Alvin W. Kelly and Rena N. Haggerty

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Husband Alvin W. Kelly ¹

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           Born: 4 Sep 1847 - Butler Co, PA 1
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         Father: Samuel Kelly (Abt 1819-1899) 1
         Mother: Sarah McClure (      -Abt 1901) 1 2 3

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       Marriage: 7 Jun 1883 4

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Wife Rena N. Haggerty ⁴

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Children

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1 F Sarah Kelly ⁴

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         Spouse: Jack Beard (      -      ) 4

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2 F Hannah B. Kelly ⁴

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3 M John A. Kelly ⁴

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           Born:  - Rostraver Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA
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General Notes: Husband - Alvin W. Kelly

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He received his early education at the local schools of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. His parents moved to a number of different places during his childhood and early youth, on all of which he accompanied them, and finally came with them to Rostraver township, Westmoreland County, where he thereafter made his permanent home. During his youth he operated a flag stone quarry for about five years and supplied a large proportion of the material out of which the old sidewalks in Pittsburgh were made. His stone was known as the Youghiogheny river flag stone and gained a very considerable reputation. At times he employed several men in his quarries and did a large and thriving business. In the year 1905 Mr. Kelly bought a valuable fruit farm in Erie County, situated on a ridge of land about fourteen miles south of Erie. This property was already planted with much valuable fruit, apples being the main crop, and there being some forty acres of fruit trees in all. Mr. Kelly set himself to develop this property with great care and energy and found a large and ready market, shipping to New York, Chicago and Europe. He sold large quantities of fine apples, which brought him in a very remunerative return. Six years later he turned this valuable orchard over to his son and returned to his farm in Rostraver township. This farm was underlaid with a valuable deposit of coal and he operated two country coal banks, which he leased to operators in the community.
Mr. Kelly was active in the general affairs of the community and did not a little to develop its business and commercial interests. One of the greatest services that he has performed for it was to procure the new bridge at Webster. His achievement in this connection forms an interesting story, as follows: Mr. Kelly was a great personal friend of Edward Robbins, member of Congress from Westmoreland County, who was engaged in the law business at Greensburg. On one occasion Mr. Kelly visited Mr. Robbins at his offices in the town and made the remark to him that the people of Rostraver never received any favors. Robbins replied with a question as to what they wanted, and Mr. Kelly, with promptitude, requested a bridge to connect Webster and Donora. Then and there Mr. Robbins made out the necessary papers, and Mr. Kelly at once set about securing the requisite signatures. The scheme was fought bitterly by the ferry company and also by the people of Monessen, situated about two miles distant. The first set of papers were rejected by Washington County, whereupon Mr. Kelly procured a second set, which were accepted by both counties. Monessen, however, still fought the project, as did also a prominent real estate man, who wanted to have the bridge situated nearer Monessen. Judge Doty finally decided against the project, as it seemed to have the effect of causing all the communities in that region to ask for bridges, but Mr. Kelly, with notable persistence, secured a third petition which Judge McConnell finally accepted. The whole project took six years to carry through, but the bridge was finally built in the position that Mr. Kelly had originally suggested at a cost of about two hundred thousand dollars. The structure was of great value to the community as it afforded all the farmers in the neighborhood of Webster a splendid market for their garden products and fruit, in Donora, across the river.
Mr. Kelly served for ten years as justice of the peace for Rostraver township, two terms. Mr. Kelly served in Battery K, Pennsylvania Volunteer Artillery, during the Civil War, and was a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic. He was but seventeen years of age when he first enlisted, and was about the youngest member of the Grand Army in that region.

1 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 1085.

2 —, The History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Part II (Chicago, IL: A. W. Warner & Co., 1889), Pg 491.

3 Kate M. Scott, History of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania (Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 701.

4 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 1087.