Household #64: Kelly, James

Back to the 1900 Census & Household Index

In the 1900 Barney census, James Kelly headed a 2-person household. The table below preserves the exact names, relationships, ages, birthplaces, and occupations recorded for the household.

Household Snapshot

James Kelly headed a 2-person household in the 1900 Barney census with 1 extended-family member.

James Kelly's listed occupation was Farmer.

All listed household members were reported as born in Georgia.

Newspaper and Public-Record Trail

This section flags public-record leads separate from the census table. The detailed discussion stays in the family narrative, research status, and source citations below.

1900 Census Household

Name	Relation	Age	Birthplace	Occupation
James Kelly	Head	24	Georgia	Farmer
Elizabeth Curls	Mother	56	Georgia	—

Children and Later Trails

No child-tracking items are open for this page because the 1900 table lists no children in the household.

Family Narrative

The household can now be followed much farther than it first appeared, but the first step is correcting the 1900 entry itself. In the census detail provided here, James Kelly is not living with a wife named Jennie. He appears in Barney as a 24-year-old farmer in a rented household with Elizabeth Curtis, age 56, who is listed as his mother. That detail matters because it changes the household structure and suggests either that James's mother had remarried or that Curtis was her later surname.

A strong later census chain likely follows the same man into Lowndes County. In 1910, J. M. Kelly, age 34, born in Georgia, appears in Cat Creek District, Lowndes County, on Valdosta and Milltown Public Road. He is married to L. H. Kelly, age 39, and the household includes daughter Lois Kelly, age 7, along with three Simpson stepchildren: Willie, Marion, and Iveree. The age, birthplace, and initials fit the 1900 James Kelly well, though the jump from a Barney household with mother Elizabeth Curtis to a Cat Creek household with wife L. H. Kelly still rests on census alignment rather than a direct bridging record.

A World War I draft registration card helps firm up that identification. The card is for James Madison Kelley of Barney, Lowndes County, born 4 Feb 1876, working as a farmer. It names his nearest relative as wife Larruh Kelley. That record is valuable for two reasons. First, it gives the likely full name behind the census initials J. M. and Jim M. Second, it ties the Lowndes County farmer directly to a wife whose name fits the later Laura, Laurah, and L. H. Kelly pattern.

A Lowndes County marriage record tightens the case further. On 11 Jan 1904, J. M. Kelly married Laura Simpson in Lowndes County. This fits the 1910 household especially well, because Laura Kelly appears there with three Simpson children in the home, making it very likely that Laura was formerly Laura Simpson and that the stepchildren were from her earlier family. The marriage record also helps explain why the wife's name appears later as Laura, Laurah, Larruh, and L. H. Kelly in different records.

The same line continues well in later censuses. In 1920, Jim M. Kelly, age 44, born in Georgia, appears in Cat Creek with wife Laurah Kelly, age 50, and grandson Aubry V. Kelly, age 9. By 1930, James M. Kelly, age 54, and Laura H. Kelly, age 59, remain in Cat Creek, and the household includes son Aubrey H. Kelly, age 19. In 1940, James Kelley, age 65, and Laura Kelley, age 69, are still in Cat Creek. The sequence is unusually steady in age, place, spouse name, and initials, and the draft card and marriage record strengthen the case that these records belong to one long-running household.

The 1950 census then appears to place the same couple in Ray City, Berrien County, in the household of Lois Carter. That record lists James M. Kelly, age 74, as father, and Laura Kelly, age 79, as mother, alongside head Lois Carter, age 47, and her son James Carter, age 29. If that identification is correct, Lois Carter is very likely the same daughter Lois Kelly seen in 1910, and the record carries the family one step farther into the next generation.

A Georgia death index entry provides a plausible endpoint for James. It lists James M. Kelley, white, age 75, born about 1876, resident and deceased in Berrien County, with certificate number 2338. Those details fit the man in the 1950 Lois Carter household unusually well and are consistent with the broader census and draft-card sequence.

A February 1951 Valdosta Daily Times obituary strengthens that reading. The notice is headed "J. M. Kelley Is Laid To Rest" and identifies him as James Madison Kelley of Ray City. It reports that final rites were held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Ray City Baptist Church and states that he died Tuesday evening at his home. The obituary also names the officiating ministers as the Rev. John W. Harrell of Lakeland and the Rev. E. L. Todd of Valdosta. Even from the imperfect OCR, those details fit closely with the James M. Kelley already traced into Berrien County.

A Find a Grave memorial supplies a likely burial place and family grouping, though it remains derivative evidence rather than proof. The memorial for James Madison Kelley gives the same 4 Feb 1876 birth date already seen on the draft card and reports death on 12 Feb 1951 in Berrien County. It places his burial in Beaver Dam Cemetery at Ray City and links him to spouse Laura Brickle Kelley and child Lois Gertrude Kelley Carter. Those details fit the census, marriage, draft, obituary, and death-index pattern well, but the memorial should be treated as a secondary summary unless backed by cemetery, death-certificate, or obituary-level confirmation.

Taken together, these census records move HH#64 from a thin one-record household to a plausible fifty-year chain from Brooks County to Lowndes County and then into Berrien County. The 1904 marriage record materially strengthens the middle of that chain by connecting James M. Kelly to Laura Simpson before the 1910 household appears, and the 1951 death index, obituary, and memorial all fit the probable final stage of his life. Even so, important gaps remain. The main unresolved issue is the relationship between the 1900 James Kelly living with Elizabeth Curtis and the later James M. Kelly married to Laura Simpson. The evidence points that way, but the case still needs direct records outside the census trail.

Open Research Questions

Parentage audit: Keep head-of-household and spouse parentage as unresolved unless a cited direct record names the parents or the entry explains the census chain supporting the identification.
The 1900 entry should be checked again against the original image to confirm every household member and to make sure no wife was omitted in the current extraction.
Elizabeth Curtis, listed as James Kelly's mother in 1900, needs follow-up records to explain the Curtis surname.
The 1904 marriage record identifies Laura Simpson as James M. Kelly's wife, but more records are still needed to document her earlier Simpson marriage and children.
The connection between the 1900 James Kelly of Barney and the 1910-1950 James Madison or James M. Kelley of Lowndes and Berrien Counties is strong but still needs a direct linking record.
Lois Kelly in 1910 and Lois Carter in 1950 appear likely to be the same person, but that should be confirmed with marriage or other family records.
Aubry V. Kelly in 1920 and Aubrey H. Kelly in 1930 are likely the same child, but the middle initial variation should be noted.
The Berrien County death index entry for James M. Kelley should be followed with the full death certificate.
The 1951 obituary should be checked against a clearer image or clipping for any survivor, burial, or cemetery details not captured cleanly in OCR.
The Find a Grave memorial points to Beaver Dam Cemetery and gives Laura Brickle Kelley and Lois Gertrude Kelley Carter as close family, but those details should be confirmed with direct records.
Death, burial, probate, land, tax, and church records are still needed for James, Laura, Elizabeth Curtis, Lois, and Aubrey.

Research Status

Substantial census chain in hand. James Kelly can likely be traced from Barney in 1900 to Cat Creek in Lowndes County in 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940, with a World War I draft card and a 1904 marriage record filling the middle of that sequence and a probable final placement in Berrien County in 1950. A Berrien County death index entry, a February 1951 obituary, and a matching Find a Grave memorial likely point to his death and burial, though the full death certificate is still needed. The household is much better documented now, but the next step is to add death and other non-census records that can prove the family links suggested by the census sequence.

Sources

1900 U.S. census, Barney, Brooks County, Georgia, sheet 3, dwelling 64, family 64, James Kelly household.
Census detail view for James Kelly in 1900, confirming February 1876 birth, rented status, literacy, and co-residence with Elizabeth Curtis, listed as mother.
1910 U.S. census, Cat Creek District, Lowndes County, Georgia, sheet 5A, J. M. Kelly household on Valdosta and Milltown Public Road.
Census detail view for J. M. Kelly in 1910, confirming wife L. H. Kelly, daughter Lois Kelly, and Simpson stepchildren Willie, Marion, and Iveree.
U.S. World War I draft registration card for James Madison Kelley, Lowndes County, Georgia, born 4 Feb 1876, naming wife Larruh Kelley as nearest relative.
Draft card image for James Madison Kelley, registered 12 Sep 1918 with Local Board, Lowndes County, Georgia, showing Barney address, farmer occupation, and wife Larruh Kelley.
Lowndes County, Georgia marriage record for J. M. Kelly and Laura Simpson, married 11 Jan 1904.
Marriage record image for J. M. Kelly and Laura Simpson, Lowndes County, Georgia, showing license and return dated 11 Jan 1904.
1920 U.S. census, Cat Creek District, Lowndes County, Georgia, page 14B, Jim M. Kelly household.
Census detail view for Jim M. Kelly in 1920, confirming wife Laurah Kelly and grandson Aubry V. Kelly.
1930 U.S. census, Cat Creek District, Lowndes County, Georgia, page 5B, James M. Kelly household.
Census detail view for James M. Kelly in 1930, confirming Laura H. Kelly and son Aubrey H. Kelly.
1940 U.S. census, Cat Creek, Lowndes County, Georgia, sheet 15B, James Kelley household.
Census detail view for James Kelley in 1940, confirming continued Cat Creek residence with wife Laura Kelley.
1950 U.S. census, Ray City, Berrien County, Georgia, page 10, Lois Carter household.
Census detail view for the 1950 Lois Carter household, listing James M. Kelly as father and Laura Kelly as mother.
Georgia death index entry for James M. Kelley, white male, age 75, born about 1876, resident and deceased in Berrien County, certificate number 2338; treated as a strong lead pending the full death certificate.
"J. M. Kelley Is Laid To Rest," The Valdosta Daily Times, 15 Feb 1951, page 5, reporting funeral services for James Madison Kelley of Ray City at Ray City Baptist Church and noting that he died Tuesday evening at home.
Find a Grave memorial for James Madison Kelley, memorial no. 49473632, giving birth 4 Feb 1876, death 12 Feb 1951, burial at Beaver Dam Cemetery in Ray City, and linked family members Laura Brickle Kelley and Lois Gertrude Kelley Carter; treated as derivative evidence.

If you have photographs, family records, oral history, corrections, or additional information about this family, please contact the project with the details.