Cornelius Kelley was born in Ireland. By 1904 he had purchased land in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and built a blacksmith shop. As farming waned and his talent for repairing agricultural equipment was less in demand, he turned his skills to ornamental ironwork and became involved in Deerfield’s craft revival during the Arts and Crafts Movement. His products included hinges, andirons, lantern frames, fire sets, candlesticks, and lamps, made by hand with inspiration from designs of the Colonial period.