Because of that gap in history, she took it upon herself to conduct interviews and scour records to find out more.
On the weekend, she unveiled 100 copies of the result of that work, a book called The Jelley Journey, at a family reunion she organised in Cromwell.
"I was quite shocked because William Jelley was a huge part in Cromwell in the early 1900s, and very little was recorded about him."
She got the idea at the family’s last reunion in 2004, and it took her that long to complete the project.
Mrs Jelley and her husband Charles, who now live in Temuka, were among the 85 family members from New Zealand and Australia who gathered for lunch on Saturday.
"And people have come from all over. Some even from Australia, which is great to see."
The book traces the genealogy back to William Jelley, who was an important figure in the town in the early 1900s. He was born in Dunedin, of English immigrant parents, in 1874.
He was on various boards and committees and the president of many sports clubs and ran a drapery from the London House building in old Cromwell.
It was eventually taken over by his sons Ted and Len Jelley in 1934. Len served a term as the town’s mayor in the late 1950s.
Len Jelley’s daughter, Heather Crabbe, was at the reunion and said her father played a big part in the town’s history.
"He was a very friendly, good man. He was so easy to get on with."
He was heavily involved in sport and was a rugby referee for many years, she said.Mrs Crabbe said she was enjoying seeing family she had not seen in years, and some whom she had never met.
"There are a few stories floating around in this room."
