Stewart/Keeler
My grandmother was Cathryn Alice (Stewart) Mitchell.
STEWART
Her father was Alexander Stewart, and her mother was Kitty Keeler. Grandma Mitchell grew up in Fort Wayne, but she was born in Shelbyville, Illinois with her mother's family.
Great grandfather Alexander Stewart had moved with Kitty to Wyoming where he worked as a telegrapher for UPI. But as she progressed in her pregnancy, the harsh conditions in turn of the century Wyoming convinced Kitty to return to Shelbyville and her family for the birth.
After Alexander's return, and they took up residence in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Grandma Mitchell remembered taking trips to Daleville, Indiana to visit her Uncle Hugh Stewart, who owned a candy store there for many decades.
Grandma liked that she could go there and have her choice of penny candy. She never lost her sweet tooth, and loved an Old Fashioned before dinner time. Here is a short quote from the Shelbyville Star Press in 1938:
One of the oldest businessmen in Daleville was Hugh Stewart. By 1938, he had operated "a soft drink establishment" in town for 50 years. Incidentally, he was visually impaired, I found in the Railroad Telegrapher from 1913 and ad from Uncle Hugh looking for his (other) brother Dennis M. Stewart, who was, like Alexander, a telegrapher.
The Keelers were from Shelbyville, Illinois, and Grandma Mitchell talked about visiting the large house the they owned there, I think she was impressed with their wealth, status and history. Also, it seems that Kitty did not want to return to Wyoming, so Alexander had to move back. Kitty passed on her strong personality to Grandma Mitchell, then to Mickey, my daughter Emma has this as well. Perhaps it came from Kitty Keeler's mother Catharine Taylor, but I don't think Grandma Mitchell ever mentioned her name, she may not have known it.
So, I ran a Google search on Kitty Keeler, and found a reference in the this short biography of her father, George W. Keeler, who is my 2x great grandfather. It traces his lineage back 2 more generations to Seth Keeler from New York, who migrated to Ohio and then Illinois. George W. was a taylor, then postmaster, county treasurer, dry goods store owner, finally a farmer and real estate agent. He obviously was an important person in the settlement and growth of Shelbyville. This fits well with Grandma's feeling towards the Keelers, I heard little of the Stewarts in comparison, and don't even know Alexander's parents names, yet.
The History of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois
GEORGE W. KEELER was born in New Carlisle, Clark County, Ohio, February 14th, 1832.
His grandfather, Seth Keeler, was a native of New York. He emigrated to Ohio in 1803, and settled in Highland county; in 1816 here moved to Calhoun county, Illinois., where he died in 1818. He married Jane Miller, who was born in Virginia, in Greenbrier County on December 25th, 1789. After the death of Seth Keeler his family returned to Cincinnati, Ohio.
James W. Keeler, the father of George W., was born in Ohio; in 1834 he removed to Niles, Michigan, where he remained one year, then went to Elkhart, Ind., and made that his home until 1853, when he came to Shelby county, Illinois., and settled on Robinson Creek; in 1867 he moved to Christian county, Illinois, where he died May 18th, 1874 ; he was thrice married; his first wife, and mother of the subject of the present sketch, was Catharine Taylor, daughter of Mathew Taylor; she was born in Dauphin county, Pa., near Harrisburg, in September, 1809. Her parents removed to Ohio in 1822, and settled in Clark county, where she was married; she died on August, 1836.
By that marriage there were three children; two of them have survived the parents, viz., Ebenezer and George W. In 1837 he married Rebecca Tallerday, by whom he had two children; she died in 1845; he afterwards married Hester Ann Musser; she still survives her husband, and is a resident of Assumption, in Christian County.
George W. is the eldest son and child of the first marriage; when he was in his fifteenth year he went to the tailor trade in Elkhart, Ind., and worked for three years for Silas Hogueland; in 1850 he started in business for himself in Elkhart, and continued for one year, then went to Pine Bluff, Ark., and remained there one year, and then went to Grandview, in Edgar county, Illinois, and on the 1st of April, 1855, came to Shelbyville, and formed a partnership in the tailoring business with B. B. Wheeler, which continued one year, when Mr. Keeler was appointed postmaster, a position and office he held until 1861.
In November, 1861, he was elected county treasurer, and re-elected for five successive terms, and held office until 1873. In 1874, in connection with J. T. Herrick, he built a business block on the south-east corner of Main street; he then embarked in the dry-goods business in connection with W. M. Wright under the firm name of Wright & Keeler; the partnership closed one year later, and Mr. Keeler continued the business for another year, and then sold out to James & Yantis.
Since that time he has been engaged in farming and dealing in real estate. On the 1st of March, 1852, he was united in marriage to Elizabeth Hogue, a native of Terre Haute, Ind. By this union there have been six children living, two sons and four daughters; their names are Alice, wife of J. T. Herrick; Cora, wife of Charles Waldron; Lola, Clinton, Eben, and Kitty.
Politically, Mr. Keeler, since attaining his majority, had always been a democrat, and in all general elections votes the ticket without scratch or blemish.