and all living with her in 1900. Both she and her husband were reported to be able to read and write.

The 1910 US Census showed that the family had moved from the farm in Pinckney to a home on East Main Street in Union. Sallie's husband Thomas was reported to be a clothing store salesman. Sallie reported that she had borne 13 children but only nine were still living. (This would suggest that my accounting of children is incomplete. I count only 11 with nine living at this time.)

Sallie died at 2:15 am on 09 Jul 1910. Her death was almost certainly a suicide. The 10 Jul 1910 edition of The State, published in Columbia, SC, carried an article with the headline Union Woman Killed By Passenger Train. The article states the Mrs Kelley had been in ill health for the past five years and her condition has been most critical for the past several days. It is thought that she was temporarily mentally unbalanced at the time of her death and that she wandered on the track as the train came. The onset of that illness likely coincided with the loss of her two children, Brown and Sadie in 1906. Family lore suggests that her life with Thomas Elzie was extremely difficult due to his alcoholism.

By the time of Sallie's death in 1910, her eldest daughter May was married and the second eldest child, Josie, was 18 years old. Son Jack was 16 and already working in a cotton mill. I speculate that it was the two eldest daughters and Thomas' mother, Mary Comer, who managed to look after the youngest children until Thomas remarried in early 1913. Sallie's family may also have helped. Sallie's elder sister Ida, age 44 in 1910, lived next door to the family on East Main Street. I know directly from daughter Sara that she lived for a time with her grandmother, Mary Comer. Three of Sallie's nine surviving children had serious mental health issues requiring hospitalization later in life. The balance managed not only to survive but even to thrive.

Sources:

Sallie's birth: The date of Sally's birth is contested. Her tombstone in Rosemont Cemetery in Union (Union) SC records her birth as 02 Jan 1869. However, an obituary published in the Southern Christian Advocate on 28 Jul 1910 gave her date of birth as 18 Jan 1870 and her place of birth as "near Wesley Chapel in Union County SC." The 1870 US Census, enumerated on 18 August 1870 reported her age as three months on 18 Aug 1870 and the month recorded could be May. Both items seem unreliable. The 1900 US Census reported her month of birth as Jan 1870. I'm inclined to believe the date of birth on her tombstone (02 Jan 1869) is incorrect, in part because there are two independent records of the 1870 date and in part because I'm inclined to believe the Southern Christian Advocate article was sourced from a member of Sally's family (her mother or a sibling) and not from her husband Thomas and was probably the more reliable report. My presumption is that Sallie was born at home on her parent's farm in Santuc Township.

1870 US Census, Household of James Gadsbury Brown (b 1830): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Santuc (Union) SC; Roll: M593_1510; Page: 513A; Family History Film: 553009. [Ancestry has transcribed Jas as Jos and the record can be difficult to locate.] Content: The enumeration of Santuc Township, Post Office Unionville, Union County, SC on 18 August 1870. The household (dwelling 6, family 10) includes (1) Jas Brown, age 40, male, farmer, real $3000, pers $500, born SC, cannot read/write, can vote, (2) Mary Brown, age 38, female, farmer, born SC, can read/write, (3) Judson Brown, age 17, male, farmer, born SC, can read/write, (4) Andry Brown, age 14, male, born SC, can read/write, (5) Gilliam Brown, age 12, male, born SC, can read/write, (6) Jeff Brown, age 9, male, born SC, (7) Lizzie Brown, age 6, female, born SC, (8) Ida Brown, age 4, female, born SC, and (9) Sallie, age 3 months, female, born SC. [Note: This Census reports that James Brown could neither read nor write. Since the 1880 Census does not report that fact, I'm inclined to believe that the 1870 enumerator went one line too far and that both James Brown and his wife Mary were literate, but that is by no means certain.]

1880 US Census, Household of James Gadsbury Brown (b 1830): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Santuc (Union) SC; Roll: 1242; Page: 638B; ED: 159. Content: The record dated 22 Jun 1880 shows family 475 including (1) James Brown, male, age 49, married, farmer, born SC/SC/SC, (2) Mary E Brown, female, age 45, wife, married, keeping house, born SC/SC/SC, (3) James A Brown, male, age 22, son, single, clerks in store, born SC/SC/SC), (4) Gilman Brown (male, age 21, son, single, farm laborer, attended school, born SC/SC/SC, (5) Jefferson D Brown, male, age 19, son, single, farm laborer, attended school, born SC/SC/SC, (6) Ida Brown, female, age 13, daughter, single, attended school, born SC/SC/SC, (7) Sally Brown, female, age 11, daughter, single, attended school, born SC/SC/SC, (8) Addie Brown, female, age 7, daughter, at school, born SC/SC/SC.

1900 US Census, Household of Thomas Elzie Kelly (b 1867): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1900 US Population Census, Census Place: Pinckney (Union) SC: Roll: T623 1544; Page: 21B. Content: The household includes (1) Elzie Kelly, head, male, born Aug 1867, age 32, married, 12 yrs, born SC/SC/SC, farmer, can read/write, rents farm, farm schedule #106, (2) Sallie Kelly, wife, female, born Jan 1889, age 30, married, 12 yrs, 5 children, 5 living, born SC/SC/SC, can read/write, (3) May Kelly, daughter, female, born Nov 1889, age 10, single, born SC/SC/SC, at school, can read/write, (4) Josie Kelly, daughter, female, born Aug 1891, age 8, single, born SC/SC/SC, at school, (5) Jackson Kelly, son, male, born Aug 1893, age 6, single, born SC/SC/SC, at school, (6) Pearl Kelly, daughter, female, born Apr 1896, age 4, single, born SC/SC/SC, and (7) Florence Kelly, daughter, female, born Sept 1898, age 1, single, born SC/SC/SC.

1910 US Census, Household of Thomas Elzie Kelly (b 1867): Citation: Ancestry.com. 1910 US Population Census, Union (Union) SC: Roll: T624_1474; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 124; Image: 1110. Content: The household on East Main Street includes (1) T E Kelley (head, male, age 42, married, 22 yrs, born SC/SC/SC, salesman in clothing store, wage earner, can read/write, owns home free of mortgage), (2) Sallie Kelley (wife, female, age 40, married, 22 yrs, 13 children, 9 living, born SC/SC/SC, can read/write), (3) Joseph (sic) [Josie] Kelley (daughter, age 18, single, born SC/SC/SC, can read/write, in school), (4) Jack Kelley (son, male, age 16, single, born SC/SC/SC, laborer in cotton mill, wage earner, can read/write), (5) Pearl Kelley (daughter, female, age 13, single, born SC/SC/SC, spinner in cotton mill, wage earner, can read/write), (6) Flora Kelley (daughter, female, age 12, single, born SC/SC/SC, can read/write, in school), (7) Tom Kelley (son, male, age 8, single, born SC/SC/SC, in school), (8) Sarah Kelley (daughter, female, age 5, single, born SC/SC/SC), (8) Manning Kelley (son, male, age 2, single, born SC/SC/SC), (9) Wilbam (sic) [Wilma] Kelley (daughter, female, age 1/2, single, born SC/SC/SC).

Report on the death of Sallie Jane Brown Kelly from The State (Columbia, SC): Citation: The State (Columbia, SC). Sunday Morning, 10 July 1910, page 1, column 6. Content: Mrs Sallie B Kelly Run Over and Mangled in Front of Her Home Early in Morning. Special to The State: Union, July 9 --Mrs Sallie B Kelley, wife of T Elize (sic) Kelley, was at (sic) killed at 2:15 this morning by the northbound passenger train No 41 in front of her residence on east Main street. Mrs Kelley had been in ill health for the past five years and her condition has been most critical for the past several days. It is thought that she was temporarily mentally unbalanced at the time of her death and that she wandered on the track as the train came. Mr Kelley missed his wife about 2 o'clock and went in search of her through the house. She could not be found, and he continued his search in the yard, but still could not find his wife and shortly afterward Mr Smith, a nearby neighbor, discovered her body, which was badly mangled, lying partly on the railroad track. Mrs Kelly was about 40 years of age. She was Miss Sallie Brown, a sister of J Anderson Brown of this city. The funeral services were conducted this afternoon at 6 o'clock at the residence by Rev S A Donahoe, the interment being made in the city cemetery. Mrs Kelley is survived by her husband, several children, two brothers and one sister.

Obituary for Sallie Jane Brown from the Southern Christian Advocate: Citation: Southern Christian Advocate, Thursday, July 28, 1910. Content: On January 18, 1870, near Wesley chapel, in Union county, Mrs. Sallie (Brown) Kelly was born. Her parents were J G Brown and Mary E Brown, and the latter still survives. Reared in a Christian home, she joined the Methodist Church when about fifteen years old. In February, 1888, she was married to Mr T E Kelly, of Union county, SC. Of their thirteen children, nine are living: Mrs Mary Glymp[h], of Union; Miss Josie, Jack, Pearl, Floride, Tommie, Sara, Manning, and Wilma. Together with her widowed mother one sister and two brothers mourn her departure--Mrs Ida Long, Mr J A Brown, and Mr J D Brown, all of Union. Devoted to all the interests of her home and loved ones, and trusting in her Lord, she leaves a memory that is very precious to her bereaved husband and her sorrowing children. Death came on the railroad near her home past the midnight hour, July 9, 1910. Funeral services were conducted at her late residence in Union, SC by Rev S A Donahoe, assisted by the writer. Her body was laid to rest in the city cemetery to await the coming of the Lord. (A D Betts)