Appendix B: The Historical Manuscript of J.Corbett Keck

I have transcribed the History exactly as it appears on the photocopy of a typewritten manuscript in my possession. I have retained Corbett's paragraph breaks, poor English and spelling mistakes. Any editorial comments are in brackets.

Andrew and Nathan Keck

Page (1) [On the manuscript, the (1) is crossed out and what is possibly a (2) has been handwritten in. The handwritten figures could also be an exaggerated (1).] This all began when, Andrew and Nathan Keck was born in Baveria, Germany. (very mountainous).

When they grew up to the proper age, they served in the German Military, they decided to desert for more physical and spiritual freedom. In 1775 they went down across Holland to the coast and boarded a ship to work their way over here to this Continent.

Andrew and Nathan Keck landed on the east coast in time to join the many more German, French and Spanish and others in the great American Revolution.,

On June 16, 1775 with the knowledge of previous Military service, Andrew and Nathan Keck was in the Battle of Bunker Hill. One more brother came, but lost in Bunker Hill.

The British pushed us off of Bunker Hill, when we was out of powder and in stubborn retreat, Andrew Keck (my great-grandfather) turned on and whipped a British Officer and took his pistol, and I have the old pistol, rather the metal parts. When they got out of that trouble they went down across the Virginia border into Tennessee, between the Cumberland and Clinch Mountains, on Clinch river (as river was transportation those days). Then [the mss. Has Thene with the e crossed out] settle for their homes their.

Andrew and Nathan Keck married German girls, but out of two different families.

That was where my Grandfather John Keck was born and grew up, one of the Keck boys.

John was one of fourteen boys and no girls.

When John Keck was 27 year old in 1852, he took rambling notions and with a crew of men got on a raft of lumber, in the spring when rivers was full to float them. The raft took them down into the bigger rivers and into the Mississippi and down the whole distance into the city of New Orleans. My Grandfather John Keck had a little money and he bought a Boat Ticket. (I have seen it.) back up stream to the mouth of the Arkansas river and up the Arkansas river to a boat stop. At this time is the city of Ozark.

John Keck got off the boat with the personal property that he brought with him, namely a Muzzle loading Rifle and the British pistol that his Father Andrew Keck took from a British Officer

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in the Battle of Bunker Hill, and he also had his pocket knife and his Haversack that he carried small items in and Song Book off the press in 18__. [the date in the manuscript has 18 then the last two numbers are scratched off. The first scratched off number is illegible, but the last one appears to be an 8. Above the scratched off numbers someone has written in what seems to be an 8 and another number which is not readable in my photocopy.]

John Keck started from Ozark in search for his new home, and went north for about forty miles over hills and through timber. He came to a small creek that had pretty clean and clear water he said to himself (this is it) and staked his claim.

John found a dry cliff overhang to stay dry in, that was on the Homestead and it was not very long till he had Deer hides for more bedding to add to his original bed roll. This was in the spring of 1852. A few families had settled about twelve miles to the south of him on White River.

John Keck got the privelege to have the use of a yoke of Steers in getting the logs together to build a one room log house and also some small hand tools from some friend that lived on White River to the south.

When he got the house build and build a chimmey using stone and and clay mud for mortar, he put the Steers in the house to drag the arch rock in. .*[the asterisk was drawn in by hand.]

John told me about getting a little wheat to sow to eat and when it got ready to cut he went somewhere to a Blacksmith Shop and had a left hand reap hook made to cut the wheat and he shock it and when he wanted wheat he beat it out with a stick on a Deer skin. He made his moccasins from deer skin for his shoes. I have got his reap hook.

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The Kecks

Five of the Keck boys out of the fourteen came to Arkansas and at different times.

Grandpa John came first and settled at the mouth of the creek near Witter 1852.

Olc:[what this means is not clear] Isaac Keck was the next one to come to Arkansas and settled on the head of War Eagle five miles from Witter, above the Ogdens.

The next Keck that came, settled up stream from John Keck, was Fredrick (Feddy) Keck and Joseph Keck. I don't know if they came together or came separate. [This last sentence, along with the name Joseph Keck from the previous sentence has been crossed out for some reason.] From this time it was called Kecks Creek.

Simon Keck was the last of John Keck brothers to come to Arkansas. Simon was a very small child when his brother John Keck left Tennessee in 1852. It was several years before he came to Arkansas with some of his family.

I saw his Granddaughter Blanche Keck working in a Prairie Grove Hospital when I was a Patient there in January 1942.

The Kecks brought part of their families with them when they came to Arkansas, except Grandpa John Keck was not married.