Andrew Kelsey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1819 |
| Died | 1849 |
Andrew Kelsey, or Andy Kelsey, was an early American pioneer of California with his brothers Samuel and Benjamin Kelsey. Originally from Kentucky, he arrived in Alta California with the Bartleson–Bidwell Party in 1841, ventured into Oregon with his brothers, and participated in the Bear Flag Revolt. He eventually settled in the Clear Lake area in modern-day Lake County, California after acquiring livestock from Californio Salvador Vallejo. He and his business partner Charles Stone effectively enslaved local Pomo and Wappo bands and, along Benjamin Kelsey, subjected them to starvation, torture, rapes and murders. Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone were killed in 1849 during an Indian uprising triggered by their mistreatment of the indigenous population. Kelsey's name is attached to the town of Kelseyville in Lake County.