Biography of James  Skelly, page 188.  History of Northeast Indiana; 
LaGrange, Steuben, Noble, and DeKalb Counties, Vol. II, under the 
editorial supervision of Ira Ford, Orville Stevens, William H. McEwen, and 
William H. McIntosh.  The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago and New York, 1920.

   James Skelly is the fortunate owner of a good farm in Salem Township of 
Steuben County, His farm contains a group of handsome buildings and in 
every wary is adapted for comfort an for maximum efficiency if every 
department of it s management.  Mr. Skelly started life on a modest scale, 
beginning with a very small amount of land under his ownership, and has 
made steady strides during the different years to the possession of what 
he enjoys.
   A resident of Steuben County for many years, he was born in Millersburg, 
Ohio, October 1, 1855, a son of William and Sarah (Steele) Skelly, the 
former a native of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and the latter of 
Holmes County, Ohio, where her father, James Steele, was a farmer.  James 
Skelly is a grandson of James Skelly, who spent his active life as a 
farmer in Holmes County, Ohio. William Skelly acquired his early knowledge 
of agriculture in the same county, but about 1875 came to Salem Township 
of Steuben County, acquiring a farm near Hudson. That was the scene of his 
activities until the last year of his life, when e moved to DeKalb County.  
He and Sarah Steele Skelly had four children, named Martha, wife of John 
Calhoun, James, David and Leander.  When the mother of these died the 
father married Mrs. Ellen (Baughman) Buckmaster. By that union there were 
also four children: Mary, wife of Hiram Towns; Elizabeth, who married Amos 
Myers; Robert; and Olive, wife of George Putt.
   James Skelly was about twenty years of age when his father came to 
Steuben County. He began farming about the same time on his own account 
and about 1879 was able to buy thirty-four acres three-quarters of a mile 
west of Hudson.  He made good as a farmer there, remained about nine years, 
and in 1888 traded for his present farm in section 19 of Salem Township.  
Here, with his wife, he owns 175 acres besides fifty acres across the road 
in Milford Township of LaGrange County. The building improvements all 
represent his own, planning, labor and investment.
   In 1879 Mr. Skelly married Flora A. Gonser, daughter of Moses and 
Louisa (Wright) Gonser.  Her father, an old time resident of Northeast 
Indiana, was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, January 14, 1829, a son of 
David and Catherine (Miller) Gonser.  He came with his parents to DeKalb 
County in 1848 and in 1869 moved to Steuben County.  He acquired a large 
property of 259 acres in sections 35 and 36 of Salem Township and across 
the line in Fairfield Township of DeKalb County built a fine two-story 
brick home in 1880 and owned much other property, all of which represented 
his thrifty and industrious career from early youth to mature years.  He 
filled several offices in his communities and at one time was county 
commissioner of Steuben County.  He cast his first vote for the whig 
candidate of 1852, and became an original republican.  He and his wife had 
six children, Amanda, Albert, Flora A., Marietta, Rober M. and Martha L.
   To Mr. and Mrs. Skelly were born four children: Grace, Elsie Maude, 
Willis R. and Esther.
   Grace is the wife of Clyde Perkins, and has four children: Dorothy, 
Mildred, Ralph and Donald.  Maude married Dr. C. C. Wright and has one 
child, Louise, and Esther is the wife of Professor Charles G. Hornaday.
   Willis R. Skelly is an expert agriculturist and is giving much energy 
to the management of the home farm, he and his father being associated in 
the business.  He was graduated in 1911 with the  Bachelor of Science in 
Tri-State Normal College at Angola, in 1914 received his degree Bachelor 
of Science in agriculture from Purdue University, and in 1916 was awarded 
the master's degree by the same institution.  For three year she had the 
valuable experience of working in connection with the Purdue University 
agricultural department as instructor in farm crops. Willis Roy married 
Arvilla Hornaday, of Lafayette, and they have one daughter, Virginia Mae.

Submitted by: 
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com