Son of William Kelly Sr. and Mary Bryans Kelly, he was the fourth of their nine children. Born in 1820 at Clare, County Armagh, Ireland, he was a stone mason and, in the U.S., a farmer. He married Jane Robinson on 26 May 1849 in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois. They had several children there, and then moved west to eventually settle on their farm near Clare, Johnson County, Kansas (named after their homeplace in Ireland).

They had 14 children in all. The following children were born in Belvidere, Illinois:

--Mary Elizabeth/Eliza (the oldest, 1850-1873),
--Agnes (1853-1929, married George P. Dawson),
--William James (1854-1936; married Hattie Sophia Millikan),
--Jane (1856-1942; married John Robinson Atwood),
--Margaret (1857-1917; married Edward M. Day), and
--Thomas Alexander Kelly (1859-1942; married Carrie Violet Runner);

and the rest were born in Kansas:

--John (1861-1937; married Sarah Ann Millikan),
--Moses (1863-1945; married Laura Cady Hunt),
--Isabel "Birdie" (1865-1952; mar. John M. Shields),
--George Francis "Frank" (1867-1941; mar. Laura May Wilkinson),
--Sarah Ann "Sadie" (1868-1940; married Will Ryan),
--Helen Winifred (1870-1955; married Allen R. Millikan),
--Lucinda "Cindy" (1872-1950; married George B. Dent), and
--the youngest child who died at birth, date unknown.

"Grandad, Will Kelly, owned a quarter-section (160 acres) about five miles south of Olathe on the way to Spring Hill. His father, Alexander Kelly, and mother, Jane Robinson Kelly [Irish immigrants], lived about five miles due west near Clare [named after Alexander Kelly's hometown of Clare, County Armagh, Ireland], where there was a small grain elevator. His brother, John, lived due north of Alex just across the railroad tracks." Reminiscence of Jo Ann Johnson Fisher.

His obituary, courtesy of Jerry Huggins (#47733907):

Alex Kelly

Alex Kelly was born Clare, county Armagh, Ireland, July 20th, 1820 and died December 31st, 1907, at the age of 87 years, 5 months and 11 days.

He had four brothers and three sisters and only one brother survives him, Wm. Kelly now of Olathe, Kansas.

He came to America in 1845 and lived in Illinois until 1857 when he moved to Olathe and in 1859 moved onto his farm where he has since lived. He was united in marriage to Jane Robinson in Bellvidere, Ill., April 26th, 1849. To this union fourteen children were born, all of whom, except two, survive, and all were present at the funeral except T. A. Kelly of Peyton, Col., who was unable to be present. The deceased leaves a wife and twelve children to mourn his loss.

Funeral services were held last Thursday [January 2, 1908] at 11 o'clock from the family residence, Rev. N. A. Shedd of the Presbyterian church, officiating. Interment was in Olathe cemetery.

[The Olathe Mirror (Olathe, Kansas), Thursday, January 9, 1908, page 8]