| Transcribed
from a typewritten copy and noted exactly as shown in the copy before
me. Notes in italics are mine. Notes in parenthesis belong to Mr. Heiss.
Paula Bailey
Antioch, CA
November 12, 1994
Partial transcription
from:
Keys Family in Randolph Co., Indiana, Compiled by W. C. Heiss,
Indianapolis, Indiana
(Reminiscences of Joseph
Keys)
State of Indiana Randolph
County, this the 25 day of March 1897
I, Joseph Keys, one of the Fourth generation of Keyes, set down to
wright A Small history of the generation To leave for the yong and
rising generation
That they may be furnished with some knowledge of their Ancesters
Chapter
1st
Granson of the first
Joseph Keys often heared His grandfather say that he did not know that
he ever seen any of his Relatives
As to his parentage
nothing defanite is Known
He said it was reported
that he was found when a Small child placed at the Door of a Man’s
House in some Town in Pennsylvania State
with some keys on a
string
around his neck (hence
the Origen of the name Keys) and when he left the man to whome he was
bound he Married Rebeka Mullen whose parents came from Ireland he
assisted for some Years to Attend as a hired hand to a ferry boat man a
cross the susquhahannah River
page 2
In that State then him
and his family and an other man and his family moved in one waggon to
the State of North Carolina and settled in the woods in Orrange county
near a stream called Cane Creek a branch of Haw River and that a branch
of Cape Fare River about seventy miles a bove Fayette Ville on the
latter River he made a considerable farm on good land and being a Good
farmer he made a comefortable living he and his wife raised one sone and
Six Daughters namely, Mary, Rebeca, Jane, Ruth, Ester, Joseph and Lydia
He got a long there for
some time without much worthy of notice Excpt getting his leg broken by
his loaded cart turning when halling his harvest in untill the
Revolutionary wore. His house being near a verry Publick Road he was
much imbarited in Getting along with worldly concerns in Haveing all his
Horses that would suit the Soldiers taken from him and Some fat cattle
Drove off His gransone Benjamin P Keys when yong recollect his
Granfather relating a circumstance that took place in his house
page 3
In the time of the wore
on night after dark too not verry good looking men entirely strangers
well armed come and spoke at the Door he asked them to come in and
offered them seats they Sat down and placing their guns between their
knes with The britch on the flore he directed his wife and Daughters to
prepare supper for them while he entetained them with pleasant
Conversation
when Supper was prepared
he invited them to the table they went and Sat down placing their guns
as before and letting them rest against their breasts and shoulders
while the eat after eating they arrose from the table holding their
gunes in one hand one of them Steped and took holt of a piece of
property with his unoccupied hand the other man Shook his head at him
they then took their chairs after Setting the one arrose and took holt
of property again, the other shook his head again he sat down and
setting awhile they told him they had come to rob him and to him they
said you are so good we cant rob you and arrose from their seats and
went off and he said he did not know that he ever seen them again.
page 4
Now as to a discription
of him he was under common hight verry straight when standing broad
across the Shoulders heavy set though not burdened withe flesh good
mussels Stout and Active when in the prime of life straight face and
midling long straight nose with fare skin and blue Eyes of good
intellect and rather past common quick apprehension and Sound in
judgement
Could bare considerable
before the pashion of anger would have much effect on him but when he
did get raised he was pretty severe. His wife was bout common hight
middling heavy set, round shouldered midling long roman face with long
roman nose with what is caled dark skin and black hair a good manager in
the house a good dairy woman in making Butter and a hasty temper
After the Revolutionary
wore come to a close he solde his land there and moved neare one-hundred
miles west on the south west side of the Yadkin River and purchased
between four and five hundred acors of land with a small improvement on
it near the north fork of Deep Creek in Surry County four miles a south
westward direction from Rockford on the Yadkin River it being a newly
settled country, there was a good range and plenty of game
page 5
He after some time he and
his wife and their sone and yongest Daughter applyed for and obtained a
right of membership in the Society of Friends which he supported as long
as he lived
after he had made a farm
so as to justify building he had to pay money to git his buildings maid
he being limited in knowledge of any mecanical buisness he got along
through time with out much worthy of notice until his wife Died who died
without sickness She had been complaining some four five or six days she
was able to be about in the house she eat near a common meal not more
than three hous before she Died She was intered in friends burying
ground at Deep Creek meeting house in Surry County North Carolina
He then sold most of his
personal property and took his sone and family in his house who lived
with him as long as he lived and as before stated he was a good farmer
he was also a good manager and honest hard working man was carefull to
have his money that he had on hands that he did not expect to need in a
shart time at interest Stood fare as a Citizen and respected in the
circle of his acquaintance and times soliseted for his judgement
page 6
In difficult matters
amonst his neighbors
He was Eighty Eight years
and some months old at the time of his death agreable to the account
given him of his age at the time he was bound
the respect manifested
and the kindness as a child extended to him particularly in his decline
by his daughter in law Caused him to feel thankful
He was declining for near
one year about three of his last months he was confined to his house and
room a part of the time to his bead
a verry bad cough
suffered much for about Forty Eight hours before he died but was favored
with his perfect senses until near the last
he was intered in friends
burying ground at Deep Creek meeting house by the side of his wifes
grave
his literary knowledge
being verry limited his gransone B P Keys was heared him say that after
he was a man of a family he Studied by the light of the fire by burning
pine knots and learned so as to keep his account book in a way that he
could understand it and to keep a family record but that record was not
brought to
page 7
The State of Indiana when
his sone moved there many years after his death hince the exact date of
the time of his death is not to be obtained at this time
This concerning Joseph
and Rebecca Key’s Children and who they married
Mary Keys, married
William Bolton and after his death She married Michel Box
Rebaca Keys married John
Noblet and after his death She married William Meredith
Jane Keys married John
Murry
Ruth Keys married Dempsy
Hunnicut
Ester Keys married Barney
Murry
Joseph Keys married Mary
Pigott and after her death he married Ruth Marshall widow of Joseph
Marshall and Daughter of Simeon and Bridgett Hadley
Lydia Keys Married Dennis
Mullen and after his death She married John P. Cobb
page 8
Chapter
2nd
Joseph Keys sone of
Joseph and Beca his wife was born the fifth day of the fourth month in
the year seventeen hundredn and sixty nine in Orrange County in the
State of North Carolina four or five miles East from Cane Creek Meeting
house of friends His fathers land lying on the north side of this said
cane creek and the improvement extendeing south to the creek where he
lived until he was sixteen or seventeen years of age when his Father
Sold his land there and moved near one hundred miles west and located
himself near the north fork of Deep Creek in Surry County and sate
aforesaid three miles north west from Deep Creek meeting house of
friends it being what is called a new country. people and perticular
those of friends society ware but thinly settled and it was his lot to
locate where his nearest neighbor was of the Roman Catholic profession
and verry zellous to live and raise theire children accordingly to that
faith he became verry intimately acquinted with one of his neighbors
sones that was of his own age and they ware much in each others company
in hunting and other recreation
page 9
His associate being verry
carefully instructed in the way his parents believed and the yong man
feeling very near attaached to each other had a tendency to draw his
mind to view that profession in some what of favourable light but in one
or too years after his neighbor moved away then he made a new
acquaintances and attended friends meetings more than he had done before
and feeling more peace and solid Satisfaction of mind in being in
company with friends and attending that Society which was granted and he
was a pretty regular attender of meetings ever after that. friends there
at that time had only a meeting for worship and a preparative it was a
branch of Deep River monthly meeting a distance of fifty five miles from
there which caused considerable of traveling to attend his monthly
meeting but it was not many years untill friends believed it right to
grand friends in that settlement the privelidge of holding a monthly
meeting among the Selves
page 10
He was married to Mary
Piggott the twelfth day of the ninth month in the year Seventeen hundred
and ninety three Daughter of Benjamin and Mary Pickett Benjamin Pickett
come from the State of Pensylvania when single and maried Mary Hadley
daughter of Joshua and Patience Hadley and located him self about four
miles north of cane creek meeting house of friends on a small creek
called Rock Creek in Orrange county North Carolina he owned good land
and was an energetic man in buisness and accumulated considerable in his
time by farming and cooper by trade but his loss was grate in having
much of his personal property taken from him by the soldiers in time of
Revolutionary wore
and as to a discription
of him he was not as high as a common man midling heavy set round
sholdered with fare skin and yellow hare he was fare and affible in his
manners easy to be approached by strangers in conversation rather of a
jokey disposition and of a mild temper a servicable man
page 11
In Society stood a part
of his time in the Station of an Elder
His wife was not common
hight verry industrous carefull woman and respected in the circle of her
acquaintances but of rather an indipendent sentiment they raised nine
Children, Namely as follows-
Joshua Pickett married
Sarah Davis daughter of Joseph and Hannah Davis of North Carolina handwritten
above the names Joseph and Hannah are the names John and Mary with
initials appearing to be T.L.M or L.L.M.
Patience Pickett married
John Cox and Settled on the Land Olinthus Cox now ons near White River
in about 1820, and raised a family of seven children of which Benjamin
the Quaker Preacher was the oldest one of the family their posterity is
newmerous
Margery Pickett married
Jeremiah Cox who came from North Carolina and stopped at Richmond, Ind
one of the first settlers there staid there a few years then come to
White River
page 12
In the year (182?) and
Put a Mill up and Built a fine house for that day halling the material
from Richmond the house is still standing one mile south of Harisville
Jericho derive its name from Jerey Cox
Elizabeth Pickett married
John Whealer and after his death she married Zachariah Shugart As to
Elizabeths Family I am not acquainted
Mary Pickett married
Joseph Keys of Surry County, he had moved from Orrange County when about
Sixteen years oald. but went back and married in the year 1793.
John Pickett maried
Rebeca Woody and dyed in North Carolina after his goods was loaded to
come to Ind Some of the boys drove the teem and their mother walked
nearly all the way She was the Granmother of W C Pickett and number of
others
Hannah Pickett maried
Charles Davis and moved to Hamilton County Ind and to their family I am
not acquainted handwritten
on copy, son of John and Mary Davis
Page 13
Benjamin Pickett Married
Ruth Davis daughter of the aforesaid Joseph and Hannah Davis. Benjamin
and Ruth raised ten children of which a newmerous generation scattered
far and wide. after Ruth dyed he maried Ruth Bowles whos maden name was
Ruth Hockett and after her death he maried Morning Osborn whose made
name was Chamness
Ruth Pickett maried
Nathan Hornaday and last account lived at West Elkton
This Mary Pickett that
maried Joseph Keys Departed this life on the seventeenth day of the
second month in the Year 1820, in Surry County North Carolina She was a
very kind and effectionate woman
She served as Clerk of
Quarterly and Monthly meetings for a number of Years at Deep Creek...
***
(The above account by
Joseph Keys stops as above indicated. This book now 1954 is in the
possession of Lloyd Keys of near Winchester, Ind. wch - Indianapolis.)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Quarter Sessions &
Common Pleas Court
Randolph County, N. C.
February 1799
Whereas ordered August
1798 court
“ that Charles Kees should pay to
Rachel Pickett _ 15 for maintenance of
a bastard child”
---------------------------------------------------------------
(note - a Nancy Kees had
had a “base born” child
about a year earlier.)
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