My Kelley Family: The Thomas Madison Kelley Line
by Margaret Furqueron

My grandfather, Thomas Madison Kelley, born 27 Jan 1862, died 9 Aug 1936, was the fourth child of Francis Tyre Kelley and Margaret Wiggins. Grandpa Tom married Nancy Elizabeth Griffin, born 30 Nov 1866, died 17 Feb 1927.

Tom and Nancy are both buried at Oak Grove Methodist Church in Pike County, AL. Grandma Nancy was the daughter of Malinda Barnhill and Hardy Griffin. At the time of her marriage to Grandpa Tom, she was only 16 years old. Tom and Nancy reared nine boys and one girl while homesteading near Oak Grove Church. Grandpa Tom farmed there all his life with his nine boys to help him.

Grandpa Tom was a man of few words; when he did say something he meant every word as we learned at an early age. Grandpa did have a soft spot however; evidence of this would surface when we came to his house to visit. We sat on the front porch with the adults. In order to be sure I was entertained, he would get out his sock full of silver dollars for me to play with. This was a great privilege as I look back and realize how scarce money was then.

Grandma Nancy was always cooking for her large family with just Maude to help, but she appeared to enjoy this task and was always pleasant.

My father, Hardy Franklin Kelley, born 1 Aug 1890, died 9 Aug 1962, was the fourth son of Tom and Nancy. There was never a dull moment in the lives of those Kelley boys as they grew up on their farm which was isolated in the woods. In those days, they were probably referred to as “the Wild Kelley bunch” by others in the community; however they were just fun-loving Irish boys who enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other and on their friends.

They seemed to be a very healthy family which managed to escape the dreaded diseases of the time, such as typhoid fever and diptheria, that struck so many in that area.

An example of these Kelley boys’ mischief concerned Grandma Nancy’s pies. She often baked a large number of pies and set them in the kitchen window to cook. The sight of those fresh and delicious pies cooling was a great temptation to her sons; they would almost always sneak up and take a pie from the window and then they promptly divided and devoured it. Although Grandma Nancy never accused her sons of taking the pie, I’m sure she knew what happened. It was as if she expected this behavior and baked an extra pie for that purpose.

Hardy Franklin Kelley, married Bertha Franklin Berry, 4 Jan 1804 - 17 Feb 1974. She was the daughter of Mollie Eleander Powell and Augustus G. Berry. Frank was a carpenter by trade and worked up until shortly before his death at the age of 72. Frank and Bertha Kelley are both buried at Mt. Olive Church in Pike County, having previously donated the land for the church.

Frank and Bertha had 5 children of which I am the fourth child. My sisters and brothers are Thomas Gilbert, Lamar Cedric, Mary Kelley Holladay and Sharron Kelley Warren.