Franklin Keller Bio & AutoBio

KELLER

Posted By: Jenny Bailey <cezanne893@hotmail.com>
Date: 8/29/2003 at 20:11:00

In Memoriam

Franklin Keller was born March 21, 1831, in Barbour Co., WV. His parents were John and
Lucinda Mitchell Keller. He was married Jan. 16, 1851 to Ellen Jane McIntosh, who was also
born in WV on Dec. 15, 1828, and departed this life Feb. 20, 1907, in Squaw Township, this county.
Mr. and Mrs. Keller were the parents of twelve children. Lucinda and A.I., who died in Van Buren
County, while the family were enroute to Warren County. John, who arrived with Sarah Phillips, and
lived on a farm in Squaw Township, but was killed in Missouri Dec. 17, 1887, by a tree falling on
him while working in the timber, his wife being now deceased. Rebecca, who married E.P. Stickel
and died Jan. 6, 1888. Bollovia, who married Mary E. Woolery. Harriet and McClelland, who both
died in childhood. Harriet being burned to death. Rosa Jane, wife of Alec Sanders. Charles B., who
married Celesta Lower. Cyrenna, wife of Neal Morrison. Ida, wife of Ira A. Taylor.
Franklin Keller and wife lived together fifty-six years. They having celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary Jan. 16, 1901. Their relatives and friends to the number of one hundred or more gathered
at their home in honor of the occasion.

Mr. Keller has written an interesting account of many of the experiences of his own life and we give
it in his own words.

May 26, 1908, State of Iowa

I, Franklin Keller, was born on the 21st day of March, 1831, in Barbour County, West Virginia.
My mother was a good Christian woman and tried to raise me right. My father was a very wicked man
but would often go with my mother and myself to church. From my earliest recollection to the present
I have been a faithful Sabbath School scholar, but was trained by my father to be a very wicked boy, doing everything bad but lying and stealing. Some time in my twelfth year, the Lord powerfully convicted and
converted by father. Oh! what a happy home we then had. It appears to me now that I can hear
father’s prayers for his family to this day. In my eleventh year I was taken down with white swelling
and was given up to die, but for some purpose to me unknown the Lord mercifully restored me to health.
But notwithstanding all the prayers of Christian people, I would not until my sixteenth year get the consent
of my mind to give God my heart. I prayed and agonized with God for the pardon of my sins. Oh? Glory
to God, light, peach and joy came to my soul in the old log church at Pleasant Creek. My soul was full
of joy and peace. But on my way home that old sneak and adversary of my soul presented himself
and convinced me that I had made a fool of myself and was nothing but a hypocrite. Oh! the agony
of soul that I had. Whilst father was going into the house to tell my sick mother, I slipped off in the
darkness by myself and commenced to tell God my awful condition, telling Him if He would restore me
to my former joy, I would never doubt Him again. Then peace and joy came to me and I went and told
my mother what a precious Savior I had found. Although I have lived sixty-one years, Satan has never
been able to tempt me that my sins were not all washed away by the precious blood of Jesus. But have
always admitted that the Christian religion was a reality any time. But in later years the cares and training
of a large family and the poverty of early life, I often became careless and overburdened. I did not lean
on the strong arm of Jesus as I should. Satan would say to me, I know you are no Christian, you have
backslid. It always drove me to Christ. I always would acknowledge my faults and Jesus would own me
and give me witness within my soul that He loved me and owned me as His child. I have never been in
any crowd, if I was asked the question, are you a Christian? My answer has always been, I am
trying, though I have often made mistakes, but Jesus, by His Almighty power, has sustained and
does this day own me for His child. The Lord has laid His afflicting hand on me, I know my days are
short and my daily prayer, is to bear with patience my afflictions. I would rather go to heaven today
to be with loved ones than any other day. The majority of my friends are over there. Oh! how I long
to be with them in Glory. But my prayer is, Lord Jesus, Thy will not mine be done. Give me patience
to abide Thy time.
The discipline of the church at that time required its members to marry wives of their own church, which
was the Methodist church and it so pleased the Lord, that He directed me to marry Ellen Jane McIntosh of
Taylor County, WV. We being raised together as children and classmates of the same society. We were
married on Jan. 16, 1851, and a few days after our marriage we settled in Barbour County, WV, and united
with the Methodist Episcopal church at Ebenezer. While living there we had two dear babies born to us.
In the spring of 1854 we concluded to move to Iowa and get rid of slavery. March 21, 1854, we landed in
Kiokuk, Iowa. We hired a man with teams to haul our household goods and families to Eddyville, Iowa.
The first night spent in Iowa was at the little town of Farmington, on the Des Moines river in Van Buren
county. Some dissatisfaction arose among our crowd as to where we wanted to go. Some wanted to go to
Missouri. The driver, complaining of his job, we paid him off. We decided to start on to Eddyville.
Here our crowd divided, I and my brother-in-law, Abraham Felton, purchased an ox team and started
for Warren County, Iowa, driving the first day a distance of 12 miles. We called to stay overnight at the
home of an old gray haired man who carried our children into his home, bedtime came at last, the old
gentleman asked if we were Christians. Three of us replying that we were. Being called upon to pray, I
offered my first vocal prayer in the state of Iowa. Next morning our host asked many questions concerning
our future plans. Seeing we were ignorant concerning the country, he advised us to leave our families there
in a house until we should find a suitable location. We rented a house in Van Buren county for 6 months, it
being the 1st of April. By the 1st of May we had buried our two little babes in the town of Bonaparte.
In this time I had taken the measles. When the funeral expenses and doctor bills were paid my last penny
was spent. Though thrown among entire strangers I never found better friends in time of trouble. Then
indeed did we realize our condition, among strangers, without our children and without money, but thank
God, not without the Lord and his comforting presence and his blessed promises to sustain us. About the
12th of June, Mr. Felton taking his family by ox team proceeded on his way to Warren county, my wife and I remaining in Van Buren county. There I commenced work in a brickyard in the little village of Vernon. By
working at any and everything I saved some money and on the 24th of September I started on foot for
Warren county, leaving my wife in Vernon. I arrived at White Oak Point September 28th, where I found
some of my old friends, A.B. Sayer and Hugh Sidwell. On the 29th I went to my brother-in-law, Abe Felton¹s
and on the 30th I was in the place were New Virginia is not situated. The grass at that time being four feet
high, on the 31st, I took a compass and with the assistance of W,. Forman Sr., and others commenced
surveying to find a location. After a week surveying, I decided to locate on the present farm. About the
7th of October I took my ox team and started back to Van Buren country. At Chariton I entered 40 acres
of timberland and made the preemption claim on the 160 acres where I now live. I then proceeded on
my way to Van Buren country and after settling up my affairs my wife and I stared to Warren county, arriving
on the 20th at the farm now known as the Carraber farm. In my wagon I had two chairs, one bedstead, one
set of plates, cups and saucers, a skillet, pots, an over for cooking in a fire place, one gall on of black
Orleans molasses, one dollars worth of sugar, one hundred pounds of flour and twenty-five cents in
silver to build my house and buy my winters food and clothing.
Now was the time it tried our nerve, but by the 20th of November, we got our little cabin under clapboard
roof and moved into it without doors or windows, chinking or daubing. We hung a quilt in the place that
was made for the door. I commenced chinking the cracks and laying the sod for the chimney, my wife
carrying the water from below where Lee Keller now lives. When she would get a batch of mud mixed I
would daub the cracks. By Saturday night we had the west and north sides daubed and the chimney
completed to the mantle piece. We rested and observed the Sabbath. Our chimney drawing well but lo, the
wrong way, the smoke coming into the cabin. For our windows we had paper but we eventually got the cabin
complete with the exception of the door and floor. We could hear the wolves howling all around us at night.
Food giving out I had to leave my wife in this condition and go to work near Liberty. Late one evening while
working there a stranger called to stay all night. He said he was a preacher and was sick. I bought a
half bushel of corn put it in a sack and handed it to the preacher, telling him that if he would follow me
he could stay all night with me as Mr. Campbell had refused to keep him. I then gave out an appointment
for him to preach at the old Rhodes place. When the minister and I arrived at my home we found
Matilda Felton a guest of my wife. The nut morning I returned to my work, leaving the preacher to be
entertained and doctored in my home with herbs and teas given him by my wife and guest, that so far
restored him to health that I met them at the service that night. On arriving at the place of service we
found an old homemade loom standing in the middle of the cabin with a flock of geese under it. The
preacher commenced the service with prayer and song. I never could sing myself, but the crowd sang
fairly well, the geese joining in on the chorus. At the close of the service the preacher called on my to pray
and there in that small crowd among the geese in that little cabin I prayed my first vocal prayer in
Warren county. and Oh! with what fear and trembling I prayed, but having promised Almighty God if
He would take away all doubt from my mind and give me the witness that my sins were forgiven, I
would own him on all occasions. I never went back there to service again. By poverty and want I was
driven to work all over the country wherever I could get work, my wife holding the fort for some four or
five years, but by hard work and economy the Lord so prospered me that I no longer had leave home to
find work, although I have always worked hard until the present time.
A few settlers having come in during the winter and early spring, we got the Indianola circuit rider to
come out to Wm. Forman¹s, and organize a M.E. society, which was organized about the 18th of March,
1855, with twenty-eight charter members. We held meetings from house to house until the spring of 1857,
when a new schoolhouse was built. We worshiped there until 1874, when the church was built. The class has been named from its organization, Mt. Tabor class. All of the charter members have passed on to their reward, except Frank Keller, N.E. Stickel, Mrs. Lucy Forman-Masterson and Charlie Proudfoot. My home has always been a home for the Methodist preachers and I have never failed to pay my full amount of quarterage and church expenses.
I have been honored with all the offices of the church. My wife was a faithful helpmate and labored in both
the home and church, both being members of the Mt. Tabor class from its organization. At that place her
funeral services were conducted and her body laid to rest in the Mt. Tabor cemetery on a part of the old homestead. And there my body will also rest when God calls me home. I have been the father of 12
children, six sons and six daughters, four dying in infancy and the other eight having married.
One son and one daughter died leaving families, and three sons and three daughters are still living.
My children were all trained from early youth and they never got so old that they did not attend
Sabbath school as long as they stayed with me. While they are not and have not always been saints, I
want to now say that I do not believe that any parents ever raised a family of children that have so
cared for them, more than my children have always done. I honestly believe they would divide their
last penny.
Although I came to the State of Iowa in extreme poverty, being willing to work, God has so prospered
me that at one time in life I owned 503 acres of good land, and having settled my children in homes
of their own, I still have a hood home with my children around me. I thank God that every dollar has
been earned honestly. I have never taken a dishonest penny to my knowledge from any man.
Some four years ago, knowing that life was uncertain, I made a will which will be found at the office of
Judge Henderson after my death.
In the year 1870, I made application for admittance into the Masonic order and was accepted and
initiated, being new a Master Mason in good standing, my dues fully paid up. This society I now hold
near and dear, best subordinate to the Methodist Episcopal church.
I am so glad that in my early manhood I came to the state of Iowa and settled in old Warren county.
I helped to organize Squaw township, acting as a clerk at the first election, and I also put the first ballot
into the ballot box.
I have attended every general election from that time up to the present and have lived in the hold
homestead for Fifty-four years. It being known as ³Sunny Side Farm.² Because it is the sunny spot
of old Iowa to me.

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