CHARLES L. KEELY, D. D. S.     One of the best known dentists in Butler county, Ohio, and a gentleman widely known because of his many sterling qualities of head and heart, is he whose name appears above.  He comes from a long line of honorable ancestry, the first representative of the family in this country having been John Keely, a native of Germany, born in 1753, who, in 1762, accompanied his parents on their emigration to America, settling in Pennsylvania.  At the outbreak of the war for independence Mr. Keely took sides with the colonists and received a wound at the battle of Brandywine.  His son John, who was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, Jan. 16, 1779, came to Ohio in 1818, locating at Oxford, and their died on the 7th of May, 1848.  His wife, whose maiden name was Ann Iddings, was also a native of the Keystone state, having been born in Northumberland county on the 7th of August, 1787.  John and Ann Keely were the parents of the subject's father, Dr. George W. Keely, who was born in Oxford, Ohio, Oct. 27, 1822.  He received a good public-school education, which was supplemented by a complete course in Miami University.  Making a choice of the dental profession for his life work, he studied the science in the office of Dr. J. D. White, of Hamilton, and later with Dr. John Allen, of Cincinnati.  Returning to Oxford in 1841, he opened an office and began the practice of his profession, which he conducted very successfully until his death.  He was progressive and up-to-date in his ideas and methods and, after having been engaged in the practice for twelve years, he entered the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, from which he was graduated in March, 1853.  "By his presence, advice and means, he was ever ready to aid in movements for the advancement of the profession and was foremost among his professional brethren in the state.  He attended the meetings at Niagara Falls where was laid the foundation for the organization of the American Dental Association in 1859.  Of this body he was elected president in 1876 and presided as such at Chicago in 1877.  In the organization of the Ohio State Dental Society he was a prominent factor; he was once its treasurer.  He held active or honorary membership in the Mississippi Valley Dental Society, Mad River Valley Dental Society, the New York Odontalogical Society, and the Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin Dental Societies.  For twenty years he was trustee of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery and often served as president of the board.  In all matters pertaining to the welfare of his native city he maintained the warmest interest and the town has no citizens more progressive and advanced in ideas than he.  Especially was he interested in the educational interests and institutions of the place, and Miami University (of which he was a trustee), Oxford Female Institute, Oxford Female College and the Western Female Seminary held a warm place in his heart.  He was a courteous and affable gentleman, which characteristic, united with superior ability and integrity, secured for him the confidence and love of the people of this county.  In his profession he had no superiors in this state, and few equals, and the work he accomplished for the science of dentistry entitles him to lasting memory by the profession.  Dr. Keely's death occurred on the 27th of August, 1888, and was the result of an accident.  While working at a window in the third story of the Cone building, endeavoring to repair the telephone wires connecting his office and residence, he overbalanced and fell to the pavement below, sustaining injuries which resulted in his death.  His sudden death called forth many touching tributes of regard and esteem and in his honor, every business house in Oxford was closed during the funeral."
     Dr. George W. Keely was twice married.  On the 13th of March, 1851, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was united in marriage with Miss Susanna Wells, to which union were born three children, of whom the immediate subject of this sketch is the only survivor.  Mrs. Susanna Keely died May 25, 1856, and on Apr. 21, 1861, the Doctor married Miss Cornelia Cone, of Oxford, to which union were born eight children.  Fraternally Dr. Keely was, from the age of twenty-one years, a member of the time-honored order of Free and Accepted Masons, holding membership in the lodge at Oxford.  He was a charter ember of Invincible Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also belonged to Millikin Post, No. 228, Grand Army of the Republic.
     Charles I. Keely, the immediate subject, was born in Oxford, Butler county, Ohio, Nov. 13, 1853.  He was reared in his native town and after receiving local educational advantages, he attended school at Brookville, Indiana, and the Miami University at Oxford.  Deciding to adopt the profession which his father had so signally honored, the subject studied under paternal guidance and afterward entered the Ohio Dental College, from which he was graduated in 1876.  For about three years he was retained at the college as demonstrator of operative dentistry.  In 1879 he decided to at once enter the active practice and for that purpose returned to Oxford, but in September, 1880, he came to Hamilton and has here since remained continuously engaged in the practice of his profession.  He is thoroughly up-to-date and keeps in touch with every advancement in the line of his profession, added to which is a genial temperament and an innate courtesy, which never fail to impress favorably all who come in contact with him, the logical result of which is that he has long enjoyed a full share of the public favor and has earned an enviable position in the public confidence and esteem.  He stands high among his professional brethren, as is evidenced by the fact that for sixteen years he has been treasurer of the Ohio State Dental Society.  He occupies the chair of orthodontia in the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, and was also president of the board of trustees of said institution for several years, and later secretary of the same, and which position he still holds.  For the lat fifteen years he has been engaged as a lecturer before his alma mater on orthodontia.  He has held official position as a member of the state board of dental examiners, and is affiliated with the Ohio State Dental Association, the Seventh District Dental Society, the American Dental Association and the Mississippi Valley Dental Association.
     On Jan. 14, 1885, Mr. Keely was united in marriage with Miss Ella Rhodehamel, daughter of Saul and Priscilla Rhodehamel, of Piqua, Ohio, and two children have come to bless their home, Wells and Priscilla.  In politics  the Doctor is a firm Republican, but the demands of his profession preclude his giving very close attention to public affairs.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 393

GEORGE WASHINGTON KEELY, D. D. S., was the grandson of George Keeley, a German by nativity, born in 1753.  He came to this country in 1762 with his parents and settled in Pennsylvania, afterwards becoming a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and being wounded in the battle of Brandywine.  His son, John second, was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, Jan. 16, 1779, and died in Oxford, Ohio, May 7, 1848.  He married Miss Ann Iddings, a native of Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, who was born Aug. 7, 1787.  Mr. and Mrs. Keely came to Butler county, and settled at Oxford in 1818, and in 1822, on the 22d of October, George W. Keely was born.  The residence of the family was but a short distance south of the university buildings, and the boy had the privileges of the schools of the town, and when but a mere lad of some fourteen entered Miami University.  Three years later, the president, Dr. Bishop, retired.  Mr. Keely was warmly attached to the Doctor, and feeling that the trustees of the institution were dealing unjustly by him, manifested his own sympathy by refusing longer to be numbered with the students of the school, although it had been his expectation to have pursued a full graduating course.
     Not long after this he spent a little time with Dr. J. D. White, then a practicing dentist in  the city of Hamilton; but in the fall of 1829 entered the office of Dr. John Allen, then a noted dental practitioner of the city of Cincinnati (later of New York), with whom he spent the two following years.  Returning to Oxford in 1841, Dr. Keely established himself in the practice of his chosen profession by opening an office in a building at the corner of High and Beach streets, where he remained for a year and a half, then moving to the occupying an office on Main street.  afterwards, in 1867, he rented the rooms corner of High and Main streets, where he continued his practice until his death in August, 1888.  Agreeable to the customers of the day and the practice of many dentists in the early history of the profession, Dr. Keely sustained for some years a series of periodic visits to neighboring towns in the states of Ohio and Indiana, which extended over the years of his early practice.
     On the 13th of March, 1851, Dr. Keely was married to Miss Susanna Wells, in the city of Cincinnati, who bore to him three children, only one of whom, a son, Charles I. Keely, D. D. S., is now living, and is a practicing dentist, located in Hamilton.  The married life of Doctor and Mrs. Keely was of short duration, as she was taken away by death May 25, 1856.  Apr. 21, 1861, Dr. Keely was again married, to Miss Cornelia Cone, of Oxford, who bore him eight children, only three of whom are now living, two daughters of a son.  After having been in active practice for some twelve years he graduated at the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, in March, 1853.
     Dr. Keely was among the organizers of the American Dental Association in 1859 at Niagara Falls, and was elected its president in Philadelphia, in 1876, and presided as such in Chicago, in 1877.  He was an active mover in the organization of the Ohio State Dental Society; was once its president, and served several years as treasurer.  Dr. Keely was also either an active or honorary member of the following: Mississippi Valley Dental Society, Mad River Valley Dental Society and of the Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin state dental societies respectively, and was elected a member of the New York Odontological Society.  He was a trustee of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery for about twenty-five years before his death, and for years lectured to the students on the "Cause and Management of Irregularities of the Teeth."
     He was a liberal contributor to the literature and periodicals of his profession.  From his reports on dental education, made in 1874 and 1875 before the American Dental Association, copious extracts were reproduced in the "History of Dentistry in the United States."  He often accepted invitations to lecture on some of the specialties pertaining to the practice of dentistry, one being "Causes and Prevention of Irregularities of the Teeth."
     When twenty-one years of age he became a member of the Masonic fraternity, and was one of the charter members of the lodge of Odd Fellows in Oxford when it was organized, having previously been a member of the Brookville, Indiana, lodge.  In addition to his professional activity, Dr. Keely took the warmest interest in everything pertaining to the well-being of his native town.  City improvements, the grading of the streets, the establishment and adornment of the city parks and college campus, improvement of public buildings, etc., had in him a sure promoter and active worker; while the several educational institutions - Miami University, of which he was a trustee; Oxford Female Institute, Oxford Female College, and Western Female Seminary - had a warm place in his heart, and to their advancement he contributed liberally of both mental and manual effort and of his pecuniary means.
     The Doctor was peculiarly social in his nature, a skillful and intelligent practitioner, kind and indulgent in his pleasant household, and a warm and sympathizing companion and friend, and held a high place in the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens.
     His tragic death occurred in August, 1888, and was the result of a fall from a third-story window of the old Mansion House in Oxford, the terrible accident occurring while Dr. Keely was attempting to adjust a telephone wire connecting his office and residence.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 972

THOMAS J. KELLY.    The subject of this review enjoys distinction and precedence in the public affairs of Middletown and as chief of the city's efficient police force wields a strong influence in enforcing a wholesome respect for law and order.  The important position which he now holds was not attained by political intrigue or personal favoritism, but came to him in recognition of merit and the able, impartial and fearless manner in which he has discharged his responsible and exacting duties, and the high reputation which Middletown has attained as one of the most orderly and law-abiding cities in the state of Ohio demonstrates his peculiar fitness as conservator of the peace.
     Thomas J. Kelly is a native of Butler county, Ohio, and the son of John and Mary Kelly, the father born in Ireland, the mother in the city of London, England.  John Kelly came to America when a young man and settled in New Jersey, where in due time he married Miss Mary O'Brien, whose family was then living in  Jersey City.  By occupation he was a brick-mason, and after working at his trade in the above state until 1857, he came to Butler county, Ohio, locating at Oxford, where he soon became a prosperous contractor.  He built up a large and flourishing business, erected many of the most important buildings in the place of his residence, besides doing a vast amount of work in other cities and towns. and was long noted as one of the leading contractors for public work in his part of the state.  He departed this life in Oxford some years ago, and his widow now makes her home in Richmond, Indiana.
     Thomas J. Kelly, the second child of John and Mary Kelly, was born in Oxford township, Sept. 20, 1861, and remained at the parental home until his eleventh year, attending the public schools the meanwhile.  At the above age he severed the bonds that bound him to the home circle and started out to make his own way, going first to Indiana, where he lived for several years with a family near the city of Richmond.  While there he devoted his leisure time to study in the district schools and later turned his attention to stone masonry, in which he soon became a very efficient workman.  After following his trade in Richmond for a period of four years he accepted a position with Gaar. Scot & Co., of Richmond, Indiana, with whom he remained until 1885, during which time he rose high in the confidence and esteem of his employees and developed unusual capacity as a fine mechanic and successful business man.
     On the 10th of December, 1884, Mr. Kelly entered the marriage relation with Miss Catherine Hoover, of Richmond, Indiana, and three years later changed his residence to Middletown, Ohio, where, from 1887 to 1891 inclusive.  He was connected with the Middletown Pump Company.  Severing his connection with that concern the latter year, he engaged with a paper company, but after a limited experience in this capacity resigned his place to accept the position of patrolman on the city police force, where he served very acceptably until appointed chief of the force, in 1895.  One year later he gave up this position and took charge of the Arlington Hotel, which he managed very successfully for a period of four years, when he again became identified with the police force, this time in the higher and more responsible position of captain, to which he was appointed in 1901 and which he held, 1903.  Mr. Kelly's series of promotions from patrolman to the highest positions in the department speak well for his ability as a capable officer and judicious manager and since entering upon his present responsible post he has thoroughly reorganized the force and brought it to a very high state of efficiency.  In the discharge of his duties he knows no fear or favor, is absolutely impartial in enforcing the regulations of the department and in the matter of order his name has become such a terror to evil doers that violations of the law are of rare occurrence and misdemeanors of all kinds have been reduced to the minimum.  With a full appreciation of the importance and dignity of this position, he exemplifies that justice which is the inherent right of every individual, is loyal to principle that knows no wavering and in all of his official actions strives to inculcate a profound respect for public morals as well as to uphold the majesty of the law.
     For a number of years Mr. Kelly has been an active worker in the Democratic party and his influence in local politics is duly recognized and appreciated.  He has served as delegate to many conventions, and in the councils of his party is considered a judicious adviser as well as a shrewd, capable and successful campaigner.  Like the majority of enterprising men in nearly every community, he is identified with the ancient and honorable order of Freemasonry, and at this time holds membership with Jefferson Lodge, No. 90, in which he has been honored with various official positions.  In his official and personal relations Mr. Kelly is characterized by a courtesy of manner and an amiability of disposition that have won the high regard of all with whom he comes in contact, while his strict sense of honor and genuine worth mark him as one of the leading men of the city which is proud to claim his residence.
Source: Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio - Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Publishers - 1905 - Page 487