About the O'Kelley
Family:
Our African-American O'Kelley
family started through the union of Ellen (O'Kelley) Mathews-Fisher,
a Mulatto woman born in 1843, and her slave owner James
Edward O'Kelley. Family legend states Ellen was
purchased in order to bear children and that she refused to
succumb to the advances of the "massa" until she
was beaten, blinded in one eye, and threatened to be tossed
into a burning bush.
We have found a
historical deed record which includes an entry regarding a
slave named "Ellen", who was willed
to Elizabeth Ann Middleton - a minor child. At this
time, we have not confirmed if this is "our" Ellen
matriarch. Elizabeth would later become the wife of
James Edward O'Kelley (also spelled O'Kelly) who is listed
as a planter and slaveowner in the 1860 Wilkinson County,
MS Slave Schedules. Slave schedules did not list the
actual names of those counted, but the census enumerations
for this particular schedule does show one 17 year old female
in the O'Kelley plantation. Ellen would have been 17 years
old in 1860.
Ellen bore three
(3) O'Kelley sons; Daniel Smith (May 1862 - Dec. 25, 1930),
Will Dock (Nov. 1867 - Mar.
4, 1927), and Charles Edward (Jun. 1871 - Apr. 1943).
There was speculation that a relationship was continued between
Ellen and her O'Kelley slaveowner after the abolition of slavery
and that there were two brothers involved.
According to the death certificate
for Charles E. O'Kelley, his father's name is John B. O'Kelley.
John B. is the brother to James E. O'Kelley.
James E. died in 1867 so he could not have fathered the last
O'Kelly son. This latest finding confirms the stories
of Ellen's involvement with the two Irish brothers.
Ellen gave birth to a total of
seven children including; Amos Mathews (b.1874),
Theresa (Saresta) Fisher-O'Neal (b.1880),
and Cordelia Fisher. Cordelia is said to
have died as a teen-ager and was likely born after 1880.
John Archie Hilliard (b.1872) was
previously cited as a son of Ellen's. Recent information states
that he was the brother-in-law to Daniel O'Kelley. Census
records of 1880 show Ellen Fisher, 37, resided in Wilkinson County, Mississippi,
in the city of Woodville, with her last husband William Fisher
and children. Ellen's three O'Kelley sons raised their
families in Woodville, MS near Natchez (Adams County),
and near the city of Greenville - in the now defunct town
of Magenta, MS (Washington County). They were
self-contained and educated business men with farms and a
barber shop. Daniel ran a school house and sent several
of his children to college back in the 1920s.
Our first O'Kelley
family reunion was held in St. Louis in the early 1930s which
was spurred following the death of the eldest black O’Kelly
son, Daniel Smith. Daniel died on Christmas day, December
25, 1930. Reunions were held each of the next
two years but were discontinued in 1940, due to a large number
of family members serving overseas during World War II.
Our family served as military police, nurses, WACs and aerial
photographers during the war. The reunions resumed in
1943 and were held yearly until 1968, when due to the
large turnouts, the decision was made to hold them at hotels
every two years rather than in homes of various family members
The tradition continues on today. The O'Kelley family
combined the year 2000 reunion with the Darris
family originally of Louisiana--our cousins.
The Black O'Kelleys
have created this website to help close all gaps in our family
tree. We want this website to reach all those who are
involved in genealogy searches for their families as well.
Hopefully this website will answer questions for others in
their search and visitors will help us answer questions we
have as well. Please feel free to send comments, questions and suggestions.
more
family history...
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