It is a long time since this post has been put up, and I have not read through it only the first few lines. I will read it to see how you went. I know Ned Kelly had many cousin's in Australia, which are impossible to trace. To be related to a convict became a thing not talked about in the 1900's. I also know Kelly was a very common name. In my family an Ellen Kelly born around 1800 in the area around Clare and Tipperary was meant to be an aunt or cousin of Red. One must also remember many women died young and often the men remarried younger women and had second families, sometimes using the same names in both families as the other one had moved on. A stories past down from a Great Grandmother who would of been ten years younger than Ned and claimed she new him as a relation when he past through once. Due to the shame, no more details were given. Her mother could not read or write, so the connection it would not have come through letters. I do know the same family had relations in Charter Towns, but as it was a mining town many people when through this town. In claiming estates many people put down they were the only relatives or listed just one other. This was done to save time as many did not know where their relatives lived or whether they were still alive. Many could not read or write, there also were limited communications (ie no telephone). In looking for people often letters were written to the last place they were known and many of these were unclaimed. Some people who use newspapers to put notices in to try and find people or notify of death, however if the person did not read then they would never know. Sometimes when people died, they were listed by completely different names, as they people around them did not know their correct names. There was a lot of desertion of wives also which can also contribute to name changes. The other thing is to look on both sides of family because Kelly was so common, the relation could of come from Ned's mother side or even Daniel's mother side not father side. As your brother in-law is a Kelly if DNA testing would link you closer. Ned's dna was found to work out his remands a few years ago. The Y marker of men in the same family is the same, thus for about $90 you many be able to solve the question that has worried your brother in-laws family for a few years.
