Rev. Jonathan Anthony Keeney

KEENEY FAMILY HISTORY WRITTEN BY CHARLES WILLIS KEENEY ABOUT 1904

Over one hundred years ago a man by the name of Keeney, or a family of that name, immigrated from Germany to this country. Jonathan’s family is the only one I shall try to trace, although he had brothers and one sister, if not more. Their names were Hiram, John, and Nancy. They were most likely of American birth, for they had very little of the German brogue. Some of them located in Kentucky and others in Missouri, but Jonathan, the one I am descendant of, located in east Tennessee and married Mary McLaughlin, an Irish lady. My father was their firstborn. They named him John Hiram.

Soon after this, Jonathan moved to Indiana, locating near Connorsville, Fayette County and became quite wealthy. He followed his trade of blacksmith and engaged in merchandising. He was a Freemason, but left them to be ordained a minister in the Regular Baptist Church, entrusting all his business to hired hands and clerks while he traveled and preached the gospel Such management soon broke him. Their son, John Hiram, seeing he would have to carve out his own fortune, married Miss Mary Crusan, a lady from Zenia, Ohio and went with uncles to {Holt Co.} Missouri.

Fayette County, Indiana history states: The Keeneys, John Sr., sons Rev. Jonathan and John, and the Oldhans, along with others were active in founding the New Bethel Baptist Church, January 15, 1814.

Rev. Jonathan, after neglecting his business while traveling in the ministry realized that he was not able to give his family material assistance. He sold his property in Fayette County and went to Montgomery County, Indiana about 1830, where he entered land in the “green woods” to give each of his nine children 40 acres. He is listed in Montgomery County census records in 1830 and 1840.

After Jonathan settled in Montgomery County he wrote to his son, John Hiram, who had moved earlier to Missouri, and told him if he would return to Indiana he would give him 40 acres. John Hiram did return and Jonathan had all nine of his children around him. All were Regular Baptists in good standing and the two youngest were preachers. All were Democrats but one who had married a Whig.

Much of the family later moved to Polk County, Iowa where Jonathan and Mary are buried. Gravestone records show 37 Keeneys buried in the Avon Cemetery, Allen Township, Sec 29. One entry is “Rev Jonathan Keeney, b 1778, d 9-2-1850, age 72.”

Many of the other names of that cemetery record http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/3081716/person/907841122/media/2?pgn...