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May Joyce Kelso
1866–1935 · Female · died at 69
- 1 photo
- 11 newspaper clippings, 2 more cited
- 24 records (14 viewable)
- Biography
- May Kelso and the Battle of Flowers, 1918
- Mentioned in another story
How to read this page
- Photos and clippings count items you can view here.
- Cited or transcribed records are counted separately.
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- Memorial links open Find a Grave.
- A “family recollection” label marks something a relative remembered, not a written record.
- A military-service label rates the record of that service, not the whole life.
Sex is as recorded in the family tree. Age at death is worked out from the dates shown and may be a range or an approximation. It is left out when a date is missing or is only a “before”, “after” or “between” date, when the research has found a date Unconfirmed, when the two dates conflict, or when they would mean an age over 110.
Overview
May Joyce Kelso1866–1935Winchester (Judge W.) Kelso Sr.1858–1925Husband
Biography
May Joyce Kelso grew up in San Antonio, raised two children with Winchester Kelso, and took an active part in the city's civic clubs.
A minister's daughter
May was born in San Antonio on April 20, 1866, the daughter of the Rev. William J. Joyce, a Methodist minister, and Laura Mitchell. Her obituary describes her as a graduate of the Coronal Institute in San Marcos, a private coeducational school associated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1912 application; 1923 application; Handbook of Texas).
Likely About this evidence
May gave the same birth date in two passport applications; her death certificate and grave marker agree. Her attendance at Coronal remains Likely, based on the obituary rather than a student register.
Marriage and Craig Place
May married the lawyer Winchester Kelso in 1888. She was 25 when their daughter Ruth was born in San Marcos on November 2, 1891, and 29 when their son Winchester was born in Eagle Pass on October 12, 1895.
Confirmed About this evidence
Her 1912 application gives the marriage year and the children's dates and places of birth. The exact October 3, 1888, wedding date and Hays County location come from the tree.
The family was living at 107 Craig Place in San Antonio by 1910, and May used that address for her 1912 passport application, in which she called her occupation “wife and mother” and named both children as intended travelling companions. The same address appears in later family records and was her home at death.
Confirmed About this evidence
The passport does not establish a destination or completed 1912 trip. Repeated use of Craig Place does not establish ownership or uninterrupted residence.
Battle of Flowers
May was elected president of the Battle of Flowers Association in May 1916 and re-elected the following May. She remained president through at least May 1918. In April 1918, the association replaced its usual flower parade with a military and Red Cross parade and a religious service before the Alamo. Newspaper accounts credit May with planning and staging the event and directing the section for Army officers and officials. The Red Cross division collected $802.23 (The San Antonio Light, 11 May 1916; The San Antonio Light, 12 May 1917; The San Antonio Light, 14 April 1918; The San Antonio Light, 22 April 1918).
Confirmed About this evidence
Contemporary newspaper pages support the elections, 1918 event and collection. The Handbook of Texas separately says the association raised money for hospital beds in France; the cited 1918 reports do not establish that destination for the money. Earlier committee and dinner roles remain attributed, excerpt-only reports.
Clubs, church and volunteering
May's obituary also named her as a past president of the Fenwick Luncheon Club. Newspaper excerpts place her among its chairmen and hosts, but the full pages have not been examined. Other notices describe a role in a Laurel Heights Methodist church society and membership in the Texas Pioneers and Daughters of the American Revolution.
Unconfirmed About this evidence
The Fenwick presidency remains Likely. The church office and society memberships remain Unconfirmed; the church society's full name is unclear, and no membership rolls are cited.
During the influenza epidemic in 1918, a San Antonio Evening News column described Mrs. Winchester Kelso among women volunteering to care for sick soldiers at Camp Travis and Fort Sam Houston. She spoke of bathing patients, making beds and preparing breakfasts, and said she felt she was doing useful work.
Likely About this evidence
The volunteer is probably May, but the report does not distinguish her from the wife of Winchester Kelso Jr. The identification remains Likely, and the remarks are attributed to the columnist's account.
Paris and later life
In October 1923, May applied for an emergency passport in Paris. She said she had left the United States in July and was returning home. Later that month, May Joyce Kelso appeared with Ruth and Ruth's young son on the Majestic's passenger list from Cherbourg to New York (emergency application).
Likely About this evidence
The application does not explain why a replacement passport was needed. The return passenger is identified from the name, address and related records; the list gives an age five years younger than May's other records.
May was 59 when Winchester died in November 1925. She continued to use the Craig Place address and died there on August 31, 1935, aged 69. Her funeral was held at Laurel Heights Methodist Church, and she was buried at Mission Burial Park. Her survivors included Ruth, Winchester, three sisters, four brothers and three grandchildren.
Confirmed About this evidence
The death certificate, obituary and marker supply these details. The certificate records hemiplegia beginning in 1934.
Timeline of the public record (12 entries)
Family
Parents
- Mother: Laura Mitchell born 1842
Confirmed evidence: show why
Why: May Joyce Kelso's death certificate gives her mother's maiden name as Laura Mitchell (born Texas) and her father as Rev. Wm. J. Joyce; Laura Joyce's 1915 obituary lists Mrs. Winchester Kelso among her children.
Records:
- Texas death certificate of May Joyce Kelso, San Antonio, 31 Aug 1935. father Rev. Wm. J. Joyce (born Georgia); mother's maiden name Laura Mitchell (born Texas) (view at FamilySearch)
Review: assessed 10-03-2026; evidence: Image examined.
Earlier: Unconfirmed (10-03-2026, imported tree): The FTM import's own unassessed link. · Unconfirmed (09-24-2026, imported tree): From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed.
- Father: William Jasper Joyce c. 1827–1918
Confirmed evidence: show why
Why: May Joyce Kelso's death certificate names her father as Rev. Wm. J. Joyce (born Georgia). The tree's 'William Jasper Joyce' is that man: Asa Mitchell's will calls William J. Joyce the husband of his daughter Laura.
Records:
- Texas death certificate of May Joyce Kelso, San Antonio, 31 Aug 1935. father Rev. Wm. J. Joyce (born Georgia); mother's maiden name Laura Mitchell (born Texas) (view at FamilySearch)
Review: assessed 10-03-2026; evidence: Image examined.
Earlier: Unconfirmed (10-03-2026, imported tree): The FTM import's own unassessed link. · Unconfirmed (09-24-2026, imported tree): From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed.
Husband: Winchester (Judge W.) Kelso Sr. 1858–1925 Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
- Daughter: Ruth Joyce Kelso Clarkson 1891–1973
Confirmed evidence: show why
Why: Ruth's own death certificate gives her mother's maiden name as May Joyce; the 1925 notices name Mrs. May Joyce Kelso as the widow and Ruth as the daughter.
Records:
- Texas death certificate of Ruth Kelso Clarkson, San Antonio, 1973. father Winchester Kelso, Sr.; mother's maiden name May Joyce; informant her son Herbert K. Clarkson (view at FamilySearch)
- San Antonio Express, 25 Nov 1925, p. 14: death notice of Judge Winchester Kelso. Deaths column: 'KELSO - Died at his home, 107 West Craig Place, on Tuesday, November 24, 1925, Judge Winchester Kelso, at the age of 67 years. Beloved husband of Mrs. May Joyce Kelso and father of Winchester Kelso Jr. and Mrs. Herbert Slayden Clarkson.' (view at Newspapers.com)
- San Antonio Light, 25 Nov 1925, p. 5: 'W. Kelso, S. A. Civic Leader Is Dead'. front-of-section obituary: survivors 'his widow, Mrs. May Joyce Kelso; a son, Winchester Kelso Jr., and a daughter, Mrs. Ruth Kelso-Clarkson, wife of Major H. S. Clarkson of San Antonio; one brother, Frank Kelso of Gonzales, and one sister, Mrs. Dena Kelso Graves of Columbus, Ga.' (view at Newspapers.com)
Review: assessed 10-03-2026; evidence: Image examined.
Earlier: Unconfirmed (10-03-2026, imported tree): The FTM import's own unassessed link. · Unconfirmed (09-24-2026, imported tree): From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed.
- Son: Winchester Kelso Jr. 1895–1965
Unconfirmed evidence: show why
Life events
| Born | 20 Apr 1866 Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: Her gravestone gives Apr. 20, 1866. San Antonio as her birthplace comes from her own later passport applications and Find a Grave, not from a birth record. Records: Review: assessed 11-02-2026; evidence: Image examined. Earlier: Unconfirmed (10-05-2026, imported tree): From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed. |
|---|---|
| Died | 31 Aug 1935 Confirmed evidence: show whyWhy: Her gravestone gives Aug. 31, 1935. San Antonio as the place of death comes from Find a Grave; no death record has been seen. Records: Review: assessed 11-02-2026; evidence: Image examined. Earlier: Unconfirmed (10-05-2026, imported tree): From the imported family tree; not yet reviewed. |
| Also recorded as | May Kelso Joyce |
| Marriage | 3 OCT 1888, Hays County, Texas, USA, with Winchester (Judge W.) Kelso Sr. 1858–1925 |
| Office | President, Battle of Flowers Association (to at least May 1918), 10 MAY 1916 |
| Burial | Mission Burial Park, San Antonio, Bexar, Texas, USA |
| Burial | San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, United States of America |
Newspapers
11 newspaper clippings to view here. View them larger, one at a time.
Eagle Pass Guide (Eagle Pass, Tex.), vol. 7, no. 33, 13 Apr 1895, p. 1: local notices (the Guide is indebted to Mrs. Winchester Kelso for roses from her home on Ceylon Street).13 Apr 1895 · p. 1
The San Antonio Light, 11 May 1916, p. 14: "Mrs. Winchester Kelso was elected president of the Battle of Flowers Association at the annual meeting of the organization Wednesday afternoon" (10 May 1916), succeeding Mrs. Atlee B. Ayres.11 May 1916 · p. 14
"Mrs. Winchester Kelso was unanimously re-elected president of the Battle of Flowers' Association at the annual meeting Friday afternoon at the Menger Hotel." The San Antonio Light, 12 May 1917, p. 8.1917
The San Antonio Light, 12 May 1917, p. 8: "Mrs. Winchester Kelso was unanimously re-elected president of the Battle of Flowers' Association."12 May 1917 · p. 8
"Mrs. Winchester Kelso, who has been with the volunteers, says: 'I never in my life felt as if I was doing such real work...'" Marin B. Fenwick, "Just Among Ourselves," The San Antonio Evening News, 12 October 1918, p. 6.1918
The San Antonio Evening News, 12 October 1918, p. 6, "Just Among Ourselves": Mrs. Winchester Kelso, who has been with the volunteers, says she never in her life felt as if she was doing such real work.12 October 1918 · p. 6
The San Antonio Light, 14 April 1918, p. 8 as printed (viewer page 5): the Battle of Flowers Association, Mrs. Winchester Kelso, president, plans a military and Red Cross parade followed by a religious service before the Alamo instead of the Battle of Flowers.14 April 1918 · p. 5
The San Antonio Light, 18 April 1918, p. 7 as printed (viewer page 11): "Mrs. Kelso, president of the Battle of Flowers Association, under whose auspices the parade is being given, has charge of the section of the parade in which Army officers and city officials will march."18 April 1918 · p. 11
The San Antonio Light, 22 April 1918, p. 6 as printed (viewer page 3): the Battle of Flowers Association, Mrs. Winchester Kelso, president, "planned and staged the parade and the services before the Alamo"; the Red Cross flags collected $802.23.22 April 1918 · p. 3
San Antonio Express, 25 Nov 1925, p. 14: Deaths, Judge Winchester Kelso (wife May Joyce Kelso, son Winchester Kelso Jr., daughter Mrs. Herbert Slayden Clarkson).25 Nov 1925 · p. 14
San Antonio Light, 25 Nov 1925, p. 5: W. Kelso, S. A. Civic Leader, Is Dead (widow, son, daughter Ruth Kelso-Clarkson, brother Frank Kelso).25 Nov 1925 · p. 5
Also cited, with no image here
- U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current Newspaper or record reference; read it at the archive or publisher.
- The San Antonio Light, 11 May 1916, p. 14, "Mrs. Kelso Elected Mrs. Ayres' Successor": "Mrs. Winchester Kelso was elected president of the Battle of Flowers Association at the annual meeting ... Wednesday afternoon"; re-elected, Light 12 May 1917, p. 8 (https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-light-may-12-1917-p-8/) Newspaper or record reference; read it at the archive or publisher.
Record images
14 record images to view here. View them larger, one at a time.
I, May Joyce Kelso, a native and loyal citizen of the United States, hereby apply for a passport for myself, accompanied by my two minor children: Ruth Kelso, born at San Marcos, Texas, 2 November 1891, and Winchester Kelso Jr., born at Eagle Pass, Texas, 12 October 1895. U.S. Passport Applications, NARA M1490, roll 159.1912
U.S. passport application of May Joyce Kelso, sworn 27 April 1912, for herself "accompanied by my two minor children": Ruth Kelso, born at San Marcos, Texas, in 1891, and Winchester Kelso Jr., born at Eagle Pass, Texas, 12 October 1895.27 April 1912 · image 0035
Emergency passport application of Mrs. May Kelso, sworn at Paris on 8 October 1923: born San Antonio, 20 April 1866; left the United States on 4 July 1923; signed "May Kelso."8 October 1923 · vol. 185 (Paris), image 00100- May Joyce Kelso1923
Mrs. May Kelso, born at San Antonio, Texas, April 20, 1866; I last left the United States on July 4, 1923; emergency passport no. 2404. U.S. Emergency Passport Applications, Paris, vol. 185.1923
Signed May Kelso, sworn before the American Vice-Consul at the Passport Department, Paris, 8 October 1923.1923
Mrs. Winchester Kelso Sr.; Funeral rites held Monday. The San Antonio Light, 2 September 1935, p. 7-A.2 September 1935
1900 United States Federal Census
Judge W Kelso
Kelso-Clarkson, Main Stone
Kelso, May Joyce -1866-1935
May Joyce Kelso death certificate
May Joyce Kelso obit
May Joyce Kelso, 1866–1935, Mission Burial Park South, San Antonio.
Photos & documents
Sources
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current Burials and memorials Scan: family sign-in Birth
- Texas, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1817-1965 Birth, marriage and death records Citation only Marriage
- Texas, U.S., Marriage Index, 1824-2021 Birth, marriage and death records Citation only Birth, Marriage
Texas Department of State Health Services; Austin, Texas; Texas Marriage Index, 1966-2021 - U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current Newspapers Citation only Marriage
San Marcos Free Press; Publication Date: 11/ Oct/ 1888; Publication Place: San Marcos, Texas, USA; URL: http… - 1900 United States Federal Census Census Viewable scan Birth, Marriage, Residence
Year: 1900; Census Place: Eagle Pass, Maverick, Texas; Roll: 1657; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 0054 - The San Antonio Light, 11 May 1916, p. 14, "Mrs. Kelso Elected Mrs. Ayres' Successor": "Mrs. Winchester Kelso was elected president of the Battle of Flowers Association at the annual meeting ... Wednesday afternoon"; re-elected, Light 12 May 1917, p. 8 (https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-light-may-12-1917-p-8/) Newspapers Citation only Event
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current Burials and memorials Scan: family sign-in Death
- Her own sworn passport applications (27 Apr 1912; emergency application Paris, 8 Oct 1923, Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/403192:uspassports and https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2043979:uspassports); grave marker "May Joyce Kelso, Apr. 20, 1866, Aug. 31, 1935", Mission Burial Park Burials and memorials Citation only
- Texas death certificate, May Joyce Kelso, 31 Aug 1935 (held image m7eeedc4066c0); The San Antonio Light, 2 September 1935, p. 7-A, "Kelso Rites Held Monday"; grave marker at Mission Burial Park. No URL recorded; repository/film/page as above Burials and memorials Citation only Burial
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current Burials and memorials Scan: family sign-in Burial
Research sources
- Gravestone 'MAY JOYCE KELSO APR. 20. 1866 AUG. 31. 1935', Mission Burial Park South, San Antonio (Find a Grave photograph; memorial links husband Winchester Kelso and parents Rev. William J. Joyce and Laura Mitchell) Other documents
- San Antonio Express, 25 Nov 1925, p. 14: death notice of Judge Winchester Kelso Newspapers view at Newspapers.com
- San Antonio Light, 25 Nov 1925, p. 5: 'W. Kelso, S. A. Civic Leader Is Dead' Newspapers view at Newspapers.com
- Texas death certificate of May Joyce Kelso, San Antonio, 31 Aug 1935 Birth, marriage and death records view at FamilySearch
- Texas death certificate of Ruth Kelso Clarkson, San Antonio, 1973 Birth, marriage and death records view at FamilySearch
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