Charles Kelly was born 3 February 1889, the first of six sons of Alfred and Flora Lepard Kelly. His father was a Baptist preacher until, as Kelly put it, "he was starved out." During the early years, the family lived a precarious existence, subsisting on contributions from adherents of Alfred Kelly's eccentric religious practices. For a time they lived in Chicago where Kelly ran a mission for the poor. When that proved a failure, the family moved to Tennessee where they founded a religious colony. Alfred was also an eccentric father who inspired little love in his sons. Charles Kelly said once that his father "beat us all once a week for the good of our souls."

By 1910 Kelly had left his family and spent some time at Valparaiso University. Unfortunately, he ran out of money and spent the next several years discovering the country. When the United States entered World War I, Kelly reluctantly joined the army, but was not sent overseas because he was, at 112 pounds, below the required weight.

After the War, Kelly settled in Salt Lake City because he liked the country and wished to pursue a musical career there. He played the violin and cornet very well, but positions were scarce and Kelly returned to the printing business. He had been taught to set type as a child to help his father print religious tracts and had worked as a printer intermittently since that time. Although the printing business was a difficult one, Kelly became a partner in the Western Printing Company which position he held until 1940. Shortly after his arrival in Salt Lake, he married Harriett Greener. They had no children.

Besides music, Kelly was an artist--an interest which had been enhanced by his friendship with the western artist Charles M. Russell during the time Kelly worked in Great Falls, Montana, prior to his army experience. Painting was also the source of his interest in western history. As Kelly put it,

Prowling the desert for subject material I accidentally stumbled onto the old Donner Trail on the Salt Desert. No one here knew anything about it; so I began doing some research, out of curiosity, and found that historical research--especially in this section--was much more fascinating that either of the other two hobbies. ( , June, 1937, p. 2)

Out of this newly awakened interest was born Kelly's first book, , which he published himself in 1930. This book was followed by , the story of Orrin Porter Rockwell; , about Mountain Man Caleb Greenwood; , trapper and trader in pre-Mormon Utah; and , about Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. In addition to these, Kelly edited several journals for publication, including John D. Lee's, and wrote more than a hundred articles on western history, as well as many book reviews.

In 1940, Kelly sold his interest in the printing business because, he said, "No one paid his bills." He and his wife wanted to buy a fruit farm near Fruita, Wayne County, Utah, but the threat of war made land prices raise beyond Kelly's means. In the meantime, he was offered a temporary position as caretaker of Capitol Reef and provided with a timber and adobe house to live in. The "temporary" position stretched to a twenty-year long second career for Kelly and ended in 1959 with his retirement. The years in Fruita were quiet ones and Kelly wrote many articles and conducted a voluminous correspondence with all manner of people, particularly Dale L. Morgan and J. Roderic Korns, two other western history enthusiasts.

After his retirement, the Kellys returned to Salt Lake City and lived there quietly until Charley died in 1971. Harriett Kelly, his wife, died in 1974.

Philosophy

Charles Kelly was regarded by most as a difficult man. His ideas about people and history were definite. He conceived distinct and vocal dislikes. Of Governor George D. Clyde, whom he considered an enemy of Utah's scenic wonders, he said ". . . his happiest day will be when he can photograph an oil derrick underneath Rainbow Bridge." ( , 10 July 1961)

This misanthropic tendency was probably his most identifiable trait. In 1937, he wrote a brief autobiographical piece for and said, about himself, "I belong to no organizations of any kind whatever, never go out socially, not interested in politics, and hate radios. I really ought to move to California, but if I did the Mormons would say they ran me out of Utah--so I stay just to spite them."

His spitefulness was sometimes malicious. During the early 1920's, he held a position with the Ku Klux Klan in Salt Lake. His primary motive may have been professional, as he indicated in his journal:

I am wondering if I should resign from my job with the Klan Nobody comes anymore except a few who have a motive for coming. . . . We are getting very little work on the strength of it anyway, as nobody lives up to their oath. Albers wants me to join the Masons, but I can't see that they are any better. (Journal, 23 September 1922)

But he also exhibited anti-Semitic tendencies,

I wondered again why it is that everybody of whatever nationality or religion wants to kill a Jew on sight. I know why I want to kill them, but I wonder if they have the same effect on everyone else. If the Jews are God's chosen people, I hope God never chooses me (Journal, 6 January 1918)

He was emphatically unreligious, a trait he blamed on the example of his father:

If I were convinced that I possessed an immortal soul; if I had positive proof of the existence of heaven and hell, and if I were given a choice of abode after leaving this earthly sphere; I would ten thousand times rather spend eternity in an atmosphere of flaming sulphur and brimstone in company with honest sinners than to twang a harp, wear a crown and walk the golden streets of paradise with father and those other religious hypocrites who made life for us a hell on earth. (Autobiography, p. 221)

But Kelly could also be kind. A. R. Mortensen admitted, in his memorial, that Kelly had "a barbwire personality" but added, "with it all, he had a generosity of spirit, an underlining of kindness and loyalty to those who earned his respect and admiration."

Kelly loved western history, especially as it touched Utah, "Having seen all that country again I am satisfied to live in Utah, as I believe there is more of interest to see around here than any other place in the world. . . ." (Journal, 24 July 1929) He was judged to be a competent writer. A review of called it "thoughtfully illustrated, well. documented and indexed, sincere and honest. . . ." And reviews of other works contained similar sentiments. Kelly was considered a careful rather than a brilliant writer, though not without some critics. His friend Dale Morgan wrote him in 1948,

And as a final postscript to you, Charlie, I hereby request that the next time you publish a limited edition of some historical work, footnote it properly so that it isn't so much work to check statements when they are called in question. . . .If for no other reason, do it as a favor to me.