Berry O’Kelly

Berry O'Kelly (c. 1861 – March 14, 1931) was an American businessman and philanthropist.

Early life Berry O'Kelly was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in about 1861. His mother, Frances Stroud, was an enslaved woman who died shortly after his birth. He assumed his name from maternal relatives who oversaw his care. He was educated in a school in Orange County before moving to join relatives in Mason Village, a freedmen's community outside of Raleigh. He continued his education there and worked as a youth driving goods for a white family. Additionally, O'Kelly was a member of St. James's African Methodist Episcopal Church in Method, serving as a teacher in the Sunday school and a lay member of the North Carolina General A.M.E. Conference. The school bearing his name operated until 1966.