An American Family History

Margaret Ricketts Kelso was born on April 24, 1806 in Dearborn County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Robert Ricketts and Susannah Wilson.

She married Daniel E. Kelso on May 3, 1824/25 in Dearborn County, Indiana. His parents were Robert Kelso and and Jane Mercer.

Margaret and Daniel's children were Robert Kelso (1826), Emily Kelso (1827), John Kelso (1829), William Harrison Kelso (1831), Jane Kelso (1833), Zerelda Kelso (1837), Edmund Squibb Kelso (1839), Melissa Ann Kelso (1841), Cinderella Kelso(1843) and James Polk Kelso (1845).

They lived in Switzerland County where he was a prominent lawyer.
 
She died on March 3, 1854 in Versailles, Ripley County, Indiana

Daniel Kelso was born on a farm in Venango County, Pennsylvania, December 18, 1803. As a young man in Dearborn County, Indiana, he worked on a farm during the summer, doing surveying when called upon to do so, and taught the neighborhood school during the winter. He, himself, had only ten and a half months of schooling, but would read by the firelight long after the family had retired and would walk miles to borrow a book.He studied law.  

After his marriage May 3, 1825 to Margaret Ricketts,daughter of Robert and Susannah Ricketts, he began earnestly to prepare himself for the law profession. Books were scarce. Since he lived midway between Lawrenceburg and Vevay, he would, when possible, attend sessions of the courts at both places to study the proceedings. He became a well known lawyer and judge, over the river in Kentucky as well as in his Indiana circuit

Although Col. Kelso always participated largely in politics, he was not as good a politician as he was a lawyer, He chafed under the restrains of party discipline and a desire to act independently sometimes took him outside of the Whig organization with which he was supposed to be in sympathy. He served several terms in the State Senate, being elected in 1834, 1842, and 1848. In 1850 he was the representative delegate from Switzerland and Ohio Counties to the Indiana Constitutional Convention.

He was at one time prominently connected with the Freemasons, serving in the Lodge of the state as Deputy Grand Master, Grand Master and Grand Brand Secretary. He was also prominent in Odd Fellows.

Margaret Ricketts was born in Dearborn County, April 24, 1806 and died in Versailles, March 3, 1854. She and Daniel had ten children. After her death, Anna Lawless was Daniel’s housekeeper and on May 13, 1855 she gave birth to a daughter, Mary Mollie Kelso, at Dillsboro, this child was adopted into the home of Zerelda Kelso Dickerson, October 5, 1856. Daniel married secondly, Isabella Kinnear in Jefferson County, November 1, 1855. They had no children. Toward the end of his life, Daniel was for some time an invalid. He died at Versailles, in Ripley County, November 25, 1857 and is buried there.

Edmund Kelso was on the muster roll of Captain Ephriam H. Martin's Company (C), in the 3d Regiment of Indiana Mounted Volunteers, commanded by Col. Robt. Klein, (late Chapman).

They were called into the service of the U.S. by the President, at North Madison, Indiana, (the place of general rendezvous) on the 22d day of August, 1861, to serve for the term of 3 years.

The Company was organized by Captain T.M. Danglade, at Vevay, Indiana, in July, 1861, and marched to North Madison, Indiana, where it arrived the 31st day of July, 1861, a distance of 20 miles.

Edmund became a prisoner of war in January, 1854 and died June 16, 1864.

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