Richard Amos Allen Kelley was from an area on the northeast Maine coast known as Kelley’s Point. Kelley’s Point was, at the time, a part of the larger incorporated town called Jonesboro, Washington County, Maine. Richard Kelley was born on 31 July 1816 at Kelley’s Point to parents who were both in their 40s. His father Joseph Kelley was also born at Kelley’s Point, which was settled in 1773 by grandfather Thomas Kelley. Father Joseph Kelley was purportedly the first white baby born in the area. Mother Olive Beal hailed from Beal’s Island, an island off the coast within sight of Kelley’s Point. Olive Beal's father ran a store for settlers in the region and was reported to have been 6 feet 7 inches tall and tipping the scale at over 300 pounds. As Richard Amos Allen Kelley’s parents were older when he was born, all four grandparents were deceased by his birth.
Kelley’s
Point, Washington County, Maine
Kelley’s
Point at the time, in relation to Jonesboro
(Jonesport
was not incorporated until 1832)
Richard Amos Allen Kelley became known as Allen Kelley (brother Phineas Manwarren Kelley also held a shortened version of his name - Warren) during his childhood and was reared among a large family. At the time of his birth, he had three older brothers and three older sisters. One older sister had been born and then died at age two, about ten years before his birth. The immediate neighbors at Kelley’s Point were his father’s two brothers (Thomas Kelley, David Kelley) and a cousin (Samuel Kelley, a son of his father’s brother-in-law Nathaniel Kelley). Note: the 1830 census lists Joseph, Thomas, David, and Samuel one after another, which appears to demonstrate close proximity. Therefore, Allen Kelley’s early years were spent around brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins.
At the time of the 1820 US census, father Joseph Kelley was 45 and mother Olive Kelley was 44. Allen Kelley's two oldest siblings – brothers Ammi Kelley (17) and Warren Kelley (16) – were old enough to contribute to the family economically. The census identified two persons in the household engaged in agriculture and two involved with commerce. The occupations likely associated with agriculture and commerce were farming and fishing. A guess leads to the assumption that father and mother were farming and sons Ammi and Warren were fishing (possibly importing-exporting; just a guess as four were listed as holding an occupation). Also living in the Kelley home were Olivia Kelley (12), Abigail Kelley (10), Anna Kelley (8), Josephus Kelley (6), and Allen Kelley (4). A new sibling Belinda Kelley had been born in 1818 (two years after Allen Kelley) but died 24 April 1819 at only 10 months of age.
At the time of the 1820 US census, father Joseph Kelley was 45 and mother Olive Kelley was 44. Allen Kelley's two oldest siblings – brothers Ammi Kelley (17) and Warren Kelley (16) – were old enough to contribute to the family economically. The census identified two persons in the household engaged in agriculture and two involved with commerce. The occupations likely associated with agriculture and commerce were farming and fishing. A guess leads to the assumption that father and mother were farming and sons Ammi and Warren were fishing (possibly importing-exporting; just a guess as four were listed as holding an occupation). Also living in the Kelley home were Olivia Kelley (12), Abigail Kelley (10), Anna Kelley (8), Josephus Kelley (6), and Allen Kelley (4). A new sibling Belinda Kelley had been born in 1818 (two years after Allen Kelley) but died 24 April 1819 at only 10 months of age.
A
final Kelley child was born in 1821. The
new addition was named Barnabas (or possibly Barnabus) after mother Olive Beal-Kelley’s brother
Barnabas Coffin Beal. Baby Barnabas
Kelley gave the Kelley family eight children but the number would not last
long. Abigail Kelley died on 14 December
1822 – she was only 12 years old.
However, the remaining Kelley children would all live into their 60s and
70s.
Roque
Island, the home of the Kelley’s prior to their relocation to Kelley’s Point in
the 1770s. The photo shows the mainland in
the background, just north of Kelley’s Point
In
1830, the Kelleys were still living at Kelley’s Point. Allen Kelley was 14 and probably had already begun fishing and sailing. Oldest
brother Ammi Kelley was courting a young woman named Anna Hall (they would
marry within the next year). The next
oldest brother Warren Kelley was married to Mary Woodward but had yet to have the
first Allen Kelley niece or nephew. The
youthful Warren Kelley and new wife were living nearby, also on Kelley’s
Point. The Kelleys were anxiously
awaiting additions to the family.
Note: At some point in time Kelley's Point must have become known as Kelley Point as most maps in the last 100 years indicate. Earliest notations of the location refer to "Kelley's" Point and that name will be used throughout this biography.
Note: At some point in time Kelley's Point must have become known as Kelley Point as most maps in the last 100 years indicate. Earliest notations of the location refer to "Kelley's" Point and that name will be used throughout this biography.
A 1921 Jonesport map reveals the location of the road leading to Kelley's Point and dwellings which existing in 1921 (only 90 years after 1830!)
In
1840, a 24 year old Allen Kelley was still living in the home of his father
Joseph Kelley at Kelley’s Point (Kelley’s Point is the probable location from an analysis of
those living in the vicinity, based on enumeration order. Also because Joseph Kelley was not known to have left Kelley's Point - he and his wife died there). Though the location was originally a part of
the region surrounding the nearest town of Jonesboro, it was now a part of Jonesport,
which had been officially incorporated in 1832.
Also in the household was his younger brother Barnabus Kelley and older
sister Anna Kelley. Of the three men in
the household, two were farming and one was working as a sailor (Barnabus was
known later as a farmer; I suspect Allen Kelley was sailing but I am just
guessing). Allen Kelley's brothers Warren and Josephus Kelley
were living in their own homes and working in an occupation associated with the
ocean (1840 census, they were both probably fishermen as they were notated in 1850). Brother Ammi Kelley was also married, living
with his new family, and working as a farmer (noted in the census as working
within the occupation of agriculture).
In
the region near Warren and Josephus Kelley was Abraham Norton (though
enumerations were not consistent for location from name analysis in the 1840 census, they did imply a
general closeness). This area appears to
have been in the West Jonesport area (including Beal’s Island and north up the
coast toward Addision - Addision families were enumerated on adjoining pages immediately following these families), according to those who were enumerated
together. The Abraham Norton family was
a large one with many children. The
oldest female child was named Elizabeth Tabbutt Norton. She was born 17 August 1823 so in 1840, she
was only 17. Between 1840 and
1843, Allen Kelley and Elizabeth Norton were married. Their first child Elvira Adeline Kelley was
born in 1844.
Eastport, Maine to the north near the border of Canada
Sources
exist that reveal Allen Kelley was a sea captain in 1845 (C Colby
posting on genealogy.com; unknown original source – possibly newspaper
records from Machias available in Washington County). He would have been about 29. Evidence from other sources allow us to
hypothesize that his work as a sea captain was mainly connected to fishing
(1850 census and schooner service priority).
Allen Kelley was connected to the schooner Romp, which operated out of
the Jonesport, Maine area during the 1840s (C Colby posted that Allen Kelley
was owner of the Romp until 1860, no start date). Newspaper records show Allen Kelley certainly
could have been the captain of the schooner Romp beginning in 1845 (Boston
newspaper, details below). A Captain
Kelley led the schooner Romp to Salem, Massachusetts in May 1845. A Captain Kelley also was found to have
sailed the Romp from Jonesport to Boston in 1850. These voyages were certainly connected to commerce
(e.g., lumber, supplies). And, the reason
these Romp voyages may have been so rare was that most of the time, the Romp
was being used as a fishing vessel (other records show the Romp to have fished
mackerel in Canadian waters, which was not far from Jonesport). Note –
evidence shows that Jonesport businessmen and sailors often went into business
together and purchased schooners. For
example, four men from Jonesport including Daniel Lamson purchased the schooner
Zulma from Daniel Sawyer of Jonesport in 1862.
Note:
This information obtained from searches within Boston and New York newspapers. There are other newspapers that existed in
Maine (and records available today) and may yield more information.
Those newspapers could have been the source of C Colby’s information.
A nineteenth century two-masted
lumber and fishing schooner
that may have resembled the schooner Romp
There
were other Kelleys who captained schooners out of Jonesport during this
time. This information is known from a search of
Boston newspapers which showed that there were several other schooners from
Jonesport led by Captain Kelleys between 1840 and 1849. These particular schooners were not solely
led by Kelleys. Other men were also noted
as captains of these schooners during other voyages. Thus, the schooners General Jackson, Minot,
Enterprise, and Two Brothers were in some way connected to the Kelleys but not
necessarily owned or operated by them solely.
Allen
Kelley and his three older brothers all worked on boats to earn their livings in
1850 (1850 census). Allen Kelley was for
sure living near his two brothers Josephus and Ammi Kelley (they were
enumerated as adjoining families). Enumerated
nearby (7 families away) was brother Warren Kelley. From cemetery records, Warren Kelley was on
Harbor Head Island by 1847 and was living there in 1850 (Warren Kelley family
tombstone locations, including his own).
Allen, Josephus, and Ammi Kelley lived among the Alley families and Beal
families, who were known to have lived on Beal’s Island (Ammi Kelley died and
was buried at Beal’s Island in 1877). Allen
Kelley’s father-in-law Abraham Norton was enumerated 36 families away. Abraham Norton was known to have been from
West Jonesport and he was probably there in 1850 (Norton’s family had been
buried at the West Jonesport Cemtery since at least 1807). Father Joseph Kelley was enumerated 19
families away and was certainly still at Kelley’s Point.
The
Jonesport region - Kelley’s Point is two miles east of West Jonesport
Allen,
Josephus, Ammi, and father Joseph Kelley were all noted as fishermen in
1850. Brother Warren Kelley was a sailor. There were many other neighbors nearby who
were notated as sailors which certainly establish Allen Kelley is
“predominantly” a fisherman at the time.
Note: In the 1860 census, three
brothers (Allen, Ammi, and Warren) were officially sea captains while brother
Josephus remained a fisherman. The youngest Kelley brother Barnabus Kelley was
a farmer. Of the Kelley clan (uncles
and cousins) in Washington County, Maine, the following were notated as sailors
or fishermen in 1850 (and the list below also notes their occupation in 1860;
Kelleys not among this list were generally laborers and farmers):
Uncle David Kelley,
Jonesport fisherman (1784-1860) - not in 1860 census
Cousin Nathaniel
Kelley, Jonesport sailor (1812-?, son of David) - seaman in 1860
Cousin Aaron Kelley, Jonesport
sailor (1804-1883, son of David) - ship carpenter in 1860
David Kelley Jr,
Jonesport sailor (son of David) - no occupation in 1860
Cousin Elijah Kelley,
Jonesport sailor (1823-?, son of David) - 1860 ?
2nd Cousin Derius D.
Kelley, Jonesport sailor (1833-1888, grandson of David) - 1860 ?
Cousin John S. Kelley,
Jonesport sailor (1814-1873, son of Thomas)
- Day laborer in 1860
Cousin Thomas Kelley,
Jonesport sailor (1811-1865, son of Thomas) - Sea captain in 1860
Cousin William H.
Kelley, Jonesport sailor (1824-1900, son of Thomas) - Sea captain in 1860
Cousin Eben Kelley,
Milbridge sea captain (1807-1862, son of Thomas) - Seaman in 1860
2nd Cousin Ambrose
Kelley, Milbridge sailor (c1836-?, grandson of Thomas) - Seaman in 1860
2nd Cousin John S.
Kelley Jr, Machias sailor (c1814-?, grandson of Thomas) - Seaman in 1860 of Milbridge
The
Kelley’s living at Kelley’s Point established small cemeteries for family
members on their land. Allen Kelley’s
mother Olive Beal-Kelley died on Christmas day 1851. She was buried on her husband Joseph Kelley’s
land (later belonging to Joseph and Olive’s youngest son Barnabus – the small
cemetery is known today as the Barnabus C. Kelley Cemetery). Others may have been buried there before but
she has the oldest tombstone that is evident today. Similarly, the Thomas Kelley family,
Allen Kelley’s uncle, used a burial plot on their Kelley’s Point land. The earliest Kelley buried there was cousin
Ephraim Kelley who died in 1850.
A 1948 map shows the location of a cemetery at Kelley's Point (triangle inside yellow circle) - this is believed to be the Barnabas C. Kelley Cemetery on Joseph Kelley's land (but may have been the Thomas Kelley Cemetery)
The
Thomas Kelley family cemetery, called the Thomas H. Kelley Cemetery, on Kelley’s
Point
Another schooner Romp appears to
have been sailing the northeast US coast.
This schooner seemed to be more closely associated with Massachusetts as
a home port and was led by a Captain Mayo between 1853 and 1856. There were, surprisingly, several other types
of boats that were known by the name of Romp.
Below are notices from Boston regarding the schooner Romp as they
related to a Captain Kelley of Jonesport, or areas near Jonesport.
By 1860, the Allen Kelley family
was living at West Jonesport among his Norton in-laws (1860 census families
enumerated alongside Allen Kelley were buried at West Jonesport Cemetery). Some of the other families who lived nearby
(probably at West Jonesport and north toward Indian River, again based on
burial locations), according to enumeration proximity (determined that
placement in the census was based on proximity according to burial records)
included (there may have been others):
Sea captain George Dobbin
Sea captain Thomas Cummings
Sea captain Joel Drisko
Ship carpenter Aaron Kelley
Ship carpenter Zimri Norton
Ship carpenter Abram L. Norton
Master boat builder Ellis McKenzie
Caulker Joseph Clark
Master caulker William Wilson
Blacksmith Ezra Aldrich
Master stone mason John Church
House joiner Clement Hinkley
House joiner Charles Woodward
Baptist clergyman Warren Bailey
In 1860, the Allen Kelley family
home included children Elvira (15), Edwin (14), Elizabeth (11), John (8), Olive
(6), and Daniel (2). Allen and Elizabeth
Kelley had a daughter Alice in January 1861 and then another son in May 1863. The infant son died 16 June 1863 at only one
month old (child unnamed). After her
baby’s death in 1863, Elizabeth, at 40 years of age, would not have another
child. During the 1860s, two daughters
were married – Elvira married George Smith on 21 April 1864 at Machias and
Elizabeth married Morey Drisko on 24 June 1866.
Allen Kelley’s mother-in-law Anna Tabbutt Norton died 21 October 1865 and
was buried at West Jonesport Cemetery.
Anna Tabbutt Norton’s gravestone
at West Jonesport Cemetery. The stone was transcribed as “Anna, wife of
Abraham Norton, Died Oct 21, 1865, AE.71”
Allen Kelley remained active as
captain of the schooner Romp (see schooner activity below). Supplies were taken from the Washington
County, Maine region to destinations as far south as Philadelphia (from
newspaper accounts). For sure, the
schooner Romp was hauling lumber, and possibly other supplies (newspaper
accounts). Allen Kelley's real estate
value in 1860 was approximately $600 (1860 census), which according to
inflation estimates, is around $16,600 in 2016.
His personal property value was $400 (1860 census), or about $11,000 in
2016. These totals were estimates based
on the opinion of the person being enumerated and was seemingly enough to have
been the owner (or part owner) of a boat.
In March 1865, Captain Allen
Kelley ran into some difficulties with his schooner which resulted in damage to
the Romp. According to records, on the
night of 16 March 1865, the schooner Romp, loaded with iron, was sailing on a starboard
tack traveling from Boston for Jonesport on a heading of northeast by
east. The night sky was foggy with wind
out of the south southwest. No lights
had been set on the Romp foredeck though two men were on lookout. At some point, one lookout reported seeing
lights after which Captain Allen Kelley immediately came to deck and ordered
his helm to be put hard down. At the
same time, he hailed the ship showing lights, the schooner D. P., to put her
helm hard up. The schooner D. P. was
close hauled on a port tack heading west by south with red and green lights properly
placed and burning brightly. The D. P.
did not heed Kelley’s demands and ran into the schooner Romp after which the
Romp “sank” (as stated in the report).
The location of the incident was a few miles outside Thatcher’s Island,
Cape Ann, about 30 miles northeast of Boston.
Allen Kelley brought an action against the D. P. owner (a man named Thompson) for payment of damages (US Court for District of MA). The court, after gathering evidence, reported
in 1867 that the only fact disputed was what happened after Kelley called to
the D. P. Either the D. P. disobeyed the
order from Kelley to put her helm hard up or the D. P. took the opposite course
and luffed. Kelley received word in May
1867 that the case was dismissed as the lack of lights set on the Romp was a
major problem and likely caused the collision.
After the damages to the Romp in
March 1865, repairs were undertaken (the Romp must have not sunk completely). By August 1865, the Romp was once again
seaworthy and resumed work between Jonesport and areas around Boston. However, the Romp was thereafter led by Captain
Mitchell (newspaper reports). Allen
Kelley no longer was at the helm of the schooner though he may have retained
ownership (he made at least one addition voyage in 1867).
Allen Kelley and Elizabeth Norton
Kelley lived primarily among the Norton families at West Jonesport. Elizabeth’s younger sister Anna married
Daniel Watts and also lived in West Jonesport next to father Abraham
Norton. In 1866, Daniel Watts, a sailor,
planned a trip for his family that identified Jaffa, Syria (near Tel Aviv, Israel) as their
destination. Jaffa was located on the
Mediterranean Sea and was best known through bible stories related to Solomon,
Jonah, and Saint Peter. While there, the five year old and three year old
daughters of Daniel and Ana died in 1867. Anna Norton-Watts refused to
return home after the death of her children and was so adamant she reportedly
divorced her husband. Daniel Watts returned to Maine with 9 year old twin
sons and a newborn daughter born in 1866. Anna died in Jaffa in
1869. She has a tombstone on Roque Island.
·
Schooner Amanda, Captain
Kelley from Jonesport (Also called schooner Amanda Kelley, 1859 to 1863)
·
Schooner Zulma,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1860 and 1861 sailed with schooner Compliance
under another Kelley, 1861 sailing with
schooner Romp under Allen Kelley, 1861 sailed with schooner Alert under Captain
[Charles F.] Barker, in 1862 the owner of the schooner Zulma was Daniel J
Sawyer)
·
Schooner
Compliance, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1860 to 1862, 1862 sailed with
schooner Aurora under Rich)
·
Schooner Pilgrim,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1861 to 1865)
·
Schooner Julia, Captain
Kelly from Jonesport (1863 to 1865)
·
Schooner
Champion, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1863)
·
Schooner Aurora,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1863 to 1865)
·
Schooner N C
Harris, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1865)
·
Schooner
Alexandria, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1865 to 1866, 1866 sailed with
schooner AJ Dyer under Captain [Nathaniel C. or George W. or Benjamin] Rogers
of Jonesport)
·
Schooner Albert,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1866 to 1867)
·
Schooner A J Dyer
(A J Dyer lived in Jonesport), Captain Kelly from Jonesport (1867, in 1866 the
AJ Dyer was under Captain [Nathaniel C. or George W. or Benjamin] Rogers and
sailed with schooner Alexandria under Captain Kelley of Jonesport)
·
Schooner Edward
King, 117 tons with 8 foot draft, Captain Kelly from Jonesport (1867 to 1869)
·
Schooner Grace,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1868)
·
Schooner Freedom,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1868)
·
Schooner R L
Kenny, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1868 to 1869)
·
Schooner Peace,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1862 sailed with schooner Revolution under
Captain [Levi B.] Sawyer from Jonesport, 1869, sailed with schooner Alexandria,
under Captain [Andrew/Joseph] Alley, and schooner Pilot under Captain [Nathaniel
C. or George W. or Benjamin] Rogers, from Jonesport April 1869)
·
Schooner
Revolution, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (1869)
In 1869, Allen Kelley appeared to
become the captain of the schooner Sahwa.
The Sahwa had been active for about 14 years operating out of the
Machias area. She had been under the
leadership of many different captains but the most recent, before Kelley took
over, was Captain Sanborn (probably John Sanborn or Franklin Sanborn from
Machiasport). Captain Sanborn worked the
Sahwa out of Machias during 1868. A
short history of the Sahwa is presented below.
The Schooner Sahwa
The schooner Sahwa was launched
April 21 1855 (or 1856) in Machias by Talbot and Son. Her weight was 185 tons (later mentioned as
146 tons). Captain Huntley operated
Sahwa out of Machias between 1856 and 1858 at which time she appeared to
deliver lumber to New York. In 1858, the
schooner Sahwa became legendary when, under Captain Small of Machias, she
rescued the crew of the sinking British vessel Halifax. Captain Small was associated with the Sahwa
between 1858 and 1861. Captain Huntley
was again captain during some times in 1860 and 1861. In 1861, Sahwa was under Captain Elliott and
traveled often to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
From 1861 to 1863, Captain Whitimore was exporting lumber on the Sahwa
between Philadelphia and Maine. Then
during 1864 and 1866, The Sahwa was under the direction of Captain Jasper. Jasper exported to New York, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and Washington DC. 1866 to
1867 saw Captain Wright in command of the Sahwa. And for 1868, Captain Sanborn of Machias was
master of the Sahwa and was active in New York.
Between 1869 and 1876, Captain Allen Kelley owned the Sahwa. Almost immediately after Kelley’s death, a
Captain Mitchell operated the Sahwa out of Jonesport and delivered goods between
Nova Scotia and New York from 1876 to 1879.
The last mention of Sahwa was in the 28 June 1879 Portland, Maine
Transcript – “Schooner Sahwa of Machias, before reported abandoned, was passed
again…25 miles northeast of Cape Cod, everything of value had been taken off.” On June 7, the shipwrecked crew left their
vessel in a sinking condition during a gale of wind and rough sea. Afloat in a small boat, they were picked up
two hours later. Reports noted that the
Sahwa was from Jonesport and was not insured.
In 1869, Allen Kelley’s father
Joseph Kelley passed away. Joseph Kelley
had lived a long life and had planned on celebrating his 95th birthday in
December 1869 (the gravestone must read simply 1869, no date). He had lived without his wife Olive for 18
years (she died in 1851) and he was surely feeling the ill-effects of advanced
age. Hence, he was likely happy to join
his wife in the afterlife. The Kelley
family buried him in the family plot at Kelley’s Point next to his wife (the
small cemetery is now called Barnabus C. Kelley Cemetery).
The Allen Kelley family remained
headquartered in the Jonesport, Washington County, Maine area in 1870 (1870
census). Families did not seem to have
been enumerated based on accurate proximity in the 1870 census and therefore
Allen Kelley is presumed to have remained in the West Jonesport area (analysis
of families based on burial locations).
He was operating the schooner Sahwa as captain and continued to
be very actively involved in the import and export of goods and supplies.
Allen Kelley was identified as a
sea captain in the 1870 census. He also
was recognized as owning real estate at the current value in $1200. The family heads living around Allen Kelley
owned real estate valued between $200 and $1500 (not including merchants whose
real estate ranged between $2000 and $3000).
Allen Kelley’s personal estate was valued at $300. Personal estate values of those living nearby
ranged from nothing to $2000 (again merchants usually had high personal estate
values). Many sea captains had no
personal estate value (nothing was recorded if under $100) and others were
valued as high as $1250. Personal estate
values were based on items such as livestock, jewels, and furniture. Whether a schooner was real estate or
personal estate is unknown, but likely the boat was a personal possession. The varying real and personal estates for sea
captains probably accounted for captains who sailed for other owners and those
who sailed their personally owned vessels (owned individually or with others). Allen Kelley was among the more affluent in
the Jonesport area (according to estates values) but whether he was the owner
of his schooner is unknown. The value of
a schooner in 1870 is not known (at the Gulf of Mexico region in the 1880s, a schooner was built for $4200).
According to inflation rates, $1200 in 1870 real estate value is
equivalent to $21,200 in 2016. Also, $300
in 1870 personal estate value is equivalent to $5300 in 2016.
Allen Kelley and wife Elizabeth
Norton Kelley had one surviving parent between them – Elizabeth’s father
Abraham Norton. The Norton family was
abundantly represented in West Jonesport and the Allen Kelley family certainly lived among
the Nortons (Abraham Norton was not listed in the 1870 census, I wonder if he
had gone to Jaffa after his daughter’s death in 1869 to retrieve her body for a
return trip to Maine). Abraham Norton’s
wife had been dead for seven years in 1872 and he was nearing 80. However, on 21 November 1872, Abraham Norton
passed away. He was buried at West
Jonesport Cemetery next to his wife.
By 1875, Allen Kelley’s family
had continued to age and most of his children were on their own. Of his seven children, two daughters had been
gone from the home since prior to 1870. They now had
growing families of their own. Another
daughter Olive married Charles Smith on 27 July 1872 at Columbia Falls about 10
miles northwest of Jonesport. Son Edwin
married at the same location the following day to Justina Carver. And so in 1875, Allen and Elizabeth Kelley
had three children living at home – Johnny (24), Daniel (17), and Alice
(14). Daniel was known to have been a
sailor and was probably seldom (or never at) home.
Jonesport in the late 1800s
Note: Listed below are
other Captain Kelleys whom sailed on different schooners from Jonesport, Maine
between 1870 and 1875 at the same time Captain Kelley led the Sahwa. I believe all these were not Allen Kelley
since the voyages coincided with Sahwa voyages (occurred at the same time).
These Captain Kelleys may have been one or more of Captain Kelley’s
brothers.
· 17 Aug 1871 Schooner
Sabina, Captain Kelly from Jonesport (also 18 Aug 1871 Schooner Sahwa, Captain
Kelly from Jonesport)
·
1 Jun 1874
Schooner Peace, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (also 18 Jun 1874 Schooner Sahwa,
Captain Kelley from Jonesport)
·
19 Jun 1874
Schooner Reno, Captain Kelly from Jonesport (also 18 & 20 Jun 1874,
Schooner Sahwa, Captain Kelley)
·
30 Aug 1875
Schooner EM Sawyer, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (also 20 Aug 1875, Schooner
Sahwa, Captain Kelley)
·
16 Sept 1875
Schooner Peiro, Captain Kelley from Jonesport (also 23 Sep 1875, Schooner
Sahwa, Captain Kelley)
·
23 Nov 1875
Schooner TP Taylor, Captain Kelley from Jonseport (also 20 Nov 1875, Schooner
Sahwa, Captain Kelley from Jonesport)
Allen Kelley worked hard to make
his commerce business successful. He spent
a great deal of time away from home and made business voyages south nearly
every month. During these trips, he was
gone weeks at a time. As evident in
newspaper accounts of vessel activities, Allen Kelley and the Sahwa were noted
in New York on 30 July 1872, the same time his daughter and son were
married. Just prior to the start of
winter on 10 December 1875, Allen Kelley was heading to Providence, Rhode
Island after picking up a shipload of lumber at Calais, Maine. While en route, he struck ice “going down the
river.” The only river he could go down
on the way to Providence was the St. Croix River heading from Calais to the
Gulf of Maine. And, Providence would not
have had ice flows this early in the winter.
The Sahwa was damaged and filled with water. Though not completely sunk, she was unable to
navigate and was towed back to Calais.
The lumber Sahwa carried was certainly unloaded and Allen Kelley was not
able to be paid for his job.
Boston Post 14 December 1875
Soon (probably in late December
1875), Allen Kelley returned to West Jonesport.
The schooner Sahwa was certainly left in Calais for repairs. And since the Sahwa was not seaworthy, Allen
Kelley had lost his ability to conduct his business and make money. Additionally, Kelley likely did not have
insurance and would not have had the money to pay for repairs (newspaper article). He also may have owed money on a loan for the
Sahwa (if there was one). Only four
weeks after his schooner had been damaged, Allen Kelley, feeling he could not
handle the stress of the situation, hung himself. It was a Tuesday night 11 January 1876 and according
to newspaper reports, he was fraught over “financial difficulties.” His death was reported in the Thursday 13
January 1876 Boston newspaper. His
family laid him to rest in the West Jonesport Cemetery overlooking Moosabec
Reach.
Note: I chose to state Allen Kelley’s death date as 11 January for
several reasons. I have two newspaper
references (below) dated Thursday 13 January that state Allen Kelley died on
Tuesday night. That would make 11 January
(not likely the Tuesday 9 days before on 4 January) his death date.
His gravestone, normally a primary source, gives his death date as 8
January but since this stone was made at least seven years after his death, this source is considered questionable.
Tibbetts and Lamson (1997) reported in their book, Early Pleasant
Families of Washington County, that his death was 13 January, and that date
may have come from an 18 January obituary in the Machias Union. Since the death was reported in Boston on 13
January, this date is certainly incorrect.
Another source, an 18 January 1876 letter from James Munchie to D J
Sawyer in the Daniel J. Sawyer papers (box 69, folder 13) 1837-1924 at the Maine Maritime
Museum Manuscript Collection, states the death was suicide.
Boston Post 15 Jan 1876
infant son who was born and died
in 1863
There are many missing items of information in this
biography that will certainly be cleared after:
1) inspecting Washington County records – deeds, land, court
2) determining if the Machias Union or any other local
newspaper is available in index form
3) using the Daniel J. Sawyer Papers to better understand
Jonesport and time period activities
