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Looking for Pierce Keeley, Keely, Kealy born Ireland 1785

I am at a dead end with this one. Many other cousins and I are looking for our Keeley ancestors. I have an aunt that did our family group sheets with LDS and there are gaps there. Here is what I know.
 I am Looking for Pierce Keeley b. abt. 1785 in Ireland
He is listed in the 1825 directory for Cincinnati as immigrating from Ireland.
I have him in the 1820 1830 Butler Co Ohio census spelled Keely
1840 he is in Floyd co Indiana spelled Keeley
I know about the naming system but not sure if he had other children before these as some think he may have had 2 familie in USA but I cant find any proff of that.
Ann 1835-1902
Daniel 1837-1848
Mary 1839-1921 (my grand)
Pierce 1841-1856
Catherine 1843- ?
Ellen 1847-1871
Patrick 1849-1928
Aside from Mary, Patrick is the only one with living offspring (that I am sure of)
Patricks 1st son was Pierce Edward and I believe that was Sr. name. My thinking in his da died just a couple months after he was born so never knowing him he honored him with his full name. AND there seem to be a lot of Edwards and Edmonds showing up in my search for Pierce. Pierce was a blacksmith. We believe Catherine Margaret to be the mother but dont know much else about her and my aunt did not have any info on her for some reason none of the kids knew the mothers name and she lived till 1868. There is no marriage information but she did wait a year almost to the day to get remarried to John Klatenhoff and went by Margaret instead of Catherine which gave us her middle name. She was born 1818 kentucky
 We know all the many names that Pierce could actually be. Percy Percival Peter, Perry, Piere....
This we thought was his birth record but it is for Alice daughter and not Pierce Son. May 28 1787 https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4058403:61039?tid=&pi…
I have seen the name Pierce a few times. These 2 records confused me for the birth of a William Kealy. There is a William born to Pierce Kealy & Mary Walsh and there is a William born to Edmund Kealy & Mary Walsh. Both are in the same area. I have a marriage for Edmond & Mary but not for Pierce & Mary.  https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/153626563:61039?tid=&…
 
 

I found this book that has a lot of very good Kealy Keeley....information in it but cant find my Pierce. Someone else looking for this name may find this useful. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027777245&view=1up&seq=5
I have a 5th cousin I am working with and we both have someone in our tree with a John Nicholas Kealy his father was Edmund Kealy. So I am thinking the spelling may have been Kealy when in Ireland.
We will take any help we can get and any leads and I will thank you in advance!
MeriLee Burton

MLBurton

3 replies

Hi Is Keely an alternative for Kelly? Curious. I’m an Australian Kelly with ancestors born in Ireland in the 1800s. Edmund may be his baptised name but not the name he is known by. Because naming traditions were upheld I imagine having a grandfather, father and son ALL named Edmund would be difficult so they used nicknames or alternative names?
Lilly
With the spelling of surnames I feel it’s important to acknowledge schooling was not a privilege everyone had, so spelling of a surname can be flexible. I know the priest recorded marriages but hearing a name doesn’t tell us how to spell it. Look at how many ways Katherine can be spelled
Lilly
Lilly, The spelling of his first and last names vary. It should be KEELEY but I do think it was maybe Kealy before he came to USA. One thing that just baffles me is the birth record with Pierce Kealy & Mary Walsh having son William. That is the only time I see his name as Pierse. I find more Pierce Keeleys in later census and land records in Ireland but they are all later in years like the 1840s and he was in USA in 1820 I know of. I know one day someone will put something online that will tell me all but I just have to wait and keep on looking. There were Keeleys in Australia and Canada as well as Kelley Kelly just no way to be sure.
MLBurton

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