Robert Keller was born in Upper Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania but when his father died in 1850 his mother took her young family back to her home across the Delaware River to Philipsburg, NJ. After his mother died in 1864, he migrated with his sister's family to Lecompton Township, Douglas County, KS as shown on page 391 of the 1870 Census. He was shown as being 20 years old at that time, still two years off from what we would suppose to be his correct age. They were Justice Howell, age 37, Annette, 34; William, 14; Frank, 12; Mary, 9; Lizzie, 7; George, 5; Jessie, 3; and Fred, 1.
At some point while living there he met Margaret Ann Seaton in the Lawrence, Kansas area and married her in 1872 (see notes on Margaret Ann Seaton). They married in Lawrence, Kansas where their marriage license is on file. There are family stories about them traveling west by covered wagon, but it is unclear who or when this was, since after the sons had reached a certain age they were said to have traveled west with their father to work in the wheat fields as migrant workers. In any event their first child and only daughter Mary was born in Olathe, Kansas in 1873. With conditions worsening from the grasshopper plague of 1874, they moved to Kilgore, Ohio where their first son Samuel was born. The rest of the children were born and raised there. Kilgore is in the southeast corner of Carroll County, west of Pittsburgh, PA.
The 1880 census was the first to show him living in Ohio and is the first I have found to include Margaret Keller at all. The family moved further east to Wellsville, Ohio which was about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Alice Fenn recorded that the Keller children worked in a rolling mill with their father at Wellsville, Ohio as of 1906. He and Charles, who was living with them in 1910m were both shown in the 1910 census working in the sheet mill. Robert remained in Wellsville at least until Margaret's death in 1912.
Thereafter he moved to Nottoway Co., VA where two of his sons were already living. There he had a one acre plot to garden on. He grew tobacco at least one year which he was able to sell to help support himself.
His son Edward had earlier moved to Nottoway and joined Joe in farming, but he apparently never married and died at age 55, 17 months before the death of his father.
When you look at the birth years of the children, it is interesting to note that they were consistently three years apart.
At some point while living there he met Margaret Ann Seaton in the Lawrence, Kansas area and married her in 1872 (see notes on Margaret Ann Seaton). They married in Lawrence, Kansas where their marriage license is on file. There are family stories about them traveling west by covered wagon, but it is unclear who or when this was, since after the sons had reached a certain age they were said to have traveled west with their father to work in the wheat fields as migrant workers. In any event their first child and only daughter Mary was born in Olathe, Kansas in 1873. With conditions worsening from the grasshopper plague of 1874, they moved to Kilgore, Ohio where their first son Samuel was born. The rest of the children were born and raised there. Kilgore is in the southeast corner of Carroll County, west of Pittsburgh, PA.
The 1880 census was the first to show him living in Ohio and is the first I have found to include Margaret Keller at all. The family moved further east to Wellsville, Ohio which was about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Alice Fenn recorded that the Keller children worked in a rolling mill with their father at Wellsville, Ohio as of 1906. He and Charles, who was living with them in 1910m were both shown in the 1910 census working in the sheet mill. Robert remained in Wellsville at least until Margaret's death in 1912.
Thereafter he moved to Nottoway Co., VA where two of his sons were already living. There he had a one acre plot to garden on. He grew tobacco at least one year which he was able to sell to help support himself.
His son Edward had earlier moved to Nottoway and joined Joe in farming, but he apparently never married and died at age 55, 17 months before the death of his father.
When you look at the birth years of the children, it is interesting to note that they were consistently three years apart.
Robert Keller was born in Upper Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania but when his father died in 1850 his mother took her young family back to her home across the Delaware River to Philipsburg, NJ. After his mother died in 1864, he migrated with his sister's family to Lecompton Township, Douglas County, KS as shown on page 391 of the 1870 Census. He was shown as being 20 years old at that time, still two years off from what we would suppose to be his correct age. They were Justice Howell, age 37, Annette, 34; William, 14; Frank, 12; Mary, 9; Lizzie, 7; George, 5; Jessie, 3; and Fred, 1.
At some point while living there he met Margaret Ann Seaton in the Lawrence, Kansas area and married her in 1872 (see notes on Margaret Ann Seaton). They married in Lawrence, Kansas where their marriage license is on file. There are family stories about them traveling west by covered wagon, but it is unclear who or when this was, since after the sons had reached a certain age they were said to have traveled west with their father to work in the wheat fields as migrant workers. In any event their first child and only daughter Mary was born in Olathe, Kansas in 1873. With conditions worsening from the grasshopper plague of 1874, they moved to Kilgore, Ohio where their first son Samuel was born. The rest of the children were born and raised there. Kilgore is in the southeast corner of Carroll County, west of Pittsburgh, PA.
The 1880 census was the first to show him living in Ohio and is the first I have found to include Margaret Keller at all. The family moved further east to Wellsville, Ohio which was about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Alice Fenn recorded that the Keller children worked in a rolling mill with their father at Wellsville, Ohio as of 1906. He and Charles, who was living with them in 1910m were both shown in the 1910 census working in the sheet mill. Robert remained in Wellsville at least until Margaret's death in 1912.
Thereafter he moved to Nottoway Co., VA where two of his sons were already living. There he had a one acre plot to garden on. He grew tobacco at least one year which he was able to sell to help support himself.
His son Edward had earlier moved to Nottoway and joined Joe in farming, but he apparently never married and died at age 55, 17 months before the death of his father.
When you look at the birth years of the children, it is interesting to note that they were consistently three years apart.
At some point while living there he met Margaret Ann Seaton in the Lawrence, Kansas area and married her in 1872 (see notes on Margaret Ann Seaton). They married in Lawrence, Kansas where their marriage license is on file. There are family stories about them traveling west by covered wagon, but it is unclear who or when this was, since after the sons had reached a certain age they were said to have traveled west with their father to work in the wheat fields as migrant workers. In any event their first child and only daughter Mary was born in Olathe, Kansas in 1873. With conditions worsening from the grasshopper plague of 1874, they moved to Kilgore, Ohio where their first son Samuel was born. The rest of the children were born and raised there. Kilgore is in the southeast corner of Carroll County, west of Pittsburgh, PA.
The 1880 census was the first to show him living in Ohio and is the first I have found to include Margaret Keller at all. The family moved further east to Wellsville, Ohio which was about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Alice Fenn recorded that the Keller children worked in a rolling mill with their father at Wellsville, Ohio as of 1906. He and Charles, who was living with them in 1910m were both shown in the 1910 census working in the sheet mill. Robert remained in Wellsville at least until Margaret's death in 1912.
Thereafter he moved to Nottoway Co., VA where two of his sons were already living. There he had a one acre plot to garden on. He grew tobacco at least one year which he was able to sell to help support himself.
His son Edward had earlier moved to Nottoway and joined Joe in farming, but he apparently never married and died at age 55, 17 months before the death of his father.
When you look at the birth years of the children, it is interesting to note that they were consistently three years apart.
Inscription
Robert Keller
Apr. 17, 1849
May 9, 1933
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
