Born in Boston in 1826. He was the son of a tailor who learned how to farm by reading books and articles. A talented organizer, he co-founded the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry as a social and advocacy group for farmers. He died in 1913, shortly after his 87th birthday.
The first wife of Oliver Kelley, born in 1831 in Ohio, moved to Minnesota with him in 1849. She died at 19, two months after giving birth to their daughter. The baby, also named Lucy, died just a few months later.
Born February 9, 1824. The second wife of Oliver Kelley was an Anoka school teacher, also originally from Boston. She was both an emotional and financial supporter of her husband’s efforts to expand the Grange. She died on May 24, 1911.
Born December 3, 1838. Temperance’s niece was Kelley’s full-time assistant, managed the secretary office, advocated for the Grange in agriculture journals, and argued for women’s equal participation in the Order. She was eventually recognized as “equal to a ‘Founder of the Order.’” She died on December 11, 1917.
The eldest Kelley daughter was born on June 12, 1854. At 21 she became the chief operator of the farm and ran it for 11 years. She was a hotel proprietor in Rio Carabelle, Florida, and eventually a teacher. She died on January 1, 1916.
The second Kelley daughter was born on September 9, 1855. She helped her older sister run the farm for several summers and served as postmistress in Rio Carabelle, Florida. When she died on September 12, 1925, the family line ended.
The third Kelley daughter was born on January 19, 1858. She became a school teacher like her mother. She died on September 6, 1923.
The youngest Kelley daughter was born on January 7, 1859. She followed her family to Washington D.C. and Florida, but very little is known about her. On December 24, 1907, she was the first in her family to pass away.
