Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1921-08-10
141tth thr pntnat ptnttffra
(By Judge Wilmott)

ASNAO
in ireland in 1S47 James Kelly and
family, consisting of his wife and four
sons, left that country and sailed for
America. They landed at New Orleans
and after q short stay there came on
up the river to st. Louis. They then
boarded a steam boat and landed at
Potosi landing in 1848. The sons were
named Michael, William, James and
John. All but James came to Potosi
with the parents James secured a
clerkship in a store in st. Louis and
in after years married a young woman
of some wealth. In 1857 he came to
Potosi with his wife and opened up
general store in the Corwith building
that stood where the present bank
building stands. Being a man of good
business ability he soon enjoyed a
good trade. In 1860 or 81 he moved
his stock of goods to the Simplot
building that had been vacated by Gel
estin Kaltenbach, who had moved his
stock of goods to the Langworthy
building. 1t is said that when the Civ
il war broke out Kelly had many bar
rels of whiskey in his cellar that cost
him about zoe per gallon. During the
war whiskey rapidly advanced in
price and Kelly made lot of money
on his whiskey investment but he was
unable to stand so much prosperity
and got in the gambling habit this be-
ing the cause of his downfall. He re-
moved from here with his family in
1873 and died in st. Joseph, Mo-, 25
years ago. James Kelly, the father,
purchased land over in what is now
known as Dry Hollow in the town of
Potosi. This land was bought from
a Michigan bank that owned vast
tracts of land in this and other towns
in this part of the county. Michael
and William, with some help from
John, proceeded to clear this land and
in due course of time opened up a
farm. After the death of the parents
the land was divided among the heirs.
Michael and William both were mar
ried and raised good families. Michael
had three sons and two daughters.
The sons, Michael, James and William
j., and the parents have passed away.
The daughters, Mrs. Neil Mclaughlin
and Mrs. John Cogan are yet living in
Potosi William Kelly and wife have
gone to their reward. Three sons,
John and William, retired farmers,
are living in POtosi. Edward, the
youngest, has a large farm at the
Hurricane in So. Lancaster. Two
daughters live in California. John
Kelly, of the original family, never did
much farming, devoting the greater
part of his time to mining. He went
to the Montana gold fields in 1864.
After a number of years in that terri
tory he left there and settled in St.
Louis and at the time of his death in
that city some years ago, he was on
the police force.
Other old-timers who purchased
land in Dry Hollow were James
Frawley, Abram Preston, Patrick
Nevill, John Stevens and possibly
others whose names have escaped my
memory. East and north of this Sec
ton of the country Joseph McGirk,
Henry MCGEE, Patrick Darrah, Ed
ward Bell, John Reynolds, Samuel
Miller, James French, Henry Bell and
a man named Goodman came and set
tied on Boice and Sinners creeks
The Goodman place became known as
Goodman's back bone and after his
death the title was given to Mrs. Good
man. Near where their cabin stood
on Boice creek and on the Potosi and
Beetown road was, and is yet,
beautiful spring of water. The water
flowing from distance up the bluff
into this spring, and many a traveller
stopped and quenched his thirst from
this spring of pure, crystal water.
Goodman's spring was known far and
wide and the fine stream of water is
still flowing down the bluff side
Our next two paragraphs were writ
ten by the editor of "Potosi Pioneer
Days" and published in the Herald
about a year ago. The articles will
not come amiss to republish them in
the columns of with the Potosi Pho
neers"
1T was in the very early days of
the Potosi mines that man with lot
of hogs of the razor back breed took
a steam boat at river point down in
Illinois destined for the Galena lead
mines. The captain of the boat in
formed the man that he was not going
to Galena and advised him to take his
bo