Robert Kelley (1887-1949)
&
Bessie E. Mason (1885-1971)
Bessie Mason was born on March 25, 1885, in Monroe, Maine. She was very close to
her younger brother Walter Lee Mason. They had both
suffered the loss of their older sister Janie, who died at age 9 in 1889. Events like that
have a way of pulling siblings closer together.
It's interesting to see that as the generations pass, people become more and more mobile. Before
Bessie was 18, we think she may have been working for her uncle, Ambrose Fogg, who was a
stonecutter in Bangor. In fact, it may have been Ambrose who carved the small lamb that
sits on Janie's grave in Monroe. Bessie apparently fell for a young boy in Bangor, but
decided not to marry him because he was Catholic. Here is a picture of Bessie as a young woman:
I've recently come across this picture as well. Bessie is on the right. The other woman is
Cornilice Bacon. She married a man named Jacobs, but I have no idea how (or if) she
fits into the family. This picture belonged to my great grandfather.
By the time Bessie was 18, she was working in Portland, Maine as a secretary. It was there
that she met Robert Kelley who was working as a street car conductor and,
ironically enough, was also Catholic. Robert would not marry her if she was not Catholic.
This time, she would not be denied. She converted to Catholicism, took instruction
from a Sister Gabriel, and got married. She and Robert were married on September 22, 1903
in Portland. Bessie was always very proud of her younger brother's support of her decision
to join the Catholic church.
Bessie and Robert had three sons:
Benedict Augustine Kelley, born September 20, 1908, died September 28, 1970
Bernard Kelley
Joseph Bryan Kelley
When they first met, Rob (along with his brothers) had recently come to the United States from
Canada. Rob suffered from a congenital hip problem. One of his hips had an insufficient
socket and had slid up causing one of his legs to be a couple inches shorter than the other.
This made standing on a flat surface somewhat tiring. Rob expressed interest in returning
to farming.
In May of 1911, Bessie's Dad, Daniel W. Mason bought about 160
acres in Monroe from A.H. Clements for $1000.00, apparently to allow Rob and Bessie to get started with
a farm. Three years later, in 1914, Rob and Bessie were apparently doing well enough that
they were able to buy the farm outright from Daniel, for the same $1000.00.
Rob and Bessie raised dairy cows and chickens, shipping about twenty gallons of milk and
five gallons of cream each day. They shipped about ninety dozen eggs each week during the
mid 1940's.
Farming is a tough business. Even the best run farms can fall victim to the whims of
Mother Nature and disease. Rob and Bessie apparently faced these challenges as well.
At some point in the early 1930's, the cows were found to have TB and the entire herd
had to be destroyed except for one old cow and one pure-bred Holstein heifer, named Queen.
They built a fine pure-bred Holstein herd from that heifer's descendants. .
It was about this time that Rob obtained a second mortgage for $1100.00 on the farm,
presumably to help restore the herd lost to tuberculosis. Rob was able to pay off both
mortgages on the farm by 1944, in part by selling pulpwood from his land.
The farm was named Thistledown Farm, probably by some Scottish previous owner.
So the cows were all named Thistledown Queen ______. In the forties many of the cows
were bred to a prize bull of the University of Maine - Bugler. Those descendent were
named Thistledown Queen Bugler ________. Bessie carefully drawing the markings of
each new calf and sent in the registration papers.
And while Rob toiled on the farm, Bessie was an extremely busy woman in her own right.
She worked for the town of Monroe as Tax Collector, Dog Catcher, Constable, and
Health Officer for many years, staring in the early 30's.
She gave up the jobs one year, 1934 or 35, maybe coinciding with the tuberculosis
outbreak that decimated their herd.
Her replacement was a disaster. Apparently the bondsmen for the replacement had to pay rather heavily.
Bessie never again had competition in running for office again.
She gave up the jobs when her son, Bennett ,
became Monroe's first Town Manager in 1946 and absorbed those jobs into the job as
Town Manager. She also ran the
Monroe and Brooks Telephone Company until she
finally prevailed on the State Public Utilities Commission to force New England
Bell to take it over.
Rob Kelley passed away in 1949. Bessie lived for another 20 plus years, before dying in 1971.
Bessie and Robert are buried in Mount Rest Cemetery in Monroe, along with their son Bernard.
&
Bessie E. Mason (1885-1971)
Bessie Mason was born on March 25, 1885, in Monroe, Maine. She was very close to
her younger brother Walter Lee Mason. They had both
suffered the loss of their older sister Janie, who died at age 9 in 1889. Events like that
have a way of pulling siblings closer together.
It's interesting to see that as the generations pass, people become more and more mobile. Before
Bessie was 18, we think she may have been working for her uncle, Ambrose Fogg, who was a
stonecutter in Bangor. In fact, it may have been Ambrose who carved the small lamb that
sits on Janie's grave in Monroe. Bessie apparently fell for a young boy in Bangor, but
decided not to marry him because he was Catholic. Here is a picture of Bessie as a young woman:
I've recently come across this picture as well. Bessie is on the right. The other woman is
Cornilice Bacon. She married a man named Jacobs, but I have no idea how (or if) she
fits into the family. This picture belonged to my great grandfather.
By the time Bessie was 18, she was working in Portland, Maine as a secretary. It was there
that she met Robert Kelley who was working as a street car conductor and,
ironically enough, was also Catholic. Robert would not marry her if she was not Catholic.
This time, she would not be denied. She converted to Catholicism, took instruction
from a Sister Gabriel, and got married. She and Robert were married on September 22, 1903
in Portland. Bessie was always very proud of her younger brother's support of her decision
to join the Catholic church.
Bessie and Robert had three sons:
Benedict Augustine Kelley, born September 20, 1908, died September 28, 1970
Bernard Kelley
Joseph Bryan Kelley
When they first met, Rob (along with his brothers) had recently come to the United States from
Canada. Rob suffered from a congenital hip problem. One of his hips had an insufficient
socket and had slid up causing one of his legs to be a couple inches shorter than the other.
This made standing on a flat surface somewhat tiring. Rob expressed interest in returning
to farming.
In May of 1911, Bessie's Dad, Daniel W. Mason bought about 160
acres in Monroe from A.H. Clements for $1000.00, apparently to allow Rob and Bessie to get started with
a farm. Three years later, in 1914, Rob and Bessie were apparently doing well enough that
they were able to buy the farm outright from Daniel, for the same $1000.00.
Rob and Bessie raised dairy cows and chickens, shipping about twenty gallons of milk and
five gallons of cream each day. They shipped about ninety dozen eggs each week during the
mid 1940's.
Farming is a tough business. Even the best run farms can fall victim to the whims of
Mother Nature and disease. Rob and Bessie apparently faced these challenges as well.
At some point in the early 1930's, the cows were found to have TB and the entire herd
had to be destroyed except for one old cow and one pure-bred Holstein heifer, named Queen.
They built a fine pure-bred Holstein herd from that heifer's descendants. .
It was about this time that Rob obtained a second mortgage for $1100.00 on the farm,
presumably to help restore the herd lost to tuberculosis. Rob was able to pay off both
mortgages on the farm by 1944, in part by selling pulpwood from his land.
The farm was named Thistledown Farm, probably by some Scottish previous owner.
So the cows were all named Thistledown Queen ______. In the forties many of the cows
were bred to a prize bull of the University of Maine - Bugler. Those descendent were
named Thistledown Queen Bugler ________. Bessie carefully drawing the markings of
each new calf and sent in the registration papers.
And while Rob toiled on the farm, Bessie was an extremely busy woman in her own right.
She worked for the town of Monroe as Tax Collector, Dog Catcher, Constable, and
Health Officer for many years, staring in the early 30's.
She gave up the jobs one year, 1934 or 35, maybe coinciding with the tuberculosis
outbreak that decimated their herd.
Her replacement was a disaster. Apparently the bondsmen for the replacement had to pay rather heavily.
Bessie never again had competition in running for office again.
She gave up the jobs when her son, Bennett ,
became Monroe's first Town Manager in 1946 and absorbed those jobs into the job as
Town Manager. She also ran the
Monroe and Brooks Telephone Company until she
finally prevailed on the State Public Utilities Commission to force New England
Bell to take it over.
Rob Kelley passed away in 1949. Bessie lived for another 20 plus years, before dying in 1971.
Bessie and Robert are buried in Mount Rest Cemetery in Monroe, along with their son Bernard.
