Eli Keeney
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Eli Keeney (1828 - 1878)

Eli Keeney
Born in Ray County, Missouri, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 24 Feb 1848 in Holt County, Missouri, United Statesmap
Died at age 49 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United Statesmap
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Profile last modified | Created 27 Feb 2014
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Contents

Biography

Eli Keeney was involved in the westward expansion of the USA. See Trails and Wagon Trains.
Eli Keeney is one of twins.

Birth and Early Life

Eli Keeney, twin was born on 18 December 1828 in Ray County, Missouri, United States as the tenth child of twelve born to John Keeney, Jr. and Mary R. Burkhalter.

Siblings

All children were born in Fayette County, Indiana with the exceptions of the the last three, twins Elias & Eli and Sarah.

  1. Mary Eleanor Keeney was born on 6 April 1806. She married Alexander Bogart on 22 December 1822. Mary died in 1850 in Ray County, Missouri, United States.
  2. Thomas Keeney was born in September of 1808. Thomas married Psyche Allen (c.1814-1844). They had 6 children. Thomas died of tuberculosis on 5 December 1842 in Holt, Clay, Missouri, United States.
  3. Isley Keeney was born on 15 May 1811. He married Elizabeth Keeney, his first cousin. 2 children of this marriage. Isley died of tuberculosis on 6 December 1842 in Holt, Clay, Missouri, United States.
  4. Capt. Jonathan Keeney was born on 27 April 1813. He married Mary Catherine Shoemaker (1820-1896) in July of 1837 at Lafayette, Allen, Indiana and had 10 children. Jonathan died on 15 Aug 1878 at Willow Creek, Baker, Oregon when he was traveling to the high desert and fell from his horse. The fall caused his pistol to go off and shoot him.
  5. James Mordecai Keeney was born on 20 August 1816. He married 1) Catherine Stewart (1824-1845) on 17 March 1840 in Ray County, Missouri and 2) Nancy Keeney (1809-1862), 1st cousin and 3) Miranda Ruth Michael, known as Ruth, (1839-1919) on 10 January 1878 in Linn County, Oregon. James died on 27 April 1885 at Brownsville, Linn, Oregon, United States.
  6. Unnamed Infant Daughter Keeney was born and died in 1817 at Fayette County, Indiana, United States.
  7. Abraham Keeney was born on 11 Dec 1818. Abraham married Elvira A. Chesney. One Child. He died of tuberculosis before 25 May 1843 in Holt, Clay, Missouri, United States.
  8. Andrew Jackson Keeney aka Jackson or Blackjack was born on 7 Oct 1819[1]. He died on 4 March 1898 Goshen, Lane, Oregon. Jackson married (1) Elizabeth Mulholland in 1841 (2) Hannah Daniels Walden on 3 June 1849 in Atchison County, Missouri (3) Amanda Jane Morse 22 December 1861 in Lane County, Oregon. Children with all wives.
  9. Rebecca Katherine Keeney was born on 4 July 1821. Rebecca married 1) James William Landingham, (1814-1850) on 24 November 1838 in Ray County, Missouri and 2) Daniel Bennett Putman (1810-1887) on 20 August 1851 in Linn County, Oregon. Rebecca died on 23 September 1895 at Amity, Yamhill, Oregon.
  10. Elias Keeney, twin, was born on 18 December 1828 in Ray County, Missouri, United States. Elias married three times and had children with his first two wives. 1) Margaret Jane Hyatt (1835-1859) on 1 October 1850 in Holt County, Missouri 2) Lucinda Catherine Van Winkle (1840-1887) in 1860 in Linn County, Oregon and 3) Matilda Lee (1839-1907) in about 1887. Elias died on 20 December 1910 Portland, Clackamas, Oregon, United States.
  11. Sarah Elizabeth Keeney was born in 1830 in Ray County, Missouri, United States. She married John Franklin Williams (1822-1896) on 1 December 1844 in Holt County, Missouri. Sarah died on 6 December 1847 in Holt County, Missouri, United States.

The Keeney Wagon Train via the Oregon Trail

In 1851 he went with other members of family and friends on the 6 month, 2000 mile journey to Oregon by way of Oxen pulling Prairie Schooners over the Oregon Trail. Most of the time everyone walked beside the wagons. His twin brother was the wagon master.

Marriage and Family

He married Elizabeth G. Pierce [1] (1832-1904) on 24 February 1848 in Henry County, Missouri.

They came with other members of the family on the Keeney Wagon Train to Oregon by way of the Oregon Trail. It left Missouri in April 1851 and arrived about six months later. The journey was long, about 2000 miles, and difficult. Their tiny daughter, Frances Ann was the only member of the family who died on the journey. She died just before they reached their destination and is buried near The Dalles, Oregon.[2] They settled near Cloverdale, Oregon and took up farming.

Children of the Keeney-Pierce Marriage

The first two children were born in Holt County, Missouri, United States and the rest were born in Lane County, Oregon, United States.
  1. Mary Ellen Keeney was born on 26 February 1849. She died on 14 June 1903 in Heppner, Morrow, Oregon, USA.
  2. Frances Ann Keeney was born on 11 October 1850. She died near The Dalles on 20 August 1851 near present day Wasco, Oregon on the trip across the plains to Oregon. She was placed in a little wooden box and buried near the Columbia River. A large mound of stones was placed over the grave to discourage coyotes.
  3. Silas N. Keeney was born on 5 April 1854. He married Elizabeth Nebraska Mathews (1853-1918) on 24 December 1880 in Lane County, Oregon. Silas died on 3 December 1922 in Lane, Lane, Oregon, United States.
  4. Jonathan F. Keeney, known as John or Johnny, was born on 3 January 1856. He died on 23 November 1916 in Lane County, Oregon, United States. John was blind and called the Blind Peddler of Eugene.
  5. Elizabeth Ruth Keeney was born on 20 February 1858. She died on 3 March 1926 in Eugene, Lane, Oregon, United States.
  6. Leathe E. Keeney was born on 11 October 1860. She died on 26 March 1945 in Douglas, Oregon, United States.
  7. Minely J. Keeney was born on 19 July 1862. She died in the same place on 8 August 1862.
  8. Rose Keeney was born in 1867. She died in Lane County, Oregon, United States in 1872.

In 1861, his five year old son, Johnny was kicked in the head by a horse and became blind.

Military

He was a volunteer to fight in the Rogue River Indian Wars (1855-1856) in what is now Southern Oregon. His twin brother Elias and older brother Captain Jonathan were also part of this.

Death and Burial

Eli died on 10 November 1878 at the age of 49 in Portland, Clackamas, Oregon, United States. He was buried in the Keeney Cemetery, Pleasant Hill, Lane, Oregon. Find A Grave: Memorial #38300725 Keeney Cemetery has 15 interments and is on private property between Goshen and Pleasant Hill, Oregon.

Sources

  • Keeney, Ralph Ray. Wagon Ruts West. Keeney, R.R., 1983. It is out of print, but the author had granted pieces of it for educational purposes. The entire article is available here. Eli was never completed, but brother Elias and others found here.
  • Waibel, Mona Hyler. The Pioneer Keeney Family [1] [3]
  • Dohnal, Cheri. Columbia River Gorge: Natural Treasures on the Old Oregon Trail". Charleston, SC, Chicago, IL, Portsmouth, NH, San Francicso, CA: Arcadia Publishing, 2003. [4]
  • Missouri Marriages to 1850 for Eli Keeney and Elizabeth Pierce.
  • Find A Grave Index. A headstone photo is available.
  • 1850 United States Federal Census on 11 October, District 38, Holt County, Missouri. [5]
  • 1860 United States Federal Census on 17 July in Pleasant Hill, Lane, Oregon. [6]
  • 1870 United States Federal Census on 29 July in Pleasant Hill, Lane, Oregon.[7]

Footnotes

  1. After the death of Eli, she married Samuel Holloway in 1884.
  2. There is a monument placed by the family in the Keeney Cemetery in Pleasant Hill, Lane, Oregon, but that is not her grave site. Her grave was discovered by a road crew building a highway in the 1920's and covered with stones and an oak slab with her name.
  3. Waibel, MH: Waibel has some photos including one of his son, Captain Jonathan Keeney, grandson James Benton Keeney. Some of the information in this is not correct. She confuses relationships several times.
  4. Dohnal, C.: Page 58 photo of the rifle carried by Captain Jonathan Keeney, which now sits in the Oregon Historical Museum. It was smithed from a Kentucky Long Rifle by his father in about 1830. Page 50 has a photo of Captain Jonathan Keeney.
  5. 1850: Keeney, Mary 68, head; Eli 23, farmer; Elizabeth 18; Mary 2; Nancy Weber 19; Elias Keeney 22 farmer.
  6. 1860: Keeney, Eli 33, farmer, head; Elizabeth 27, wife; Mary E. 12, daughter; Silas N. 6, son; Jonathan T. 4, son; Elizabeth R. 2, daughter.
  7. 1870: Keeney, Eli 41, farmer, head; Elizabeth 37, wife; Silas 16, son; Jonathan 14, son, blind; Ruth 12, daughter; Lethe F. 9, daughter; Rose 3, daughter.




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Comments: 1

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PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE the placement of the reference and footnote notations. 1/2 of the census data and other is lost if you do. No rule that I know of that says you have to have no space between "Sources" and References or can't have footnotes. And yes, I have read the "Help" page. Thank you.
posted by Darlene (Scott) Kerr