The Kelly Family
The Kelly Family
Polly Wells married secondly David Beattie Kelly born in Collinwood, Victoria, Australia in 1850; son of Robert Kelly and Mary Ann Beattie-Rooney who were married in Tyrone, Ireland in 1847.
Mary Ann was a widow with two children; Mary Jane Rooney and Isaac Rooney born 1843.
Robert and Mary Ann Kelly had a daughter, Ann Kelly born 1848 in Ireland, then migrated to Australia where the following children were born. David Beattie Kelly born 1850 in
Collingwood; Sarah born 1852 in Newtown (Collingwood) married Frank Wells (brother of Polly); Maria born 1854, Collingwood; Catherine born 1856 died 1857, Collingwood; Robert
Alexander born 1857 died 1911 ?Korumburra.
Mary Ann Kelly's father was David Beattie a farmer in
Ireland, her mother was Mary Jardan. Mary Ann and Robert migrated to Australia
at the height of the potato famine in Ireland, when between 1 & 2 million
people emigrated and nearly as many died. Mary Ann lived to be 100 dying in 1915
in Hawthorn; Robert Kelly died 1905 in Prahran age 88, he was a retired building
contractor.
Bert Polglase has recorded his grandfather's history, the
following is an extract from his book; "David spent the first 10 years of
his life in Collingwood, the family then moved to Harkaway in the Dandenong
Ranges where he continued his education. after about 2 years at Harkaway the
family moved to Frankston, which in those days was still a small fishing
village, containing one general store run by Mr. T. C. Tonkin, and a few small
houses and fisherman's huts. Mr Tonkin supplied most of the wants of the people
from tea and sugar to patent medicines.....Being of a roving disposition, soon
after moving to Frankston, David packed up his kit and left home. (editors Note
_-Maybe the whole family moved back to Prahran where Robert and Mary Ann both
died.)
David was next heard of in Gippsland
doing general cartage work, and is credited with the distinction of being
the first man to drive a Spring Cart from Frankston to Rosedale. In the Rosedale
district he secured a bullock team, and ran the team between Bairnsdale and the
Crooked River, and carted the first machinery for a Mr. Flintoff to the gold
mines in that area.
Frankston must have held some attraction for him, for after
several more years in the Gippsland area he returned to Frankston and took up
farming and orcharding on a 100 acre property he purchased on Cranbourne Road
opposite Ballam Park. He also purchased 91 acres of land in North road
Langwarrin ....David married Mary Louise Wells-Laudehr on the 7- 12 - 1869;
after their marriage they went to live on the farm in Cranbourne Rd. and reared
a family of five; Amy, David Jnr.; Ethel, Herbert, and Sydney. (As well as
Polly's three Laudehr children).
In the early 1900s the Kelly
family moved from the farm to a new house they had built in Young St. Frankston
on land they had purchased which ran from Playne St. to the Railway line, the
new house was called 'Ethel villa', by the time the Kelly's moved into Frankston
it was beginning to grow rapidly and David carried on a contracting business
using horse and drays...."
David Kelly died 19-5-1936 aged
86, and Polly died 10 years previously 29-4-1926 at the home of her daughter Amy
and son-in-law John Henry (Harry) Polglase, both are buried in the family grave
at Frankston
In his book 'History of Frankston and Surrounding
Areas', Roy Scott records "David Kelly owned the corner block of land
where the Poultrymen and Farmers Trading Co. stood in 1929 and right down to
Sherlock and Hays' timberyard. also David had his sawmill in the Junction Rail
station, trucking timber for houses and using a steam engine for power. David
Kelly had a good bullock team which he used for log haulage and milling
work.
last updated 1-1-2010
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