The oldest COA displayed here is the one on the right which was adopted after the victory at Clontarf on Good Friday in the year 1014 by King Brian Boru with allies O'Kelly, a couple of companies of Gallowglass,  and other supportive Irish clans. 

King Brian and Chief O'Kelly both died in that battle. Danes who witnessed the death of O'Kelly said he fought like a wolf dog and after he fell in battle, two strange beasts emerged from the sea and stood guard over his body until his family arrived.

The surviving Danes retreated to Dublin Castle. Some stayed in Ireland as traders, but by law had to become citizens and adopt Irish ways. The Viking raider days passed into Irish history. 

Click image for full size

Painting above represents ships of the 17th century.

From Maryland, York River, or James River.

Two sisters I have been researching our direct Kelly line since 1972. The initial findings were twofold, the family was in King and Queen County (founded 1691) Virginia before 1755 and Alexander Kelly was born in that county in 1755.

Subsequently I was contacted by numerous Kelly families who also traced their lineage back to an Alexander Kelly who was born 1755 in the same county. If this was our ancestor, we need to place him in Burke County NC earlier than 1779.

Also a Benjamin Kelly (GEDCOM) born King and Queen County VA also shows up with long documentation near each other in Burke County, NC. We can safely assume for the moment that they were related and probably brothers. We don't know who their father was, or where he came from except for family stories that say Ireland.

Where our related families started in Colonial America.

Conclusions: As Virginia was a Crown Colony, Catholics could not settle there. Old records suggest transient Catholics were escorted through Virginia by local militia.

FIRST SETTLEMENTS OF VIRGINIA:

1507 settled at the mouth of James River, later moved to higher ground around the falls (end of ship navigation) at Jamestown.

1691 King and Queen County founded on Indian land. Settlers arrived along  three paths:

1. From the falls on the James River (end of ship navigation) by flatboat.

2. From Catholic Maryland south across the bay to Protestant Virginia.

3. By ship navigable York River which passes north of the county.

Prior to the Revolutionary war most citizens of Virginia were loyalists. This view makes sense as the original settlers came from England. It is not yet clear when the Irish began to settle Virginia. When they did it is probable they brought anti-British sentiments from Ireland and were therefore not heavily Torys and loyalists.

Linkpendium on King_and_Queen County, VA

Wikipedia on early Virginia

1790 and 1800 Land records (and other) for Virginia as a state

Our direct Kelly line is indicated in Burke County, North Carolina before 1779, but Virginia Kelly's found herein could be relatives who stayed behind as well.

Western North Carolina.

Anson

Burke

Iredell

Rowan

Burke County Regestry of Deeds, a public service website.

Records reported by visitors for Burke and surrounding counties in North Carolina.

Land records for Burke County and nearby Counties for Kelly or McGee

This is a copy of the North Carolina2 Kelly database. The page is searchable.

Clarksville founded 1823 was the first town.

From birthdates of four oldest children born in Burke County, North Carolina, we extrapolate 1821 as the year the family moved to Habersham County Georgia.

The oldest town in Habersham was Clarksville founded in the center of the county in 1823.

Habersham founded 1818 was very large and covered the north-east portion of Georgia. Later several smaller counties emerged from Habersham.

Click on the dates above to visualize those changes.

We have broken out part of the database that covers the Kelly period living in Georgia. Hiram land records are referred to in 1822 and 1823 so he must have been  in the original Habersham County as early as 1822.

GOTO the records here:

The current country is now considered a suburb of Atlanta.