Francis Keeley, b 24 Feb 1844

TUBBS

Posted By: Donna Moldt Walker (email)
Date: 2/20/2004 at 11:36:31

This genial and well-to-do member of the farming community of Maquoketa Township is the owner of 160 aces of good land lying on sections 33 and 28, the homestead being on the first mentioned. Mr. Keeley is a prominent citizen; officiated as Township Trustee, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of all who know him. He was born in De Kalb County, Ill., Feb. 24, 1844, and spent his boyhood and youth amid the peaceful pursuits of farm life. When a lad of six years his parents removed to Michigan, where they lived until 1853, then started for the farther West, coming through with ox-teams, the journey occupying seven weeks.

Our subject at the early age of eleven years started out in life for himself, working for farmers until after the outbreak of the Civil War. When a youth of seventeen years he enlisted, July 13, 1862, in Company B, 26th Iowa Infantry, and was mustered in at Clinton. The regiment was assigned to the 1st Division, 1st Brigade, 15th Corps, Army of the Tennessee, under command of Gen. Sherman, with whom they went to Helena, Ark., and from that time on engaged in many of the principal battles which followed. They were at the siege and capture of Vicksburg, at Ft. Hudson, Jackson, Miss., Champion Hill, the Black River, and under fire forty-one days in the second charge upon Vicksburg. After its surrender they went first to Memphis, and then back to Iuka, and met the enemy in other severe engagements, including the battle at Resaca, Ga. At the siege of Atlanta, Mr. Keeley was within three rods of the brave Gen. McPherson when he was killed. Later he marched with Gen. Sherman to the sea, engaging in the battles of that campaign, and after the surrender of Lee at Appomattox repaired with his comrades to Washington, and took part in the grand review. Soon afterward he received his honorable discharge, and was paid off at Clinton, Iowa, on the 6th of June, 1865.

Upon returning to civil life, Mr. Keeley commenced working on a farm in Maquoketa Township, and in 1869 purchased forty acres in the same township, which he improved and added to, and finally engaged quite extensively in stock-raising. He in due time became the owner of 100 acres, upon which he labored until the spring of 1888, when he sold out and purchased his present fine farm, which he proposes still further to improve. He has most of the modern appliances for carrying on agriculture profitably, besides a windmill and water-tanks, and makes a specialty of Short-horn cattle, together with Poland-China swine, and good draft horses - of which he keeps about ten head, utilizing three teams in the farm work. His land is watered by excellent springs which seldom fail, and he has a large number of forest and fruit trees, which not only afford grateful shade in summer but protection from the storms of winter.

Our subject was married in Maquoketa, Oct. 23, 1867, to Miss Charity Tubbs. Mrs. Keeley was born in Warren County, N.Y., Sept. 30, 1850, and is the daughter of Seneca and Louisa D. Tubbs, who were natives of New York, and are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Keeley are the parents of six interesting children, who are named, respectively: Ara, Seneca, Sybil, Bertha, Iona, and Myra. They are all at home with their parents.

Mr. Keeley votes the straight Democratic ticket, and has been quite prominent in party politics, serving as a delegate to the various conventions, and otherwise making himself useful in upholding the principles of his party. He has been a member of the School Board many years, and served as Township Trustee and as Road Supervisor a number of years. Socially, he belongs to the G. A. R., A. W. Dripp Post No. 74. He is a man who uniformly makes friends wherever he goes, and ranks among the representative citizens of his township.

("Portrait and Biographical Album of Jackson County, Iowa", originally published in 1889, by the Chapman Brothers, of Chicago, Illinois)