Elizabeth (Howe) Keyes (1675 - 1764)

Born 16 Jul 1675 in Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Keyes Sr — married about 23 Jan 1698 (to 25 Aug 1742) in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Descendants

Died 18 Aug 1764 at age 89 in Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Elizabeth (Howe) Keyes was a Massachusettsan.

Elizabeth Howe

Birth: 16 Jul 1675, Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts

Birth (Alt): 11 Jul 1675, Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Death: 18 Aug 1764, Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts

Burial: Spring Hill Cemetery, Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

Father: John Howe

Mother: Elizabeth Ward

Spouse & Children

Spouse: Thomas Keyes (1674–1742), m. 1698

1. David Keyes (1699–1720)
2. Oliver Keyes (1701–1781)
3. Jonathan Keyes (1702–1778)
4. Cyprian Keyes (1706–1802)
5. Dinah Keyes (1710–1784)
6. Deacon Thomas Keyes (1713–1735)

Elizabeth Howe was visiting her sister, Sarah Howe Joslin, at Lancaster on 1695, when her sister and her sister's children were viciously murdered by Native Americans (save one that died on the forced march to Canada).

Elizabeth was taken captive by the Indians, who were supersitiously enchanted by her singing voice that they heard as they had made their approach to the house. She was spirited away to Canada, where she remained for about three years. 

Because Elizabeth had been spared due to her beautiful voice, during her captivity, she was frequently compelled to "make sweet sound".  She was 17 when taken, and was ultimately redeemed, being returned home to her long waiting fiancé, Thomas Keyes.

She spent about 4 years in Canada before the government freed her. After her redemption, Elizabeth returned by way of the Saco River and was brought to Boston, where she told Royal Governor Phipps, "that if she had been a beaver skin she would have been redeemed much earlier!"^[1]

Elizabeth never recovered from the horror and brutality of her sister's death, which she had witnessed.  And even upon her return to home and freedom some three years later (1698), she still retained some of the customs of the Indians....their posture for sitting and their love of the outdoors.

She married her fiancé, Thomas Keyes, that same year, and they had many children.

Sources

1. ↑ Indian Captive: Elizabeth Howe 12mamamoo originally shared this on 27 May 2010 on Ancestry.com.

• History of the town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1868 by Hudson, Charles, 1795-1881; Lexington Historical Society (Mass.) Published 1913; Topics Lexington, Battle of, Lexington, Mass., 1775, Lexington (Mass. : Town) -- History, Lexington (Mass. : Town) -- Genealogy, United States -- History Revolution, 1775-1783 Causes Internet Archive

• Howe, Daniel Wait 1839-1920. "Howe Genealogies". Published 1929: Topics: Howe Family, Howe, Gilman Bigelow, 1850-1933. Publisher: Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society. Vol. 1, page 7, Archive.org. Accessed: 22 Mar 2016. Internet Archive Lending Library URL: https://archive.org/details/howegenealogiest00howe

• Elizabeth Howe International Genealogical Index (IGI) Birth:16 July 1675, Marlboro, Middlesex, Mass. Death: 18 August 1764; Shrewsbury, Worcester, Mass; Marriage: 23 January 1699; Father: John Howe; Mother: Elizabeth Ward; Spouse: Thomas Keyes; Children: Thomas Keyes, David Keys, Jonathan Keyes, Cyprian Keyes, Dinah Keyes Primary FamilySearch.org URL

• American Genealogical Biographical Index (AGBI): Name: Elizabeth Howe; Birth Date: 1675; Birthplace: Massachusetts; Volume: 85; Page number: 77; Reference: A genealogical dict. of the first settlers of New England, showing three generations of those who came before May, 1692. By James Savage. Boston. 1861. (4v.)v.2:476 Gen. Column of the " Boston Transcript". 1906-1941. (The greatest single source of material for gen. Data for the N.E. area and for the period 1600-1800. Completely indexed in the Index.): 13 Jul 1921, 8971; 28 Jun 1922, 2058

• Family Data Collection - Births: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Father: John Howe; Mother: Elizabeth Ward; Birth Date: 16 July 1675; City: Marlborough; State: MA; Country: USA

• Family Data Collection - Deaths: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Death Date: 18 August 1764; City: Shrewsbury; County: Worcester; State: MA; Country: USA

• Family Data Collection - Births: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Father: John Howe; Birth Date: 16 July 1675; City: Marlboro; County: Middlesex; State: MA; Country: USA

• Family Data Collection - Births: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Father: John Howe; Mother: Elizabeth Ward; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; City: Marlborough; State: MA; Country: USA

• Family Data Collection - Births: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Father: Ward John (sic); Mother: Elizabeth; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; City: Marlborough; County: Middlesex; State: MA; Country: USA

• Family Data Collection - Deaths: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; City: Shrewsbury; County: Worcester; State: MA; Country: USA

• Family Data Collection - Individual Records: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Spouse: Thomas Keyes; Parents: John Howe; Birth Place: Middlesex, Marlboro, MA; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; Death Place: Shrewsbury, Worcester, MA; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764

• Family Data Collection - Marriages: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Spouse: Thomas Keyes; Marriage Date (Day, Month, Year): 23 Jan 1697

• Massachusetts, Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1700-1850 (Marlborough): Name: Elizabeth How; Event Type: Marriage; Marriage Date: 23 Jan 1698; Marriage Place: Marlborough, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA; Spouse: Thomas Keyes

• Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850: Name: Thomas Keyes; Gender: Male; Spouse: Ellizabeth (sic) How; Marriage Date: 23 Jan 1698; City: Marlborough; County: Middlesex; Source: Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0844943 item 2.

• Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850: Name: Thomas Keyes; Gender: Male; Spouse: Elizabeth How; Marriage Date: 23 Jan 1698; City: Marlborough; County: Middlesex; Source: Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0844943 item 2. Household Members; Name: Elizabeth How, Thomas Keyes

• Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988: Name: Elisabeth Keyes; Event Type: Death; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; Death Place: Marlborough, Massachusetts; Father Name: Thomas Keyes

• Millennium File: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Gender: Female; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; Birth Place: Marlboro, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; Death Place: Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; Spouse: Thomas Keyes; Children: Dinah Keyes

• North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000: Genealogy : Robert Keyes of Watertown, Massachusetts, 1633 : Solomon Keyes of Newbury and Chelmsfor, page 23: Name; Elizabeth Howe; Gender: Female; First Marriage Date: 1698; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; Father: John Howe; Spouse: Thomas Keyes; Child: David Keyes; Jonathan Keyes; Cypron Keyes; Dinah Keyes; Thomas Keyes

• North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000: History of the town of Marlborough, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement in 1, page 382: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Gender: Female; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; First Marriage Date: 23 Jun 1699; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; Father: John Howe; Mother: Elizabeth; Spouse: Thomas Keyes

• North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000: History of the town of Marlborough, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement in 1...page 409: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Gender: Female; First Marriage Date: 23 Jan 1699; Father: John Howe; Mother: Elizabeth; Spouse: Thomas Keyes; Child: David Keyes; Jonathan Keyes; Cyprian Keyes; Dinah Keyes; Thomas Keyes

• Supplement to The Rice family : descendants of Deacon Edmund Rice by Andrew Henshaw Ward, 1858 : a supplement to 1858; Index of Other Names.

• The genealogy of Edward Norris Wentworth, Junior (Index).

• U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current: Name: Elizabeth Keyes; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; Birth Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Death Date18 Aug 1764; Death Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Cemetery: Spring Hill Cemetery; Burial or Cremation Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Has Bio? Y

• U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current: Name: Elizabeth Keyes; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; Birth Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; Death Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Cemetery: Spring Hill Cemetery; Burial or Cremation Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Has Bio?: Y

• U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current: Name: Elizabeth Keyes; Birth Date: 11 Jul 1675; Birth Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States of America; Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; Death Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States of America; Cemetery: Spring Hill Cemetery; Burial or Cremation Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States of America; Has Bio?: Y; Father: John Howe; Mother: Elizabeth Howe; Spouse: Thomas Keyes; Children: Thomas Keyes; Dinah Weeks; Cyprian Keyes

• U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700: Name: Elizabeth How; Gender: Female; Marriage Date: 23 Jan 1698; Death Year: 1764; Marriage Place: New England, United States; Spouse's Name: Thomas Keyes; Household Members; Name: Elizabeth How, Thomas Keyes

• U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700: U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700: Name: Thomas Keyes; Gender: Male; Birth Year: 1675; Marriage Date: 23 Jan 1698; Death Year: 1742; Marriage Place: New England, United States; Spouse's Name: Elizabeth How; Household Members; Name: Elizabeth HowThomas Keyes

• U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970: Name: Elizabeth Hame (sic); Death Date: 18 Aug 1764; SAR Membership: 59788; Role: Ancestor; Application Date: 9 Jan 1941; Household Members; Name: Walter Ebee Divine M D, Mary Anne Douglas, Rey Frank Henry Divine D D, Terona Keyes, Eber Strong Divine, Celestia Shay, Israel Keyes, Ruby Adams, David Keyes, Martha Bush, Cypron Keyes Jr, Hepsibah (sic), Cypron Keyes Sr; Elizabeth Hame (sic), Thomas Keyes

• U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970: Name: Elizabeth Howe; Birth Date: 6 Jul 1678; Death Date: 18 Sep 1764; SAR Membership: 75872; Role: Ancestor; Application Date: 24 Nov 1952; Household Members; Name: Robert Alexander Divine, Emily Elizabeth Mable, Walter Eber Divine, Mary Ann Douglas, Frank Henry Divine, Verona Keyes, Eber Strong DivineCelestia ShayIsrael Keyes, Ruby Adams, David Keyes, Martha Bush, Cyprian Keyes Jr, Hepisbah Howe, Cyprian Keyes, Elizabeth Howe, Thomas Keyes

• Vital records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849: Marlborough births, page 99.

• Vital records of Marlborough, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849: Marlborough marriages, page 278.

• Web: Massachusetts, Find A Grave Index, 1620-2013: Name: Elizabeth Howe Keyes; Birth Date: 16 Jul 1675; Age at Death: 109; Death Date: 18 Aug 1784; Burial Place: Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Household Members; Name: Elizabeth Howe Keyes

Also see:

Place sources here:

• Historical Sketches of Lancaster, Massachusetts

• King Philip's War in New England (America's First Major Indian War) by Michael Tougias

• The Siege of Brookfield

• Wheeler's Surprise and Siege of Brookfield

• Keyes, Asa. Genealogy, Robert Keyes of Watertown, Mass., 1633, Solomon Keyes of Newbury and Chelmsford Mass., 1653 (G.E. Selleck, Brattleboro, Vemont, 1880) Page 24