Kelsey 1842

Ancestor biographies: Francis Hollister Kelsey · Wealthy Susanna Ackley Kelsey

Francis Hollister Kelsey and Wealthy Susanna Ackley were the first of their families to settle in Illinois. In 1842, after a twenty-two-day wagon journey from Sheldon, Genesee County, New York, they reached the open prairie of Lake County. They purchased land near the small settlement of Cuba and began the hard work of building a farm.

The westward move of the Kelsy family was significant, but it followed a familiar pattern. The Kelsey story reaches back to Essex, England, where an early ancestor emigrated to New England in the 1630s. As families grew and land became scarce, later generations moved steadily west—through Connecticut and into New York—seeking opportunity and land to farm.

By the time Francis and Susanna set out for Illinois, they were continuing a long-established family tradition. Their arrival marked both a fresh start and the next chapter in a story shaped by bold decisions and the enduring hope of creating something lasting in a new place.