Kelsey, Kerck 1933- (Albert V.B. Kelsey)

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Kelsey, Kerck 1933- (Albert V.B. Kelsey)

PERSONAL:

Born February 12, 1933; married; wife's name Susan. Education: Harvard University, M.A., 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Freeport, ME.

CAREER:

Writer, historian, and banker. Bank of Boston, trust officer. Worked in the publishing industry.

WRITINGS:

Israel Washburn Jr.: Maine's Little-known Giant of the Civil War, Picton Press (Rockport, ME), 2004.

Remarkable Americans: The Washburn Family, Tilbury House Publishers (Gardiner, ME), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Writer and historian Kerck Kelsey found his second vocation in history late in life after a long career in banking and publishing. Among his other positions, he served as a trust officer in the Bank of Boston. In his sixties, Kelsey began to develop a keen interest in his family's history, particularly the history of the Washburn family. This interest inspired him to return to college, and shortly before his seventieth birthday, Kelsey earned a master's degree in history from Harvard University. His master's thesis centered on a prominent figure from his family's history, Israel Washburn, Jr., a relatively little-known individual who played a significant role in the U.S. Civil War. Kelsey restructured his thesis into a book, Israel Washburn Jr.: Maine's Little-known Giant of the Civil War, which covers Washburn's life and contributions. Washburn served as a governor of Maine during the early years of the Civil War as a state representative in 1842 and 1843, and he was an early founder of the Republican Party. His strong support for the Union not only helped to shape the state of Maine, but also contributed to the growth of the United States.

Kelsey delves further into the history of the Washburn family with Remarkable Americans: The Washburn Family. In this book, Kelsey covers the activities and accomplishments of the Washburns in the nineteenth century. The family was the "personification of Yankee rectitude," remarked an MBR Bookwatch critic. Based in Livermore, Maine, the Washburn family consisted of ten children: seven brothers (Cadwallader, Charles, Elihu, Israel Jr., Sam, Sid, and William) and three sisters (Caroline, Martha, and Mary). These siblings grew up on a remote farm where poverty was the norm, hard physical labor a daily reality, and chances for advancement minimal. However, the Washburns went on to log many remarkable achievements. Among them, they became lawyers, business leaders, and bankers. They supported and served the Union cause during the Civil War, both as civilians and as military personnel. Some members of the family entered government service and became notable governors, representatives, and diplomats. Among their business interests were railroads, lumber companies and sawmills, coal mines, law firms, and banks. One particularly notable business founded by the Washburns was a flour mill named Washburn Crosby, which became General Mills in 1928.

Kelsey's account of his accomplished ancestors "reflects the physical and economic expansion of nineteenth-century America, and the Washburns' achievements spring to life," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer.