| 1858 | Francis Willey Kelsey born, fourth child of Olive Trowbridge Kelsey and Henry Kelsey |
| 1880 | Graduates from the University of Rochester in New York |
| Joins Lake Forest University faculty in Chicago, Illinois |
| 1882 | Publishes first contribution to text of ancient authors (Cicero's Cato Maior and Laelius) |
| 1883-5 | First trip to Europe |
| 1886 | Publishes best known text, Caesar's Gallic War |
| Marries Mary Isabelle Badger, December 22nd in Niles, Michigan |
| 1889-1927 | University of Michigan Professor of Latin |
| 1890-1927 | Chair of the Department of Latin at the University of Michigan |
| 1891-1927 | President of University Musical Society |
| 1894 | Ruth Cornelia Kelsey born |
| Frieze Organ purchased by University of Michigan with funds raised by Francis Kelsey |
| 1895 | Helps establish Michigan Classical Conference |
| 1897 | Charlotte Badger Kelsey born |
| 1900-1 | Professor at the American School of Classical Studies in Rome, teaching Roman Archaeology and History |
| 1904 | Publishes first volume of the Humanistic Series, a subseries of the University of Michigan Studies |
| Easton Trowbridge Kelsey born |
| 1907-12 | President of the Archaeological Institute of America |
| 1913 | First concert performed at Hill Auditorium during Kelsey's presidency of the University Musical Society |
| 1919-21 | First Expedition to the Mediterranean |
| 1923 | Acquisition of Marburg Vases |
| Purchased manuscripts of Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II (r. 1876-1909) |
| 1924-27 | Second Expedition to the Mediterranean and Near East |
| 1924 | Excavations at Pisidian Antioch |
| 1924-35 | Excavations at Karanis begun by Kelsey |
| 1925 | Commissions Maria Barosso to paint replica of Villa of Mysteries Bacchic murals |
| Excavations at Carthage |
| Purchased Yahuda manuscript collection from the Mamluk and Ottoman periods |
| 1927 | Dies, May 14 of heart failure |