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It should have been easy.
The medals gave me all the information I needed to start my search.
James Kelly Private 15846 Notts & Derby Reg.
James Kelly Sergeant 13010 Machine Gun Corps.
He married Nellie Richardson in Mansfield Register Office, January 5 1916.
He died from TB, February 8 1927. Address 12 Council Houses, South Hiendley.
He was buried in Felkirk Church grave yard, a mile from where I spent my first 21 years, and I didn't know.
Grandmother never spoke about him. No one ever asked. A tacitly off limits subject.

In my research I found about 1700 potential James Kellys  fitting his WWI record, marriage & death. This was an impossible task, so difficult a genealogist friend declined to help! Then a friend told me about the website that helped her find her grannie. Astonishingly, Jeff in Australia was searching the same website for his wife's grandma at the same time as I was looking for my granddad.
At her marriage, March 27 1916, Catherine Kelly's address, 3 Bells Yard, Mansfield, was the same as James' when he married Nellie. Their  fathers had the same details, James Kelly (b1875), miner, Private KOYLI Reg. No mother was mentioned. James & Catherine were apparently siblings.
Jeff found their mother's name, Ellen Slattery, born in Whitwick, Leicestershire, in 1874, through a census search. In 1901 James & Ellen with their 3 children were in Glass Houghton, Yorkshire.
James 4, born in Whitwick -1896/7.
Catherine 3, born in Mexborough, Yorkshire 1898.
Thomas 10 months, born in Whitwick, 1900.
There is no record of the birth of James Kelly (1896/7) despite there being a hefty £2 fine for not registering.
I returned to the website, the Leicestershire forum.
Still no James Kelly even though I now knew where & approximately when he was born.
I learned that Ellen had given birth to a baby boy, Arthur Slattery, in the Ashby de la Zouch Union Workhouse in 1896. There is no further record of this child. He did not grow up, did not marry, did not die. He simply disappeared. The evidence is compelling that Arthur Slattery became James Kelly after Ellen and James married on March 8 1897, in Whitwick Register Office.

I cannot be certain that James Kelly was Arthur's father, but what Jeff & I have learned strongly supports this. Ellen & James were the same age, lived in the same street, attended the same school, got married and in the 1901 census had a 4 year old son. Ellen's husband had raised the child and replaced his birth name, Arthur Slattery, with James Kelly, surely acknowledging paternity.

Mother told me her father's name was James Arthur, but on all General Register Office records he was James Kelly, excepting birth where he was registered as Arthur Slattery.

I have been told that after her husband died, grandmother and her 3 young children had to live in a caravan. I don't know for how long, but presumably they were evicted when James died.
Maybe this is why he was never spoken about.
Maybe this is why grandmother visited her daughter Teresa's grave & not that of her husband, despite them sharing the same plot.
These are things I'll never know, but today, May 22, I can say “Happy Birthday, Granddad” for the first time, 120 years after he was born.





Addendum:
Baby Arthur Slattery was baptised in the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, Whitwick, as were Catherine, Thomas and Francis, who was born in Whitwick in 1899 and died before the 1901 census.
Uncle Jim (James Arthur Kelly) had told his children that he was RC and had been excommunicated. I have been unable to find any record of RC baptism in Mansfield where he was born or for his sisters, Mary Teresa (1920 -1937) and Doreen Winifred (1924 – 2012) both born in South Hiendley.

John Kelly was born in Cacon, County Mayo in 1839, died Cannock, Staffs, January 1915 (Gt gt grandfather)
Ellen Wall, his wife, was born in Kiltimagh, County Mayo, in 1841. Died January 1912 in Lichfield, Staffs.
They married in Tamworth, Staffordshire, July 1859.

James Kelly, 9th of 10 children, was born in Whitwick 1875. Died Nottingham 1951. (Gt grandfather)
Ellen Slattery, his wife, was born in Whitwick, 1874, died Rotherham 1955.
Ellen Slattery's grandfather, John, was born in County Clare, 1820, her father Michael, born Staffordshire, 1870.

But the strangest part of this search was an eerie  coincidence. Something which could not have been anticipated or planned given our limited knowledge 2 years ago. Mother joined her sister and father

May 22 2014,

the 118th anniversary of his birth.

requiescat in pace

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDDAD

There are too many people to thank individually, but I am grateful for all you have done to help solve the mysterious mystery of my elusive grandfather. Many, many thanks
jj 220516

I had hoped that all questions would be answered with the arrival of Arthur Slattery's birth certificate and that his birth address would be Cademan Street, from where Ellen was married but he was born in the Union Workhouse in Ashby de la Zouch, May 22 1896. I believe admissions/discharges still exist at the Records Office in Wigston which will perhaps confirm the Cademan Street address.
Unfortunately, it's not 100% certain that James Kelly (1875) actually was the father of baby Arthur, but all the information Super Searchers have uncovered for me strongly suggest he was.
I am confident that Arthur Slattery became James Kelly, my short lived grandfather. He survived WWI as a machine gunner only to die age 30 from TB, perhaps a legacy of his patriotism.
Many thanks once again to all who have given freely of time & effort in my search for granddad Kelly.

jj 010516

I now have the birth certificate of Arthur Slattery who became James Kelly, my grandfather. I suppose it's no real surprise that he was born in the Union Workhouse, Ashby de la Zouch to the unmarried Ellen, but it was still very sad to read about his place of birth. There are a few little details I'd like to search out, but basically I am happy with what I have found, with the support of so many unselfish people who have given freely of their time & knowledge.
Thanks you to you all.
jj 300416

Solved, the mystery of my elusive granddad, by the Leicestershire forum! (James Kelly 189? 1927)
It is impossible for me to thank individually each person who has contributed to finding James Kelly 1896-1927.
If you read this, you know who you are and that I am deeply indebted to you.
The major breakthrough came when Australian Jeff was searching for his wife's grandmother, Catherine Kelly 1898. She was confirmed as the sister of James Kelly in the 1901 census which also revealed the first mention of a place and approximate birth year for James.
James remained elusive. I accepted that he was almost certainly illegitimate, maybe even born to another family member, “adopted” by James Kelly  (1874) & Ellen Slattery as they were getting married and then known as James Kelly.
Baby Arthur was born to Ellen Slattery, May 22 1896 and Willsy (Leicestershire forum) found his baptism record in Holy Cross RC church, Whitwick, 26 July 1896. She also found baptism records for James & Ellen's  other children, Catherine, born in Mexborough, Francis who I assume died as I have no knowledge of this baby, and Thomas.
The evidence is compelling, the only caveat being the spelling of Ellen's name. In all the records I have found, she is Ellen but in 3 of her children's baptism records she is Helen.
I am unclear about RC baptisms but John Kelly & Ellen Wall were born in County Mayo in 1839 & 1841, marrying in Staffordshire 20 years later which may explain that.
I offer my thanks those who thought sideways & found baby Arthur Slattery & to Willsy who found baptism records.
Many, many thanks to all who have made it possible for me
On May 22 2016, I'll be able, for the first time, to celebrate Granddad Kelly's birthday.
180416