John Keith

Upon the death of his father in 1721 and his mother in 1722, John Keith and his brother Alexander as orphans were placed in the family of friends named Alexander and Mary Grant of Baltimore. John Keith was age 12 and Alexander Keith was age 10. The Keith estate willed to the minor sons was placed in trust to an executor named John Lancaster in 1724. This John Lancaster squandered the estate and disappeared, leaving the boys very poor.

John Keith moved several times. He sold land in 1743 in Baltimore and moved to Frederick County VA around 1743-1745. The location was about 20 miles south of Winchester VA near Capon Ridge (WV). On 23 Apr 1750 he particpated with George Washington as a chainman in surveying land in that area, according to Washington's journals. There are several references to John Keith in those journals. John Keith bought land 16 Apr 1773 at 'Ten Mile Creek', near Amity, Washington County, PA (south of Pittsburgh). His property in PA was known as 'Keith's Fort', whee people sought refuge during Indian troubles. He was a Baptist and a member of the Ten Mile Baptist Church founded in 1773. In 1777, communion was held at Keith's Fort. He sold the Frederick County (Hampshire County) land on 10 Nov 1777 in preparation for a move to Kentucky. By that time his first wife had died and he had married a second time to a woman named Mary, as shown on the 1777 land sale. In 1779 he along with his sons Alexander and William were granted 'dismissal' from the Ten Mile Church. He moved to Kentucky 1779-1780, where he died in 1780.