William Henry Kelsey Jr. (1856-1918) Tradesman and Entrepreneur

Do you have an ancestor who was a tradesman and entrepreneur – trying his hand at many enterprises? Exploring this aspect of his life can add color and interest to his life history. Such is the case with my great grandfather, William Henry Kelsey Jr. Histories written by two of his children give fascinating views of his life and especially his work, first in the sawmill industry and then in the wholesale fruit and berry business.

Early Years

William Henry Kelsey, Jr. was the third child born to William Henry Kelsey Sr. and Harriett Huggett. As the first son, he was named after his father. Born on 31 December 1856 in Lewisham, Kent County, England, William didn’t stay in his native land for long. The 1861 census listed him in the household of his father with his two older sisters, Harriett and Ellen. The family had moved from Sussex County, where his sisters were born, to Kent County, where William was born, and then again to Surrey County.¹

William’s father, known as Elder Kelsey to church members, traveled southern England as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He kept diaries of his experiences as a missionary. One month after the 1 April 1861 census enumeration, the family boarded the ship named “The Monarch of the Sea.” They made their way to Utah territory and settled in Springville. William’s daughter, Effie, wrote:²

Their first home was near Hobble Creek near 2nd North and 3rd West. The following spring, when their garden was coming up, Hobble Creek over-flowed its banks completely, destroying the garden and carrying away seeds that had been brought from England.

From there they moved to land west of 4th West and 4th South, the corner where the old fort wall once stood. The adobe walls were made into brick and were used to build their home.

Father’s mother, Harriet, was well educated and for a while kept a small school. Later his teacher was Charles Evans. Little formal teaching was had but it was a home with lots of books and learning which gave him an interest in the past as well as present events of the day. He was a very shy boy keeping much to himself. At the age of fifteen, his father left him to manage the garden and care for the place. There was always something to be done and he was a good strong worker. His father was building a beautiful garden and a business of shipping fruit and berries to the Railroad camps and Mining towns.

The 1870 census found the Kelsey family residing in Springville, Utah Territory, with William Jr., age 13.³ All the household could read and write – unusual in much of the United States at this time – but given the literacy of his parents, it was not surprising. By 1880, William was working as a lumberman and ready to set off on his own.⁴

Marriage and Family

William met and married Selina Beddoes on 23 August 1883. Daughter Effie wrote:⁵

Selina Beddoes, who lived in Salem, came often to help Harriet in her home. Father became interested in her and they were married in the Salt Lake Endowment House, August 23, 1883. They made this trip from Salem to Salt Lake in a covered wagon. Selina’s married sister, Matilda, and her husband, John Q. Stone, accompanied them. It was a two-day trip, camping along the way.

Father tried proving on some ground near Salem Canyon. Their first night there, Selina stepped over a rattlesnake and refused to stay longer.

Their first home was a small two-room log cabin in Salem. This is where their first son was born, William Henry, on August 13, 1884. After his birth, they moved to a larger house called the Powell House. Their next move was to Springville, living in a log house a block east of his parent’s home. Later, they lived in the back part of the Harrison house. Their second son, Edward Raymond, was born here on November 12, 1886. I was also born in this house on the 7th of February, 1889.

In 1889, William built a beautiful house in the Victorian style for his growing family. The house still stands in Springville, Utah, and is a historical landmark. I wrote more about it in Family History Serendipity: Revisiting the House That William H. Kelsey Built.

Business Ventures

Probably because William was working as a lumberman in 1880, after marriage, he began a business in sawmills. The railroad was being built in Utah County and was in need of railroad ties. When William built his Victorian-style home in 1889, his lot was next to the railroad. Effie wrote: ⁶

Father became interested in sawmills, as there was a need for ties in building the Denver-Rio Grande. He had quite a flourishing business. There were five different mill sights with good-sized camps. One was the Nile Mill, one beyond Price. The one I recall, there was a large cookhouse, where the family lived. Many of the men brought their families for the summer. They lived in tents. The logs were dragged to the mill by oxen, put into ties, then hauled to the nearest railroad by horse.

The sawmill venture lasted until 1895, when William’s father, William Henry Kelsey Sr. died, and William Jr. sold the sawmills and took over the wholesale fruit and berry business.

At the death of his father in 1895, Father sold the Mills and took over the wholesale fruit and berry business – he was thirty-eight when Grandpa died. The packinghouse was moved near his place. He had a large berry garden and orchards of his own but supplemented the demand by buying from towns people. This grew into a big business. Peddlers would load their wagons to sell in mining towns. Crates of fruit were expressed by train. A great pride in the excellence of the product. Employment was given to many neighboring young people.

Always the entrepreneur, when southern Idaho was being opened up by the canal system in 1906, William wanted to go to the new country. He homesteaded some land near Filer, Idaho, and the crops were excellent. Effie shared the following.⁷

In 1906, a southern part of Idaho was being opened up by canals from the Snake River. Father wanted to go into the new country, so with George Hyde and Pat Ward, they homesteaded on a quarter section near Filer, Idaho. Being new country, the crops were excellent. He had taken some wheat from Dick Lowe. It was quite outstanding, adapted to that climate. He sold it all for seed then he had it registered under the name of Dicklow, a staple wheat of Idaho. He knew irrigation and was able to contribute to it – he did well.

He grew tired of being alone, mother did not go with him to Idaho, and it had been three years so he sold the land. He then returned to Springville and to farming.

Athough William didn’t end up living in Idaho, his son and my grandfather, Edward Raymond Kelsey, did! Likely influenced by his father’s interest, Edward homesteaded land in Declo, Cassia, Idaho.

According to his youngest son, Fred, William invested in many ventures where he lost money – several mines and a sugar factory.⁸

Dad was an entrepreneur. He tried homesteading Salem. One night they stayed over night. What she thought were mice crawling around in her straw pillow was a rattle snake rotating. They discovered it in the morning and, of course, that ended that homesteading. The homesteading in Idaho was not successful either. There were partner trouble and mother didn’t like so he sold out. If he would have kept it, he possibly would have been a millionaire. Mother was always the conservative and Dad the plunger.

Death

William Henry Kelsey, Jr. died on 26 February 1918 at his home in Springville, Utah. The cause of death was typhoid fever. His son Fred stated a sentence that summed up William’s life.⁹

He was an adventurer, a plunger, and entrepreneur.

Best of luck in all your genealogical endeavors!

 

 

1. 1861 England Census, Surrey County, Civil Parish:Camberwell, Ecclesiastical District: Camden, Hamlet: Peckham, Page: 20, Schedule 110, William H. Kelsey; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8767/images/sryrg9_380_384-0674 : accessed 9 September 2023); citing National Archives of the UK, Folio: 123, GSU roll: 542627.
2. FamilySearch Family Tree, Memories for William Henry Kelsey, Jr., 1856-1918, KWZJ-8ST, Effie Kelsey, “William Henry Kelsey Jr., FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/4172671 : accessed 9 September 2023).
3. 1870 U.S. Census, Utah County, Utah Territory, population schedule, Springville, p. 339A (stamped), p. 31 (penned), dwelling 220, family 214, William H. Kelsey; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 September 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1612.
4. 1880 U.S. Census, Utah County, Utah, population schedule, Springville, p. 163C (stamped), p. 19 (penned), dwelling 161, family 172, William H. Kelsey; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 September 2023); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 1338.
5. FamilySearch Family Tree, Memories for William Henry Kelsey, Jr., 1856-1918, KWZJ-8ST, Effie Kelsey, “William Henry Kelsey Jr.
6. FamilySearch Family Tree, Memories for William Henry Kelsey, Jr., 1856-1918, KWZJ-8ST, Effie Kelsey, “William Henry Kelsey Jr.
7. FamilySearch Family Tree, Memories for William Henry Kelsey, Jr., 1856-1918, KWZJ-8ST, Effie Kelsey, “William Henry Kelsey Jr.
8. FamilySearch Family Tree, Memories for William Henry Kelsey, Jr., 1856-1918, KWZJ-8ST, Fred Beddoes Kelsey, “William Henry Kelsey II, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/24213226 : accessed 9 September 2023).
9. FamilySearch Family Tree, Memories for William Henry Kelsey, Jr., 1856-1918, KWZJ-8ST, Fred Beddoes Kelsey, “William Henry Kelsey II.