The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-12-31
KELLY JUBILEE MEETING.
Appropriate Exercises for their Fiftieth
Anniversary, Held last Sunday.

tury since the first members of the Kelly
M. f. church began to worship in the
school house at the same crossing where
the school house and the church now
stand, four miles northeast of Owosso,
on the State road, it is not to be won
dered that the surviving members OF
that day and the members who have
since joined felt that it was indeed a
fitting occasion for jubilee service.
Coming as last Sunday did, the hrst
day after Christmas, and with the
winter weather mild, though the sky
was little overcast, all were in a hap
py state of mind, and there was hardly
person belonging to the church or
society who was able to be out who was
not there to enjoy the services.
All of the papers arranged for by the
program were given in order. They
were nearly all short and all were full
of interest Owing to their number,
however, we are unable to give more
than a synopsis of each instead OF CIV
ing each paper in full. The pastor,
Rev. G. f. Hill, conducted the exercises
and opened them with some very inter-
esting remarks. The year OF jubilee
among the Jews furnished his theme
and he mentioned some OF the causes
for rejoicing, which the old Jews had
when the fiftieIh year came around.
The scripture which he read, too, was
appropriate to the occasion. 1t was
taken from the fourteenth chapter OF
Joshua and described Joshua's meeting
with Caleb when the latter came for
ward to ask for the part of Palestine
which he had so boldly spied out so
MANY wears before and which had long
been promised to him. Then after a
fervent prayer and hymn he called on
John Kelly, an aged veteran in the
service, who proceeded to entertain and
instruct the people as well, with the rem
iniscences of the past.
Mr. Kelly said he was here in 1847,
fifty years ago, but did not bring his
family here until the following summer,
in 1913. The winter before this, how
ever, was spent by him on his newly
purchased land where he built a log
house and then spent nearly all of the
time chopping and clearing his land.
After this introduction Mr. Kelly's
thoughts turned still further backward
to the time, when, seventy years age
his father, also John Kelly-who had
heard how the pigs and turkeys rar
wild in the woods of America, so thai
one had only to slay and eat, and how
there was plenty of wild honey while
sugar fairly ran out of the trees-hao
taken his family and started from theil
home on the Isle of Man, bound for this
new world. He vividly recounted the
experiences of the seven weeks voyage
on the ocean, the trip from Albany tC
Buffalo by the Erie canal, the anchor
ing of the schooner a mile away from
Cleveland, which had no harbor at that
time. They stopped at Cleveland, anc
in those good old times of seventy
years ago his father secured work or
the Ohio canal at ten dollars a month
Ten years later the speaker founc
himself working at his trade OF wagor
making in a shop situated on tht
Columbus turnpike Here the team
sters would stop for repairs on theil
great wagons which were so large tha
they made load for two-horse team
and which required six or eight horses
to draw when loaded.
Here, his conversion took place, {
change in his life which he described il
the following simple words: "Whil'
working there revival was going OF
in the Baptist church. | attended th'
meetings They had an anxious sea
Just as we Methodsts do. | came un
der conviction of sin, went forward
and was happily converted. / turned
straight around and went on my wa,
rejoicing"
Soon after this the firm for which HI
was working quit the business and sen
him out with between 500 and $50
worth of notes to try and collect enough
to pay what was due him. He was gon
about three weeks, but could not col
lect a cent. On his return his employ
ers gave him horse and buggy an'
thirty dollars in money, and he starte'
again, finally coming to place where
brother of one of his former employer
offered to give him work and board 70
himself amt horse, but the rest of hi
pay he would have to take in fnishe,
work, wagons and buggies.
He sold but one wagon while there
however, and sold that for fifteen dol
lars and dozen clocks which his Gus
toners had received in payment TO
goods sent to Philadelphia. Some tim
, after this he found himself the owner O
two two-horse wagons and a doze
clocks. Getting another horse to pu
, with his own he started with the wag
ons and clocks. He sold them all-O
credit, one years time. Soon after thi
he met man who wanted to sell hin
the land he now owns and on which h
lives. He came up and looked at il
met the neighbors, liked them, wen
back, and bought the land, paying TO
it with a peddling wagon, buggy, etc
In November, l847, he started TO
Michigan, walking fifty miles to Cleve
land, then taking boat to Detroit
From Detroit he walked out all of tn
way, meeting with some amusing ad
ventures with poor paper money Will
on the way. He reached Corunna an
met DR.. Harder of Pittsburg, who wa
then county treasurer, and Luke A
Parsons, the register of deeds, who wa
also local M. +. preacher. He stage
with Mr.. Parsons that day then wer
out to his own place where he stayed a
. winter. As soon as the boats began {
run in the spring he returned to Obi
for his wife and little son. But
: "class" had been organized in Decen
: Der of 1847 and they had had religion
services that winter in the old Jewe
. school house. Mr.. Kelly then close
his "reminiscences by singing one of I'll
aonOa thew used tO sing that wintar an