Bob Sweeney is the great great grandson of Timothy and Nora (Twohey) Kelly who
lived in County Cork, Ireland in the early decades of the Nineteenth Century. Over fifteen years in the mid-century, their children
all emigrated to to Kelly Hill in Forks Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. The aging father, Timothy, presumably widowed, came as well.
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The Kelly family originated in County Cork, but they were not stay-at-home farmers.
After emigrating to Pennsylvania, some of the siblings stayed there, but others left town. One of the itinerant Kellys was
John Edward, as we shall see. He was one of four brothers and a sister.
John Edward Kelly married Anna Quinn (1825-1900) in 1856 in Pennsylvania. Anna
was also born in Ireland. They began to have a family, of which Mary Rose Kelly (1857-1935) was the eldest. She was born on April 13, 1857 in Sullivan County, PA. Other children caae over the next few years. Here is her obituary:
The Belleville News-Democrat
Belleville, IL
February 22, 1935
Mrs. Mary Roach Grandmother of 52, Dies at Her Home
Mrs. Mary Kelley [sic] Roach died at her home, 3519 West A Street at 6:10 o'clock last night. She was 77 years old.
Mrs. Roach was born in Sullivan County, Pa., April 13 1857, a daughter of John and Ann Kelley nee Quinn, both of whom were natives of Ireland. She was married to John Roach April 13 1879. He died September 16, 1920
Fourteen children were born to the couple. Ten are living. The seven sons are James T. Roach of 3519 West A Street John N Roach of Ladonia, Mo., Joseph Roach of Minden, Nevada, Daniel Roach of St. Marie, Idaho, Timothy Roach of North Ninth Street, Belleville, Robert Roach of LaCrosse, Wis., and Edward Roach of Fairboult, Minn; three daughters, Anna wife of Vernon Sedgwick Mondevedo, Minn., Theresa wife of John Bergin of Livingston, Mont., and Margaret wife of Frank McDermott, Chicago; a brother Nick Kelley of Maryville, Kan., a sister Anna I Kelley of Wynot, Neb., 52 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
The funeral will be held at 8:45 o'clock Monday morning from Gundlach Funeral Home to St. Mary Catholic Church where Rev. Joseph Orlet, Pastor, will chant a Requiem High Mass at 9 o'clock.
Burial will be made in Mount Carmel Cemetery.
We know about this Kelly family for the most part due to the research and historical
record keeping of Cynthia Roach Haack (1932-2014), a great niece of John and Mary (Kelly) Roach. In 1982, Cynthia wrote The Family History of Thomas Roach and Bridget Adelia SKehan. Aside from what the story tells us about the Roach ancestors and this branch of the Kelly family, it is also a marvelous history of
what life was like for Irish emigrants, both before and after they left Ireland. She was the daughter of Jess E. and Martha (Gould)
Roach and the wife of Edward William Haack. Her father Jess E. Roach was a son of Daniel and Mima (Long) ROach. Daniel was
a brother of John Roach, the husband of Mary Kelly. Both Daniel and John were sons of Thomas and Bridget Adelia (Skehan) Roach.
Here is an obituary for Cynthia who died in 2014:
Cynthia Roach Haack
Author of the Roach and Kelly Family History
Taken Before Her Death in 1982
Photo Courtesy of Edward Kelly and Find a Grave
McEwen Funeral Service at
Sharon Memorial Park
Charlotte NC
November 23, 2014i>
CHARLOTTE - Cynthia Roach Haack, 82, passed away peacefully at her home on November 22, 2014.
She was born July 22, 1932, in Eagle Bend, Minnesota to Jess and Martha Roach. She worked for
a number of years as a school teacher before starting a successful career as an artist. She was a
devoted wife, mother, and grandmother to her family. She is survived by her husband of 55
years Edward Haack, and son Edward, daughter-in-law Rochelle, grandson Noah, and granddaughter Sarah, all of Charlotte, and brother Dan of Minneapolis, MN. She was preceded in death by her parents, and brother Tom. She will sorely missed by all who loved her so much. Services will be private. McEwen Funeral Service at Sharon Memorial Park is entrusted with services.
Now, get ready for an incredible story of perseverance
and adventure as we follow this Irish extended family through its journey to America and
the lives they created there!
Thomas and Bridget Scahan ("Skehan")Roach: Irish Emigrants to America
Their Story and the History of Their Descendants
:
The History: "Pages 1 to 20"
The History: "Pages 21 to 42"
The History: "Pages 41 to 60"
The History: "Pages 61 to 80"
The History: "Pages 81 to 100"
The History: "Pages 101 to 120"
The History: "Pages 121 to 140"
The History: "Pages 141 to 160"
The History: "Pages 161 to 180"
The History: "Pages 181 to 200"
The History: "Pages 201 to 220"
The History: "Pages 221 to 240"
The History: "Pages 241 to 256"
The Photo Album: "Pages 257 to 262"
The Photo Album: "Pages 263 to 266"
The Photo Album: "Pages 267 to 270"
The Photo Album: "Pages 271 to 274"
The Photo Album: "Pages 275 to 278"
The Photo Album: "Pages 279 to 282"
The Photo Album: "Pages 283 to 286"
Family Group Sheets: "Pages 287 to 308"
The Photo Album: "Pages 309 to 332"
We close with a photo of the grave marker of Mary Rose (Kelly) Roach (1858-1935). It is located in Mount Carmel Cemetery
in Belleville, Illinois. That's a long way from Forks Township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, where she was born in 1858.:
Mary Rose (Kelly) Roach
Wife of John Murphy Roach
Photo Courtesy of Edward Kelly and FInd-a-Grave
If you would like to learn more about the Kelly family and its history, go to The
Kelly Reunion of 2006,
where there are multiple sources.
Copyright � 2021 Robert
E. Sweeney and individual Contributors. All Rights Reserved. Prior written
permission is required from Robert E. Sweeney and individual Contributors before
this material can be printed or otherwise copied, displayed or distributed
in any form. This
is a FREE genealogy site sponsored through PAGenWeb and can be reached directly
at ~Sullivan County Genealogy Project (http://www.rootsweb.com/~pasulliv)
