Kelso's Kingdom

Well it's not really a kingdom, just an 8 x 8 spot in the basement where my 'puter and I hang out.

If you look closely, you might see some smoke rising from Kelso Abbey. That's caused by the workload I'm putting on the computer entering all the genealogy information I have from my parents' records. Some of the smoke is also coming from me because of my frustration at not finding further information on my ancestors vital statistics. This is due to a lack of record-keeping in the 1800s by some states.

The Kelso Abbey, as shown here, was occupied by the Kelso Family from about 1200 to 1676.

In the late 1600's and early 1700's many Scottish Presbyterians left Scotland for Northern Ireland and colonial America to escape religious persecution. In 1718, the first Kelso settled in Massachusetts. This probably was Hugh Kelso.

In 1748 three brothers, Alexander, Joseph, and Hugh, migrated to Virginia. According to information my Aunt Edith had, she traced our lineage to one of these brothers. Unfortunately, along the way there are many gaps and vaguely confirmed links. It is rewarding when you find a long-lost relative, and aggravating when you are soooooo close to a link but not close enough.

Researching the Family Tree can be fun, challenging, entertaining, and frustrating. However there is a sense of accomplishment in tracing your roots to an "old Abbey" in Scotland, but the path can be fraught with disappointments.

The subject of my research is the Kelso Family of Kelso, Scotland. My lineage information dates back to Hugo de Kelso in 1296.

Two of the major concentrations of Kelso's in America were: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, from Carlisle to Shippensburg, and the area around Pittsburg, including Lawrence County, Mount Pleasant County, Alleghaney County, and Washington County. These locations were generally large farms on which several families of Kelso's lived.

You can me (Bob Kelso) at rmkelso@aol.com.

My wife and computer guru, Emilie, helped me immensely with my Homepage and has a website of her own. She is a professional astrologer, maintains a busy private practice here in Colorado, and offers astrological services to clients and students worldwide.
Click here to visit Emilie's website.

Please bookmark this site before you leave and hurry back to beautiful Colorado

"Scottish Fling"