This post was originally written in 2015.
Milton E. and Eva Kelly had moved to a house at 3302 Rosedale Avenue by the time the 1924 Camden City Directory was compiled. On August 4 of that year, their first child, son Milton William Kelly was born. Another boy, William Roles Kelly came in 1928, and a daughter, Doreen Maretta in 1938.
The 1927 Directory has them at 1311 Haddon Avenue in Camden’s Parkside district. When the Census was taken in April of 1930 the Kellys were at 3014 Carman Street. By the end of 1930 they had moved to 2925 Carman Street. The 1936 NJ Bell Telephone Directory has them at 3016 Carman Street. By 1940 Milton E. Kelly and family had returned to 3007 Carman Street.
Oldest son Milton W. Kelly was inducted into the United States Army on February 27, 1943. He trained as a rifleman and served in Europe with an armored infantry unit. On December 18, 1944 he was captured by German forces and was held in a Prisoner of War camp for 5 months. Many years later he wrote of his experiences in the war, which can be read by clicking the link below
Private Milton W. Kelly’s Wartime Experiences
On his rejoining American forces, Milton Kelly was promoted to Corporal and served as a military policeman until his discharge at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri in November of 1945. He then returned home to Camden.
The 1947 City Directory has him living with his parents and siblings at 3007 Carman Street, working as a commercial artist. On October 18, 1947 he married Lillian “Jane” Engel and started a family. Jane was the daughter of George Engel and Mary Ann McKenna Engel Brown. The Engel family is best remembered for the bars they owned and operated in Camden, Pennsauken, and elsewhere. The McKenna family was also involved in the saloon business in Camden during the late 1800s, this particular branch of McKennas are not related to the two other McKenna families that were in the bar business, the family that operated McKenna’s Tavern at 7th and Pine Streets and the family that ran McKenna’s Cafe at 319 Federal Street and later McKenna’s Cafe at 650 Clinton Street. These two families do not appear to have been related to each other either.
Milton W. and Jane Kelly were living at the Roles Court Apartments when daughter Carol was born in 1949. A son, Brian was born not long afterwards. The Kelly family lived at Roles Court into the mid-1950s before moving away from Camden. Sadly, Brian D. Kelly died in September of 2014. Carol Kelly currently lives in Nice, France.
William Roles Kelly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, served in the United States Army during the Korean War, then returned to Camden. He married Carole Ennis and this marriage produced a son, Kevin, and a daughter, Robin.
Doreen Kelly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1956 and married Robert Mignogna. They made their first home at 3081 Carman Street. The Mignognas had two daughters, Kathleen and Karin. By 1970 they had left Camden. The Mignognas lived in Cape May, New Jersey in the mid-1970s.
Eva Roles Kelly died February 6, 1963. Milton E. Kelly retired and eventually moved out of state. He and second wife Doris were residents of San Diego, California when he passed away on January 3, 1984.
The 1969 Camden City Directory shows that his son William R. Kelly, was still in the house at 3007 Carman Street. A job transfer necessitated a move out of state in the early 1970s. He settled in Long Island and passed away in 2002.
Doreen Kelly got married a second time in the 1990s, to the late Roger Schwingler. She currently lives in California.
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