William Skelly

1880 - 1954  (73 years)

• Name	William Skelly
  Birth	16 Jul 1880	Ligoniel, Belfast, Ireland   [1]
  	Ireland, Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911 <http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2533&enc=1> about William Skelly Name: William Skelly Gender: Male Birth Date: 16 Jul 1880 Birth Place: Belfast, Antrim, Ireland Father's Name: Alexander Skelly Mother's Name: Eliza Gordon Skelly FHL Film Number: 256057
  Gender	Male
  Death	20 Jun 1954	Toronto, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	obit Toronto Telegram, Mon June 21, 1954 pg 24 col 7
  Person ID	I2523	Drollinger Genealogy
  Last Modified	23 Jan 2024

  
  

  Father	Alexander Skelly,   b. 4 Jul 1849, Kinallen, Down, Ireland d. 30 Aug 1904, 20 Woodvale St Belfast, Ireland (Age 55 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth Gordon,   b. 24 Dec 1853, County Down, Ireland d. 9 Apr 1933, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Age 79 years)
  Family ID	F827	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Margaret Jane Gordon,   b. 6 Aug 1882, Kilmore, Down, Ireland d. 31 Jan 1962, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Age 79 years)
  Marriage	27 Jun 1906	Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA
  	Marriage certificate on file Allegheny County Court House.
  Children	1. Elizabeth Malvina Skelly,   b. 28 Sep 1907, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA d. 7 Jul 1988, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA (Age 80 years)   2. Harriett Emma Skelly,   b. 16 Apr 1911, Toronto, Ontario, Canada d. 20 Nov 1988, Montreal, Canada (Age 77 years)   3. Gordon Alexander Skelly,   b. 30 Dec 1914, Toronto, Ontario, Canada d. 20 Mar 1997, Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada (Age 82 years)
  Family ID	F825	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	13 Oct 2016

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 16 Jul 1880 - Ligoniel, Belfast, Ireland Marriage - 27 Jun 1906 - Pittsburgh, Allegheny, PA Death - 20 Jun 1954 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos

  William Skelly as a young man In later life he had a full head of white hair

  
  

  Headstones

  Plot: BURIAL Pine Hills Cemetery Scarborough, Toronto Municipality, Ontario, Canada

  
  

• Notes

  William was a machinist by trade. He emigrated to Pittsburgh PA where he married and started a family. The exact year is unknown. Since he was active in union organizing he was black balled by Carnegie Steel. He sent his fledgling family to Ireland and went to Gary Indiana in search of work. He obtained a job with the Grand Trunk Northern RR which later became the Canadian National RR. He worked in the machine shops in Toronto until he had an accident and fell into a lathe. His right arm was badly torn up and would have been amputated except for an English doctor. The fingers were stiff and had no mobility on his right hand so he taught himself how to write left handed and later could write with either hand. He died of colon cancer at his home on 55 Jones Avenue. He was active in the Orange Order and Masons. He loved to read probably because his father taught him to. His father was illiterate and taught himself to read and write. He passed this trait on to my mother, who in turn passed it on to me. My grandfather was a militant Orangeman that you had to study or have first hand knowledge of the hatred between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. He used to sing a little ditty and march around the house on July the 12th. Up a long ladder Down a short rope Hooray for King Billy And to hell with the Pope! The reference was to Prince William of Orange who defeated the Catholic forces at the battle of the Boyne in 1690. He belonged to several Orange lodges and was active in attending the Orange parades in Toronto. Growing up as a young lad I didn't understand the bloody knuckles and blacks eyes that came about on July the 12th. Years later reading of Delorean's plant in Belfast having two separate entrances to keep the workers from fighting made sense. My mother used to subscribe to a paper, The Ulster Protestant, until it was fire bombed out of existence in 1968. Some of grandson Gordon's recollections of William when he was growing up are of a large white haired man with false teeth. Once when coming home from a school trip to the Carnegie library I said what a good man Andrew Carnegie was to have given the Library to the city. I did not understand why my grandfather was so angry. One of his sayings was "to give the wee lad a few coppers (pennies)". His house was always neat and painted. The yard was like a golf green with no weeds. The kitchen was the largest room in the house and faced a stable where the horses that drew the milk wagons were kept. The milk wagons were rubber tired and horse drawn. From the kitchen window I used to watch the wagons being parked and the horses led into the stable. The delivery men would carry their containers to each door and when they needed more milk would cluck to the horse and it would pull the wagon up to where he waited. My mother used to talk of their early days on Tecumseh street with my aunt Harriet. They later moved to 55 Jones Avenue which was off Queen Street. Uncle Gordon said my grandfather did all the electrical work and plumbing himself. The house was a row house but was one of the end units so had an outlet onto the street. There was a gate so you had access to the back yard. Gas was too expensive so it was heated by a coal furnace. There was no hot water tank. Instead there was a coil inside the coal furnace that heated the hot water. The tap in the kitchen was left on so the pipes wouldn't explode from the coal fire. The was a small coal or wood heater beside the furnace so there was hot water in the summer. Other wise it was cold water. Later the furnace was converted to oil by installing a burner unit inside the coal furnace and putting a tank where the coal had been stored. The kitchen was the widest room in the house as the hall and stairs narrowed the other rooms. Breakfast was different from home as my grandfather ate first then everyone else. In those days we didn't have Canadian or peameal bacon in the states. So it was some thing special. Liquid measure was the Imperial system where a gallon had five quarts. So gas and milk went further than the states. Web: Ireland, Census, 1901 <http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=70667&enc=1> about William Skelly Name: William Skelly Gender: Male Age: 20 Birth Year: abt 1881 Relation to Head: Son Residence Date: 31 Mar 1901 Residence Place: Woodvale Street, Shankill Ward, Antrim, Ireland Household Members: Name Age Alexander Skelly 50 Eliza Skelly 48 Dessa Skelly 15 Mariam Skelly 5 Harriet Skelly 28 Isabella Skelly 24 Elizabeth Skelly 22 Edith Skelly 11 Matilda Skelly 13 Margaret Skelly 8 William Skelly 20 Alexander Skelly 17 Name: William Skelly Gender: Male Age: 24 Estimated Birth Year: abt 1880 Date of Arrival: 22 Oct 1904 Port of Arrival: Montreal, Quebec Port of Departure: Liverpool, England Roll: T-484 He is listed as a Laborer on here. CENSUS 1911 Province: Ontario DISTRICT: Toronto South Ward five 170 Strachan Household Members: Name Age Elizabeth Skelly 60 William Skelly 30 Margarett Jane Skelly 29 Elizabeth Skelly 8 Harriet Skelly 2/12 Isabella Skelly 28 Elizabeth Skelly 26 Maggee Skelly 18 Marrian Skelly 16 Tally Skelly 23 Edith Skelly 21 1911 Census of Canada about William Skelly Name: William Skelly Gender: Male Marital Status: Married Age: 30 Birth Date: Jun 1880 Birthplace: Ontario Family Number: 66 Relation to Head of House: Son Spouse's Name: Margarett Jane Mother's Name: Elizabeth Tribal: Irish Province: Ontario District: Toronto South District Number: 127 Sub-District: Ward five Sub-District Number: 57 Place of Habitation: 170 Strachan Census Year: 1911 Page: 9 1921 Census of Canada <http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=8991&enc=1> about William Skelly Name: William Skelly Gender: Male Marital Status: Married Age: 40 Birth Year: abt 1881 Birth Place: Ireland Relation to Head of House: Head Spouse's Name: Jennie Skelly Father Birth Place: Ireland Mother Birth Place: Ireland Year of Immigration: 1905 Racial or Tribal Origin: Irish Province or Territory: Ontario District: York East District Number: 142 Sub-District: Toronto (City, part) Sub-District Number: 45 City, Town or Village: Toronto Street or Township: 55 Jones Av Municipality: Ward 1 Occupation: Machinist Income: 1100 William Skelly in the 1931 Census of Canada Name William Skelly Gender Male Nationality Canadian Racial Origin Irish Marital Status Married Age 50 Estimated Birth Year abt 1881 Birth Place Ireland Immigration Date 1904 Residence Date 1931 Street Address 55 Jones Av Home in 1931 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Relation to Head Head Father Birth Place Ireland Mother Birth Place Ireland Can Speak English Yes Can Speak French No Language Spoken as Mother Tongue English Religion Presbyterian Can Read and Write W Months at School No Occupation Watchman Industry Railroad Steary Class of Worker Wage or salary worker Income 41200 At Work on June 1st 1931 Yes House Number 234 Family Number 254 Municipality Toronto Enumeration District Toronto East Sub-District Number 0043 Home Ownership O Value of House 33700 Class of House Row or Terrace Materials of Construction Brick Veneer Number of Rooms 6 Owned Radio No Household Members (Name) Age Relation to Head William Skelly 50 Head Margeret Skelly 48 Wife Gordon Skelly 17 Son So by 1931 William has had his accident where he fell into a lathe and had his right arm torn up as evidenced by his occupation as watchman.

  
  

• Sources

  [S145] Birth Certificate Ireland. [S146] Obituary Notice.