Just found this genealogical passage about my Paternal Family name.
William Richard Cutter, Comp., Genealogy and Family History of Western New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1912.
Page 705 - 707
"Burke states in his "Landed KELLEY Gentry" that the Kelley family may look back beyond the Conqueror and derive themselves from the ancient Britons. The Kelley family from Devonshire, England, were undoubtedly of Celtic origin, as Irish families were settled in South Wales, Devonshire and Cornwall, descendants, it is believed, of "fighting King Kelley," whose manor was in the possession of the family from the time of Henry II. The earliest mention of the name in Irish history was A. D., 254, when Ceallach MacCormac is recorded as son of the monarch, Cormac Ne- fadha. The king of Connaught had a son Ceallach, in 528. The Irish Archaeological Society, in 1843, published Customs of Hymany, who lived A. D. 874, and bore the name Cel- laigh. His grandson. Muechaddo O'Callaigh, was the first to use the surname, the law being made by the celebrated Irish king, Brian Baroimbe, that "everyone must adopt the name of his father as a surname''. Thus the grandson of Callaigh became O'Callaigh, and the name simplified to Kelley about 1014. Queen Elizabeth requested Cola O'Kelley to discard the "o," as it tended, by keeping up the clanship in Ireland, to foster disaffection in England. In Scotland, in Fifeshire is a district called Kellieshire, and various branches of Kelleys were dispersed through England. The most probable signification of the name is : War, debate, strife. The spelling has been much varied, but its origin is undoubtedly as given above. Many of the name who came to this country, and their descendants, take greater pride in their ancient Irish descent than in their English. The arms granted the family in Ireland are : A tower triple towered supported by two lions rampant or. Crest : a greyhound statent proper. Also : Gules on a mount vest, two lions rampant : and azure in chief, three estoiles argent. Crest: A hand holding by the horn a bull's head erased or. A coat-of-arms granted to Hon. Robert Kelley, of Doncaster, 1473, bore the mott!
Wow, I am having trouble getting back past 5 or 6 generations. It would be really something to go all the way back to the Norman Invasion! I need to get a copy of this book.
