JOHN KEYES
In 1857, one of Cass county's afterwards most prominent men was elected to the office of sheriff, in the person of John Keyes. He was re-elected to the same position in October, 1859, and again in 1861, serving creditably and with honor six years. Mr. Keyes was the youngest son of Solomon and Eunice Keyes, and was born in Tolland, Connecticut, in 1815. After his mother's death, which occurred when he was about two years of age, he lived several years with one sister, in Ohio, and then with another sister in Georgia. Very early in life he developed a tact for business, and for years traveled in several States, as a commercial traveler for a wholesale house. At one time he was one of the partners then engaged in running a hotel in Milwaukee. From there he removed to Madison, Wisconsin, where he engaged in the mercantile business. While in that city, he became acquainted with Miss Sophie A. Whiting, and the 26th of March, 1851, they were married at her father's, in Austinburg, Ashtabula county, Ohio. The young couple returned to Madison, where they remained about a year when they moved to Connecticut, but Mr. Keyes had lived too long in the west to be content there, and as his wife's family had removed to Iowa, they joined them in Lee county. Here he remained but a short time, when, in 1856, he came to Lewis, Cass county, and opened a store. He served as sheriff, as above noted. When the city of Atlantic was founded he removed to that place, and engaged in banking, being one of the founders of the Cass county bank. He died in September, 1873, leaving a large estate. The widow, Mrs. Keyes, and their only child, Miss Cornie, are now residing at Los Angelos, California, although they still have large moneyed and landed interests in Cass county.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pg. 364.
