GLMMS 1880 - George Kelley Diary

The diary of George A. Kelley is a handwritten journal owned by an early settler of Kelley's Island, Ohio. The diary begins on January 1, 1880 and continues through December 31, 1880.

The diary was donated with the John H. Gilbert collection to the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes by Kenneth Dickson of Toledo, Ohio on November 23, 1999. No restrictions exist on the use of this collection. Duplication is permitted for the purposes of preservation and research. This register was completed by Pamela L. Bayer, Graduate Assistant in February 2008.

George A. Kelley was born in Ohio in 1822. He was the son of Irad Kelley, one of the original Kelley brothers who first purchased Kelley's Island, Ohio in the 1830s. In 1848, George A. Kelley married Martha J. Eastland, daughter of Colonel Eastland from Tennessee, and brought her north to live on Kelley's Island. George, together with his father, was the first to register ear marks for livestock in the community's records. The ear marks identified their animals because it was common for livestock to wander the Island. George A. Kelley was the Island's first postmaster and managed the Island's general store. He traded his store, in 1854, to William S. Webb in exchange for a quarry which prompted George A. Kelley to embark on a business of several small quarries throughout Kelley's Island. On March 26, 1894, George A. Kelley passed away at the age of 72.

George A. and Martha Kelley's most noted child was Hattie Chisholm, married to Mr. Stewart Chisholm, of Cleveland, Ohio. Hattie was a well respected soprano singer in the Cleveland area.

The diary was traced to George A. Kelley due to his entries about Hattie's visits, his journal entries about the island's mail, and "G. A. Kelley, Kelley's Island, O." is printed on the inside cover of the diary.

The G. A. Kelley diary consists of penciled journal entries in a leather-bound pocket diary that was manufactured for the year 1880. The front pages include astronomical calculations, church days and cycles of time, an 1880 calendar with moon phases, interest tables, gold premium tables for the years between 1862 and 1878, table of wages, principle cities' times and populations table, populations of states and territories from 1790 and 1870, growth of the U.S. population (1800, 1850, 1870), domestic postage, foreign postage, stamp duties, and a table of the U.S. presidents.

The journal entries give brief accounts of daily life and work on Kelley's Island in 1880 and includes a record of George A. Kelley's cash accounts for the year. AMERICAN EAGLE, a propeller, and JULIA, a schooner, are two Lake Erie vessels that are referenced frequently in the journal entries.

Box 1

Folder

1. Diary, January 1, 1880 - December 31, 1880