Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-03
Datus Kelley of KeIIeS,s Island.

This widely-known and much-esteemed
Island Patriarch died on the oath of
January, 1866, aged seventy-seven years
and nine months. For two or three years
past his health gave way under age, par
tial paralysis and general dropsy, and he
awaited the final change with calm seren-
ity and unfaltering faith in higher and
happier state of existence. In his latter
years Mr.. Kelley resided with one of his
sons, and fell asleep in the midst of his
children and children's children.
Datus Kelley was man of much intel
ligence, enterprise, energy of character,
and goodness of heart. One of the
pioneers of Cuyahoga county, his name
was identified with its early history and
the struggles and hardships of the frontier
men and women who exchanged old
homes at the East for new ones in the
West. Mr. Kelley was born in Middle
town, Connecticut, but removed with his
fathers family into the Black River
country, New York, in 1900. In 1910 he
came to this county and settled in Rock
port, on the farm afterward sold to the
late Governor Wood, and built his first
log cabin on or near the site of the present
residence of Mr.. George B. Merwin. The
Kelley farm, of from two to three hun
dred acres, ranked among the best in
Cuyahoga county. Mr.. Kelley was an
excellent judge of lands and tenements,
and his appraisal of lands in the county,
the first made, we think, under the present
system of taxation, was the result of
thorough personal examination, and was
regarded as remarkably just and equita-
Bile.
In 1889 the brothers Datss and Trad
Kelley purchased Kelley's Island-then
called Cunningham Island-and Mr.. Da-
tus Kelley as managing agent of the firm
commenced improving the large and
nearly wild property, spending the win
tiers with his family in Rockport. Having
disposed of his farm there, in the spring
of 1886 he moved his family to their Island |
erected OF the spot now occu-
pied by the residence of Mr.. George Kel-
ley. He built the first Island dock in
1893; and the next thing Mr.. Kelley |
turned his attention to after getting the
settlement well started was to build a
school hoSse, frame building, the first |
on the Island. This he did solely at the |
expense of himself and brother Mr. Kel-
ley was early practical temperance man. |
In his view two things we're essentially
requisite to insure success in buildingup |
new commuhity-to make provision for
the proper education of the rising genera
tion and to encourage habits of industry |
and sobriety in parents and operatives.
1t is stated that among the earlier entries
in his accounts, cash is charged as apaid to
certain of his men for temperance''-that
is, bonus or reward in addition to their
regular pay for r-dispensing with the use of
liquors, to which some of them
had become addicted.
Mr.. Kelley was the pioneer grape
grower on the Islands. In 1886 he trans
planted few vines of the "Olmstead
variety from his garden in Rockport. In
1912 he took to the Island some three
hundred cuttings of the Isabella, obtained
from Rev. DIR. Aiken, in Cleveland, and
Gov. Wood, of Rockport. In 1874 Mr..
X. obtained quantity of Catawba cut-
tings from the garden of Judge Ely, of
Elyria. From such small beginnings
Kelleys Island has become the most fa-
nous vineyard east of the Rocky Noun
tains.
We have said Mr.. Kelley was a man of
intelligence. AS Geographer he had few
equals, and his tenacious memory was
storehouse of ancient and modern history.
He occasionally contributed articles on
various subjects to the Press and with a
forethought and liberality but seldom ex-
hibited, few years since Mr.. Kelley
erected on an eligible site fine substan-
tial edifce called "KELLEY's HALL"
which he formally dedicated to the Trust
ees of KelIeys Island Township for pub
lie purposes-meetings, lectures, religious
services, free to all denominations, social
assemblies, &c.-to be held in perpetual
succession by the Trustees, his heirs to
have the renting and care of the Hall for
fifty years, when theproperty is to be held
solely by the township.