-1.--Sir Thomas Keney (sic), b. 1578, Norfolk, England; d. in New London, CT;

1.--John Keeney, b. 1600, Norfolk, England; d. 1622 Salem, MA; m. Sarah Cheever (1621-1674)

2.--Henry Keeney, b. 8 Jul 1623 in England; d. 6 Jun 1710; m. Ann Putnam;

3.--John Keeney, b. ca.1651-2; d. 1718 Lynn, MA; m. Elizabeth Locke;

4.--John Keeney, b. 15 Aug 1689, New London, CT; d. unk.; m. Mary Smith;

5.--David Keeney;  m. Martha (nee unk.) (b. 12 Mar 1714; moved to Greenbrier Co., VA, in 1756;

6.--Moses Keeney, b. 1766 in Greenbrier Co., WV; d. about 1840 in Kanawha Co.; m. 11 Aug 1789 in  Greenbrier Co. to Frances Harris;  10 children

7.9--Stires Jade Keeney, b. 1813 in Greenbrier Co.; moved to Cabin Creek, Kanawha Co., as a boy with his father, Moses; d. in 1876 at age 63; m1. Amelia P. (Milly) Gatewood (25 Jan 1813-10 Jul 1860), 11 children; m2. Cynthia Hudnall White (b. 1818), d. after 1880 census; no ch. by SJK;

8.9--John Stires "John S." Keeney, b. 9 May 1849 at Fairview, WV,  on Cabin Creek; d. 22 Dec 1932 at Witcher, WV; m. 16 Nov 1871 to Hannah Catherine Frazee (b. 6 Aug 1853, in Greenup Co., KY; d. 1944); 13 children; 71 grandchildren! [John M. Gwin Note: Cousin Roscoe told me that everyone was pretty sure the S. stood for Stires, but no one had any evidence--until now. Their marriage certificate clearly has both their middle names, and his is Stires, without question.] 9.01--Daisy May Keeney----(1872-1874)--age 1.5--0 ch. 9.02--Urias Zara "Urie" Keeney----------(1874-1928)--age 54--3 ch.

U.S. & Int'l. Marriage Records, 1560-1900 of Hannah Catherine Frazee POB: KY YOB: 1853 Spouse: John Stires Keeney Sp.POB: WV Sp.YOB: 1849 YOM: 1871

9.03--McDonald "Mack" Keeney------(1877-1938)--age 60--7 ch.
9.04--Nick Burks Keeney------------(1878-1951)--age 73--11 ch.
9.05--Flem Davis Keeney-----------(1879-1965)--age 86--7 ch.
9.06--Roscoe Conkling Keeney, Sr.-(1882-1969)--age 87--8 ch.
9.07--Daniel Webster "Dan" Keeney-----(1884-1973)--age 88--5 ch.
9.08--John S. "Johnny" Keeney, Jr.--(1886-1961)--age 75--5 ch.
9.09--Walter Henson Keeney, Sr.----(1888-1957)--age 68--7 ch.
9.10--Hannah Catherine "Katie" Keeney------(1890-1962)--age 72--8 ch.
9.11--Frances Holt "Fanny" Keeney------(1892-1963)--age 71--6 ch.
9.12--Ebon Oakes Keeney--------(1894-1976)--age 82--0 ch.
9.13--Robert H. "Bob" Keeney---------(1896-1982)--age 86--4 ch.

13 children; family is pictured below about 1905

John Stires Keeney Family of Witcher, WV, ca. 1906.

9.3--McDonald Keeney, b. 28 July 1877; d. 16 May 1938 at Witcher, WV; carpenter, contractor, homebuilder, husband, father ("Daddy Mack"); m. Mamie Chloe Stanley; (b. 8 Sept 1879 in Nicholas Co., WV (everyone thought she was born in 1882; indeed, even her tombstone records the error based on her own testimony; however, the census of Spring of 1880 records her age as 7/12!); d/o George Washington Stanley and Fannie Young Stanley; d. 30 Oct 1957 at Witcher;) 7 children; 22 grandchildren;

10.1--Maxine Stanley Keeney, b. 30 Nov 1912; Maxine retired in 1978 as teacher in Greenbrier Co. Schools, Lewisburg, WV; d. ______; m. 18 Mar 1933 to Norman Holt Harless (b. 26 Nov 1911; d. 9 Nov 1975; s/o Joseph Tilden Harless and Mary Ellen Bailey of Cyclone, Wyoming Co., WV); Norman served as pastor of American Baptist churches in Landville, Mabscott, and Lewisburg, WV.; 7 children

10.2--Hannah Margaret Keeney, b. 16 Jan 1914; never married; lived at Witcher, WV, at the family home; retired Kanawha Co. Public Schools teacher; d. on George W. Bush's inauguration day, Jan 2001

10.3--Dorothy Lee Keeney, b. 10 Feb 1915; d. 31 May 2005; m. on 11 Aug 1942 to Adrian Sutton Gwin (b. 12 Sep 1916 at Selma, AL; d. 7 May 2001 at Memorial Medical Center, Las Cruces, NM, after a five-month bout with blood-clotting disease) at New Orleans when she was a summer boarder at the Gwin home; retired from teaching with Kanawha County Schools; lived in St. Albans, WV from WW2 to Nov 1999; resided in Las Cruces, NM, near son John, until her death; 2 children; an Adrian-and-Dot album; 10.4--Mildred Agnes Keeney, b. 8 Aug 1916 at Charleston; taught school in Manassas, Virginia, after a long career in Girl Scout and Conservation leadership, a prize-winning journalism program at DuPont High, and teaching biology and mathematics in high school, at West Virginia Tech, in New York, and in the continuing education program of West Virginia University; lived with her sister Hannah at the family homeplace in Witcher, WV, for many years, serving as Hannah's caregiver most of Hannah's last years; never married. 10.5--Albert McDonald ("Buster") Keeney, b. 3 Jun 1918; m1. Geraldine Kincaid of Witcher in Sep 1938--marriage dissolved after Bus returned from WW2--no children; m2. 19 Jan 1947 to Phyllis Eileen Caldwell (b. 20 Apr 1922) of Bomont (Clay Co.); 3 children; div.; m3. 19 Jun 1970 to Juanita Marshall Lewis (b. 28 Jul 1924); 10.6--Helen Pauline ("Bennie") Keeney, b. 9 Nov 1920; d. Nov 1999 in Waldorf, Maryland; bd. in Witcher Cemetery, Witcher, WV, next to daughter Jane Lynn Metheny; m. 10 Nov 1941 to James Thomas (Tom) Metheny, Sr. (b. 19 Jan 1916; d. Nov 1999); 5 children

Helen Keeney Metheny WALDORF, Md. - Helen Keeney "Bennie" Metheny, 78, of Waldorf, formerly of Witcher, W.Va., died Nov. 5, 1999, at the home of her daughter, Judith Karen Lindley of Waldorf, after a short illness. She was a retired secretary from National Education Association, Washington, D.C., and International Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Washington, D.C. Also surviving: husband, James Thomas Metheny Sr. of Dumfries, Va.; daughters, Joan Elizabeth Bousher of LaPlata, Md., Jennifer Gail Tolbert of Dumfries; son, James Thomas Jr. of Witcher; sisters, Dorothy Lee Gwin of St. Albans, W.Va., Mildred A. Keeney and Hannah M. Keeney, both of Witcher; brothers, George McClure Keeney of Hurricane, W.Va., Albert "Buster" Keeney of Belle, W.Va.; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren. Service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Fidler & Frame Funeral Home, Belle, with the Rev. Roscoe Keeney officiating. Burial will be in Witcher Cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 5 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

10.7--George McClure Keeney, b. 18 Aug 1922; d. 25 Aug 2007; m. 24 Dec 1954 to Frankie Shirley Lucas (b. 21 May 1936); 5 children

George M. Keeney George M. Keeney, 85, of Hurricane passed away Saturday, Aug. 25, 2007, at Hubbard Hospice House, Charleston. George retired from FMC, South Charleston, with 30 years of service. He was a former employee of West Virginia Water Company, Charleston, a graduate of Dupont High School, Belle, attended Morris Harvey College, Charleston, and was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. Surviving are his loving wife, Frankie Keeney of Hurricane; daughter, Lynn Bright of Milton; sons and daughters-in-law, Chuck and Patti Keeney, Kent and Lori Keeney, Danny Keeney and Chris and Hilarie Keeney, all of Hurricane; sister, Mildred Keeney of Belle; sister-in-law, Ruby Snead of Rand; brother, Albert M. Keeney of Belle; and brother-in-law, Roy Lucas of Witcher. Also surviving are his loving grandchildren, Erin, Nikki, Makinzie, Ryan, Sean and Brendan Keeney; great-grandson, Ian Keeney; and several nieces and nephews. The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Samuel Henson, special friend, Joe Bentley Sr., friends and neighbors, and the wonderful, loving people at Hubbard Hospice House. Ceremonies will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in his honor to Hubbard Hospice House, 1001 Kennawa Drive, Charleston, WV 25311.   Online condolences may be made at www.chapmanfuneralhomes.com. Chapman Funeral Home, 3941 Teays Valley Road, Hurricane, is serving the family.

 

Below: Photo taken June 1920; the four oldest children (l-r: Hannah, Dorothy Lee, Maxine, and Milly) with friends "Bulah Lucas" and "Philis Cline" on a "picnic" in front of the post office at Tad, WV, (sign says "Robert L. Dunlap, Postmaster"). Someone has written on back (in June 2005 Milly told me it was in "Aunt Maude's handwriting" and that Aunt Maude couldn't spell very well and always spelled and pronounced DOR-o-thy as DOR-thy):  Stamped on the back in purple Old English text is, "Kiser Studio, Monticello, Indiana. Mail Orders Solicited."

June 1920.

MaxineKeeney Hannah " Dorthy L " Mildred " Bulah Lucas. Philis Cline.

Picnic

To see their faces well in a greatly enlarged version of this very clear photo, click here.

 

Below: the McDonald Keeney family of Dickenson, WV, 1933; l-r, front row:  George, age 11; Mack, 56; Mamie, 54; Bennie, 13;
back row: Maxine, 21; Hannah, 19; Dot, 18; Milly, 16; Buster, 15.

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Below, L-R, Back Row:  Bus, 3rd base; George, 1st base; Milly, left field; Middle Row: Maxine, shortstop; Hannah, 2nd base; Dot, center field; Front: Bennie, right field.  Absent when picture was taken, having moved up to the Majors and currently playing with the East Gate Angels: Mack and Mamie, catcher and pitcher, respectively.  As of Feb 2008, Maxine (1992), Hannah (2000), Bennie (2001), Dot (2005), and George (2007) have also received their upward calls and joined their parents. Milly and Buster are currently living in the same assisted-living ball park complex in Charleston, WV.

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Some Interesting Mementoes

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This is a poem published in THE REUNION, a newspaper-like document for what may have been Mac Keeney's high school class reunion.
I found it in the attic of Milly's house--the old homeplace of her parents, Mack and Mamie Keeney--
when I stayed there in June of 2005 visiting my brother Pat after Mother died.

Keeney's Crew
BY SILAS M. ROLLINS

I used to labor around the mines,    When men could make the dough, Until the panic struck us all,    Which changed the times you know. The panic's on throughout the State;    There's nothing much to do, So I became an ornery cuss    And joined Mac Keeney's crew. Now Mac, he owns a circle saw    And employs men by the day, Where people has to work like slaves    Who are fools enough to stay. Old Mac is full of business sense    And right good looking too, And though he falls in his timber deal,    His face will take him through. His brother Dan is saw mill boss;    He kees things from going wrong And labors like the rest of us    To help old Mac along. He don't forget to watch around    And put us folks through, Which often makes us "peter out,"   To work in Keeney's crew.

The engineer is Wilson Moore,    He labors with a will; He feeds the furnace wood and coal    Whcih runs Mac Keeney's mill. He used to be a wrestling chap,    Or at least, he tells us so, But when he tried Tom Grafton once,    It proved his overthrow. Tom Grafton measures lumber here;    He is very large and tall And the hunting trips he took out west    He likes to tell to all. He appears to be a city dude,    And is quite a talker, too, And if lumber works were run with gas,    He'd beat all in Keeney's crew. Jake Darby works at Keeney's mill;    His equal's hard to find; In fact, old Jacob's face will show    He's not of the human kind. It takes all sorts to make a world    I have often heard it said; That's why they spoiled a kangaroo    And made old Jake instead.

We'll mention Staunton Thomas next,    Who is cute as he can be, And his merry ways would make you think    That he was on a spree. He sees the sunny side of life,    And is never feeling blue, Which can't be said of every one    That works in Keeney's crew. Jim Beasley and Foster Lytton's next;    Their job is quite a pill. They're the only ones to truck the logs    That's sawed at Keeney's mill. Old Jim's a right good looking chap,    Though he's not a ladies' man, While Foster's looks will show he's not    Made after Adam's plan. Young Anderson runs the lumber truck   But still he doesn't despond, For he is quite a merry chap    And courts the widow Bond. Now, let us drink to the future bright    Of our friend and the widow, too, And that their boys may never work    In a gang like Keeney's crew.

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Some Pertinent Census Data

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From the 15 Apr 1900 census of Malden Magisterial Dist., Kanawha Co., WV

Street/ Res/Fam	Name	Relat 2HoH	Race/ Sex	Age	Est. YOB	MS/ YrsMd/ ch/lvg	POB S/F/M	Occupation	Other	John M. Gwin Comments

From the 15 Apr 1910 census of Malden Magisterial Dist., Kanawha Co., WV

Street/ Res/Fam	Name	Relat 2HoH	Race/ Sex	Age	Est. YOB	MS/ YrsMd/ ch/lvg	POB S/F/M	Occupation	Other	John M. Gwin Comments
---/---/5	Roscoe Keeney	head	wm	28	1882	m/5	WV/WV/WV	carpenter		This is my granduncle Roscoe Conkling Keeney, son of John Stires Keeney and Hannah Catherine Frazee and brother of my grandfather, McDonald Keeney. He will become the father of Roscoe Conkling Keeney, Jr., the grand old genealogist of the Keeney clan, still living in Charleston as of this writing (14 Nov 2009).
	Margurette Keeney	wife	wf	23	1887	m/5/1/1	WV/WV/WV	none		This is Maggie Paxton. Until seeing this census, I'd never heard her called anything but Maggie.
	Julia Keeney	daughter	wf	2	1908	s	WV/WV/WV	none
---/---/10	John Keeney	head	wm	58	1852	m/38	WV/WV/WV	contractor		John S. Keeney
	Hanna Keeney	wife	wf	54	1856	m/38/13/12	WV/WV/WV	none		Hannah Catherine Keeney
	Nick Keeney	son	wm	30	1880	wd	WV/WV/WV	none		4th-born Nick Burks Keeney
	Johnnie Keeney	son	wm	24	1886	s	WV/WV/WV	none		7th-born John S. Keeney, Jr.
	Walter Keeney	son	wm	22	1888	s	WV/WV/WV	none		8th-born Walter Henson Keeney, Sr.
	Hanna Keeney	daughter	wf	18	1892	s	WV/WV/WV	none		9th-born Hannah Catherine "Katie" Keeney who will marry Johnny Fout (see my speculation 11 lines below)
	Fannie Keeney	daughter	wf	16	1894	s	WV/WV/WV	none		10th-born Frances Holt Keeney
	Eben Keeney	son	wm	14	1896	s	WV/WV/WV	none		11th-born Ebon Oakes Keeney
	Robert Keeney	son	wm	12	1898	s	WV/WV/WV	none		This is my granduncle Robert Keeney, "Uncle Bob", as I knew him. He and his two sons, Tommy and Bobby, built our house at 7 Keiffer Drive in St. Albans. I got to watch and help them build it the winter of 1960-61. My mother, Uncle Bob's niece, designed the house, and they built it from her drawings--without an architect's blueprints.
---/---/11	Traber Keeney		wm	36	1874	m/14	WV/WV/WV	contractor		Traber Gatewood Keeney, Baptist Deacon
	Cloie Keeney		wf	34	1876	m/14/5/5	WV/WV/WV	none		Chloe
	Annie Keeney		wf	13	1897	s	WV/WV/WV	none		Eliza Ann
	Lonnie Keeney		wm	12	1898	s	WV/WV/WV	none		Lonnie Gatewood
	Fredie Keeney	son	wm	9	1901	s	WV/WV/WV	none		Charles Frederick
	Juliet Keeney	daughter	wf	7	1903	s	WV/WV/WV	none		Juliette Madison
	Elizabeth Keeney	daughter	wf	3	1907	s	WV/WV/WV	none		Elizabeth Rose. Son (and youngest child) Cameron Hubbard will not be born until July 28, 1910, some three months after this census.
---/---/33	John Fout	head	wm	54	1856	m/31	VA/VA/VA	carpenter, Gov. Locks		I can't imagine this being anyone else but the father of the John Anderson"Johnny" Fout who married our Hannah Catherine "Katie" Keeney (9th-born child of John S. and Hannaah Catherine Frazee Keeney, 11 lines above).
	Sallie	wife	wf	53	1857	m/31/4/4	WV/WV/WV	none
	Annie	daughter	wf	30	1880	m1	WV/VA/WV	none
---/---/35	U. B.	head	wm	38	1872	m/14	WV/WV/WV	work out farmer		Who is this person? His family is living in Malden only 25 houses away from our John S. Keeney, yet Roscoe has absolutley no mention of U. B. or anyone in his family in his book, 2597 Keeney Relatives (Roscoe C. Keeney, Jr., McClain Printing, Parsons, WV, 1978).
	Margurette	wife	wf	32	1878	m/14/8/8	WV/WV/WV	none
	Ethel	daughter	wf	13	1897	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Virginia	daughter	wf	11	1899	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Ben	son	wm	9	1901	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	David	son	wm	8	1902	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	U. B., Jr.	son	wm	5	1905	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Margurette	daughter	wf	4	1906	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Frank	son	wm	3	1907	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Leslie	son	wm	1	1909	s	WV/WV/WV	none

From the 17 Jan 1920 census of Charleston, Kanawha Co., WV

Street/ Res/Fam	Name	Relat 2HoH	Race/ Sex	Age	Est. YOB	Marr Stat	POB S/F/M	Occ	Other	John M. Gwin Comments
1702/12/33	McDonald Keeney	head	wm	42	1878	m	WV/WV/KY	building contractor
	Mamie Keeney	wife	wf	37	1883	m	WV/WV/WV
	Maxine S. Keeney	daughter	wf	7	1913	s	WV/WV/WV
	Hannah M. Keeney	daughter	wf	5	1915	s	WV/WV/WV
	Dorthy L. Keeney	daughter	wf	4yr11mo	Feb 1915	s	WV/WV/WV			This is my mother, Dorothy Lee Keeney, who will marry Adrian Sutton Gwin on 11 Aug 1942, 22 years from this census.
	Mildred A. Keeney	daughter	wf	3yr5mo	Aug 1916	s	WV/WV/WV
	Alfred Mc. Keeney	son	wm	1yr7mo	Jun 1918	s	WV/WV/WV

From the 5 Apr 1930 census of Charleston, Kanawha Co., WV

Street/ Res/Fam	Name	Relat 2HoH	Race/ Sex	Age	Est. YOB	MS/Age 1stMd	POB S/F/M	Occ	Other	John M. Gwin Comments
709 Greenbrier St./144/176	McDonald Keeney	head	wm	53	1877	m/35	WV/WV/KY	mechanical engineer in the building industry		This is my grandfather, McDonald Keeney, for whom I was named.
	Mamie C. Keeney	wife	wf	48	1882	m/38	WV/WV/WV	none		This is my grandmother, Mamie Chloe Stanley Keeney. She is not the age she reports here, since she was age 2 in the 1880 census.
	Mayaie S. Keeney	daughter	wf	17	1913	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Hannah M. Keeney	daughter	wf	16	1914	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Dorothy L. Keeney	daughter	wf	15	1915	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Mildred A. Keeney	daughter	wf	13	1917	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	McDonald Jr. Keeney	son	wm	11	1919	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Helen P. Keeney	daughter	wf	9	1921	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	George M. Keeney	son	wm	7	1923	s	WV/WV/WV	none
621 Greenbrier St./145/177	Thomas Grafton	head	wm	52	1878	m/25	WV/England/England	miner, coal mine
	Mabel Grafton	wife	wf	52	1878	m/25	WV/WV/WV	none		She is my grandaunt, Mabel Stanley, older sister of my grandmother (see 9 lines above).
	Elizabeth Grafton	daughter	wf	18	1912	s	WV/WV/WV	Investment Co. stenographer
	George E. Grafton	son	wm	15	1915	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Mabel F. Grafton	daughter	wf	12	1918	s	WV/WV/WV	none
	Thomas A. Grafton	son	wm	10	1920	s	WV/WV/WV	none