Arthur was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1842, the son of Daniel and Honora O’Keefe.[1] (He seemed to use the “Keefe” surname almost exclusively.) His headstone gives his date of birth as May 10, 1839.) He arrived in the United States at Boston, Mass., in June of 1852.
He was a resident of Malden, Massachusetts in 1864, when, as a 23 year old currier, he enlisted to serve in the Civil War. He mustered in as a Private in Company E of the Massachusetts 2nd Heavy Artillery on September 1 of that year. He later transferred to Company G of the Massachusetts 17th Infantry on December 15, 1864. He was discharged on June 30, 1865.
After the war, he returned to Malden. He became a naturalized citizen on November 4, 1867.[2] The following year, in 1868, he married Mary Lynch of Salem, Mass., daughter of Patrick and Mary.[3] They were living in Malden in 1870 with their 1 year old daughter Nora. Arthur was an employee as a local tannery.[4]
The family removed to Connecticut and we find them in Naugatuck, Conn., in 1880, where Arthur supported his wife and daughters by working in a rubber shop.[5]
Arthur died in 1884 in Connecticut. He is buried at the Saint Francis Cemetery in Naugatuck.[6]
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O > O'Keefe | K > Keefe > Arthur (O'Keefe) Keefe
Categories: Naugatuck, Connecticut | Malden, Massachusetts | 17th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, United States Civil War | 2nd Regiment, Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, United States Civil War