An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, pages 376-377.

HAMPTON KELLY, deceased. A fitting tribute to the memory of Hampton Kelly is
called for in a work of this character, since he was a pioneer of this country,
since he was a man of integrity and uprightness and since the people had learned
to love him as a good and kind man, as he was. He was born on April 16, 1830, in
Kentucky. His father, Clinton Kelly, was also born in Kentucky, and his father,
the grandfather of our subject, was a patriot in the Revolution. They all came
across the plains to Oregon in 1848 and the father and son both took donation
claims in what is now East Portland. Later Clinton Kelly donated an acre of this
claim for the school now known as the Clinton Kelly graded School of Portland.
The father and son were both prominent and influential people in Portland and
were very progressive, public spirited and enterprising. They were always the
ones to head any general improvement or movement for the good of the city and
the people. Both were generous men and were very liberal in supporting and
founding churches, being true blue Methodists, and also in supporting every
measure that had for its end the betterment of the people and the community. In
1875, Clinton Kelly was called to the world beyond. He died as he had always
lived, a devout and trusting Christian, and the time of his demise was a day of
sincere mourning far and near, for by his kindness and generosity, Clinton Kelly
had endeared himself to all, and everyone was aware that a true, noble, and good
man had that day gone from their midst.      

On account of the asthma, our subject came east of the mountains in 1879, and
from that time until 1881, he was back and forth between Juniper flat and
Portland. Finally, on August 7, 1881, he brought all of his family hither and
settled down. He became the proprietor of about sixteen hundred acres of good
land and made his headquarters here until the day of his death. It was on
October 16, 1898, that the summons came for Hampton Kelly to resign the duties
of life and come to a better world. He was willing to go and passed quietly into
the realities of the world that is to be. Like his father, his life had been
filled with good deeds, and he had won the hearts of all who knew him. He left a
widow and the children mentioned in L.B. Kelly's sketch to mourn his demise.      

On March 22, 1827, in Coshocton county, Ohio, Margaret Fitch was born to David
and Sarah (Wiggins) Fitch, natives of Pennsylvania and Virginia, respectively.
In 1844, the family came on to Illinois, where the father died two years later
and the mother in 1847. Being thus left without a home, Margaret decided to
accompany a brother and some friends to California. Accordingly they all set out
on the trip, but upon arriving at the point where the Oregon trail branched from
the old California road, they were confronted with rumors of great sickness in
California, and so they turned aside to Oregon. At the crossing of the Snake,
the brother was persuaded to try and float down the Snake with caulked wagon
beds, but owing to many portages, he was forced to abandon the scheme. However,
he arrived in The Dalles before his sister and friends, and together they came
down the Columbia in scows. This was in the year 1852. Miss Fitch began to cast
about for employment and met Clinton Kelly, who wished to hire her services. She
wrought for them some time and then occurred the marriage of Hampton Kelly and
Miss Margaret Fitch, the date being January 30, 1853. The nuptials were
celebrated in the old Clinton Kelly log house on the donation claim. The date of
Miss Fitch's arrival in Portland, which was then a town of six hundred people,
was November 11, 1852. She was a faithful helpmeet to her husband until the day
of his death and since then has conducted the estate in a becoming manner. She
is highly esteemed in the neighborhood and is a faithful Christian woman.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.