The Kelly Family Crest
Reprinted from Eddie Geoghegan's
Coats of Arms from Ireland and Around the World

The Kelly Reunion of 2006


Over 100 descendants of Timothy and Nora (Touhey) Kelly met at the Forksville Fairgrounds in Forksville, PA on July 1, 2006. They came to celebrate a Kelly Family Reunion, and perhaps to bring the families together for the first time in 146 years. You can research these Kelly Families at length on the following comprehensive web sites:

(1) Ken Beirne's Family History Page; Ken is also the author of The Best Things Disappear, an Irish-American family history
(2) Bernadette Kelly Tapella's James T. Kelly Family Site
(3) Edward Kelly's Leonard T. Kelly and Mabel Kerrick
(4) Andrew Jackson's The Kelly Diaspora in Photos
(5) Ed Kelly and Bob Sweeney's The Kellys Go West
(6) Ed Kelly and Bob Sweeney's Roach and Kelly: Irish Migrant Families in Nineteenth Century America
(7) The Photo Collection of Alice Kelly Norton
(8) Irish Naming Patterns by Ed Kelly
(9) Bob Sweeney's Sullivan County Genealogical Web Page

You can also read a fairly detailed overview of Kelly family origins at this address: Kelly History.


 St. Francis Xavier Church
Interior
July 2, 2006
Mass for the Kelly Reunion Participants Said by James J. Ruddick, S.J.
Many of the Kelly family ancestors are buried in the cemetery behind and next to the church. Peter Francis Sweeney and Agnes Elzabeth Kelly, the grandparents of Bob Sweeney and Julie (Osmond) Lloyd, were married at this very spot on Jaunary 7, 1904.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace

This Kelly family reportedly emigrated from County Cork in the middle of the nineteenth century, perhaps due in part to the Great Famine, although we do not know that for sure. Allegedly, they left from Clonakilty which is a small seaside town west of Cork City. The tombstone for Timothy Kelly [see more information below] identifies his birthplace as "Ballymacorder", County Cork *. Although coastal traders and other trading vessels did use the harbor at Clonakilty, it is more likely that they sailed from the port city of Cobh, otherwise known as Queenstown, which was the primary exit depot for emigration on the southern coast of Ireland. The final land departure point for the Titanic in 1912 was Queenstown. Clonakilty may simply have been the nearest town with official records to where the Kelly family actually lived, or the initial point from which they embarked to Cobh. Hundreds of famine ships emigrated from Cobh, taking their passengers either directly across the oceans, or to the interim transit points of Liverpool, Cardiff and other English ports.
* Editor's Note: The town is actually called "Ballymacoda", and is located on the coast about 50 miles or so east of Clonakilty. Source: https://www.townlands.ie/cork/imokilly/kilmacdonogh/kilmacdonogh/ballymacoda/

To quote Edward Kelly on this topic:

Cobh (pronounced "cove") in County Cork was and is the principal harbor in southwestern Ireland. Cobh is one of the nine islands that make up the greater Cork City area. Until air travel replaced travel by ship as the preferred mode of transportation in the 1960s, transatlantic vessels used Cobh as one of their two principal Irish ports, the other port being Belfast in northern Ireland. Although Dublin has a port, travelers from Dublin generally went by small boats or ferries to Cobh, Belfast, or Liverpool where transatlantic vessels were boarded for ocean voyages to North America, Australia, India, and Africa. Cruise ships continue to stop in Cobh today.

As you know, the entire country of Ireland is a coastline. Thus, there are literally hundreds of "ports" in Ireland. That is why even today it is very difficult for Ireland to police its coastline. Drug dealers are known to use Ireland as their preferred "port of entry" to Europe. Once the drugs are placed on land in Ireland, the drug dealers are free to move the drugs anywhere on the continent without going through customs inspections. Since Clonakilty is on the Irish Sea, it does have a port. albeit a small one. I do not think, however, that Clonakilty would have served at any time as a port for ocean going vessels to North America or elsewhere. Like the O'Briens, the Kellys undoubtedly left for North America from Cobh.

Perhaps the Kelly family simply came for new opportunity. We know that the children of Timothy Kelly came at different times, and we know that Timothy himself came after a while, although the mother, Nora, apparently died in Ireland before they left. For example, we believe, based on naturalization records found in the Sullivan County Courthouse that Daniel Kelly, one of the sons whose descendants were prominent at this Reunion, arrived in 1846. He became a citizen in 1855. You can view a transcript of the original records at Daniel Kelly Emigration Records.

We don't know why the Kelly family ended up in Sullivan County, PA in the first place, but the later arrivals without doubt came where they would find a warm reception among siblings and their families. We also know that Timothy is buried at St. Basil the Great Cemetery in Dushore, PA. Many of his children and their families, although not all of them, are also buried in Sullivan County, at St. Basil's, at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in Overton, at Sts. Philip and James (the St. John Neumann Shrine) on Sugar Ridge, and elsewhere. In fact, further on in this record of the 2006 Kelly Reunion, you will find a link to a page of pictures of the grave markers for many of the families buried at Sugar Ridge.


 Grave Marker for Timothy Kelly
St. Basil's Cemetery
July, 2006
 Photo Courtesy of Edward Kelly

The tombstone inscription for Timothy Kelly reads:

Erected by his five sons
To the memory of
Timothy Kelly
Born Co. Cork
Parish Ballymacorder *
Ireland
Who died 4th of January
1858
In the 76th year of his life
May he rest in peace.

* In July 2007, Ed Kelly remarked that, while he had been unable to find a parish named Ballymacorder, it is possible that the name is spelled inaccurately on this tombstone. With more research on parishes in County Cork, we may someday find the correct parish. Since there were both civil and ecclesiastical parishes, it will be necessary to look for the parish under both categories. In the Spring of 2009, Ken Beirne summarized the current state of knowledge about the family origins in a masterful summary which you can read at Kelly Origins.

We do know that there were six original Kelly emigrant children: William, James, Michael, John, Daniel, and Hanora. As indicated above, the inscription on the tombstone of their father, Timothy Kelly, reads "Erected by his five sons." William, who may have been lame and was unmarried, lived with his brother, James, and his family on Kelly Hill * near Overton. There appears to be an unmarked grave next to Timothy Kelly's at St. Basil's in Dushore. Ed Kelly's speculation is that this may be William's burial site. There is no indication that William is buried at Sts. Phllip and James at Sugar Ridge, while St. Francis Xavier at Overton was not yet a parish when he died apparently sometime in the 1870s. Let's for the most part, however, leave the history of the Kelly arrival and dispersal to the sources listed above. The purpose of this page is to provide a pictorial record of the 2006 Reunion and to encourage family members to learn about and help keep the flame of memory alive.

Update: In early January 2014, at the reqeust of Ed Kelly, Lynn Franklin also took a photo of the grave marker for Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly, the mutual great grandparents of Bob Sweeney, Ed Kelly, Ken Beirne and many others involved in the 2006 Kelly Reunion. They are buried at the St. Francis Xavier Cemtery in Overton, PA, where this photo was taken on a cold winter's day.


 Grave Marker for Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly
St. Francis Xavier Cemetery
January 12, 2014
 Photo Courtesy of Lynn Franklin

Lynn also prepared a list of Kelly and related family burials at St. Francis Xavier Cemetery with photos of each grave marker: Kelly and Related Family Burials.

* Editor's Note: In July 2012, an inquiry ws made as to the original location of the Michael Kelly farm on Kelly Hill. Ed Kelly responded as follows:

A group of hunters from the Allentown, PA area now own the Michael Kelly house and approximately five acres surrounding the house. The rest of the property was subdivided and sold several times since the 1960s. It is my understanding that Dennis Hottentstein and sons now own the entire property and continue to use the cropland. I may have told you that my mother almost bought the farm from Charlie Kelly, Michael Kelly's great grandson, around 1960 until she discovered outstanding liens on the property. We had rented the property from Charlie for pasture during the late 1950s. Charlie did little or no farming after his wife, Julia Walsh Kelly, died in 1954. The hunters have maintained the house well, and the house is in excellent condition. I got detained there in 1966 during the Kelly family renion and uever made it to the house across the field where I grew up and which was the original James Kelly farm. Pictures and commetns about the original Daniel Kelly farm and house can be found on the left side of Bob Sweeney's Sullivan County Genealogical Website.

The source of inspiration for the 2006 reunion was Edward Kelly of Washington, D.C. Ed is the son of Edward Lawrence Kelly and Frances Kelly Burke, and grew up on the family farm on Kelly Hill in Forks Township, PA. His initiative, communication skills and organizational commitment made the reunion possible in the first place. [Incidentally, you will find a fascinating anecdote, written by Ed himself in 2007, about the marriage of his parents in Great Neck, NY in 1940, and his New York "family" at the end of this page.]

In the effort to bring about this reunion, Ed was substantially assisted by cousins Ken Beirne, Bernadette (Kelly) Tapella, and Bob Sweeney. A note of gratitude is in order for Father Jim Ruddick, S.J., who conducted the Mass for the Reunion participants on Sunday, July 2 at St. Francis Xavier Church; to the late Rudy Baca ** and Lynn Franklin for adminstering the registration and finances; and to those individuals plus Angela Wallace, Tara Bradley and Tom Marian for assistance with the Mass on the second day. We also want to epxress our deepest appreciation to all the family and friends who came to Forksville with stories, charts, pictures and good will to help us keep the family memory alive. Here is what Bob and Jonathan Kelly, a father and son, had to say in reflection on the weekend we all spent together in Forksville:

Thanks to Ed Kelly and the late Rudy Baca, Bob Sweeney and Lynn Franklin, Bernadette and Chuck Tapella and Ken Beirne for your unending efforts to make the Kelly Reunion a memorable celebration. The historical continuity generated by the bumping laughing descendants from the evolution trees posted on the walls of the Fairgrounds Recreation Center, and the quiet tombstones on Kelly Hill, underscored for us our role in the emergence of an American Family.

 Note: Robert James "Bob" Kelly is a great grandson of Michael T. Kelly and Mary O'Brien. He is married to Barbara Alice Dennis and their children are Jonathan Dennis Kelly and Anne Farrell Kelly.

** Editor's Note: All of us who knew and loved him were saddened by the unexpected death of Rudolfo Lujan "Rudy" Baca on Friday, April 24, 2009. Rudy passed away from an apparent heart attack which occurred on the steps of the Art Museum in Philadelphia where he and Edward Kelly were visiting family and enjoying an art exhibition. Courtesy of Ed, we are linking here a moving anecdote of what we know of Rudy's last day and an edited version of his professional resume. These documents only partly testify to the character, personality and temperament of a marvelous and entertaining man. We will miss him. Here are the links:

The Last Days of Rudy Baca
Rudolfo Lujan Baca: A Biography

Here is Rudy's obituary:

 Albuquerque Journal
Albuquerque, NM
April 29, 2009

BACA -- Rudolpho (Rudy) Lujan Baca, 52, passed away on April 24, 2009. He was born on July 16, 1956, in Albuquerque, NM and was currently residing in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his father, Ruben Baca and stepmother, Lillian Baca; two sisters, Angela Sievel and Berlinda Eras; brother, Martin Baca; three nieces, Vanessa Bagley, Elise Eras, and Ana Baca; three nephews, Jarrod Bagley, Andres Eras, and Isaac Baca; and dear friend Edward Kelly. He was preceded in death by his mother, Lucille Baca and sister, Evelyn Baca. A Rosary will be recited on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at 7:00 p.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at 9:00 a.m. the next morning, Thursday, April 30, 2009. Both will be held at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 4020 Lomas Blvd NE Albu, NM. Those who wish to send condolences may send them to Andrea Lujan, 1204 Bryn Mawr Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.

Let us now turn to the pictorial record of the 2006 Kelly Reunion. Although not everyone made it, in part due to the heavy floods in the northern Pennsylvania and upstate New York areas before and during the event itself, you can use the Reunion Attendance List to help identify which Kelly branch an individual comes from.

A KELLY REUNION PICTURE ALBUM


 Ed Kelly, Bettyann Sick Goodyear, Sister Kathleen Kelly, IHM, and Doris Marshall Hatch
Ed and Kathleen are brother and sister. * Bettyann is a cousin by marriage to the Kelly family. Doris is the granddaughter of Joseph and May (Kelly) Marshall, and therefore a second cousin of Ed and Kathleen Kelly, Bob Sweeney, Ken Beirne and many other Kelly descendants. Doris, Kathleen and Bettyann in fact were all members of of the 1963 class at St. Basil's High School in Dushore, PA.
Photo Courtesy of Bettyann Sick Goodyear

* Editor's Note: In September 2016, Ed Kelly forwarded to us an old photo of himself and several family members taken at Lake Mokoma near Laporte, PA about 1953. We present the photo here:



Family Day at the Beach
For Ed Kelly and His First Cousins
Lake Mokoma About 1953
L to r: Peter Marian, Kathleen Burke, Rita Burke, Michael Joseph Marian, Arlene Marian, Edward Kelly
As Ed explains, Kathleen (Burke) Cullen and Mary "Rita" (Burke) Smith were daughters of his maternal uncle, Thomas Michael Burke and Margarita Dunn. Peter and Michael were sons of his maternal aunt, Cecilia "Dolly" Burke, who married Michael Joseph Marian. Arlene (Witschger) was Michael's wife,
Photo Courtesy of Edward Kelly


 Bob Sweeney and Angela Wallace
This is Bob's web page and Angela took many of the initial pictures shown here.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


 Robert Emmett Sweeney
Great Grandson of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly
Sullivan County Historian
Bob is the site administrator for the Sullivan County Genealogical Web Page.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


 Julia (Osmond) Lloyd, Bob Sweeney and Edward Kelly
Julie and Bob are first cousins; both are second cousins to Ed Kelly. Julie is also Angela Wallace's mother. Ed organized the 2006 Kelly Reunion.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


Bob Sweeney and Rudy Baca
Posing as "Roman senators", we imagine!
Rudy played a major role in the administration and organization of the reunion events. He lives with Ed Kelly in Washington, DC, where he practices media law; you will occasionally find him being interviewed on CNN and other news channels.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Rudy Baca and Bernadette K. Tapella
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


 Robert Hayk and His Wife, Tina McKendree; Tina's uncle, Robert E. "Bob" Sweeney.
Bob is the great-great grandson of Timothy and Nora (Touhey) Kelly, great grandson of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly and grandson of Peter Francis and Agnes Elizabeth (Kelly) Sweeney. Tina is the daughter of Bob's sister Sheila (Sweeney) McKendree.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


 Julia (Osmond) Lloyd; Edward Kelly; Patricia (Kelly) Sadler; Ken Beirne; and Angela Wallace
Julia, Edward and Ken are great-grandchildren of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly, although in each case via different siblings. Julia is the grandchild of Agnes Elizabeth (Kelly) Sweeney. Edward is the grandson of William P. Kelly. Ken is the grandson of Josephine (Kelly) Sammons.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


 The Tapella Family: Bernadette and Her Son Robert Tapella in front
Bernadette is the great-granddaughter of Michael and Mary (O'Brien) Kelly and also the granddaughter of James T. Kelly, the famous union organizer who lived in St. Louis, MO after leaving Sullivan County.
Back: Terry Scott, Charles "Chuck" Tapella, and Tim Scott. Ken Beirne is behind Terry Scott. Terry and Tim are sons of Audrey (Kelly) Scott and second cousins of Bernadette Tapella.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


 James J. Ruddick, S.J. and Angela Wallace
Angela is the great niece of Agnes Elizabeth (Kelly) Sweeney and a niece of Bob Sweeney. She is also the daughter of Julia Lloyd and the niece of Bob Sweeney.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace

Just for auld lang syne, here is a picture taken in early 1947 in Towanda, PA that shows Julie Lloyd and Bob Sweeney as children. The adults are William Alexander Osmond, Julie's father, and Teresa Alva (Hughes) Sweeney, Bob's mother.


Osmonds and Sweeneys
Towanda, PA 1947
Adults: Bill Osmond and Teresa (Hughes) Sweeney
Children: Julia Osmond and Robert E. Sweeney
Photo Courtesy of Teresa (Hughes) Sweeney


 Autumn "Anne" Wilson and Eileen Dumansky
Anne is the daughter of Angie Wallace and therefore the great-granddaughter of Agnes Elizabeth (Kelly) Sweeney.
Eileen is the great granddaughter of William and Catherine Marie ("Katie") Kelly. Both William and Katie are buried in the cemetery next to St. Francis Xavier Church in Overton. Katie was yet another child of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly; her husband William was the great uncle of Father Jim Ruddick who said the Reunion Mass.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


 L to r: Luke Lloyd, Angela Wallace, Anne Wilson, Bill Lloyd and Julie (Osmond) Lloyd
Angela and Bill are siblings, children of Julie and also grandchildren of William Alexander and Gertrude (Sweeney) Osmond. Luke is Bill's son. Anne is Angela's daughter.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


 William Robert "Bill" Kelly, Angela Wallace and Patricia (Kelly) Sadler
Bill is the son of John Laurence "Jack" Kelly, Jr. and Dorothy Gorman. Patricia is Bill Kelly's aunt, and the widow of William Lee Sadler. She is the daughter of John Laurence Kelly, Sr. and Ethel May Baker; the granddaughter of Daniel J. and Ella (Hannon) Kelly; and the great granddaughter of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly. Yes, Daniel J. Kelly was yet another sibling of Elizabeth, William, Katie and Josephine Kelly.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace


 L to r: Eileen Dumansky, Roger A. Hatch, Doris Marshall Hatch, Barbara (Hollandsworth) and John Robert Harold
Roger is the son of David and Doris (Marshall) Hatch. Doris is the daughter of Aloysius and Ruth (Fulmer) Marshall, and the granddaughter of Joseph L. Marshall and Mary Agnes ("Aunt May") Kelly. Aunt May was yet another child of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly. John Harold is the son of John G. and Rita Grace (Moore) Harold and the grandson of Daniel Moore and Helen Elizabeth ("Ella") Hannon. Ella Hannon remarried Daniel Moore after her first husband, Daniel J. Kelly, son of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly, died in 1904. Incidentally, the mother of Daniel Moore was Margaret Flynn, sister of Johanna Flynn who married James Kelly, one of the six original Kelly children to emigrate from Ireland, and also sister of Mary Flynn who married Thomas Leahy, father of Mary Leahy who married Daniel Kelly, another emigrant Kelly child. Thus, Johanna, was Mary Leahy's aunt and sister-in-law as well! Johanna and her daughter, Hannah, are buried next to Timothy Kelly in Row 8 at St. Basil's Cemetery in Dushore. Let's see how many readers can figure out this web of relationships! Wait, I forgot to add that Thomas Leahy's brother Patrick Leahy married another Flynn sister named Ellen! Folks, this was Pennsylvania, not the hills of West Virginia or Kentucky!
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace

Just as an aside, Ed Kelly provided this additional piece of Flynn history:

Ellen (Nellie) Kelly Bradley, the daughter of James and Johanna Flynn Kelly, notes in her life story written in the 1930s that her mother's "Grandmother Twohy" was a first cousin of James Kelly's mother. If you create a family tree, that means that Johanna's father or mother was James Kelly's second cousin, and Johanna Flynn and James Kelly were, therefore, third cousins! Two of Nellie's great grandchildren, Kevin and Tara Bradley, were at this reunion.

The relationship between the Marshall and Kelly family, and between the Kelly and the Moore family, also both merit some further explanation. We are grateful to Ken Beirne for the following overview:

Doris Marshall Hatch (b.1946) is our [Ken's and Bob's] second cousin on the Kelly side. Her grandmother is May Kelly (1874-1946) who married Joe Marshall. May was a sister to your grandmother Agnes Kelly Sweeney, my grandmother Josephine Kelly Sammons and Ed's grandfather William P.Kelly. Her father Aloysius (1914-1978) was a first cousin to your father, my mother and Ed Kelly's father as well.

John Harold and his wife Barbara are not directly related through the Kellys but they do have a connection. John's mother was Rita Grace Moore (1915-1971). Rita's mother was Ella Hannon (1873-1949). Ella was the wife of Daniel J. Kelly (1862-1904). Bessie Kelly Beirne was one of their seven children. Ella's sister Annie Hannon (1868-1908) also married a Kelly (John 1869-1903) and they had one child, Marie Kelly Blend (1902-1993). Both sisters were widowed and Ella adopted Marie when Annie died in 1908. Ella later remarried to Daniel Moore in 1910 and they had two children: Ray and Rita. The Moores were always very close with all of the Kellys because of this connection. My mother thought of Rita and Ray as cousins even though that is not technically correct. In fact, when John Harold was born in 1946, my mother travelled to NYC to help Rita and managed to have someone else take care of her five kids during her absence. I was two years old at that time.

Ken Beirne
July 13, 2006


Lora Rice Flynn
She is one of two daughters of Peter and Alice Theresa (Meehan) Rice and also the great-great granddaughter of James and Hanora (Kelly) Sullivan. Hanora was one of the original six emigrant Kelly children.
Photo Courtesy of Angela Wallace

The next set of pictures was taken by Mary Ann (Kelly) Lapating. She is the daughter of Regis J. and Gertrude (Nesbit) Kelley*, granddaughter of Michael J. Kelly and Bridget Ann Frawley, and great granddaughter of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly. Mary Ann has also created an online video taken at the Reunion. You can find it at www.dropshots.com; just enter "lapating" into the search box and click to start the video when it appears.
* Editor's Note: Regis Kelley consciously went by "Kelley", as opposed to "Kelly". We are not sure why. Perhaps "Kelly" was too Catholic; the alternative spelling is the Protestant version of the name when used in Ireland. Alternatively, Regis may have changed the surname for business purposes, or just because he liked it that way. His father and mother, MIchael and Bridget, are always reported as using "Kelly", but there is at least one piece of evidence that they may have started using "Kelley" at some point themselves. The actual Birth Certificate for their daughter Mary, born October 7, 1907, uses "Kelley" as the father's surname!


Back: Adrian Richard Kelly and Ambrose Augustine Kelly
Front: Betty Lou Kelly and Theresa (Kelly) Robertson
Ambrose and Therese are siblings. Adrian is their first cousin and Betty Lou is Adrian's wife. Ambrose, Theresa and Adrian are all first cousins to Bernadette (Kelly) Tapella, i.e., grandchildren of James T. Kelly and great-grandchildren of Michael Kelly, the emigrant. Adrian is the son of Richard Francis Kelly *, while Ambrose is the son of Ambrose Deppen Kelly.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating
* Editor's Note: Adrian Richard Kelly passed away on July 23, 2012. Here is an Obituary.


Front: Julie (Osmond) Lloyd
Back: Anne Wilson and Angie Wallace
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Lynn Ann Franklin
Wife of Bob Sweeney
Lynn ran the registration process for the Kelly Reunion with the late Rudy Baca.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Mary Pearce Bakogiannis and Patricia Kelly Sadler
Mary is the granddaughter of John Laurence "Jack" Kelly, Jr. and Dorothy Gorman. Patricia is Mary's great aunt.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Ken Beirne, on the right, chats with a couple at the Kelly Reunion. The other man is Patrick Beirne, with his daughter Kelly Sue Beirne, wife of Donald Ray Wilhelm. Pat is Ken's first cousin on the Beirne side and his second cousin on the Kelly side. Pat's mother was Helen Bessie Kelly Beirne (1893-1986). She and Ken's mother were 1st cousins. Bessie and Ken's mother married Beirne brothers so they are doubly related. Bessie married John Beirne (1900-1986) and Mary Sammons (Ken's mother) married Jim Beirne (1899-1955). Pat and Ken are the youngest of their respective families.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Back to camera, l to r: Bernadette Tapella, Robert James "Bob" Kelly and Julia Elizabeth Robertson [daughter of Theresa Kelly Robertson]
Facing Camera, l to r: Ambrose A. Kelly, William Thomas Robertson, Jr. [son of Theresa] and Jonathan Dennis Kelly [son of Bob Kelly]
The woman in the red and while shirt is the girlfriend of William Thomas Robertson, Jr.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Bob Kelly chatting with his sister, Theresa Kelly Robertson
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Dan Barrett stands while talking to Jon Foster. Dan is a son of Patrick and Helen Elizabeth "Betty" (Beirne) Barrett. Jon is a son of Josephine Sammons and Harold Foster. Dan's grandmother, Bessie Kelly Beirne, and Josephine Sammons were first cousins and grandchildren of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly. Seated toward the right is Betty Lou Kelly.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


St. Francis Xavier Church
Interior View of Altar
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


St. Francis Xavier Church
Stations of the Cross and Windows
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


St. Francis Xavier Church
Statue of the Blessed Virgin
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


St. Francis Xavier Church
Baptismal Font
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


St. Francis Xavier Church
View of the Pews
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Front: Sister Kathleen Kelly, IHM and the late Geraldine Sick Rohe
Rear, standing and facing the camera: Julia Beirne (McClellan) Newman, daughter of Robert Beirne and Teresa Ross Beirne Carola
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Geraldine Lucretia (Sick) Rohe
1919-2008
Obituary Photo
P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, Dushore, PA, January 5, 2008


Sister Kathleen K. Kelly, IHM
Fifty Year Jubilee Photo 2019
Source: Sisters of the IHM Website


Sister Kathleen K. Kelly, IHM and Family
Fifty Year Jubilee
May 17, 2019
Front row: Edward M. Kelly, Kathleen K. Kelly, IHM, Lawrence T. Cullen
Second row: Thomas M. Cullen, Sierra M. Cullen, Joan Marlow Cullen, Patrick J. Cullen
Third row: Ellen Botella Cullen, Kathleen Cullen Martino, Gregory S. Martino
Note: Kathleen Cullen Martino and her brothers, Thomas, Patrick, and Lawrence Cullen are four of the 11 children of Joseph and Kathleen Burke Cullen. Kathleen Burke Cullen is a niece of Frances (Burke) Kelly, mother of Kathleen and Edward M. Kelly.. Gregg Martino is Kathy Cullen Martino's husband; Ellen Botella Cullen is Tom Cullen's wife; Joan Marlow Cullen is Larry Cullen's wife; and Sierra M. Cullen is the daughter of Tom and Ellen Botella Cullen.
Source: Edward M. Kelly

Daily Review
Towanda, PA
January 5, 2008

Geraldine L. Sick-Rohe, age 88, of Towanda, Pa., passed away on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008, at the Skilled Nursing Unit of the Memorial Hospital, Towanda, surrounded by her loving family. Gerry was born Sept. 26, 1919, in Mildred, Pa., a daughter of the late Francis J. and Edythe Saxe Sick. She graduated from the Dushore High School a member of the class of 1937. She graduated from St. Elizabeth's College in Morristown, N.J., in 1941 and from Marywood College in Scranton, Pa., in 1946 with a MS in Library Science. She taught in Wyalusing and Dushore and retired as the librarian from Towanda High School. Gerry was a member of SS. Peter and Paul's Church in Towanda, where she was very active in its Altar & Rosary Society and various parish activities. Her greatest joy was spending time with her family, and she also enjoyed being with friends, reading and flower gardening. Her devotion and love for the Lord was her guide throughout her life, and after living it to the fullest she left behind a beautiful legacy of love, friendship, support and kindness. Her wonderful sense of humor will long be remembered and cherished by those whose were blessed to have known and loved her. Surviving are her son and daughter-in-law, Philip L. and Rose (Chilson) Rohe of Round Rock, Texas; four daughters and sons-in-law, Mary Anne Rohe of Mesa, Ariz., Marguerite (Larry) Allis of Temple, Texas, Marlene Rohe of Sayre, Pa., and Mary Theresa (Anthony) Johnson of Towanda; a brother and sister-in-law, Louis and Edna Sick of Captain Cook, Hawaii; 10 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a grandson, Nathan L. Johnson, on April 12, 2002, and by a sister, Marian E. Sick Tubach of Dushore on Dec. 16, 1973. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at SS. Peter & Paul Church, Towanda, with her pastor, the Rev. John J. Chmil V.F., presiding. Interment will be in St. Basil's Cemetery, Dushore. Friends may call from 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, Pa., and one hour prior to the service on Wednesday at the church. There will be a recitation of the Rosary and Vigil Service at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. The family will provide the flowers and asks that memorials be directed to SS. Peter & Paul Church, 106 Third St., Towanda, Pa. 18848, or a charity of one's choice in her memory. To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to homerfuneralhome.com.


Rebecca Kelley [center], with her twin daughters Breanna and Katelyn Kelley
Rebecca is Mary Ann Lapating's niece and the girls are her grand-nieces. They live in Sayre, PA.
Rebecca is a daughter of William Kelley, a granddaughter of Regis Kelley and a great-great granddaughter
of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly. That makes Rebecca a third cousin to the children of Bob Sweeney, Ken Beirne and Bernadette Tapella.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Bernadette K. Tapella and Robert E. Sweeney
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Bill Kelly, Dan Kelly and Mary (Feeney) Kelly
Bill and Dan are brothers; Mary is Dan's wife.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating


Bob Kelly and his sister, Theresa Kelly Robertson, among several participants.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Ann Lapating

The next set of pictures were taken by Lynn Ann Franklin, wife of Bob Sweeney.


Abraham and Bettyann (Sick) Goodyear
Husband and Wife
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Abe Goodyear
Husband of Bettyann Sick Goodyear
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Ken Beirne, Helen Elizabeth "Betty" (Beirne) Barrett, Patrick "Pat" Barrett, Dan Barrett and Mary (Beirne) Spallone
Ken and Mary are siblings. Dan is a son of Pat and Betty. Ken and Mary are first cousins to Betty.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Richard Vincent "Dick" and Teresa Josephine (Beirne) Reidy
Teresa is a granddaughter of Charles and Josephine (Kelly) Sammons, and a sister to Ken Beirne.
To Dick Reidy's left in the rear is Mary (Feeney) Kelly, wife of Dan Kelly.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


William Thomas "Bill" Robertson *
Husband of Theresa Kelly
* Editor's Note: Bill Robertson passed away on June 8, 2010; see Obituary.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


John Litzelman, Ed Kelly and Bettyann Sick Goodyear
You can learn more about the relationships among the Kelly, Sick and Litzelman families
at Bettyann's page entitled The Sick Families of Cherry Mills.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


David and Bob Sweeney
First Cousins
Dave is the son of David Bonaventure and Kathleen "Kaye" (Tolan) Sweeney.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Ambrose, Bob and Jonathan Kelly
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Bob Sweeney and Ray McDonald
Ray, who lives with his wife Linda (Karge) McDonald in nearby Cherry Mills, is third cousins with Bob. Their mutual great-great-grandparents were Michael and Catherine (Sweeney) Sweeney, who came to Sullivan County in 1843.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Violet (Thomas) Frawley
Violet is related to the Kellys by marriage in two different ways. Her late husband, Edward Alvin Frawley, was the grandson of Thomas Joseph and Elizabeth (Sweeney) Frawley; "Lizzie", as her family knew her, was first cousin to Peter Francis Sweeney who married Agnes Elizabeth Kelly. In the same breath, Michael J. Kelly, brother of Agnes, was married to Bridget Ann Frawley, who was a sibling of Thomas Frawley. Can anyone figure out what degree of cousin Violet's husband would have been to either of these Kelly's (!)?
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Ed Kelly, Bill Kelly and Mary Ann (Pearce) Bakogiannis
Mary is a great-great-great granddaughter of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly by way of their son and daughter-in-law:
Daniel J. and Ella (Hannon) Kelly. This is the branch of the Kelly family celebrated in Bessie Beirne's history, In the Beginning...
Bill Kelly is Mary Ann's uncle. Mary Ann's mother who died in 2005 was Bill's sister, Sheila Louise Kelly.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Front, l to r: Patricia (Rice) Barrett in white sweater and her mother, Alice (Meehan) Rice
in the yellow jacket to the right. Alice is also the mother of Lora (Rice) Flynn and a sister to
both Annabelle (Meehan) Kravetz and Sister Jane Meehan, IHM. Alice graduated from St. Basil's High School in 1951.
The woman in the white jacket seated
in the left rear is Ann (Moore) Litzelman, sister of Mary "Margaret" (Moore) McManus.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Debra Kravetz McDonald and Amy Kravetz Smith
The child, Brendan Smith, son of Amy, was the youngest attendee at the Kelly Reunion.
Debra and Amy are sisters and great-great-granddaughters of James Sullivan and Hanora Kelly, the sole
emigrant female Kelly sibling. They are also daughters of Stephen and Annabelle (Meehan) Kravetz.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Extended Family of Bernadette Kelly Tapella
This is the branch of the Kelly family descended from Michael and Mary (O'Brien) Kelly,
by way of their son, James T. Kelly.
Kneeling: John Holden Dennis III, Cathleen Theresa (Robertson) Dennis, Bernadette (Kelly) Tapella and Bob Kelly.
Middle: Julia Robertson, Betty Lou Kelly [wife of Adrian Kelly], Bill Robertson, Jr., Theresa (Kelly) Robertson
and Janice Arlene (Polfer) Kelly [wife of Ambrose Kelly]
Standing in back: Robert Schulte [friend of Julia Robertson], Adrian Kelly, Jonathan Kelly, Bill Robertson Jr.,
Chuck Tapella [husband of Bernadette], Ambrose Kelly and Bob Tapella
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


L to r: Mary "Margaret" (Moore) McManus, Edward Kelly, Bill Kelly, Mary Ann (Pearce) Bakogiannis
and her husband, Charles ["Chuck"] Bagogiannis. Margaret is the sister of Ann (Moore) Litzelman.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Group Photo of Reunion Participants
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin

The preceding photo bears some detailed identifications and explanation, for which we are appreciative of Edward Kelly as its source:

Seated at the table in the front, left to right: Andrew "Andy" Carola, Teresa Ross (Beirne) Carola, Pat Beirne, Bill Kelly, Patricia Kelly Sadler, and, with their backs to the camera, Dan and Mary (Feeney) Kelly. Teresa is the widow of Bob Beirne, son of John and Bessie (Kelly) Beirne, and is married to Andy.

Seated at the table in the rear left to right: Tom Marian, Pat Cullen, and Bettyann Sick Goodyear. Tom Marian is a nephew of Edward and Frances (Burke) Kelly and a first cousin to both Ed Kelly and Sister Kathleen Kelly, IHM on their maternal side. Tom served as an Eucharistic minister at the Kelly Reunion Mass on July 2, 2006 in St. Francis Xavier Church, Overton, PA. There is a separate picture below of Tom and his siblings. Pat Cullen is a grand nephew of Edward and Frances Burke Kelly and a second cousin of Ed and Sister Kathleen on their maternal side. Pat Cullen is also a great-great grandson of Patrick and Ellen Flynn Leahy on his paternal side. Pat is also a great grandson of Francis and Catherine (Dorsey)** Leahy, a grandson of Lawrence and Agnes (Leahy) Cullen, and a son of Joseph and Kathleen (Burke) Cullen. Note that Patrick Leahy was a brother of Thomas Leahy, and Ellen Flynn Leahy was a sister of Mary (Flynn) Leahy. Thomas and Mary (Flynn) Leahy were in turn the parents of Mary (Leahy) Kelly, the wife of Daniel Kelly and the great grandmother of Ed Kelly and Sister Kathleen Kelly, IHM, Bob Sweeney, Ken Beirne, etc. To make it complete if complicated, Pat Cullen is a fourth cousin of Ed, Sister Kathleen, Bob , Ken et al, on their paternal side. Whew!!!

As a footnote, at the time of this Reunion, Pat Cullen operated a dairy farm of 200 plus cows on Sugar Ridge on land once owned by his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Bridget Agnes (McCarthy) Burke, and, on separate land, by his paternal great grandparents, Francis and Catherine (Dorsey) Leahy. The properties are adjacent, but they are distinct and were not in single ownership until the 1960s. The property of Pat Cullen's maternal grandparents is the former Judge Bedford property, plus numerous separate farms that Ed's uncle Tom Burke purchased between 1937 and 1962. The property of Pat Cullen's paternal great grandparents is the land owned originally by Thomas and Mary (Flynn) Leahy and Patrick and Ellen (Flynn) Leahy that Pat's parents, Joe and Kathleen (Burke) Cullen, purchased from Agnes (Byron) Leahy, widow of Hugh Leahy, in the early 1960s. Part of that property also included at one time the farm of Daniel and Catherine (Flynn) O'Keefe Cusick that is adjacent to the Shrine of St. John Neumann. Catherine was a sister of Johanna Flynn, James Kelly's wife; Ellen Flynn, Patrick Leahy's wife; and Mary Flynn, Thomas Leahy's wife. Incidentally, the original Leahy properties and also the original Reverend Richard Bedford property are adjacent to the property of Daniel and Mary (Leahy) Kelly.

Pat is a nephew of Sister M. Laurena Cullen, IHM, who wrote a history of the Cullen family and painted the large mural depicting the early settlers of Sugar Ridge that is in the Shrine of St. John Neumann at Sugar Ridge. Also, one additional footnote. Pat Cullen is also a grand nephew of Irene (Leahy) Coveney. It was her history of Sugar Ridge that Bessie Kelly Beirne included as an appendix to In the Beginning. Both accounts are incomplete and in places inaccurate, but we would not be where we are in grasping the Kelly history without them.
** Postscript: March 08, 2018: Edward Kelly has provided an exhaustive summary of the incredible links among the Kelly, Dorsey, FLynn, Leahy and Moore families, just to name a few. Here is his reort given more than ten years after the Reunion by e-mail to Bob Sweeney:

I have rechecked both Dick Dorsey's notes and yours which you sent me and revisited Ken Beirne's website. To find more about family relationships, , click on "Reunion" on the home page of Ken Beirne's website, and then click on "Surnames." Because numerous forenames and surnames are identical, I have included below the person's dates of birth and death each time that the person is discussed to ensure that it is clear which person is being discussed.
Dick Dorsey's paternal great grandparents are Patrick Dorsey (1811-1901) and Margaret Cain Dorsey (1833-1898) and Daniel Moore (1823-1898) and Margaret Flynn Moore (1827-1883).
Dick Dorsey's paternal grandparents are Patrick D. Dorsey (1855-1903) and Margaret Moore Dorsey (1861-1921).
Dick Dorsey's father is Daniel Dorsey (1892-____).
Catherine Dorsey Leahy (1850-1931) is the daughter of Patrick Dorsey (1811-1901) and Margaret Cain Dorsey (1833-1898), the sister of Dick Dorsey's paternal grandfather, Patrick D. Dorsey (1855-1903), and the wife of Francis P. Leahy (1851-1924). Catherine Dorsey Leahy (1850-1931) is the aunt of Dick Dorsey's father, Daniel Dorsey (1892-____), and the great aunt of Dick Dorsey (1927-____).
The children of Francis P. Leahy (1851-1924) and Catherine Dorsey Leahy (1851-1931), including Agnes Leahy Cullen (1886-1965), the wife of Lawrence T. Cullen (1886-1968), and Irene Leahy Coveney (1896-1984), the wife of William Coveney (____-____), are first cousins of Dick Dorsey's father, Daniel Dorsey (1892-____), and Daniel Dorsey's siblings, including Leo Dorsey (____-____).
The grandchildren of Francis P. Leahy (1851-1924) and Catherine Dorsey Leahy (1851-1931), including Rita A. Cullen (Sister M. Laurena, IHM) (1918-1985) and Joseph A. Cullen (1933-2016), the husband of Kathleen Burke Cullen (1931-1989), are second cousins of Dick Dorsey (1927-____).
Dick Dorsey's paternal great grandmother, Margaret Flynn Moore (1827-1883), is the sister of Mary Flynn Leahy (1810-1859) who is the wife of Thomas Leahy (1806-1861). Thomas Leahy (1806-1861) and Mary Flynn Leahy (1810-1859) are the maternal great, great grandparents of Ken Beirne (1944-___) and the paternal great, great grandparents of Bob Sweeney (1946-____), and Ed Kelly (1942-____), etc. Mary Leahy Kelly (1840-1898), the daughter of Thomas Leahy (1806-1861) and Mary Flynn Leahy (1810-1859), is the wife of Daniel Kelly (1828-1902) and the maternal great grandmother of Ken Beirne (1944-____) and the paternal great grandmother of Bob Sweeney (1946-____), and Ed Kelly (1942-____), etc.
Dick Dorsey's paternal great grandmother, Margaret Flynn Moore (1827-1883), is also the sister of Ellen Flynn Leahy (1806-1891) who is the wife of Patrick Leahy (1810-1888). Thomas Leahy (1806-1861) and Patrick Leahy (1810-1888) are brothers. Francis P. Leahy (1851-1924), the son of Patrick Leahy (1810-1888) and Ellen Flynn Leahy (1806-1891), is the husband of Catherine Dorsey Leahy (1850-1931).
Dick Dorsey's paternal great grandmother, Margaret Flynn Moore (1827-1883), is also the sister of Johanna Flynn Kelly (c.1814-1882) who is the wife of James Kelly (c.1809-1885), a brother of Daniel Kelly (1828-1902), the maternal great grandfather of Ken Beirne (1944-____) and the paternal great grandfather of Bob Sweeney (1946-____), and Ed Kelly (1942-____), etc.
Daniel Moore (c.1866-c.1932), the son of Dick Dorsey's paternal great grandparents, Daniel Moore (1823-1898) and Margaret Flynn Moore (1827-1883), and the brother of Dick Dorsey's paternal grandmother, Margaret Moore Dorsey (1861-1921), is the second husband of Helen Elizabeth (Ella) Hannon Kelly Moore (1873-1949) whose first husband was Daniel J. Kelly (1862-1904), the son of Daniel Kelly (1828-1902) and Mary Leahy Kelly (1840-1898), the maternal great grandparents of Ken Beirne (1944-____) and the paternal great grandparents of Bob Sweeney (1946-____), and Ed Kelly (1942-____), etc.
Note that I do not know and could not include information on Dick Dorsey's mother, his maternal grandparents, and his maternal great grandparents. If Dick Dorsey has that information, perhaps he would be willing to provide it to you and Ken Beirne.
Note also that the information on Ken Beirne's website for Dick Dorsey's paternal family line is limited. For example, the birth and death dates of many persons appear to be unknown, and Dick Dorsey himself is not included in the data. This reflects the fact that genealogy is a work in progress.
Feel free to share this e-mail with Dick Dorsey and post it on the Sullivan County Genealogy Project's website if you wish. Please let me know if you find any inaccuracies in it.


Group Photo of Marian Siblings
Photo Courtesy of Edward Kelly

This photo is a recent picture of the seven living sons and daughters of Michael Joseph and Cecilia (Dolly) Burke Marian. Their eighth child, Michael J. Marian, Jr. died of a brain tumor in 1966 at the age of 36.
Left to right: Ann Marian Youngblood, John Francis Marian *, Peter J. Marian, Thomas P. Marian, Edward C. Marian, Joseph Alfred Marian **, and Frances Marian Roesch Matamoros. This line up is from youngest to oldest.
Ed and Tom were at the Reunion. The occasion for the picture was the retirement party of John F. Marian from the city government of Melbourne Beach, Florida in December 2006

** Joseph died on November 24, 2008; John died on October 15, 2009. Here are their obituaries:

Denver Post
Post News Obituaries
Denver, CO
November 30, 2008

Joseph Alfred Marian
Joseph Marian, age 81, of Cherry Hills Village, CO, passed away unexpectedly November 24, 2008. He is survived by Jean, his wife of 53 years, children Susan, Craig, Cheryl Marian (Mark) Baldwin, Michelle; grandchildren Joshua, Justin, Nicolas, Stuart, & Connor; sisters Fran Matomores, Ann Youngblood; brothers Edward, Tom, John, & Peter. He was preceded in death by one son, Scott Joseph. Mr. Marian graduated from the University of Syracuse in 1950 with a B.S. and earned his MBA from Adelphi University in 1972. Joseph's career spanned for decades in sales and marketing. He moved from New York to Denver as Product Manager with Johns Manville in 1973. He was also Vice-President of Rockwool Industries. He was active in the Knights of Columbus and his church. He loved to travel, entertain, and spend time with his family. His enthusiasm, charisma, and passion for life and his sense of humor will be greatly missed. He was loved by all. Visitation will be 4:00 to 8:00 PM Monday, Horan & McConaty, 1091 S. Colorado Blvd. Funeral Mass 10:00 Tuesday, Church of the Risen Christ, 3060 S. Monaco Pkwy. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, 1280 S. Parker Rd., Denver, CO 80231.

Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Home
1010 E. Palmetto Ave.
Melbourne, FL 32901
info@brownliemaxwell.com

John F. Marian
Born in Bayside, New York on November 30, 1942.
Departed on October 15, 2009 in Melbourne, Florida.

Visitation: October 18, 2009 at 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Brownlie-Maxwell Chapel, Melbourne, Florida
Service: October 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Melbourne Beach, Florida
Cemetery: October 19, 2009 at 12:30 PM
Florida Memorial Gardens, Rockledge, Florida

John F. Marian, age 66, of Melbourne Beach, FL, died Thursday, October 15, 2009. He was born in Bay side, NY and came to Brevard County in 1988 from Savannah, GA.
John was a retired Senior Building Official for the City of West Melbourne. He was a member of Knights of Co lumbus 3rd degree, U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, Building Official Associ ation of Brevard County, and a volunteer with Brevard County Parks Environmental Services.
He is survived by his wife, Vonnie; daughter and son-in-law, Beth Ann Marian and Jeffrey John son; son and daughter-in- law, John and Marianne Marian, Jr.; daughter, Mary Ann Estes; son, Jason Estes; grandchildren, Craig, Nicholas, Emilee, Ian, Ava, Jack, and Ryan; sisters, Frances and Ann; brothers, Eddie, Tom and Peter, 35 nieces and nephews, and 46 grand nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers, Michael and Joseph and parents, Michael and Cecilia. "Well done good and faithful servant".
Calling hours, Sunday, October 18th, 5 - 8 p.m. at Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Home. Mass on Monday, October 19th at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Home is serving the family.

.


Mary Beirne Spallone
Flanked by Her Granddaughters, Katherine Rose ["Katie"] and Erin Marie Spallone
They are daughters of Michael Francis Spallone and Kimberly Ann Evans.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin


Annabelle (Meehan) Kravetz and Sister Jane Meehan, IHM. Sister Jane is an aunt to Amy and Debra Kravetz.
Annabelle and Jane are sisters. Their sister, Alice Meehan Rice, is shown elsewhere on this photo page. Annabelle was in the class of 1948 at St. Basil's High School in Dushore with Ed Kelly's first cousin, Kathleen (Burke) Cullen. Jane graduated two years earlier in the class of 1946 at St. Basil's High School, but did not enter the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, until 1948.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Ann Franklin

Here is a link to a set of photos taken by Lynn Ann Franklin of the Grave Markers at Sts. Philip and James Church at Sugar Ridge. This old church is formally known today as the Saint John Neumann Shrine. Where possible, we comment on the relationships among the families and individuals interred there.

POSTCRIPT

Dear Ken, Bob, Ed, and Bernadette:

My sister (Mary Margaret Moore McManus) and I want to thank you for a wonderful experience. You put so much hard work into making our family reunion something we will remember for a very long time. The family charts were so valuable to everyone who wanted to follow their family line. When we left there Saturday evening, some commented on their jaws actually hurt from talking so much, and that they were not going to talk again for a long time, but then we all did it again on Sunday. We loved visiting with everyone, but I also took time to just sit back and observe. People were having so much fun taking pictures, and getting to know each other, and traveling from group to group. Can we do this again in 3 or 4 yrs?

Best wishes to you,
Ann Moore Litzelman

******************************

Ed Kelly Remembers......

We haven't forgotten our promise at the beginning of this page let Ed Kelly tell you more about his parents' wedding in 1940 and also about his family ties in the New York area:
My Parents' Wedding


Ed Kelly (b. 1942) recalls the somewhat amazing circumstances of his parents' wedding in Great Neck, New York where his uncle and aunt, Edward and Kathleen Burke Von Hagen lived.

My parents had decided to marry suddenly and also quickly because my father could not be away from his dairy farm for too long a period of time. As soon as my father arrived in New York from Pennsylvania, he and my mother went to see Father James E. Collins (later a monsignor and pastor of St. Dominic's Church in Oyster Bay, New York) who was a young assistant pastor at St. Aloysius Church in Great Neck and told the priest that they wanted to get married. Father Collins inquired when my father and mother wanted to get married. My father told Father Collins that weekend. Father Collins was incredulous and tried to explain to my father and mother that it would be impossible for them to be married that soon. Father Collins informed them that the Church required marriage instructions and the announcement of marriage bans for three consecutive Sundays. My father told Father Collins that he and my mother did not have time for all of that. When Father Collins was insistent that he could not marry my father and mother that weekend, my father told Father Collins to call the bishop.

A rather flustered Father Collins told my father that he could not call the bishop, but he did agree to telephone the diocesan chancery office in Brooklyn (Great Neck was in the Diocese of Brooklyn until the Diocese of Rockville Center was established in 1957). My father told Father Collins to go ahead and do that because he had (through Hanora Kelly Sullivan) a cousin there, Father James H. Griffiths (later an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York). Father Collins now was even more incredulous because Father Griffiths was in fact Monsignor Griffiths and an assistant chancellor.

Father Collins telephoned the chancery office. When Father Collins was able to get Monsignor Griffiths on the telephone, Father Collins told Monsignor Griffiths that there was an Ed Kelly from Overton, Pennsylvania in his office. Monsignor Griffiths immediately told Father Collins: "Let me talk to him. He's a cousin." After talking with my father for a few minutes, Monsignor Griffiths told my father to put Father Collins back on the telephone. Monsignor Griffiths talked briefly with Father Collins and told him that he could do whatever my parents wanted. Father Collins then completed the marriage questionnaire for my parents and married them that weekend on Sunday afternoon at four o'clock.

Father Collins was almost speechless as he completed the marriage questionnaire for my parents because the names of Kelly and Collins were the responses to more than one question. Although Father Collins realized that there was no blood relationship between my father and mother or for that matter between my father and him, he told my parents that no one will ever understand this marriage questionnaire. The completed marriage questionnaire indicated that Edward Lawrence Kelly, son of William P. Kelly and Jane Collins Kelly, and Frances Mary Burke, daughter of Edward Burke and Frances Kelly Burke, were married by Reverend James E. Collins on October 13, 1940.

My Family's New York Ties


Ed Kelly (b. 1942) also recalls his family's strong ties through his mother, Frances Burke Kelly, to the New York metropolitan area.

My mother was a native New Yorker who was born in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan on March 6, 1903. Except for the years 1908-1917, my mother lived in Manhattan until her marriage to my father, Ed Kelly (b. 1893). After my mother married my father and moved to rural Pennsylvania in 1940, she missed her relatives and friends and New York. My mother wrote to them and invited them to visit her in Pennsylvania. There followed numerous visits, some of which were on an annual basis, back and forth with many of my mother's relatives and friends. Thus I learned and came to appreciate at a very early age that there was a much bigger world than Kelly Hill, Forks Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.

My mother's sister, Kathleen Burke Von Hagen (1900-1976), and her husband, Edward Joseph Frederick Von Hagen (l888-1961), of Great Neck, New York were our most frequent visitors. The Von Hagens were childless. Their role in our lives was unique and vital. They considered themselves responsible for my brother, my sister, and me almost as if we were their own children after our father died in 1949.

Uncle Eddie owned and operated a small truck delivery service in Manhattan. His clients included Elizabeth Arden, Cartier, and other carriage-trade establishments. My Uncle Thomas M. Burke (l899-1962) was one of his employees for several years in the early 1930s. New Deal legislation increased significantly employers' cost of doing business, and Uncle Eddie was forced to exit his business in 1936. Some people, including relatives, venerate President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and even place his portrait next to that of the crucifix and the pope in their homes. That was not the case in the home of my aunt and uncle. Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie despised FDR. As far as they were concerned, FDR had destroyed their business. I learned an early lesson that all politics are local.

Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie moved from Manhattan to his home town of Great Neck on Long Island in 1936 where they owned and operated a tavern for the next ten years at 15 Steamboat Road in the Old Village. Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie were my parents' witnesses when they were married at St. Aloysius Church in Great Neck in 1940 and hosted a wedding reception for them at the tavern after the ceremony.

Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie lived several places after selling the tavern in 1946, including East 28th Street in Manhattan. They returned permanently to Great Neck in 1951 to live in a third floor walk-up apartment at One Ash Place in the New Village. Aunt Kathleen worked part-time as a salesperson in the 1950s and 1960s in whichever flagship department store was then leasing the prime commercial space in the shopping plaza near the Long Island Railroad Station in Great Neck. Uncle Eddie essentially retired after selling the tavern in 1946. To escape boredom, he would occasionally sit properties for a residential realtor. It was a diversion but not a job.

Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie sent us packages of candy and other gifts throughout the year. There were packages for everyone's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, and even non-celebratory occasions. Aunt Kathleen also wrote many letters and cards to us. We did not have a telephone until 1960. On special occasions such as Christmas and Easter, we would go to Wallace Hottenstein's country general store on Overton Road to use his telephone to call Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie. To obtain telephone service in 1960, my mother had to pay the installation cost for the telephone line on Kelly Hill. No one else living there would join her in the request for telephone service because no one else was willing to pay part of the installation cost for a telephone line.

Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie visited us often from the time of my parents' marriage in 1940 and every summer for four to six weeks after my father's death in 1949. Although retired and a heavy, somewhat sedentary man, Uncle Eddie would pitch in and help with all the farm work, including driving the tractor and cleaning the barns where young cattle had spent the winter months. Aunt Kathleen would take charge of the housework, including cooking and cleaning, so that my mother could concentrate on what was a large dairy farm operation in the 1950s and the additional outdoor work in the summer of hay making and the harvesting of crops.

Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie would return to Great Neck every summer soon after the Overton parish picnic which took place on or near August 15. My good fortune was to ride back with them to Great Neck every summer for a vacation. We would go into Manhattan several times and would always see the movie and the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall on one of those occasions. Among the movies that I still remember were "Showboat" and "Around the World in 80 Days."

I would visit also every summer my mother's other sister, Cecilia (Dolly) Burke Marian (1904-2000), and her husband, Michael Joseph Marian (1900-1993), at 33-34 20lst Street in Bayside, New York. Aunt Dolly and Uncle Mike had eight children. Uncle Mike worked as a roofer in the commercial construction industry. Aunt Dolly was a homemaker. There was a 20 year spread between their oldest child, Fran (b. 1926), and their youngest child, Ann (b. 1946). Uncle Mike loved the water and would take us to swim at Far Rockaway Beach or Jones Beach on the weekend. The Marians' daughter, Fran, and her husband, Ray Roesch, were married in 1948 and moved to suburban Sea Cliff, New York in 1952 where they raised their family of six children. The Roeschs had a swimming pool in their backyard that we enjoyed on many occasions.

Uncle Mike was an usher at Blessed Sacrament Church in Bayside. The Sisters of Mercy from the Dallas, Pennsylvania Regional Community staffed the elementary school that opened in 1954. On one visit in the early 1960s, Uncle Mike told me that there was a sister in the school from Towanda, Pennsylvania. I asked Uncle Mike what her name was because I knew that I had five paternal cousins from Towanda who were Sisters of Mercy: Sisters M. Teresa Joseph Sammons, M. Jude Sammons, M. Mercia Sweeney, M. Bernardo Sweeney, and M. Joseph Loretta Sweeney. Uncle Mike checked and told me that the sister's name was Sister Jude. I realized that Uncle Mike was referring to Sister M. Jude Sammons and paid her a brief visit that afternoon.

Besides the frequent visits of Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eddie and the occasional visits of Aunt Dolly and Uncle Mike or one of their children, we had a number of other visitors from New York over the years, including Julius and Marie Falk Lazarus, Rose Stransky and her brother Al, and Thomas and Jane McAuliffe Ryan.

Marie Lazarus was my Aunt Kathleen's oldest and dearest friend. Aunt Kathleen was Marie's maid of honor in the 1920s even though Marie was Lutheran and her husband Julius was Jewish. I once asked Aunt Kathleen when I was very young how she could have participated in a non-Catholic wedding ceremony. Aunt Kathleen simply said in response "Don't be silly." I learned an early lesson that common sense should prevail over rules.

Rose Stransky had worked with my mother and Aunt Kathleen. Rose's brother Al was a professional photographer who took our pictures.

Tom Ryan was a son of the superintendent in the apartment building where my mother lived before her marriage. Tom's wife Jane who was born in County Cork, Ireland loved to sing and tell stories. Jane had a sister, Sister M. Teresa Clare McAuliffe, and a cousin, Sister M. Lucy McGrath, who were members of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Sister Teresa Clare was the local superior and principal in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania when the school required evacuation in the aftermath of Hurricane Hazel in 1955. Sister Lucy was a friend of our paternal cousin, Sister M. Laurena Cullen, IHM. Sisters Lucy and Laurena obtained graduate degrees in fine arts at The Catholic University of America and taught art courses for many years at IHM schools in Oyster Bay and Manhasset on Long Island.

Beginning in 1941, there was one visitor, Albina Renee (Bella) Cesa (1909-2001), who came to Pennsylvania every year. Bella and my mother had worked together in the 1930s and were casual friends. Over time Bella became an integral part of our family. Bella was there for us in the good times and the bad times. Bella came to our high school and college graduations and also to the weddings of our cousins, Kathleen and Rita Burke. Bella helped to get us ready and off to college. A consummate caregiver, Bella spent three months helping my mother nurse my brother after his near fatal automobile accident in 1962. I had a detached retina in my left eye and required surgery at The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary on East 14th Street in 1976. Bella was the first to arrive after the surgery and then spent a week with my mother in my apartment on West 79th Street while I was hospitalized.

We visited Bella and her four unmarried sisters, Nativa or Nettie, Flora, Mary, and Rita, on many occasions in their home at 2535 Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, less than a city block from the gates of Fordham University, and in the rear half of the bungalow at 43 New Hampshire Street in Long Beach, New York that they rented every summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day for 30 years, beginning in the mid-1950s. Bella's brother-in-law, John Lyden, and Bella's brother John taught me how to swim at Orchard Beach in 1953. That same year Bella's sister, Gilda Cesa Lyden, introduced me to Chinese food at a restaurant on Fordham Road. In the 1950s, it was not unusual to hear more Italian than English being spoken by people on Fordham Road and the adjacent streets in the Bronx. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church was packed at every Mass on Sundays, and the sermons were in Italian.

Bella's only surviving sister, Rita, will be 85 years old in May 2009 and still lives at 2535 Belmont Avenue. I occasionally visit her when I am in New York, and we exchange cards every Christmas.

Copyright � 2006 Robert E. Sweeney and individual contributors. All Rights Reserved. This is a FREE genealogy site sponsored through PAGenWeb and can be reached directly at the Sullivan County Genealogy Project.