A PORTRAIT OF OLIVER S. KELLY

By Dr. Robert T. Rhode
Published on January 1, 1997
1 / 10
1. Oliver Smith Kelly, as he appeared in the 1884 Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio.
1. Oliver Smith Kelly, as he appeared in the 1884 Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio.
2 / 10
3 / 10
10. Cut of O. S. Kelly's open-faced driver wheel, similar to those manufactured by the Bird sall Company.
10. Cut of O. S. Kelly's open-faced driver wheel, similar to those manufactured by the Bird sall Company.
4 / 10
5 / 10
6 / 10
5. Woodcut of a thresher built by the O. S. Kelly Company. Note complicated belt dynamics.
5. Woodcut of a thresher built by the O. S. Kelly Company. Note complicated belt dynamics.
7 / 10
6. Draftsman's sketch of an O.S. Kelly 12 HP traction engine.
6. Draftsman's sketch of an O.S. Kelly 12 HP traction engine.
8 / 10
9 / 10
10 / 10
9. Cut of flywheel side of an O. S. Kelly in 1902 catalog
9. Cut of flywheel side of an O. S. Kelly in 1902 catalog

3982 Ballard Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45209-1716

Oliver Smith Kelly stuck it rich. He had worked as a carpenter,
but the lure of gold proved too strong to resist. He left behind
his home in Springfield, Ohio, looped through Nicaragua, and
arrived in California gold fields. He spent the better part of 1852
through 1856 mining ‘placers,’ deposits of gravel

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-624-9388