The
Kelly's
Andrew
Kelly started out the long family tree of Kellys in Barkerville.
In March of 1866, Andrew Kelly
married Genevieve Lipsett-Skinner at Victoria, British Columbia.
The two ran a boarding house and bakery on Grouse Creek in the Cariboo
until 1870 when they decided to return to Barkerville.
Once arrived in Barkerville,
the Kellys' purchased a buiding for a new business and opened the
Kelly Hotel in 1871. He later purchased the adjoining building.
The sign that was hung outside of their Hotel was a large octagon-shaped
lantern, on the glass sides of which was printed, "Kelly Saloon and
Beds". Over the next few years Kelly kept his hand in Barkerville
businesses keeping his business thriving and with other entrepreneurial
endeavors on the side.
At the same time the
Kellys purchased their Hotel, they purchased adjacent land across
the street and a portion of this second lot was shortly sold to
B.C & Yukon Telegraph, who the following year put up an office building
which housed also the government Post Office. Years later Andrew
set the rest of the lot aside as a public playground for the children
of the town. In winter this was used as a skating rink. In the 1930s
a one room schoolhouse was built here. The Kelly Hotel flourished
and created for Andrew Kelly and his family a rewarding life in
Barkerville. Here he brought up his family who, as they grew older
took their places as well in the thriving community.
Along with the good
times, the Kellys had their share of sorrow. One of their children,
Johnnie Hastie, born at Grouse Creek in 1869, died at the age of
six in 1875 and was buried in the Barkerville Cemetery. Another
baby died only two days after his birth in 1878. Andrew Kelly kept
his interest in the mining of the Barkerville district and had shares
in mines on Grouse Creek, Proserpine Mountain and in the Hurdy claim
at the upper end of Williams Creek. He, along with William Rennie,
Joseph Mason, John Bibby and Ithiel Blake Nason were the first directors
of the Waverly Hydraulic Mining Company, formed in 1879 at Grouse
Creek. He remained a director of this company until 1909. In 1905,
the Kellys left Barkerville for the winter and purchased a home
in Victoria, B.C., where they moved permenantly some years later.
When they left for Victoria,
the Kellys made arrangements to have their piano, which had been
carried from Quesnel to Barkerville in 1863, shipped down. This
piano had survived the Great Fire. Andrew Kelly said at that time
that he had purchased it from Miss Nathan, who used to play it with
her toes, and as a result it had lost some keys. With a twinkle
in his eye he remarked that she had been quite hard on ity. He continued,
"After it is 'repaired and tuned, I'll return it to Barkerville
for my grandchildren." The old piano was in the Kelly family for
years.
One of Andrew Kelly's
sons, William, made his home in Barkerville and followed his father's
manner of life. After the senior Kelly left for Victoria, sometime
in 1909 or 1910, William took over managing the hotel and succeeded
his father as shareholder and director of the Waverly Hydraulic
Mining Company.