Michael J. Kelly; 1840?-1873,Jun.27;  age:33;  Born and died in NYC;NY
sports writer;  Grad. Seton Hall, NJ, & CC,NY;  NY Daily News, NY
Commercial Advertiser,  NY Herald BB reporter for 10 yrs., dramatic
critic, city ed., Albany correspondent.   In 1872, accepted the office
of Clerk of the Board of Assistant Aldermen for a short time.
Ed. DeWitt BB Guide 1868. One of 1st to make use of box scores, & is
credited with introducing the shorthand system of scoring in 1861; 
Editor-in-chief of Atlantic Monthly;   d.congestion of the kidneys,
complicated by pneumonia

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Request for Question Clarification by omnivorous-ga on 17 Nov 2004 12:35 PST

Bluestreak --

This kind note came in today from Alan Delozier, university archivist
at Seton Hall:

"Unfortunately, the only information we have in our own records
pertaining to Michael J. Kelly is that he entered Seton Hall College
on February 23, 1861 and was listed as a:  "Reporter - New York
Herald" and that he left school (without a degree) in February of
1862.  Unfortunately, the registrar did not record anything outside of
this information.  There is not even a mailing address to go on
either."

One last possibility: do YOU have an address for him circa 1870?  I'd
be happy to run a Census search at the National Archives Records
Administration for 1870, but there have to be hundreds of Michael
Kellys in NY boroughs that year!

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

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Clarification of Question by bluestreak-ga on 19 Nov 2004 00:09 PST

Sadly, I have no addresses.

Bluestreak --

You're always a match for the wits of a researcher because we know
that you'll already have looked in the obvious places!  Being a
baseball fan, this is a fascinating one: I didn't know he was at the
source of baseball box scores!

1.  NY Times: only his funeral listed on June 30, 1873 at the Church
of St. Francis Xavier, in New York City.

2.  A Google search for:
"Atlantic Monthly" history Kelly

turns up a more-recent Michael Kelly, who was the magazine's editor
from 1999-2002 and was killed 18 months ago in Iraq:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0908098.html

I may write Atlantic Monthly and suggest that they put something of
their own history online.  Their editors and the controversies of the
day would actually make good reading.

3.  Thomson-Gale Biography Resource Center: nothing.

4.  We're looking for information on box scores.  That means
http://www.retrosheet.org/index.html

But they just report the box scores, not the philosophers behind the box scores.

5.  Baseball Hall-of-Fame, Cooperstown, NY and the research library.
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/library/index.htm

I thought that I'd pursue a site: search here for "box scores,"
inasmuch as dozens of Kellys have played major league baseball. 
Here's their recommendation on research requests:
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/library/research.htm


My final recommendation: go after the birth certificate of Kelly. 
Here's how to get birth certificates before 1910 for those born in New
York City.  Later birth certificates are considered private in New
York State but the NYC archives may have Mr. Kelly.  The greater
danger is that they'll have lots of Michaels or Michael J.'s in 1940:

NEW YORK CITY VITAL RECORDS AT THE MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/vitalrecords/home.shtml

One last note: we know that he died in late June 1873 at age 33.  I
think that you could ask the archives to restrict the search to July
1, 1839 - June 26. 1840 based on his age.

I wish that I was a little closer to New York City because two other
lines of pursuit would be:
*  microfilm archives of the NY Daily News, looking for the obit
(which you may have already?)
*  contact Seton Hall's alumni office

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Omnivorous,

Victor of my battles past, (Clair Ruth, Tris Speaker)!  So great to
hear from you once more.  I have tried various covert methods to sneak
around NY's ever diligant keepers of their old records.  NY is the
most vigilant keepers of the flame.  Only those who can prove they are
a relative or have a fiduciary interest can apply for birth/death
records/certificates.  I have around 15 persons, who I could eliminate
from my list if NY ever lightened up.  But they consider the privacy
of person long dead to be something sacrosanct.

I've already looked through many databases of Ancestry.com.  No luck so far.
But I'm still hopeful that one of the amazing google researchers is
better/luckier than I.  Let me know if anything turns up!  I have
others!
Thanks so much for looking at one of my questions!   bluestreak

Bluestreak --

I've tried one other trick.  I'll report back if it works.

I'm curious: he say that he invented the shorthand scoring system.  Is
that a reference to box scores or to the scorekeeper shorthand
reference here?
http://www.baseballscorecard.com/scoring.htm

Best regards,

O.

Omnivorous,

My research now includes a few of the early pioneers of baseball.  In
the 1800's, as baseball was trying to establish itself, a few
newspaper men began to use the boxscore format.  The boxscore had been
invented by Henry Chadwick, but wasn't in wide usage throughout the
country.

Michael Kelly was among the first to make use of box scores, which
Chadwick invented, and is credited with introducing the shorthand
system of scoring in 1861.  Kelly used box scores in NY.

Meacham used them in Chicago.
Reid used them in Philadelphia and later St. Louis.

The sport of baseball owes a lot to these now obscure men, who helped
spread its popularity in its early days.  All these guys died pretty
early in life, for some reason, compared to today.  I'm trying to
shine some little light on these names, for posterity.  I love credit
being given, even over a hundred yrs. overdue.  Thanks for such an
incisive question.     bluestreak

Omnivorous,

Sadly, I have no addresses info.  I wish I did so I could forward one
to you.  These guys are hard, I admit that.  bluestreak

Omnivorous,

I thought I'd print the entire New York Times obituary for Michael J. Kelly.
Here it is.

"Michael J. Kelly, a well-known journalist, died yesterday, aged 33
yrs. of congestion of the kidneys, complicated with pneumonia.  He was
born in the First Ward of this City, and received a liberal education
at Seton Hall, New Jersey, and the College of the City of New York. 
He began his newspaper career on the Daily News, when it was a morning
journal, and was afterward employed on the Commercial Advertiser and
Herald.  He acted for the Herald, at different times, as reporter,
dramatic critic, City editor, and Albany correspondent.

In 1872 he accepted the office of Clerk of the board of Assistant
Aldermen.  While for a short time in that position, he signalized
himself by making an estimate of an economical administration of that
department of the City Government, by which the expenses were greatly
reduced and all arnecures cut off.  Mr. Kelly was much respected by
all who knew him, and he was highly popular with all classes.  He
leaves a widow and two children to mourn his loss."  (New York Times,
June 28, 1873, pp. 7)

bluestreak

Bluestreak --

I went back to the July 1 report from the NY Times on the funeral and
it gives us something to go on:
"The Herald and Arcadian Clubs assembled at the resident of the
deceased in West 57th Street, whence the funeral cortege proceeded to
the church. . ."

Give me a couple of days and I'll see if I can chase down the 1870
Census listing for him.  Alternately, if another researcher has access
to Ancestry.com, maybe they can get a birthday for Mr. Kelly from it.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Bluestreak --

Today I checked AncestryPlus, a Thomson-Gale database which has the
1870 U.S. Census indexed.  There was no Michael Kelly (there were 40
of them in New York City) that matched our fellow, nor an M.J. Kelly.

The 1870 Census lists only the year of birth (and age), so we wouldn't
get a precise birthday in any case.

This wouldn't discourage someone else from checking Ancestry.com or
NARA microfilms, inasmuch as I've often found great discrepancies in
the indexing by AncestryPlus.

Sorry that we came up empty-handed here but we both know that ruling
out sources can be important in this whole process.

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Omnivorous,

For the future, the only census which gives specific dates is the 1900
Federal census, which gives the exact year and month.

Other databases which give exact dates are the Social Security Death
Index, which didn't start until January 1, 1937, but doesn't really
get going until the 1960's.

Another one is the World War I civilian draft registration database. 
It only has males from 1872 to 1900.  It gives only dates of birth,
states of birth, and other data.  But I must thank you for even
bothering to look.  bluestreak