Monday, September 27, 2010

Amanuensis Monday - Nellie Kelly's postcard to Dan Kelly

This is a postcard from Nellie Kelly Rector to her brother, Daniel Kelly (my great grandfather) of Greenwood, Nebraska.

The card is postmarked December (no date) 1911, Lincoln Nebraska

Sunday Eve


Was glad to see you looking so well today. But couldn't get you on the phone (co) tell you about Edward tonight.


Much love, Nellie


The reference to Edward is likely their nephew, Edward Fitzgerald, son of their sister, Mary Kelly Fitzgerald and John Fitzgerald. After the death of his wife, Mamie, in 1902, Edward seemed to move around quite a bit and at the time of his mother's death in 1940, news accounts listed him as a survivor, but "whereabouts unknown." He's one of those elusive family members who seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. 

Or was it about another nephew, Edward Kelly, son of their brother Michael C. Kelly and Mary Keleher. To me, that seems less likely as this Edward was a youth of eight years in 1911.

The postcard raises more questions than it answers. Was the reference to Edward Fitzgerald? What was the news that Nellie wanted to tell her brother about Edward? And why is this the only item in Nellie's hand that was kept in the family archives? It certainly must have been of some significance.

Amanuensis - one employed to take dictation or to copy manuscript

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme suggested by Geneabloggers.

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