- 1st in a series of posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -
250 Years; 1776 - 2026
Our Family was there, from the Beginning
Our family had many branches living in the American Colonies, before the United States were formed. In Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina my great grandfathers & great uncles left their farms and their families to break away from British rule. They were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. We can proudly know that our family was there in those early days to help ensure our independence.
William Stark Kelly
17 March 1739 Ireland - 13 December 1826 TN
Husband of Mary F Durham
My 5x great grandfather
Private in the North Carolina Militia
William Stark Kelly was a Revolutionary War soldier. It is because of the files of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution that we know about William, his wife and his descendants. Many people have laid claim to William as their ancestor to become members of these organizations and have, therefore, submitted details of their links to him. Piecing together this data forms a reliable Kelly family tree. According to those sources William was born on 17 March 1739 in Ireland, came to the American Colonies in 1755 and settled in Wake County, North Carolina.[i], [ii]
Currently, the names of William’s parents, siblings and his birthplace in Ireland are unknown. In the future we may be able to learn more.
William Kelly was a private in the Revolutionary War, serving in the North Carolina Militia.[iii], [iv]
[He] Served as a private in Capt. Brown's Company, Col. Thomas Clark's Regiment (first) North Carolina Continental Line 1777; also in Capt. Brinkley's Company of 1st Regiment of North Carolina Militia.[v]
North Carolina’s First Regiment was active during the war.[vi]
The 1st North Carolina Regiment was raised on 1 September 1775, at Wilmington, North Carolina, for service with the Continental Army. In January 1776 the organization contained eight companies. … The regiment was present at the defense of Charleston in 1776. It transferred from the Southern Department to George Washington's main army in February 1777. At that time, Thomas Clark became colonel of the 1st Regiment. The unit became part of Nash's North Carolina Brigade in July. … In 1777 the 1st North Carolina saw action at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown and it was present at White Marsh. Still led by Clark, it fought at Monmouth in June 1778. The North Carolina Brigade marched south under the command of James Hogun and arrived at Charlestown, South Carolina in March 1780. The 1st Regiment was captured by the British army at the Siege of Charleston on 12 May 1780. Clark and 287 men became prisoners. The regiment was reformed in the summer of 1781 and fought well in Jethro Sumner's brigade at Eutaw Springs in September that year. The 1st North Carolina was furloughed on 23 April 1783 at James Island, South Carolina and disbanded on 15 November 1783.[vii]
William married Mary Frances (Durham) Kelly[viii], daughter of William Durham and Margaret (Colough) Durham.[ix] Fortunately William’s Will lists the names of their children.
When writing about William’s great grandson, Richard Bussey Kelly, Joel Campbell DuBose briefly explained William’s travels.
William S. Kelly, “an Irish lad, tiring of the oppression of England, decided to come to America, where men enjoyed the privilege of political and religious freedom. This Irish lad, William Kelly, settled in Wake County, N. C., where his son, Sims Kelly, was born in 1784. Sims Kelly loving liberty like his father, became one of the combatants when war was declared against England in 1812.
In 1800 William and family were living in York District, South Carolina.[x] During the War of 1812 William and Mary’s sons, William Durham Kelly and Sims Kelly served as volunteers from Tennessee. They enlisted in September 1814 which tells us the family was living in that state at the time.[xi] In 1820 William Kelly and his wife were living in Franklin, Tennessee.[xii]
It would be interesting to have more details on William’s movements from Ireland (1739), to the Colonies (1755), to North Carolina (1777), to South Carolina (1800) and on to Tennessee (1814). Unfortunately, we do not have that information.
William Stark Kelly died 13 December 1826 in Tennessee.[xiii]
William’s sons, William Durham Kelly and Sims Kelly, fought in the War of 1812. William’s grandson and son of Sims Kelly, Samuel Camp Kelly, fought in both the Mexican – American War and the Civil War.
Read more about our family's pioneers & patriots.
[i] Sons of the American Revolution, Membership Applications, 1889 – 1970; Louisville, Kentucky; National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, microfilm; William Kelly.
[ii] Russey, George S., The Russey Family in America: A Genealogy of James Russey (1970) Genealogy Gophers (gengophers.com: accessed January 2020) 79.
[iii][iii] Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War; NARA catalog 570710, Record Group 93; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed January 2020) William Kelley.
[iv] Revolutionary War Soldiers for NC and SC; digital image (ourfamtree.org: accessed January 2020) William Kelly/Kelley.
[v] Sons of the American Revolution, Membership Applications, 1889 – 1970; Louisville, Kentucky; National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, microfilm; William Kelly.
[vi] J. D. Lewis, 1st North Carolina Regiment, The American Revolution in North Carolina; digital image (carolana.com: accessed January 2020).
[vii] Wikipedia. 1st North Carolina Regiment; digital image (en. wikipedia.org: accessed January 2020).
[viii] US and International Marriage Records, 1560 – 1900; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed January 2020) William S. Kelly and Mary Frances Durham, m. in NC.
[ix] Russey, George S., The Russey Family in America: A Genealogy of James Russey (1970) Genealogy Gophers (gengophers.com: accessed January 2020) 79.
[x] 1800 US Census, SC, York; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed May 20200 Wm Kelly.
[xi] Tennessee Secretary of State, History & Genealogy/War of1812, Regimental Histories of Tennessee Units During the War of 1812; digital image (sos.tn.gov: accessed June 2020) Major William Russell.
[xii][xii] 1820 US Census, TN, Franklin; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed January 2020) William S Kelly.
[xiii] Russey, George S., The Russey Family in America: A Genealogy of James Russey (1970) Genealogy Gophers (gengophers.com: accessed January 2020) 79.
