Ventura County Republican Project: History and Genealogy

Ventura County Republican Project: History and Genealogy

"A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California" (1891), page 624.

J. B. Kelsey [Editor inserted: Joseph Barnett Kelsey]

J. B. Kelsey, a rancher near Ventura, is one of the pioneers and extensive farmers of Ventura County. He was born in Morris County, New Jersey, November 8, 1838; his father, J. B. Kelsey, Sr., was a native of the same State; his ancestry were from Scotland. Mr. Kelsey's mother was Delia (Conyer) Kelsey; her ancestors were of French extraction. J. B. Kelsey was the eleventh of a family of fifteen children. after his early schooling, at the age of fourteen years, he went to work in a grocery store in Rockaway, and continued there five years, when he came to California, in 1858. He remained one year in San Francisco, and then removed to Alameda County, where he rented lands and engaged in farming market produce. He continued that business until 1868, when he came to Ventura and rented land two years, and then bought and improved 182 acres of land near Ventura. He still owns the property, and has planted trees and built a fruit-dryer. He moved upon the place in 1876, and is now raising corn and beans on a very large scale, - 1,500 pounds of Lima beans, and about the same quantity of small white beans to the acre. His average crop of shelled corn is from 3,000 to 4,000 pounds per acre.

Mr. Kelsey was married, in 1861, to Miss Mary Fichter, a native of New York city, but was raised in New Jersey; her parents were of German extraction. They have had eight children, three of them born in Alameda County, and the others in Ventura, viz: Sarah, who is now attending the Normal School in Los Angeles; Agnes, Victor, Mary (who is also at the Normal School), Della, Helen, Fred, and Olive. They have a large stock ranch, of which Victor has charge, and Agnes is keeping house for him. On this ranch he is breeding horses, both Norman and Clydesdale stock. Mrs. Kelsey died September 24, 1884; they had been married twenty-three years, and the loss was most deeply felt by them all. Mr. Kelsey is a member of the I. O. O. F., and also of the Masonic fraternity; in his political views he is a Republican. He was again married, to Mrs. Redwin, widow of the late Mr. Lewis Redwin, of Ventura. She is a native of Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey and several of the family are members of the Presbyterian Church.

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Ventura County Republican Project: History and Rootsweb Genealogy posted by Jon Miller and Tony Larson.