THOMAS KELTY
Bio-Pen Pictures
SURNAMES: CUNNINGHAM,
the owner of a fine grain farm of seventy acres, resides on the Almaden road, three miles south of the city limits of San Jose. He was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, in December, 1840, and is the son of Garret and Honora Kelty. Coming to America, the land of possibilities for a poor man, he landed at Boston, December 22, 1868. Thence he went directly to Orange County, New York. In November of the same year he came to Santa Clara County, where he worked as a laborer upon rented land. He waited only to earn enough to buy a farm for himself. By economy and hard work, he was able to accomplish his purpose, in 1873, when he bought twenty-five acres, near his present home. Selling this property shortly, he bought, in partnership with Michael Ryan, 133 acres, which they divided in 1876. Mr. Kelty retained seventy acres, which he devotes successfully to the production of grain.
In 1876 he
married Miss Amelia Cunningham, a native of Ireland. They have five children:
Garrett, Mary, James, Thomas, and Jeremiah. The family are members of the
Catholic Church. After his mother's death in Ireland, his father, with his
family, moved to Cheshire County, England, where Thomas parted with them. Mr.
Kelty was reared to a farm life, and never has followed any other occupation
regularly. Coming to the United States a poor man, with no capital but strong
hands and a stout heart, he now owns a good farm, for which he paid $100 to $125
per acre. He may justly feel that he realizes the reward of his labor in the
fact that he is now in independent circumstances.
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1888.
Pg. 580
SANTA CLARA COUNTY The Valley of Heart's Delight