William Keeling died in London in 1787 - who were his parents?

+3 votes
328 views
He was an oil merchant of Thames Street and married Ann Philby in 1756. He left a will, but I can find no evidence to prove when he was born and who his parents were. Can you help please?
in Genealogy Help by John Roberts G2G Rookie (220 points)

1 Answer

+1 vote
As I'm sure you're aware there's some information about the family online via William's daughter Eliza(beth) who married Johann Benjamin Frentzel. At first I thought this was just random name matching for which certain genealogical sites are notorious but I've verified that both William and his daughter were married in St Peter's Cornhill which convinces me.

Elizabeth has the unlikely birthplace of Kingston upon Hill (should be Hull) which would have been an unpleasant journey from London for a pregnant woman. I haven't been able to verify that but, if it's correct, then presumably her family was there and St Peter's must have been William's parish church. Unfortunately FreeReg turns up a complete blank for any Keelings baptized there.

There is a baptism of a William Keeling (born 21 Aug 1730, baptized 23 Aug) at St George's, Hanover Square, to James and Ann. I doubt this is correct though as there are multiple Westminster Rate Book entries for a William Keeling in the same parish in the 1740s and 1750s. We know that your William lived in Thames Street as I found the wedding announcement in a digitized google book from 1756.
by Matthew Fletcher G2G6 Pilot (148k points)
Matthew - many thanks. I wasn't expecting such a rapid response. I am sure the Elizabeth Keeling who married Johann Frentzel is not the daughter of William Keeling of Thames Street. There was a different William Keeling who lived at Cottingham near Hull and had a second child Frances in 1761. He died in 1780 at Cottingham. Meanwhile William and Anne Keeling in London have the following births recorded: Mary (named after Anne's mother Mary Philby) 27 Mar 1758, and Anne 1 Aug 1759. So Anne cannot have also given birth to Elizabeth, whose birth in Cottingham was December 1758. Can it be a coincidence that Elizabeth was married in St Peter's Cornhill?

It seems like one hell of a coincidence. I can't believe that. Perhaps there was some family connection between the Hull and London Keelings? It seems strange Elizabeth is in London at all but to get married at the same, relatively obscure, small parish church seems too unlikely to happen by chance. The records are on FindMyPast so I can't give a direct link.

The General Magazine of Arts and Sciences: A Chronological Memoir of Occurrences
Sept. 1. Mr. Wm. Keeling, of Thames-street, to Miss Philby.

This suggests the couple were fairly affluent.

First name(s) William
Last name Keeling
Marriage year 1756
Spouse's first name(s) Ann
Spouse's last name Philby
Place St Peter Cornhill
County London
Country England
Source Boyd's marriage index, 1538-1850
Record set England, Boyd's Marriage Indexes, 1538-1850
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Marriages
Collections from England, Great Britain

First name(s) John Benjamin
Last name Frentzel
Marriage year 1778
Spouse's first name(s) Elizabeth
Spouse's last name Keeling
Place St Peter Cornhill
County London
Country England
Source Boyd's marriage index, 1538-1850
Record set England, Boyd's Marriage Indexes, 1538-1850
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Subcategory Parish Marriages
Collections from England, Great Britain

I've also found reference to "Keeling & Reed, oil-merchants, 116 Lower Thames Street" in several trade directories that have been digitized by google.
Thanks. Thames St William's daughter was married in 1781, not in St Peter's Cornhill, but in St George's Botolph Lane. The two churches were not far apart but St George's was closer to Thames Street.

May I ask the reason for your interest in Keeling ancestry? I am directly descended from the Thames Street oil merchant. My mother was a Keeling.
I have no interest in the Keelings! :) I have an interest in helping people with their research, with a particular focus on London. Yes St George's would make perfect sense. The back of 116 Lower Thames St would be about where Botolph Lane meets Monument. Street.
Many thanks then for being so generous with your time!

Related questions

+1 vote
1 answer
+8 votes
3 answers
208 views asked Jul 10, 2024 in Photos by Kim Clarkson G2G1 (1.2k points)
+13 votes
7 answers
258 views asked Apr 15, 2024 in Appreciation by Heather Jenkinson G2G6 Pilot (145k points)
+8 votes
3 answers
+10 votes
2 answers
136 views asked Sep 29, 2021 in Appreciation by Donald Smith G2G6 Mach 2 (20.1k points)
+8 votes
2 answers
+14 votes
5 answers
183 views asked May 11, 2021 in Appreciation by Maggie N. G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
+11 votes
2 answers
+16 votes
1 answer
134 views asked Mar 12, 2021 in Appreciation by David Hughey G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)

WikiTree  ~  About  ~  Help Help  ~  Search Person Search  ~  Surname:

disclaimer - terms - copyright

...