Growing up I enjoyed listening to the older generations share stories about their childhood and their life experiences. So, when I had an opportunity to speak with grandma and Uncle Boy at the same time, I was really intrigued by what they were sharing with my mom and I. We were visiting grandma during one of grandma’s treatments for cancer.
They began talking about a man with the first name of Lewis. This was a name my mom did not remember hearing before. It was explained that Lewis was not included with the family because he was not kind to the younger children and so he was sent away. Grandma then shared that Lewis’ mother was “Scalped by Indians”. I made a note of this and when I got home, I tried to discover what happened to Great Grandpa Harrison Keele’s first wife. I mean “scalped by Indians” leaves a lasting imprint and I wanted to discover what led to this.
Mathias Washington Keele was born in Coffee Tennessee in 1836. His first wife died in 1870 leaving him with 4 young children. On June 1, 1871, in St Clair Missouri he married Rebecca Elizabeth Johndrow. Rebecca Elizabeth went by the nickname common for Elizabeth, “Betty”, she was born in Hickory Missouri July 16, 1854.Mathias and Betty had 8 additional children, one being Harrison Richmond Keele born September 4, 1879. On March 3rd, 1888 Betty died and is buried in Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery. (Bentonville Missouri). Mathias died in 1900 and is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery, Kansas City Kansas. His home was on North Spear Street.
In the 1900 census, we find a single, 20-year-old Harrison Keele living as a boarder at the residents of John and Sarah Simms. Sarah was Harrison’s half-sister. They lived in Argentine Ward 3, Wyandotte, Kansas at 227 Spear Street. He is occupation is listed as “Laborer / Smelter. “By the 1910 census we find Harrison working as a refiner for an oil company renting a home at 337 Nebraska Avenue Kansas City Ward 2. He is married to Florence Keele.
So, what happened between 1900 and 1910? It seems like a short period of time yet so much took place in those 10 years. I was curious, what did Harrison do, where did he go. As I started filling in information for both Harrison and Florence, I remembered the story that Grandma and Uncle Boy had shared.Who was Lewis and was his mother really scalped? And just how are they connected to Harrison, Grandma, and us……
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