Born at Roscommon, Ireland on 7 August 1844, son of Thomas Kelly (1816-1891) and Elizabeth Joanna Connelly (1815-1913), he emigrated to the USA in 1864 and worked for a time in New York. He came to Winnipeg in 1877 and, four years later, began the contracting business of Kelly Brothers in partnership with his brothers Thomas Kelly and Martin Kelly. The firm constructed many of the major buildings in early Winnipeg. Later he partnered with Christopher Hickey Simpson in the Kelly-Simpson Construction Company until around 1916.
On 28 February 1868, he was married to Elizabeth Phoebe O’Neill (1848-1936). They had ten children: Thomas Kelly (1869-?), John Kelly (1871-?), James Michael Kelly, Elizabeth Jane Kelly (1877-?, wife of W. J. Kiely), William Emmanuel Kelly (1880-?), Martin Patrick Kelly, Emma T. Kelly (1884-?, wife of James Kelly), Edward J. Kelly (1886-?), Katherine M. Kelly (1888-?), and Charles A. Kelly (1889-?). The family lived at 88 Adelaide Street (1882-1894), 424 Notre Dame Avenue (1894-?), and 45 Edmonton Street (?-1923).
He died at the Misericordia Hospital on 29 January 1923 and was buried in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Kelly House (88 Adelaide Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Kelly House (45 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg)
Manitoba Business: Kelly Brothers / Manitoba Construction Company / Kelly Brothers and Mitchell / Thomas Kelly and Sons
Manitoba Business: Kelly-Simpson Construction Company / National Construction Company
MHS Resources: Manitoba Bricks and Blocks: People
Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1891 Canada census, Ancestry.
1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“Michael Kelly, well known builder, dead,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 January 1923. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B7]
“Michael Kelly, pioneer builder, dies in hospital,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 January 1923, page 13.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 31 January 1923, page 5.
We thank Richard Kelly for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 July 2024
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