Wealthy Diantha Kelsey Mason (1826-1866)

Sheldon, Genesee County, New York → Cuba Township, Lake County, Illinois → West Dundee, Kane County, Illinois

A sixteen-year-old farm girl who traveled west with her family and helped build a new life on the Illinois frontier.

Quick Facts

  • Born: 22 May 1826, Buffalo, Erie County, New York
  • Died: 6 November 1866, Elgin, Kane County, Illinois
  • Spouse: John Thomas Mason
  • Occupation: Homemaker and farm wife
  • Illinois Settlement: Cuba Twp, Lake County and then West Dundee, Kane County, Illinois

Connection to Author: 3rd great-grandmother (Jepson line)

AI-generated illustration of a young woman in a long dress standing beside a covered wagon pulled by two oxen

AI generated image depicting Wealthy’s trip to Illinois.

Early Life

Wealthy was born in Buffalo, New York, but shortly afterward her family moved to Sheldon in Genesee County. As the oldest of seven children, she grew up on a busy farm where hard work and family cooperation were part of everyday life.

Why She Left

In 1842, when Wealthy was sixteen years old, her parents decided to join the growing migration to northern Illinois. Like thousands of other New York farm families, they hoped to find inexpensive land and greater opportunities on the western frontier.

Journey to Illinois

The extended Kelsey family traveled by covered wagon along the southern shore of Lake Erie. Only a few days into the journey, tragedy nearly struck when Wealthy’s youngest brother, DeFores, fell from the wagon and was run over by one of its wheels. Fortunately, he survived after receiving medical care in a nearby village.

After twenty difficult days on the road, the family reached Chicago on 9 August 1842 before continuing to Elgin. Their hardships did not end there. Soon after arriving, fever and ague spread through the household, and Wealthy’s grandmother, Mary Holmes Ackley, became seriously ill.

Believing a healthier location lay farther north, Francis Hollister Kelsey moved the family again, eventually settling in what became Cuba Township in Lake County.

Building a Life in Illinois

Three years after arriving in Illinois, Wealthy married John Thomas Mason on 8 November 1845. Together they established a farm near West Dundee, where they raised four children during northern Illinois’ early years of settlement.

Although little is recorded about Wealthy’s daily life, she almost certainly shared in the demanding work of a nineteenth-century farm wife—maintaining the household, preserving food, caring for children, tending gardens and livestock, and supporting the family’s growing dairy operation.

She died on 6 November 1866 at just forty years of age.

Migration Timeline

This timeline shows the migration path to Illinois of Wealthy Diantha Mason (Kelsey’s) ancestors.

Name Date From To
William James Kelsey (1600-1680) 1633 Chelmsford, Essex, England Cambridge, MA, Hartford, CT, Killingworth, CT
Stephen Kelsey (1677-1745) 1717 Hartford, CT Weathersfield, CT
New Hartford, CT
Samuel Joseph Kelsey (1756-1838) 1789
Abt. 1796		 New Hartford, CT
Cambridge, Washington, NY		 Cambridge, Washington, NY
Sheldon, Genesee, NY
Francis Hollister Kelsey (1797-1866) 1842 Sheldon, Genesee, NY Cuba, Lake, Illinois
Wealthy Diantha Kelsey (1826-1866) 1842 Sheldon, Genesee, NY Cuba, Lake, Illinois
Then West Dundee, Kane, Illinois

Why This Story Matters

Wealthy’s story represents the experiences of countless young women whose names rarely appear in history books. They left familiar homes, endured difficult journeys, and helped transform the Illinois frontier into thriving communities. While their husbands often purchased the land and appeared in official records, women like Wealthy supplied the labor, resilience, and stability that made those farms successful.

Source Documents

The research documents for the Mason 1840 migration story:

Related Reading

My Blog and Newsletter have additional stories and research related to the Mason family.

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