Louise Minert Kelly
[nee Louisa Minert]
June 14 1876 - Feb. 5, 1948*

BIOGRAPHY by Mike Firth
This page could be the story of my search for information or a record of the information on my great-aunt Louise Kelly.
It has turned out to be a bit of both. It began when I looked up information about her and found that art reference books showed no birth or death dates. The various sections of this long page, indexed above, detail my various discoveries, while this is a summary biography. The fact this page exists in search engines has resulted in contacts from people who hold some of her paintings.

Louse Minert was born in Waukon IA, on June 14, 1876, the date a late discovery on my part. She married on June 6, 1906 after teaching for several years in Waukon, Austin MN and Two Harbors MN; the marriage ending her teaching under the rules of that time. She lived with her husband, Edward P. Kelly, in Carrington, ND, till 1920 and then in Minneapolis, MN until his death in 1939 and then in Ames, IA, with her sisters until her death, Feb. 5, 1948. Any birth records for her are buried under bureaucracy in Des Moines where only children can call for them -- she had no children.

Louise (shown as Louisa on some Census sheets) had three sisters, Emily E., who died as a child, Maud, and Ella Mae, and two brothers, James G. and William, who was my grandfather, . Her parents were John Balch and Margaret J Minert and their genealogy information is included in privately published book. All are buried in Waukon IA. Her husband, Edward P. Kelly, was an increasing prominent attorney who gave a nominating speech in 1920 for Calvin Coolidge as Vice President and allowed Louise to live as a socially active lady and artist. She apparently met him in 1900 when he was the Census enumerator on her page for Austin MN.

Louise graduated from high school in 1895 at Waukon IA, which is in northeast Iowa, took some basic teacher training typical of the time and went to work teaching in Waukon. After 2 years there, she took some art training in Chicago and then taught for 5 years in Austin MN, not far north of the Iowa border, where she met her future husband. She then taught for 2 years in Two Harbors MN, way north on Lake Superior, getting married in Duluth MN shortly after the school year ended and moving to Carrington ND in the eastern part of that state. Although she and her husband traveled freely in the area, to Minneapolis MN, and back to her family's home, she lived in Carrington until 1920. During this period she and Edward were mentioned frequently in the newspaper social notices, probably partly provided by her. Also, both of her sisters married and Maud's husband, Otto Sharf, died soon after a child was born, so Maud came to live and teach in Carrington for a while. Ella Mae married Earl Duffin, at 19, (Oct. 5, 1898)  and separated from him after the 1910 census and he died 1916 (private note) (widow in 1930) Louise lived in Minneapolis in the Leamington Hotel from 1920 to after her husband's death in 1939. The three women lived together in Ames IA as widows during World War II and after.  Ella Mae died within a year of Louise and Maud moved to Pennsylvania where she died over a decade later.

Although Louise took some minimal painting training, apparently taught art, and produced a few paintings she gave as gifts before moving to Minneapolis, her activity increased considerably in the 1920's culminating in classes in Pennsylvania and sessions on the New England coast and finally a trip to France and Tunisia in 1927. A painting done on the trip was shown a painting in the Salon in Paris and returned to Minneapolis and had a show of the paintings she did there. She continued to work and interact with artists and appears in newspaper society ads "artist Louise Kelly gets her news from ..."  Content of paintings and memberships show that she traveled to the Cape Cod, Nantucket area and to the southern California & Mexico area to paint.  Other paintings probably from the 30's show scenes along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior not far from where she taught earlier.  There are also large paintings showing scenes near Carrington ND.  She also did still-lifes of birds. According to some information she was an instructor in art at Iowa State (College at that time) which holds a couple of her paintings. 2011-01-30

I took a trip to the Upper Midwest in 2005 and took a number of Louise related pictures some of which are below and here:  2005sum.htm including grave sites, obituary, wedding announcement and paintings

An incidental look at Ancestry.com, which has an improved search return, reveals entries in the Iowa Census for 1885, 1895 & 1905 plus duplicate entries for the 1900 Federal Census for MN and IA where EPK was enumerator in MN!  1890 Census only a few states are available. 2007-04-18  I added images of the census logs now that more space is available on line. 2010-08-07
Newspaper research has found a lot of social bits that locate LK in 1914 and 1920, refuting some of the published biographical information.

1900 - Austin Ward 1, Mower, Minnesota

 The dates of 1880 & 1900b censuses put her birthday after early June 1876, the second saying she was born in June. The Married line combined with 1930 census agrees with birthday after early June. Little is gained from the 1910 census other than confirmation. The age in the 1920 census has simply got to be wrong in light of all the other numbers. The writing on careful examination does not permit the copout that the 2 might be a 3 because the 2 looks like other 2's on the page.
  I am now going to be looking for wedding info to see if the birth date is given there. 2005-04-25 [Nope 2005-10-08]

"I checked the 1920 census and Edward P. Kelly (44) and his wife Louise M. Kelly (42) were living in Carrington, Foster County, North Dakota. The census was taken on 15 Jan 1920." 
I checked the 1930 census:
Ellen M. Minert, widow, 51, 1st married at 19, was boarding with her sister Maude in Ames, Story, Iowa and was employed as a music teacher with her own studio.
Edward P. Kelly (age 54, estimated born 1875) and Louise Kelly (53, estimated born 1876) are living in Minneapolis. "
   Phyllis Peterson, Nov.16, 2003

http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~osmun/JohnMinert.htm this web site has this line.
"Louisa, born 1876 in Waukon, Allamakee County, Iowa and married Edward Patrick Kelly and died in 1948" under John Balch Minert.
  [Her name as Louisa appears in the 1880 census. Several places Louise A appears, including her wedding announcement in the Carrington paper, presumably called in by her new husband. I suspect she got fed up with people taking Louisa Minert as Louise A. Minert and perhaps thought Louise was more grownup than Louisa. MF]
 

1907-04-11

"J.W.Minert, a brother of Mrs. E.P.Kelly is here from Waukon, Ia, for a visit." (news microfilm)

EXTRACTED FROM: History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest; Chicago-Minneapolis, The S J Clarke Publishing Co, 1923; Edited by: Rev. Marion Daniel Shutter, D.D., LL.D.; Volume I - Shutter (Historical); volume II - Biographical; volume III - Biographical
Vol II, pg 513-514  [The information attached to the Kelly description on the internet site http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hom&id=I2035  is wrong people, Post-Um added 2003-12-06  http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hom&id=I2038  ]

http://www.rootsweb.com/~iaallama/school/waukon.htm
Alumni of Waukon High School 1879-1929
- source: 1929 Walk-On (Waukon) Yearbook, Volume Two; published by the Senior Class of the Waukon High School. Class of ’95 (1895)
[Address in 1929]
Louise Minert-Kelly -- Minneapolis, Minnesota
[ 2003-08-18]

Allamakee Co. School Records - Waukon 

Alumni of Waukon High School 1879-1929

Corrected text from obituary in Ames Tribune, Feb 5th, 1948.

Mrs. Kelly Dies This Morning

Louise Minert Kelly, 211 Beech avenue, died this morning at 8:15 in Mary Greeley hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage. She had been ill one week. Mrs. Kelly, an artist of national reputation, had been in Ames since 1939.

She was born In Waukon, Ia., the daughter of John and Margaret Minert, and the eldest of a family of five. She spent her childhood in Waukon and was graduated from the schools there. she taught for two years in Waukon public schools before going to Chicago to further her training in art and music at the Chicago Art Institute and the Chicago Musical college. Later while teaching at Austin. Minn.. she married Edward P. Kelley, an attorney.

LIVED AT CARRINGTON

They established their home in Carrington. N. D., where they were active in church and civic life and later moved to Minneapolis which was their home for many years.   Mrs. Kelley traveled extensively and gradually achieved recognition as an artist, having had a picture exhibited in the Paris Salon at one time.

It was after her husband’s death in 1939 that Mrs. Kelly came to Ames to live with two sisters, Mrs. Maud M. Sharf and Ella Mae Minert.  A brother, John W. Minert, also lives in this city, and a second brother. James G. Minert, preceded her in death.

Mrs. Kelly was a member of the Minneapolis Fine Arts club, the Chicago Galleries association, the Rockport Art association and the League of American Penwomen. She belonged to the Hennepin Methodist church in Minneapolis.

Funeral services will be Saturday at 2 p. m. in the Adams chapel in charge of Rev. G. S. Nichols.

NOTES: This is a proofread version of an OCR conversion of the scan of the article in the Feb. 5^th, 1948 Ames Tribune. The spelling and punctuation curiosities of the original have not been corrected, although hyphenated words have been merged. These include (along with other notes)
1. avenue  not capitalized
2. The Sat. Jan 31, 1948, edition of the paper, on the same film, reports for Mary Greeley Hospital "Admitted yesterday Mrs. Louise Kelly, 211 Beech avenue." (sic – avenue not capitalized)
3. Ia. Old abbreviation
4. she  not capitalized at start of sentence
5. Two different spellings of Kelly/Kelley in the one article. The former believed correct in all these cases.
6. 1939 Death date elsewhere given as 1936
7. According to wedding announcement found in Austin MN paper, she was married in Duluth MN after teaching in Two Harbors for two years after departing Austin MN teaching the for 5 years.

 In 2005, I traveled in the Midwest and visited several places related to Louise. These are documented on 2005sum.htm#AUSTINMN

  "The funeral of the Late Attorney Edward P. Kelly will be at St. Augustine's church tomorrow morning at 9:00 o'clock. The body was brought from California where Mr. Kelly died of heart disease Monday at Los Angeles. While Mr. Kelly knew about it and had taken treatment for heart trouble, he had kept the knowledge of his condition from his immediate family.
 Those here to attend the funeral besides Mrs. Kelly are Matt Kelly of Mason City, Judge James Norris of the supreme bench of North Dakota, a partner of Mr. Kelly when was located at Carrington in that state, Mr. and Mrs. P.J.Maloney and sons John and Joseph of St. Paul, Miss Kathryn Kelly of St. Paul, Mrs. Elizabeth Nash of St. Paul, G.S.Newberry of Minneapolis, Mr. and Mrs. J.O.Minert of Waukon Iowa, Ella May Minert and Mrs. George Sharf of Ames, John M. Sharf of Washington D.C. and J.F.Maroney of Mason City. [Typed from larger original that is more readable 2008-10-14]

Grave site in Waukon, IA. Louise is nearest plaque on left. Big upright stone says Minert on this side and Arklay on other.

Pencil-sketch-like b&w presentation at request of Iowa State in protection of their copyright. Found in office in McKay Hall, moved with department changes.

Midwest Estate Buyers

Here's a very interesting and colorful original painting by listed artist Louise Minert Kelly:

• Title: "Pacific Coast of Mexico"
• Signed "Louise Kelly" in the paint LL
• Oil on board
• 30 × 36 inches (76.2 × 91.44 cm)
• Painted to the edges
• Title in pencil on the verso
• Loss of paint along the right edge

http://www.treadwaygallery.com/9-11-12-99-sale/catalog/paintings/pg126.html Treadway Gallery sales leader in 20th Century Fine American & European Paintings

Sold for $1600, Sept. 12, 1999

Painting she is working on in newspaper clipping photo
 (squared*  note distorted hand & brush) N1

 I went back to the April 1928 issue in the Dallas Library and found the following under Paris Notes.. I did not find any direct comment in the June issue to explain why her image appeared there.
  "The 29th annual exposition of the Artistes Independants -- the Salon which has no jury and gives no prizes -- is now on view in the Grand Palais, and is much better than usual, in fact one of the best the have ever had. There are, of course, more of the younger artists in the Independants than in the other Salons, as entrance is not difficult and the arrangement in alphabetical order shocks their pride less than that of painters who are already successful.
  Among the 4,636 objects shown, landscapes apparently predominate, with a tendency rather toward photographic accuracy than masterly interpretation. Sabbagh's "Port de Ploumauach," with its granite cliffs, its calm haven and tragic sky, is a memorable picture, and there many others worth seeing more than once.

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

44

http://www.comanducci.it/database/risultati.asp
?Ricerca=KELLY%20Louise%20Minert   2003-08-18
[Neither page still around 2011-03-14]
http://www.comanducci.it/english/risultati.asp
?ricerca=KELLY%20Louise%20Minert 2005-05-12 no image

http://www.mutualart.com/Artist/Louise-Minert-Kelly/36665536F55FC9A3
, including 'Cape Cod' sold at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Chicago 'Marketplace ' in 2013."

Notes:
[1] Denise TeghtmeyerWitte
"Mom did say that Grandpa (William
> Anderson Minert) had 4 of the paintings. Mother has
> one named "The Valley of Saint Croix", Mary Ellen has
> a seascape, and she couldn't remember what Ann had.
> There was also a Spanish Woman and mom does not know
> where that went upon Grandpa's death. "

[2] MF's Uncle Bill = William Anderson Minert father of Keo, Ann, & Mary Ellen

[3] Dawdy book below

Artist Reference Book Entries

Mantle Fielding's Dictionary American Painters, Sculptors et al

KELLY, LOUISE. (Mrs. Edward P. Kelly). Painter and lecturer. Born in Waukon, IA, June 14, 1879*. Pupil of Art Institute of Chicago; Penna. Academy of Fine Arts: George Elmer Browne. Member: American Federation of Arts; National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors; Chicago Galleries Association: Provincetown Art Association; Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts. Address in 1929, Apt. 902. Leamington Hotel. Minneapolis, MN; summer, Provincetown. MA.

* MF this is error as every other reference says or implies 1876. Only entry with a specific day of month. [See above, turned out to be correct.]

Who Was Who in American Art

KELLY, Louise Minert (Mrs. Edward P.) [Painter, lecturer] b.1879*, Waukon, LA.

Addresses: Minneapolis, MN/Provincetown, MA. Studied: AIC; PAFA; Lester Stevens, Rockport, MA; Leonard Richmond, London; George Elmer Browne, New York-Paris; Italy. Member: AFA; Chicago Gal. Art; Provincetown AA; Rockport AA; Minneapolis SGA; Nat. Lg. Am. Pen Women. Exhibited: Spring Salon, Paris; Nat. Lg. Am. Pen Women, Chicago, 1933 (prize), 1934; Washington, DC, 1934 (first prize). Work: Home Economics Hall, Iowa State College. Sources: WW4O; Ness & Orwig, Iowa Artists of the First Hundred Years, 122; Artists of the Rockport Art Association (1946); Petteys, Dictionary of Women Artists.

* MF this is error as every other reference says or implies 1876.

Dawdy - Artists of the American West

Kelly, Louise Minert (1879*—

B. Waukon, Iowa. Work: Foster County (North Dakota) Historical Museum. AAA 1929-1933 (Minneapolis. Minnesota; summer, Provincetown. Massachusetts); Benezit; Havlice; Mallett; WWAA 1936—1941 (Minneapolis; summer, Provincetown); Ness and Orwig, 1939; Barr, 1954; Robinson, 1966; Agnes Olson, North Dakota Retired Teachers’ Association; NMAA-NPG Library, Smithsonian Institution. [MF-These last entries may be notes or books that mention her, NDRTA has no paintings, and NMAA-NPG shows no returns on search]

Kelly was active in Carrington, North Dakota, from 1905 to 1918, with time out for travel to Europe. A water color called "Scene in Holland" is dated 1914. She continued her travels for two more decades—England in 1934, and various trips to Carmel and Laguna Beach, California.**

By the late twenties Kelly was a recognized landscape painter. "The Valley of the Lot— Espalion France" hung in the Spring Salon in Paris in 1928, and is reproduced in the June issue of American Magazine of Art, page 344. Artist Paul Barr wrote that her oils and water colors "are notable for their excellent composition, their brilliant coloring, and their fidelity to nature."

* MF this is error as every other reference says or implies 1876.
** MF-This information is very likely in error. Careful inspection of the 1914 newspapers in Carrington, which contain lots of social bits about her make it clear that she was in the area all year and never went to Europe and for almost half of that year Europe was at war. The information following - apparently the high point of her career - is, according to an article in the newspaper, the beginning, as she says women should take up new activities in middle age - she was 50 in 1926. I will be looking at newspapers from Minneapolis in the 20's and 30's when I can.

Entries
2001 Davenport, Ray Davenport's Art Reference And Price Guide
1986 Opitz, Glenn B (editor) Mantle Fielding's Dictionary American Painters, Sculptors et al
1985 Dawdy, Doris Artists of the American West A Biographical Dictionary (3 vols)
1982 Opitz, Glenn Dictionary of American Artists
1948 Mallett, Daniel Trowbridge Index of Artists International Biographical (2 Vols)

Mike Firth wrote:
  I am watching the British version of Antiques Roadshow and decided to take my wireless earphones to the computer and look up Louise Kelly Painter  found this http://askart.com/artist/K/louise_minert_kelly.asp a link from this page shows 3 auctions, but it costs $9.50 a day or $19.50 a month to see the numbers Below is the listing of books that mention her is copied below.
Mike Firth  

Other Bibliography

"Gerhard Henrich Meinert: His Ancestors and His Descendants" Roger P. Minert, Ph.D., A.G., Roy T. Minert, Jean P. Minert, Virginia M. Gibbs, GRT Publications, Woods Cross, UT, 2000, LOC# 00-191900