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Seeley Genealogical Society
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Query Number: 1311-1

  • Query Date: November 1st, 2013
Requested By: Karen Hart
Unresolved - Needs More Research
Requested Information

Karen is the granddaughter of Vera Seeley Buckel, wife of Henry Buckel, and daughter of George and Isadore McFarren Seeley. Family papers indicate that George is George William Seeley , born 1871 in Elyria, Lorain Co., OH. Karen and her family have been trying to find George’s parents. Some papers indicate that he is the son of William George Seeley who married Bridget Kelley and others say that his father is George F Seeley. Vera was born in 1899 in Kalkaska Co. MI. Vera has siblings named Donald, Clayton, and Clark Seeley and a sister Doris H. who was an infant when she died. The family papers also indicate that Vera’s father George had an older sister Annie Seeley who died in Michigan at age 16 in December of 1884 or 1885 of a gunshot wound and is buried in Kalkaska, MI. This would mean Annie was born late 1868 or early 1869.

Initial Response Information
Query Responder: Query Editor

MI Death certificate: http://cdm16317.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p129401coll7/id/124214
Doris H Seeley b. 20 Oct 1916, died 21 Jan 1917 at Rapid River, Kalkaska, MI.
Parents: Geo Seeley and Isadore McFarren
Also http://cdm16317.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p129401coll7/id/463658/rec/2
Eleanor Pierce b. 20 Jan. at Beera OH, age 44, divorced, died 6 Aug 1919 at Kalkaska, Kalkaska, MI of tuberculosis. Her parents were Geo. Seeley b. NY and Bridget Kelley b. IRE
Informant Geo. Seeley of Kalkaska

1920 census Rapid River, Kalkaska, MI
Seeley, George, age 49 b. OH NJ Ireland Farmer General Farm
Seeley, Isador, wife age 45 b. MI NY IN
Seeley, Clayton, son age 18 b. MI OH MI Laborer – Factory
Seeley, Donald, age 8, Clark age 6, both sons b. MI OH MI
1910 census Rapid River, Kalkaska, MI
Seeley, George W age 39 b. OH NJ Ireland Farmer, md 15 yr to
Seeley, Isador, wife, age 35 b. MI NY IN, mother of 2 ch., 2 living
Seeley, Vera age 10, Clayton K age 8, both b. MI OH MI
Chambers, Lena, sister, age 35 wd born OH NJ Ireland, mother of 1 ch., 1 living
1900 census Rapid River, Kalkaska, MI
Seeley, George W b. Feb 1871 OH NJ Ireland, Day Laborer Teamster, md 4 yr to
Seeley, Isador, b. May 1874 MI MI IN, mother of 1 ch., 1 living
Seeley, Vera dau. b. Jul 1899 MI OH MI
I cannot find George or his sisters Eleanor or Lena in the 1880 census.
1870 census Bearea (Berea), Cuyahoga, OH
Cely, George age 30 b. NY, laborer
Cely, Bridgett age 33 b. IRE
Flanagan, Joseph age 9, Mary age 8, both b. OH
Cely, Ann age 1 b. OH

1930 census: Cadillac, Wexford, MI
Buckel, Henry E age 35, age at first marriage 23 b. MI MI MI Fireman for Rail Road
Buckel, Vera A wife age 30, age at first marriage 23 b. MI OH MI
Buckel, Alvin C age 3 2/12, B Blaise, age 1, both sons b. MI MI MI

I found Vera A Buckel with husband Henry E in the 1919 directory of Owosso, Shiawassee, MI and also in 1924. In the 1920 census of Owasso they are listed separately, both as roomers but in different homes. He says he is married and a RR worker. She has no occupation, is listed as divorced and b. MI, both parents b. Sweden!!!

1940 census Wilson, Kalkaska, MI
Buckel, Henry age 45, b. MI, farmer
Buckel, Vera A age 40 b. MI, public school teacher
Buckel, Alvin C age 13, Blaise age 11, Arlene M age 8, all b. MI
Seeley, Isa C age 65, widow, wife’s mother b. MI

In doing research for the database we also have information on Vera’s brothers Clayton, Donald, and Clark.

About Lena, sister of George W. Seeley
Cook Co. IL Marriages
Lena Seeley age 24 md 20 Oct 1897 to Frank T Chambers age 28
1900 census Mackinac Island, Mackinac, MI
Chambers, Frank T b. Oct 1858 MI, IRE, MI, painter, md 3 yr to
Chambers, Lena b. May 1875 OH, NY, OH, 0 ch.
1920 census Chicago, Cook, IL
Lena Chambers age 43 b. OH, NY, OH, is working as a servant for family of Ralph Baurine. With her is dau. Dorothy Chambers age 16 b. MI, MI, OH
In Chicago in 1930 Lena is a lodger in a boarding house. In 1940 she and Dorothy are living together again in Chicago. Dorothy is a stenographer at a publishing co.
ILDI
Chambers, Lena E age 67 d. 16 Oct 1949 Cook Co.
SSDI
Dorothy Chambers b. 7 Oct 1903, d. Jan 1982 – Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA

About Eleanor, dau. of George Seeley and Bridget Kelley, probable sister of George W.
1900 census Charlevoix, Charlevoix, MI
Pierce, Harris b. Jul 1866 MI, NY, CAN, drayman, md 2 yr to
Pierce, Eleanor b. Jan 1875 OH, NY, IRE, 1 ch., 1 living
Pierce, Seeley K b. Nov 1898 MI, MI, OH
In the previous house were Daniel and Addelia M Pierce, ages 69 and 54
In 1910 in Charlevoix Seeley Pierce age 11 and his brother Kenneth age 3 are living with their grandmother Adelia Pierce. Adelia’s son-in-law Albert Holmes age 37 is the head of household. Also there are his wife Bertha age 38 and their son Ivan age 9. They are all still together in Charlevoix in 1920.
WWI Draft
Seeley Kingsley Pierce b. 24 Nov 1898, resides Charlevoix, truck driver, names father Harris Kingsley Pierce as next of kin.
1930 census Morrow, Warren, OH
Pierce, Seeley age 31 b. MI, MI, MI, proprietor oil Station, md 2 yr to
Pierce, Irene age 32 b. OH, Oh, OH
Pierce, Phillis A age 6 mos b. OH, MI, OH
Pierce, Kenneth age 24, brother b. OH, MI, MI, assistant at oil station
1940 census Morrow, Warren, OH
Seeley K and Irene and Phyllis Ann are still there. He is proprietor of service station; Irene is proprietor of restaurant
1940 census Williamsburg, Clermont, OH
Pierce, Kenneth age 33 b. MI, resided rural Warren Co. in 1935, salesman for wholesale canoeery ? co.
Pierce, Alice age 26 b. OH. resided rural Warren Co. in 1935
Pierce, Donald age 8 b. MI, Edward age 2 b. OH
OHDI
Seeley K Pierce, b. 1899, d. 25 Apr 1964 – Silverton, Hamilton, resided Silverton, Hamilton, OH
Please contact SGS if you can identify the parents of George, Lena and Eleanor Seeley or have more information on the George and Bridget Cely of Berea, Cuyahoga, OH

Updates
Update // 1st update

George’s great-granddaughter, Karen Hart (karen-hart@torchlake.com), was trying to identify his parents. We found his probable parents George and Bridget Cely in the 1870 census of Berea, OH, with his older sister Ann, age 1, and older children Joseph and Mary Flanagan, ages 9 and 8, but could not find them in the 1880 census.

Karen recently heard from a relative that Bridget Jane Kelly, (the wife of George Cely/Seeley) was married to John Flanigan/Flannagan and lived in Ohio at that time. She found a census record from 1860 in Pultney Twp, Belmont, OH, showing where a John Flanagan and a Bridget Kelly were in the household of Dennis Hays. She also found an Ohio marriage record from Cuyahoga Co., OH, dated Nov. 21, 1858 for John Flannegan and Bridget Kelley.

I searched for Joseph Flanigan and found this:

1860 census (Berea P.O.), Middleburg, Cuyahoga, OH
Flannagan, John, age 25, b. IRE, laborer
Flannagan, Bridget, age 25, b. IRE
Flannagan, Joseph, age 6 mos., b. OH They are listed directly after Thomas Kelley age 30 and wife Jane age 23, both b. IRE.

Karen’s father recalls hearing of a “step-brother” to his grandfather George William Seeley (this George was born in 1871 in Elyria, OH) but the step-brother had moved and was living in Tulsa, OK. Possibly this would be Joseph Flanigan. Her dad also believes that there was a step-sister of this same grandfather (possibly, Mary Flanigan) who lived in the Chicago area.

If you have any more information on these Cely/Seeleys or Flanigans, we would love to hear from you.

Query Update Responder: Query Editor
Update // 2nd Update

Grace Pierce (dongracepp@msn.com), wife of a grandson of Eleanor, sister of the above George, was in touch with us. She sent a copy of Eleanor’s marriage record: Ellenor Seeley, age 23, resident of Chicago, b. abt. 1875, Berea, OH, to George Seeley and Catherine Kelley, md. 19 Jan 1898, Charlevoix, Charlevoix, MI, to Harris K. Pierce, age 31, resident of Charlevoix where he was b. to Daniel H. Pierce and Adelia Griffith (MI Marriage Records, 1867-1952, MI Dept. of Community Health). Grace also told us that Kenneth Pierce, son of Eleanor and Harris, had a twin sister, Elizabeth, who died at age 3 mos. (b. 27 Sept 1906, d. 27 Dec 1906), and is buried in Brookside Cemetery, Charlevoix, MI. When I forwarded this information to the original submitter, Karen Hart (karen-hart@torchlake.com), she was able to locate a grave for Elinor Seeley Pierce in Evergreen Cemetery (Lot 336), Kalkaska, MI. This grave is shared with Annie Seeley and George F Seeley, believed to be her sister and father. These three graves are unmarked but noted in cemetery records. Just west of these graves in Lot 335 are four graves with headstones for George and Isadore Seeley, Alvin Seeley, and Vera Seeley Buckel. None of us have been able to find an 1880 census record for George and Bridget/Catherine Seeley or any of their children. If you can find one, I might give you a prize!

Query Update Responder: Query Editor
Genealogy is an ongoing journey, full of unexpected discoveries. The information here reflects our best knowledge at the moment, but it may have gaps or the occasional error. And, it will change as we learn more.