Genealogy help! Kildare

Kildare

Hello all, I'm researching my family heritage and currently we believe we come from a Walter Kelly who lived in the Timahoe, Kildare area in the early/mid 1700s. We believe that he left in 1750 and went to South Carolina, United States, possibly with a group of quakers. Some theories are that he was a son of James Kelley and Jane Auld, but this has not been proven. Does anyone have any information that they may be able to share related to this Walter Kelly?

I will be visiting Ireland in June 2025 and would love to be able to find more information on where exactly I came from!

bpkelly

last year

3 replies

bpkelly:

Unfortunately, we don't have access to any records before 1750 for Co. Kildare other than one Church of Ireland parish in Athy. I assume you have already taken a general DNA test?

Roger McDonnell

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

last year

Yes, I’ve taken both 23&me and ancestry.

bpkelly

last year

Hi, I also have taken an interest in trying to research Walter Kelly! I visited Timahoe in April 2025, there is still a Quaker cemetery there and a plaque left by Richard Nixon (he was descended from the Milhouses who were a well known Quaker family there). I did more research after I returned from my trip, some of which might be of interest to you here:

http://www.logankelly.blog/2025/05/01/family-history-part-2/

Unfortunately I couldn't find a direct link between Walter Kelly and the Quaker community in Timahoe, but he did reside in Camden, South Carolina at the same time that the Quaker community relocated there from Ireland. There's still a good chance they are related, I just couldn't find any inarguable evidence of it.

lkelly

last year

Genealogy help! Kildare

3 replies

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