There is a compelling image floating about the Williams Creek area of a historic log house once located at the mouth of Lick Branch just off Williams Creek in Carter County. This image depicts a family on and about the front porch of this large log house. It was widely believed the family shown prominently in this nice image was the Granville Davis (1872 – 1956) and Ida Alexander Davis (1877 – 1969) family. An article in March of 2008 of the Kentucky History / Genealogy periodical called “Kentucky Explorer Magazine” included this image and indicated it was the Granville Davis family in the photo. Click on the image for a larger view.
A few years ago, I studied this photo carefully and the children depicted in the image just did not quite match up with the age differentials of the Granville Davis family. Note that the Granville Davis family definitely lived in this house. I have personal testimonials from several Davis descendants that also lived there, so it was once a Davis residence.
Recently I have discovered that the family depicted in this image is actually the Robert Lee Kelley (1873 – 1923) and Anna Adkins Kelley (1880 – 1963) family. The age differentials of the five Kelley children — Ethel on steps (1896 – 1916), Dewey with hand tool (1898 – 1932), Sherley with wheel barrow (1900 – 1953), David Joseph on image right of porch (1904 – 1970), and William on image left of porch (1907 – 1954) — fit perfectly to the children in the image (the Davis family children’s ages did not).
The youngest child in the image looks to be about 4 years old, so this image was likely taken in about 1911. In the 1910 US Census the Kelley family is definitely living in this exact area.
The Mother, Anna Adkins Kelley, was the daughter of prominent local Wiser Adkins (1849 – 1915) who lived very close in Shanty Branch. By the 1920 US Census the Kelley family had moved to the coalfields of Van Lear KY in Johnson County.
So, it seems that the Kelley family lived in this house, and between 1910 and 1920 moved to Van Lear. The Davis family moved into this same house after that. Both families lived in this house, but it is the Kelley family in the image, not the Davis family.
There is also an intimate family connection between the Kelley and Davis families. The oldest Kelley child, Ethel, married the oldest Davis child, George, in about 1915. Ethel died in 1916 of heart disease when she was only 20 years old. I knew her husband George Davis (1892 – 1975), but I always thought he was a bachelor. George and Ethel had one child, Blanche (1916 – 1938). Blanche was raised by her Kelley grandparents. Here is an nice image of George and Ethel. Click on the image for a larger view.
This mistaken identification of the family in the image possibly would never have been discovered had it not been for the careful and tenacious research of Pam Kelly Miller, a great granddaughter of Robert and Anna Kelley. Pam has carefully compared all the family in this image to many other Kelley family photographs, down to common clothing depicted in other Kelley Images, so it is definitely the Kelley family in this image.
I would like to personally thank Pam Kelley Miller for her careful research that she has so graciously shared, and for having the grit to correct this local history misconception.
Enjoy! Lon
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Thank you so much for this article and all you research. I treasure this and the photos.
Nancy,
Thank you. Most of the research was done by Pam Kelly Miller, but I am somewhat intimate with the area and know many of those in the Davis Family and likely many others of your extended family (Adkins, Brainard, etc). Enjoy! Lon