San Francisco County
Biographies
JEREMIAH
DUDLEY KELLY
Jeremiah D. Kelly, of pioneer California ancestry, is widely known in the bay district as the president of Kelly’s Stables, Incorporated, at 1623-31 Pine street in San Francisco, which firm, however, conducts a modern, fully equipped garage and automobile accessory plant as a successor to the old livery business.
Mr. Kelly was born in San Francisco, December 29, 1970, and is a son of the late Thomas and Margaret (Kelly) Kelly. The father was born in Tipperary, Ireland, in 1823, and in 1854 came to the United States with his future wife and her family on the same sailing vessel. They were married in New York city before coming to San Francisco. Here Thomas Kelly later had one of the most important draying businesses in the early days, which later he enlarged into a carriage and livery service. Up to the time that the automobile began to assume importance as a means of conveyance, he possessed the finest and the most popular livery business in San Francisco. He was also an influential figure in local civic and political affairs, and was a stanch supporter of the republican party. He was for a number of years superintendent of the old City cemetery. He was a devout communicant of the Roman Catholic Church. He lived to reach the venerable age of eighty-three, his death having been caused by accident in 1906, after the fire of that year. Two brothers, Michael and Joseph Kelly, were likewise active in San Francisco and were most favorably known; they served for several years on the city board of supervisors. Margaret (Kelly) Kelly, the mother of Jeremiah D., was born in County Cork, Ireland, and, as noted, came to America on the same ship with her future husband in 1854. By her marriage, she became the mother of six children. Three sons are now deceased, and there are surviving two sons and a daughter, as follows: Frank, a resident of San Francisco; Mrs. Sarah O’Neil, also a resident of San Francisco; and Jeremiah D.
The last named acquired his education in the Clement grammar school and the Commercial high school, where he received his diploma December 30, 1890. Very early in his life, he learned the value of working, selling newspapers and doing various odd jobs to earn money. Soon he entered his father’s livery, where he learned thoroughly the methods of conducting it. After the death of Thomas Kelly, he took over the management of the livery, and under his skillful charge it has gone through the transition from carriage and bus to automobile. The business was itself established in 1880, and now is a garage with every equipment which is to be found in the modern place of this type. Incorporation papers were taken out in 1912. The late Edward Kelly was associated with his brother, Jeremiah D. Kelly, until his death. He was prominent in political and public activities, and served as a park commissioner under Mayor Taylor in 1910-11.
On June 29, 1915, in St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, Mr. Kelly was married to Miss Anna Conrad, who was born in Berlin, Germany, a daughter of the late Frederick and Anna Conrad, who were early settlers in the state of Washington.
Mr. and Mrs. Kelly are both communicants of the Roman Catholic Church, he of the St. Mary’s Cathedral parish and she of the Star of the Sea parish. He is a fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus. Politically, Mr. Kelly has supported the republican party in national elections. His city residence is situated at 828 Balboa street, but he also owns and manages a large ranch near Danville, Contra Costa county, California, which affords him a happy rest and relaxation from the strenuous labor entailed by his garage business. He is known in San Francisco as one who gives a square deal to all of his patrons, and as a result has a constantly growing business, a tribute to the efforts of his honored father before him.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 2 Pages 458-460.
© 2007 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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