Eleanor Kelly was born in Blaney, South Carolina. Though her parents were sharecroppers when she was born, the family did well and they bought their own land and built a house by the time she was a teenager. Before finishing high school, Mrs. Kelly moved to Washington, D.C., with her Aunt Rebecca and enrolled in Cortez Peters Business College. Mrs. Kelly later moved in with her sister Alberta and her family, and they moved to New York when her brother-in-law was stationed in Staten Island. Mrs. Kelly returned to Washington to live with another sister after Alberta’s husband was stationed overseas. After returning to Washington, she worked at WTOP for several years before working for the government. After marrying her husband, Moses Kelly, Mrs. Kelly moved all around the country due to Mr. Kelly’s work for the Secret Service. She and her husband had one daughter, Doris. After Mr. Kelly’s retirement, Mrs. Kelly and her husband moved back to Blythewood, South Carolina, to live in her family’s home.