Biography

Margaret Keyes was born in 1918 in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to Charles Reuben and Sarah "Sadie" Nauman Keyes. She had one older sister, Catharine, born in 1905. Margaret Keyes completed a BA at Cornell College and then earned a PhD in home economics at Florida State University. She taught at the University of Iowa and became an advocate for local historic preservation. Catharine Keyes attended Cornell College, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Columbia University. She also earned a PhD in music from Yale and worked at the Oberlin College music library. She married Philip Miller in 1943.   Charles Reuben Keyes (Margaret's father) was born in 1871 in Mt. Vernon, Iowa to Marsden and Martha Keyes. He attended Cornell College and then became the principal of Blairstown High School, where he met his future wife, Sarah Nauman. She also attended Cornell College. Charles Keyes attended Harvard for his PhD in German. The couple married in 1902. He taught German at Cornell College until his retirement in 1941. He also had a lifelong hobby of local archeology and was employed by the State Historical Society of Iowa for his expertise in local Native American archaeology and burial mounds. He died in 1951. Sarah Keyes died in 1963.   Marsden Keyes (Margaret's paternal grandfather) was born in 1832 in New York. He married Margaret Purves in Nova Scotia in 1856. After living in Lone Rock, Wisconsin, the couple moved to Mt. Vernon, Iowa, in 1860 and had three children. Margaret Purves Keyes died in 1863. Marsden Keyes then married Martha Whittington in 1866. Marsden Keyes became a successful carpenter and house builder in Mt. Vernon during a period of large growth for the town, from 1870 to the 1890s. He died in 1902.   Whittington Family   Martha Whittington Keyes (Margaret's paternal grandmother) was born in Ohio in 1845 to Henry Coman and Margaret Richardson Whittington, who had eleven children. The family moved from Ohio to Keokuk, Iowa, in 1852, and eventually settled in Johnson County. After Margaret Whittington's death, Henry Whittington moved to Kansas, married Harriet Lingo and had two more children. Martha Whittington was a graduate of the State University of Iowa (now the University of Iowa), along with two of her sisters, Emma and Julia. Martha and Marsden Keyes had seven children, including Charles Keyes, all born in Mt. Vernon. Martha Keyes died in 1937.   Nauman Family   Sarah Nauman Keyes (Margaret's mother) was born in 1874 to Jacob Nauman (a.k.a. Jakob Naumann) and Catharine Ann Keck Nauman, who married in Ohio in 1865. They had one son and then moved to Blairstown, Iowa, where they opened a hardware store. The couple had five more children in Blairstown, including Sarah Nauman. It appears that most of the Nauman children remained in Iowa for their adult lives.   Jakob Naumann (Margaret's maternal grandfather) was born in Wiebelskirchen, Germany, (also known as Tasver on the Rhine, Prussia) in 1832. His parents were Jakob Christian (b. 1804) and Sophia Honecker Naumann (b. 1806), who were married in 1830. The Naumanns were involved in the coal mining business for many generations in Germany. Jakob Naumann had seven younger brothers and sisters, all born in Germany. The family emigrated from Germany in 1854 and settled in Ohio. The family Americanized their name to Nauman at some point. Jacob Nauman joined the Union Army in 1862 during the Civil War and served at Vicksburg, where he may have been injured.   Keck Family   Catharine Ann Keck Nauman (Margaret's maternal grandmother) was born in Ohio in 1839 to David Keck (b. 1817) and Sarah Berger Keck (b. 1815), who were married in 1838. Catharine had seven younger brothers and sisters, all born in Marshallville, Ohio. The Keck family can be traced back to Michael Keck, a Revolutionary War veteran, through a DAR application in the family notes folder.   FAMILY TREE (Margaret Keyes' parents and grandparents are in bold)   WHITTINGTON AND KEYES FAMILIES   Henry Coman Whittington (b.1809) m. Margaret Richardson (b. 1811)   Children (born in Ohio and Iowa):   Benjamin Henry Whittington (b. 1835)   Sarah Whittington (b. 1837)   Mary E. Whittington (b. 1840)   John T. Whittington (b. 1842)   Rebecca Ellen Whittington (b. 1842)   Martha Maria Whittington (b. 1845 d. 1937)   Julianna Whittington (b. 1848)   Margaret Emma Whittington (b. 1850)   Amanda Whittington (b. 1852)   Sophia Whittington (b. 1853)   Susan Childs Whittington (b. 1854)   Henry Coman Whittington m. Harriet Lingo (b. 1831)   Children (born in Kansas):   John Lingo Whittington (b.1859)   Emma Lingo Whittington (b. 1861)   Marsden Keyes (b. 1832, New York d. 1902) m. Margaret Purves Keyes (b.1832, Nova Scotia)   Children:   Harlow William Keyes (b.1857)   Laura Anna Keyes (b. 1860)   George P. Keyes (b. 1863)   Marsden Keyes m. Martha Whittington   Children (all born in Mt. Vernon):   Carrie Ellen Keyes (b. 1867)   Harriet Julia Keyes (b. 1868 d. 1956)   Charles Ruben Keyes (b. 1871 d. 1951)   Margaret Bertie Keyes (b. 1873 d. 1960)   Geneva May Keyes (b. 1876)   Florence A. Keyes (b. 1883)   Karl M. Keyes (b. 1885)   NAUMAN AND KECK FAMILIES   Jakob Christian Naumann (b. 1804, Germany) m. Marie Sophie Honecker (b. 1806, Germany)   Children (all born in Gemany):   Jakob Naumann (b. 1832 d. 1883)   Ludwig (Lewis) Naumann (b. 1835)   Wilhelm Naumann (b. 1837)   Friedrich Naumann (b. 1839)   Sophie Naumann (b. 1841)   Catharine Naumann (b. 1843)   Marie Naumann (b. 1845)   Carl Naumann (b. 1847)   David Keck (b. 1817) m. in 1838 Sarah Berger (b. 1815)   Children (all born in Marshallville, Ohio):   Catharine Ann Keck (b. 1839 d. 1917)   Eunice J. Keck (b. 1841)   Ephraim P. Keck (b. 1843)   Daniel B. Keck (b. 1846)   Harriet E. Keck (b. 1848)   Mary Eleanor Keck (b. 1852)   Ezra Daniel Keck (b. 1854)   Jacob Nauman m. in 1865 Catharine Ann Keck   Children (born in Ohio and Iowa):   Elmer David Nauman (b. 1867)   Alice Lydia Nauman (b. 1869)   Emma Odessa Nauman (b. 1871)   Sarah Mary Nauman (b. 1874) [married Charles Keyes]   Charles Jacob Nauman (b. 1879)   Martha Ann Nauman (b. 1882)   Charles Reuben Keyes m. in 1902 Sarah Mary Nauman   Children:   Catharine Ann Keyes (b. 1905, Mt. Vernon, IA) m. Philip Miller   Margaret Nauman Keyes (b. 1918, Mt. Vernon, IA)

Found in 1 Collection or Record: