Norman Kelley
pages 245-246

ONE of the pioneer families of Cleveland, and one of the best known here from that remote period to the present time, is the Kelley family, of which the late Norman Kelley, for many years prominent in industrial circles, was a worthy representative, and it is entirely fitting that a succinct, but plain, unvarnished resumé of his honorable and successful career be outlined in these pages.
Mr. Kelley was born in Cleveland, Ohio, July 9, 1836.  He was a son of Irad and Harriet (Pease) Kelley, a complete sketch of whom will be found on another page of this volume.  Our subject was one of a family of ten children, eight of whom arrived at the age of maturity, all of whom are now deceased, with the exception of Mrs. Laura Harriett (Kelley) Hills. The old homestead was located on Euclid Avenue.
Norman Kelley grew to manhood in his native locality and he received his early education in the local public schools, and later in private schools.  His first venture was when a young man he moved to Kelley's Island and engaged in the quarrying and shipping of limestone.  The island received its name form Norman's father, Irad Kelley, who purchased it in 1834.  His initial venture proved very prosperous and our subject was long active in the life of the island, owned large vineyards and was president of the Kelley's Island Wine Company.  He became vice president of the Kelley Lime and Transportation Company, which position he held at the time of his death, however he had retired from the active operation of his quarries in 1892, in which year he consolidated his business with the Kelley Island Lime and Transportation Company and became a director and vice president of the new concern.  He then removed to Cleveland and lived at Sixty-ninth Street and Euclid Avenue until the death of his wife, when he sold that home and moved to East Eighty-second Street.
Mr. Kelley married Martha Hanna, of Detroit, Michigan, February 7, 1872.  Her death occurred December 24, 1905.  This union was without issue.
Mr. Kelley was a veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted in the one-hundred-day service.  He was a member of the Tippecanoe Club and the Chamber of Commerce.  He was musically inclined, and always liked any kind of music, and was an excellent judge of the same.  He was a man of old-time hospitality and charitably inclined, was fond of young people and he and his wife were sociably inclined and were popular in all circles in which they moved, admired for their many commendable characteristics and genuine worth.  Politically he was a Republican, but never sought political honors.
Our subject's uncle, Alfred Kelley, was the first mayor of the village of Cleveland, and when he was sent to the State Senate, Judge Daniel kelley, our subject's grandfather, became mayor, and later he was postmaster at Cleveland and was succeeded in the office by his son, Irad Kelley, father of our subject.  The death of Norman Kelley occurred on October 2, 1912, in his seventy-seventh year.
Mrs. Laura Harriett (Kelley) Hills, only surviving sister of the gentleman whose name introduces this memoir, wa born in Cleveland, March 18, 1839, and here she grew to womanhood and received her education in private schools, finishing at the Cleveland Female Seminary.  She is a lady of affable address and is a favorite with a host of warm friends.  She is justly proud of the fact that she is eligible to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.  She is essentially a home woman, taking much pleasure in her children and grandchildren.  She married William Dorwin Hills in Cleveland on December 1, 1863.  He was the son of Nathan Cushman Hills and Sabina A. (Loomis) Hills.  The latter was born in Madrid, St. Lawrence County, New York, May 2, 1811.  The father was a native of Connecticut, in which State the Hills family were early settlers.
 Politically, Mr. Hills was a Republican and was very active in political affairs.  He was a member of the Euclid Avenue Presbyterian Church, to which Mrs. Hills also belongs.  He was a companionable, unassuming gentleman, who made friends everywhere he went and retained them without effort.  He took much pride in maintaining a neat, cosey, and attractive home, and was fond of his wife and children--two sons, who were named Norman Edwin Hills, born January 4, 1868, married Abbie McEwin, of Cleveland, on September 11, 1895; to this union four children were born, namely, Helen, Alice, Cleveland, and Edwin; these bright youngsters are the pride of their grandmother, our subscriber.  Robert Cushman Hills, youngest of Mr. Hills' two sons, was born August 18, 1879; he has remained unmarried, and lives at home.  These children received excellent educational advantages, and are making a good start in life.
The death of William D. Hills occurred on April 22, 1914.

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