Mary (Rodgers) Kelly Anderson, of Cleveland, Ohio

When I started researching Edward and Anna Rodgers' daughter Mary, she was mostly just s legend. It went: "She was married to a Patrick Kelly and a Dudley Anderson. She was on stage. We had a picture of her with Lillian Russell." Well I haven't found any pictures at all of her, but there is enough information to fill out the rest of the story.

First, her birth record is now online: Mary was born February 23, 1866, in Kilkeel Parish, County Down, Ireland, the daughter of Edward Rodgers and Ann Cunningham. Next, Mary was recorded as five years old when she arrived in New York from Liverpool with her mother Ann and her brother William on April 15, 1872. And she is fourteen, attending school, and living in her parents household in Newburgh, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in 1880.

After that the trail gets a little harder to follow. Let's start with her first husband,

Patrick Kelly

I couldn't find a record of the marriage of Pat Kelly and Mary Rodgers, but their son Patrick was born in Cleveland on December 4, 1885, at 1784 Harvard. Both parents were said to be living at that address. The 1885 through 1887 Cleveland City Directories say that was the home of Mary Rodgers' parents, but there is no record of Patrick and Mary at that address themselves.

Patrick's age on the birth record was 25. His son's 1900 Census in the Rodgers' household said that Patrick (Sr) was born in Tennessee. And the son's marriage license said that the son himself was born in Nashville, Tennessee. We know he was born in Cleveland, so when he said "Nashville" he might have been referring to his father's birthplace by mistake. Or his future wife was the one who applied for the license.

At any rate, I couldn't find a match for Pat Kelly, born about 1860, in Nashville. He is not the man who died in Nashville on September 15, 1885, age, 31. That man was single.

A comment at the Miko Family Tree at ancestry.com once said this about Mary Rodgers' first husband:

Mary's first husband was Pat Kelly who was a minor league baseball player. They had one child. Pat died tragically from being hit in the head by a thrown baseball.

I have no reason to doubt that information. If Patrick Kelly died in Cleveland, he could be the man who died in a hospital on March 31, 1887, of an accident. He was married, age 30y 3m, and said to have been born in Ireland. His parents were named Michael and Mary. The "accident" part fits the family story about his death, but the death record called him a laborer. That was a blanket term for a lot of occupations back then, but I don't know if it would include ball player. Then again, if he was a ball player he could have been on the road and died anywhere.

In the 1886 Cleveland City Directory there is a listing for a Patrick Kelly, catcher, living at 2274 Fayette St. Fayette became E 76th after 1906, so this was the Rodgers' neighborhood. In 1888 there is a Michael Kelly at that address, but his father's household in 1860 and 1880 did not include anyone named Patrick.

The Miko Family tree next adds:

Upon his death, Mary follows her acting passion which takes her to NYC where she meets Dudley Anderson. They marry, have a child, Edward (my grandfather) and leave him with Pat Kelly's mother and pursue their Vaudville passion/money.

Which brings us to Mary's second husband,

Dudley Anderson

I don't know where Mary Rodgers met William D Anderson of Richmond, Virginia, but there is a marriage record for Mary Kelly, age 21, and Dudley Anderson, 21, on the 28th of June, 1887, in Oil City, Venango County, Pennsylvania. The occupation of both: "Performer in show." Perhaps they were appearing at the Opera House in Franklin, PA, eight miles down the road.

They took a bit of "artistic license" with the information on the application. Mary's father was listed as P.H. Kelly and her mother was Mrs. E. Rodgers. "Date of death of former husband: none. Date of divorce of woman at any time: None."

1887 Marriage Record, Mary Rodgers and Dudley Anderson

Their only son, Edward Anderson, was born August 16, 1888, again at the Rodgers' home on Harvard. He and Mary's first son, Patrick Kelly were living with Mary's parents in 1900.

The Miko Family Tree concludes by saying that Mary and Dudley Anderson pursued their career

by moving to Butte, Montana where Dudly ends up having an affair with another performer and running off to Chicago to start a new life. He left Mary without funds where she eventually dies of Scarlet fever.

There was a little more to it than that, as we shall see.

Mary Rodgers' Career

Mary Rodgers and Dudley Anderson were performing together by at least 1887. This clip from the Baltimore, Maryland, Sun of October 24, 1887, advertises their appearance at a matinee performance at the Odeon Theatre that afternoon. Mary's stage name was Minnie Kelly and Dudley's was Bobby Carroll.

Advertisement for Minnie Kelly and Bobby Carroll at the Odeon Theater

October 24, 1887, Baltimore Sun, page 1

"How do we know those are they?" you might ask.

As the article about William D Anderson of Richmond, Virginia, mentioned above, explains, the transcription at familysearch.org of Dudley Anderson's death record (Chicago, March 19, 1932) says "alias Bobbie Carroll." It gives his birthplace as Richmond, Virginia, and his parents' names match closely enough to those on his marriage record with Mary Rodgers. So Dudley Anderson equals Bobby/Bobbie Carroll.

A 1893 newspaper clipping, included below, refers to a lady as "Mrs Bobbie Carroll, alias Minnie Kelly." Mary was married to Dudley at the time, so Mary Rodgers equals Minnie Kelly.

And now, back to our story. I found another appearance in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in January 1889, but after that I think they did move west, as the family said. In August 1890, they are in Butte, Montana, billed as Bobby Carroll and Miss Minnie Kelly, comedy sketch artists:

August 9, 1890, Butte, Montana, Daily Post, page 1

Then comes this news report from Deadwood, South Dakota, in April 1893:

Mrs Bobby Carroll, alias Minnie Kelly, one of the Gem stars, during a fit of melancholia yesterday morning drank a large quantity of carbolic acid with suicidal intent. When she realized what she had done she changed her mind and called lustily for help. A doctor was soon on hand, who after hard work got her out of danger.

April 22, 1893, Deadwood, South Dakota Black Hills Daily Times, page 7

What prompted Mary to drink carbolic acid was not mentioned in the story. But whatever it was, I think that was the end of the line for the Rodgers-Anderson marriage and for the Bobby Carroll-Minnie Kelly partnership. They were not mentioned together again. In January and April 1895, the Elwood, Indiana, Daily Press refers to Bobby Carroll's wife as "Caroline Gardner" not Minnie Kelly.

Mary stayed in Deadwood for a while. A June 1893 review from that city refers to Minnie Kelly executing her character part in fine style. And the October 17, 1895, Deadwood Weekly Pioneer-Times reported the arrest of a Bill Chadwick on complaint of Minnie Kelly who claimed that he had struck her. He was fined $5 and costs.

Her next stop might have been Missoula, Montana. The March 22, 1896, edition of the Missoula, Montana, Missoulian stated:

An exceptionally fine program will be given at the Cremorne this week. Two new stars Misses Minnie Kelly and Mamie Castle, who have been creating a furore throughout the east with their grand duetts and character songs will make their initial appearance before a western audience.

And this ad comes from the April 1 Missoulian:

Newspaper advertisement. Minnie Kelly and Mamie Castle appearing at the Cremorne Theater

April 1, 1896, Missoula, Montana, Missoulian, page 1

They were still there on May 2.

I don't know what Mary Rodgers, aka Minnie Kelly, was doing between May 1896 and her death in November 1897. She may have been performing somewhere–not all old newspapers are available online. But the next mention of her was this sad announcement on page 5 of the Anaconda, Montana, Standard, November 12, 1897:

Minnie Kelly, aged 27, died yesterday at St. James hospital. The funeral will occur Sunday at 2 o'clock p.m. from Sherman's undertaking rooms.

November 12, 1897, Anaconda, Montana, Standard, page 5

followed a few days later by:

Butte Has More Than Its Share of Sad Processions
The last sad rites were performed yesterday over the remains of four residents of Butte who had passed away during the previous week. ... Minnie Kelly, formerly a variety actress at the Casino, from Sherman's undertaking rooms. ...

November 15, 1897, Anaconda, Montana, Standard, page 7

Her death certificate (November 11, 1897, Butte, Montana), recorded under the name Minnie Kelly, said she died of pneumonia and was buried in the Catholic cemetery. This probably refers to St Patrick's Cemetery, Butte, since I think that was the active Catholic cemetery in the city at the time. I might be wrong.

Conclusion

So, finally, some closure for Mary Rodgers' short, sad life. She left a brief show business legacy, but more importantly she has descendants through her son by Dudley Anderson, and more grand-nieces and nephews than I can count. Now if we could only find that photograph with Lillian Russell.

For Mary Rodgers' family and the genealogy sources, find Rodgers in the Ohio Families section of this website.

Sources

Irish Civil Registrations
Ellis Island Records
1880 and 1900 US Census of Cleveland
Ohio County Birth Records
The Miko Family Tree, at ancestry.com
Ohio Deaths and Burials, familysearch.org
Cleveland Public Library News and Necrology File
Pennsylvania County Marriages, familysearch.org