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Thomas N KELLY (b 1828)

Thomas N Kelly is my maternal great-grandfather.

An entry in the Kelly family Bible states that "Thomas N Kelly, son of Thomas [Kelly] and Melissa [Hames was] born 2nd July 1828." There is little reason to doubt the date and no reason to doubt that he was born in Union District (Union County later in the century), South Carolina, almost certainly on his father's farm. Thomas was counted in the 1830 census of Union District. He was only two years old. Also, in the household were two older brothers, Joseph (age 12) and Ellis (age 18), and three older sisters, Clarissa (age 9), Emma (age 7) and Susan (age 11).

The household was counted again in the 1840 census of Union District. The family composition had changed slightly. Thomas N was now 12. He had a new younger brother, Jimerson (age 4), and his older brother Ellis (28) was no longer living with his parents. Jimerson had been born a twin, but his twin brother, Gazaway, apparently did not survive. Thomas N also had a new younger sister, Mary (age 8), and his older sister Susan (age 21) was no longer living at home. These were prosperous years for the Kelly family. Presumably, Thomas N was being schooled. The 1850 census will state that he could read and write.

In 1850, Thomas N was still at home with his parents. According to the census (taken on 14 Nov 1850), he was 21 years old and a laborer on his father's farm. His brother Jamison (age 14) was the only sibling still at home. Thomas's mother Melissa's younger sister Martha's child, Sarah Ann Bentley (age 8) was also a member of the household.

In 1860, prior to the onset of the Civil War, Thomas N was still unmarried and living with his parents. The 1860 census reported that Thomas's father was 75 years old, and Thomas, at age 31, was the manager of the family farm. He was the last of his father's children to remain at home.

The first shots of the American Civil War were fired on 12 Apr 1861. Confederate General P G T Beauregard attacked Fort Sumter, a garrison in the Charleston, SC harbor, and forced its surrender after a two-day siege. Thos N Kelly enlisted at the Union County Court House for a period of 12 months as a private in Company E of the 5th Reg't of South Carolina Infantry on 13 Apr 1861, one day after the siege of Fort Sumter was begun. Several months later the company was to become a part of the Confederacy's Army of Northern Virginia. Thomas enlisted and served under Captain W J T Glenn. By Nov 1862, the company was no longer E but H and Thomas was a 2nd corporal. In Dec 1863, he was a 1st sergeant. Thomas remained in service through the extent of the war. On 06 May 1864 he was severely injured in the side when serving in Bratton's Brigade in the campaign of 1864 for the Army of Northern Virginia. The injury would have been received during the Battle of the Wilderness, an encounter of fierce fighting in dense woodlands. My presumption is that Thomas was sent home to recover from his wounds. He was back again and present on the muster roll for his company in Jan/Feb 1865 but was reported to be sick. Thomas was among those surrendered by Gen Robert E Lee, Confederate States Army, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia on 09 Apr 1865. Thomas was subsequently paroled and returned home.

I presume also that while Thomas was at home recovering from his injury in Virginia in mid-1864, he was nursed to health by Mary L Comer. The two were married, according to an entry in the Kelly family Bible, on 02 Sep 1864. Eleven children were born to the union in the following 25 years.

In Aug 1870, the census found Thomas and his household living in Pinckney Township in Union County, SC. Thomas was reported to be a farmer, age 41. Thomas's mother, Melissa (age 60) was living with the couple. Thomas's father had died in 1866 just after the close of the war. Mary, his wife, was age 23. The couple had two children living with them, Elsy (age 2) and Nancy (age 1).

A decade later, the 1880 census reported that Thomas at age 51 was "maimed, crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled." Nevertheless, he was reported to be a farmer employed for eight months of the year. His wife was identified as Mary L Kelly, age 33. The three eldest children, T Elzy (age 12), Nancy M (age 11) and William R (age 9) were all reported to be in school during the year. The balance of the six children living with them were Sallie (age 6), Mary E (age 5) and Lena (age 1). There were two black members of the household, Caroline (age 30) and Charles (age 17). Both were designated 'servant' and both shared the surname Kelly.

Four more children were born during the decade of 1880. Sibbie A, a daughter, was born on 08 Aug 1880. John Wesley, a son who was always called Jim, was born 03 Oct 1882. Maude E, a daughter, was born on 19 Dec 1884. And finally, Butler N, a son, was born on 17 Sep 1888. The names and dates for the births of these four children are all as recorded in the Kelly family Bible.

Thomas died in the early hours of Thursday 07 May 1891. He was buried in the cemetery of Fosters Chapel Methodist Church in Union County. He was 62 years old. Mary L Comer, age 44 and his wife of 27 years, lived out the balance of her life in Union County, caring for eight of their children who were still minors at the time of his death.

Sources and Notes:

Thomas's birth: The Kelly Family Bible, a Bible published in 1833 which would suggest that the information, while direct, is not contemporaneous and is perhaps not primary. The date of Thomas N's birth is, however, largely unchallenged by any evidence.

Thomas's name: It is widely assumed (and widely published) that the initial N in Thomas's name is an abbreviation of the name Norman. I'm hard pressed to find anything that would support this other than the fact that Thomas named a son Butler Norman Kelly. I have yet to find a reference to Thomas in any official document that has shown his full name as anything other than Thomas N Kelly. It seems entirely possible to me that his parents simply named him Thomas N just as it is written in the family Bible. The effect would be little different from that of naming him Thomas Kelly, Jr but would provide an easy, shorthand way of distinguishing him from his father.

1830 US Census household of Thomas Kelly: Ancestry.com, 1830 United States Federal Census Union District, SC, p. 178, line 14/27. Content: fwm 1011001000000 fwf 0210100000000 mslv 221000 fslv 320100. Thomas would presumably be the free white male in the first column that represents those under 5 years of age. There were four white males in the household: age <5: [Thomas N (2)]; age 10-14: [Joseph (12)}; age 15-19: [Ellis (18)]; age 40-49 (46): [Thomas]. There were four white females in the household as well: age 5-9: [Clarissa (9) and Emma (7)]; age 10-14: [Susan (11)]; age 20-29: [Melissa Hames (21)]. The household included 11 slaves.

1840 US Census household of Thomas Kelly: Ancestry.com, 1840 United States Federal Census Union District, SC, p. 218, line 8. fwm 1011000100000 fwf 0102001000000 mslv 330000 fslv 331000 Agriculture 9. There were four white males in the household: 1 age <5 [ Jimerson (4)]; 1 age 10-14: [Thomas N (12)]; 1 age 15-19: [probably Joseph (22)]; age 50-59: [Thomas (56)]. There were four white females in the household as well: 1 age 5-9: [Mary M (8)]; 2 age 15-19: [Clarissa (19) and Emma (17)]; age 40-49 [sic]: [Melissa Hames (31)]. There were 11 slaves in the household.

1850 US Census household of Thomas Kelly (14 Nov 1850): Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Union County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_859; Page: 79; Image: 406. The household (dwelling 1173 and family 1173) includes (1) Thomas Kelly (age 65, male, planter, real estate valued $4000, born VA), (2) Melissa Kelly (age 40, female, born SC, cannot read/write), (3) Thomas Kelly (age 21, male, laborer, born SC), (4) Jamison Kelly (age 14, male, born SC, attended school), (5) Sarah Ann Bentley (age 7, female, born SC, attended school). Sarah Ann Bentley is the daughter of Melissa Hames' sister Martha.

1860 US Census household of Thomas Kelley (10 Jul 1860): Ancestry.com, 1860 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Union County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_859; Page: 79; Image: 406. The household (dwelling 778 and family 697) includes (1) Thomas Kelley (age 75, male, farmer, real estate valued at $2000, personal estate valued at $20,000, born SC), (2) Elizabeth (sic) [Melissa] Kelley (age 50, female, born SC), (3) Thomas Kelley (age 31, male, farm manager, born SC).

1870 US Census household of Thomas N Kelley (02 Aug 1870): Ancestry.com, 1870 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Pinckney Township, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1510; Page: 481; Image: 315. The household is comprised of (1) Thomas N Kelly (age 41, male, farmer, real estate $1700, personal estate $700, born SC, can read/write, citizen), (2) Melissa (age 60, female, born SC, can read/write), (3) Mary (age 23, female, born SC, can read/write), (4) Elsy (age 2, male, born SC), (5) Nancy (age 1, female, born SC), and (6) Walker (age 14, male, born SC, attending school, cannot read/write).

Thomas N Kelly's Civil War Record: In 1991, I requested and received from the National Archives the record of Thomas N Kelly's service to the Confederate Army. The packet of cards associated with Thomas N Kelly was identified as Series 1, Vol 36, Part 1, Page 1060, No/Page 8. It contained 16 cards, the earliest dated Sep/Oct 1861, the latest dated Jan/Feb 1865. There are two other typed entries reporting his injury in a Bratton's Brigade operation and a receipt roll for issue of clothing on 23 Apr 1864. Also included was a 1952 letter from Major General Wm E Bergin (in response to an earlier inquiry) stating that Thomas N Kelly "was surrendered by Confederate General Robert E Lee, Confederate States Army, and paroled on 09 Apr 1865 at Appomattox Court House, Virginia."

1880 US Census household of Thomas N Kelley (04 Jun 1880): Ancestry.com, 1880 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Pinckney Township, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: T9_1242; Family History Film: 1255242; Page: 585.4000; Enumeration District: 158. The household is comprised of (1) Thomas N Kelly (age 51, male, married, farmer (8 mos), maimed, crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled, can read/write, born SC/NC/SC), (2) Mary L Kelly (age 33, female, wife, married, keeping house, born SC/SC/SC), (3) T Elzy Kelly (age 12 male, son, single, at school, can read/write, born SC/SC/SC), (4) Nancy M Kelly (age 11, female, daughter, at school, born SC/SC/SC)), (5) William R Kelly (age 9, male, son, at school, born SC/SC/SC), (6) Sallie Kelly (age 6, female, daughter, born SC/SC/SC), (7) Mary E Kelly (age 5, female, daughter, born SC/SC/SC), (8) Lena Kelly (age 1, female, daughter, born SC/SC/SC) , (9) Carolina Kelly (age 30, female, black, servant, single, cook (12 mos), cannot read/write, born SC/SC/SC), and (10) Charles Kelly (age 17, male, black, servant, single, works in field (8 mos), cannot read/write, born SC/SC/SC). NOTE: The number entered in the column for months unemployed during the year was almost certainly misunderstood by this census enumerator to be instead months of the year employed. Virtually all farmers on the page were reported to be unemployed for 8 months. That is just the opposite of what was generally reported.