Kelly Book

THE KELLY FAMILY BOOK, 1972

Color legend:

Black, the autobiography text identical in Kelly Book and original manuscript

(italics) original manuscript text as transcribed by Greg Dunn, 1994 differing from Kelly Book

Red, changed wording as published in Kelly Book, 1972

Dark blue, editorial comments of compilers of Kelly Book, 1972

Light blue, Frank M. Crain and others, published in Kelly Book, some 1915, mostly 1949, commenting and supplementing autobiography

Green, C.Q. McGinnis, 1915

Brown, Greg Dunn, 1998

"The Kelly Family Book" was compiled and published privately in 1972. (LCC#72-86152) The authors are Laura Kelly and Esther Kelly Watson. Because the Kellys married the Crains, and because James Crain McGinnis was a Crain on his mother's side, the autobiography he wrote was a centrally important document for both Crain and Kelly early ancestry. Through Dr. Charles Quincy McGinnis of St. Louis, son of James Crain McGinnis, via a cousin living in 1915 in Havana, Cuba, Ralph Crain, grandson of William Crain, itinerant minister, discussed at length in the autobiography, acquired a copy of the autobiography. This copy was passed down through the Crain family and was commented upon and eventually acquired and privately published by the Kelly genealogists, without notification to the McGinnis family. The Kelly research has been careful and adequate. There are however significant differences from the original handwritten autobiography which has come down to me through my mother's McGinnis family. This section compares the Kelly Manuscript Version with the original written version. GDunn.

Kelly Book: CHAPTER VI "CRAIN RECOLLECTIONS"

The following chapter is included because it relates to the history of the CRAIN family. James Crain McGinnis, the principal author, was a nephew of Moriah Maldon Crain (his mother, Mary Harrison Crain McGinnis, was the older sister of Moriah Maldon Crain), third wife of Clinton Kelly. The several footnotes, indicated by parenthetical initials, show that this manuscript has been reviewed by other members of the family, who have added explanatory notes. The following legend will clarify relationships: (RWC) - Ralph Waldo Crain, nephew of James Crain McGinnis (CQMcG) - C. Quincy "Quince" McGinnis, son of James Crain McGinnis (FMC) - Frank Matthew Crain, brother of Ralph W. Crain, and nephew of James Crain McGinnis (ED) - Estella McKeehen Duddleson, great-great-great granddaughter of John Crain and Sarah Rousseau Crain

"Havana, Cuba February 28, 1915

To the Crain Family and Connections:

I have just received a most valuable addition to the Crain family history which I am now engaged in writing and compiling. I refer to an uncompleted autobiography which was written in 1876 and 1877 by James Crain McGinnis. I have to thank for this my cousin Dr. C.Q. McGinnis, of 4257 Meremac Street, St. Louis, Missouri, a practicing physician in that city. Dr. McGinnis, as my request, has been so kind as to copy his father's original manuscript, and for which service I am deeply grateful to him. In copying this work, Dr. McGinnis has inserted in parentheses side remarks of his own which bear on the subject in hand. These I shall mark with the Doctor's initials to show he is the author of such comments. I find that in later research made by myself certain additional information has come to light, and in a few cases I have come into possession of corrected dates and other little items of information which bear on the subject so closely that I shall also make some insertions enclosed in parentheses, marking same with my own initials (RWC). The parenthetical remarks occurring in the original manuscript, if any such occur, will be set off by dashes, thus - to show that they belong to the original manuscript, so that in such cases it will not be necessary to employ the initials of the original author. We should be proud of the fact that our family is of the old time genuine American stock, dating far back into Colonial times. In the mountainous sections of Virginia and Kentucky have lived for many generations the descendants of the bold and hardy pioneers, of the stamp of Daniel Boone, who are of Scotch, Irish and English blood, who are men and women of splendid physique and high courage, with a code of honor higher than written law, free from the taint of wealth and caste, loyal to their families and to their friends - where blood is thicker than water, where liberty and freedom are fairly infused into the mountain air they breathe, and where men are not afraid to die." While it is to be lamented that Major McGinnis did not complete this work, yet we may consider ourselves fortunate in securing even this fragmentary portion of the family history in the early days: I hope that they may be supplemented by the elderly members of the family whose memory reaches back almost to this same period, who may help us to piece out the narrative here begun, though of course not in the comprehensive manner that would have marked the work of the distinguished man who began it."

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH JAMES CRAIN MCGINNIS (1830-1893)

I am now forty-six years old and have had a most eventful career - a history of which I propose to write a history for the benefit and satisfaction of my descendants. I do not possess, no could I obtain, a single line written by any one of my ancestors, and I have only traditional information (stories) those whom I have not seen. ( concerning some of them as I hope to preserve.) If my descendants will preserve this record, ( By this record) they may know some thing of their ancestors who lived during the Great American rebellion and (who) witnessed many of its most stirring events. I shall write of little things and great ones, as I have witnessed them so that those coming after me will have a true picture of my life and of the scenes through which I have thus far passed.

My father William McGinnis was born in Kentucky. When he was about ten years of age (old) he was left to shift for himself and he entered into indentures with a stone mason in Wayne County, Kentucky. (went to work for a stonemason.) He stayed with this man until he (had) mastered the business, then went (at which time he moved into) Pulaski County, Kentucky.; When he was only about nineteen years old, he met and married my mother, Mary Harrison Crain. He joined the business of a stone and brick mason with that of a farmer and prospered fairly until the year 1836 when he removed to the State of Missouri and settled in the village of (St.) Francisville in Clark County where he continued his former occupations until his death, September 9, 1838 (he was killed by a quack doctor with calomel on the 9th of September 1838.) He was about six feet four inches high, and weighed one hundred and seventy pounds, as straight as an arrow and as supple and active as a panther( tree and as supple as a panther. I will speak of his appearance further in another place.) His complexion was very dark, his eyes piercing black and his hair was glossy black. My mother, Mary Harrison Crain was born in Kentucky and was the daughter of John Crain (b 25, April 1774) and Sarah Rousseau Crain (b. 11 January, 1776); both ( who) were born in Culpeper County, Virginia .( in 1765 and 1774 respectfully, and married in that place in 1794 and moved to in 1795.)My mother's parents first moved to Kentucky in 1795, coming down the Ohio River in flat boats in the company with a colony of Rousseaus, Rodgers, Crittendens, Dogans, etc. They landed at Maysfield and first settled what is now Woodford County, which was then a