Born in Bennington County, Vermont, June 10, 1805, Aaron H. Kelley (or Kelly) headed west to Michigan in 1830.  At the time Chief Black Hawk’s threatening activities were causing serious concerns to area settlers.  That and the spread of the cholera epidemic (brought by the soldiers under orders to bring Black Hawk under control) sent Aaron and other early settlers back east.

In 1833 he returned and purchased 270 acres north of Brighton at Clark Lake.  He did not settle there until 1837, after marrying Emiline Grimes in Dixboro, Washtenaw County, in 1836.  He sold some of the land to Rev. William A. Clark.  William Winchell then sold Aaron about 300 acres in Section 18, Brighton Township, just south of the lake, on Hyne Road.  The Kelleys moved into the log house Winchell had built ‘. . . east of the creek at Kelley Bridge.’  Aaron immediately built a dam on Ore Creek about ½ mile south of Hyne and ¼ mile east of Hacker Road.  The pond provided him power to run the sawmill constructed that year.  He was kept busy supplying lumber to the many settlers wanting to build homes.  Many of the long, thick planks used in the construction of the Detroit to Howell Plank Road were cut at Aaron’s Mill.

Two children were born; Charles A. and Carolyn H. (Lewis), before Emiline died in 1849.  In 1851 Aaron married May J. Murray of Green Oak Township.  Aaron died in 1877 and is buried in the Brighton Village Cemetery as is Mary.  At her death, 1898, she owned 380 ac. Her stepson, Charles, was probably conducting the farming operations although he and wife, Marie A. Allyn, lived in town at the north east corner of Grand River and Spencer Road for many years.  By 1900 he is owner of the farm when the appropriate name, MILLBROOK FARM, was selected. At one time he was the village undertaker and had a furniture store on the east side of Grand River in the block south of Main.  Charles was Secretary of a very well attended Brighton Homecoming of 1907, being reelected for the 1909 event.

Upon Charles’ death in 1925, his son, Carl, inherited the house in town and the farm.  Shortly before Carl died, 1945, all the Kelley property had been sold.  Charles, Marie and Carl are buried in Fairview Cemetery.

Compiled by Marieanna Bair from county atlases; Bill Pless’ supplement to the Village Cemetery records; the 1880 History of Livingston County; obituaries, Early Landowners, and Fairview Cemetery Transcription by Milton Carboneau.