Chapter Five: Claiborne County Kecks

Conrad Keck and his family moved to Claiborne Co. TN sometime between 1807 and 1814, when he first appears in Claiborne Co. records buying 100 acres of land on Hunting Creek from James Roberts for $29.1 In Pennsylvania and North Carolina Frederick went by Frederick, Frederick Conrad, Conrad, and Conrad Frederick, but In Tennessee he only used the name Conrad. He appears in numerous court records and it was during this period that he wrote the application for a war pension as presented in the previous chapter.

No will for Conrad has been found, but he died before 21 December, 1824 because, as Rauch points out: "...a court record for 21 Dec 1824 of a deed for 100 acres from James Robinson to Conrad Keck which refers to the deed as "heretobefore filed for further probate" and orders it to be registered...[which] indicates that Conrad had died by 21 Dec 1824."2 The final settlement of Conrad's estate was made many years later on 1 June, 18483 Conrad's wife, Mary Ann, was still living in 1850, and probably died shortly thereafter.

Virtually all of the Kecks in Claiborne County were related to Conrad, Mary and their children. This family has been studied in detail by Virginia Billingsley Fletcher. She has written two books on the subject: Down in the Barns: The Kecks of Claiborne County, Tennessee (Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1983), and More Kecks of Claiborne County, Tennessee (Chelsea: Bookcrafters, 1992). Any reader who desires in depth coverage of this family should consult those works. This presentation will restrict itself to the descent of Andrew Keck, the 7th child and 2nd son of Frederick Conrad and Mary.

Andrew was born 25 December, 1800 in Orange, North Carolina and was thus between 7 and 14 when he moved with his family to Claiborne County. Little is known of him, he was a farmer and remained in the same County his entire life. He married first a woman of the Whited family, whose name we do not know.4 This marriage occurred in about 1819, in Tazewell, Claiborne County. They had two children, Daniel, b. 20 March, 1820, and Mary, 26 February, 1826. Daniel married Sementha Whited on 18 July, 1839 and they had 6 children, four of which were born in Tennessee and two in Arkansas. Daniel is listed in the 1850 Claiborne Co. census as being 31 years old; Sementha was listed as being 32 in that same document. Mary married William Whited on 16 August, 1848 in Claiborne Co. Daniel, Sementha and their family accompanied or followed the other Keck step-brothers to Madison Co. AR sometime after 1850; he is mentioned in the 1860 census in Madison Co.

Andrew married secondly Isabella Bolinger, daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Weaver) Bolinger ca. 1825 in Tazewell, Claiborne Co. TN. Andrew and Isabella had the following children:

  1. John Keck, b. 24 October, 1827 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; d. 22 August, 1917 in Bowen, Madison Co. AR; buried in Whitter Cemetery, Bowen, Madison Co. AR; m. Rachel Catherine Comer, 1858 in Bowen, Madison Co. AR; they had 12 children

  2. Frederick, Keck b. 31 December, 1828 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; d. 17 January, 1911 in Bowen, Madison Co. AR; m. (1) Mary Ann Shofner, 28 December, 1854 in Claiborne Co. TN, Mary Ann and Frederick had 2 children; (2) Milly Driver, ca. 1860 in Bowen, Madison, AR, Milly and Frederick had 9 children

  3. Isaac Harrison Keck, b. 10 September, 1830 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; d. 25 September, 1910 in Bowen, Madison, AR; m. Destamonia Ann Smith, 17 December, 1856 in AR; they had 9 children

  4. Andrew Keck, b. 27 November, 1831 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; d. ca. 1906 in Union Co. TN; m. Katherine Shofner, 18 December, 1855 in TN; they had 10 children

  5. David Keck, b. 29 November, 1833 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; d. bef. 28 June, 1905 in Martin Co. IN; m. Nancy Woodruff, 13 February, 1867 in Martin Co. IN; they had 3 children

  6. Elizabeth Keck, b. 25 April, 1835 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; m. Matthew Graves

  7. Jacob Keck, b. 15 November, 1838 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; m. Nancy Whited, 14 August, 1855 in Laurel Co. KY; they had 10 children

  8. Esau Keck, b. 19 January, 1840 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN

  9. Christopher Keck, b. 25 December, 1842 in Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN; d. ca. 1924 in Union Co. TN; m. (1) Charity Woodruff; (2) Elizabeth Strevels, 1860; Christopher and Elizabeth had 13 children

Andrew and Isabella remained in Claiborne Co. while many of their children eventually migrated to Arkansas or other areas. Isabella died sometime after the 1850 census and Andrew died sometime after the 1870 census. Tradition has it that Andrew was buried in Will Grave's Cemetery, Sharp's Chapel, Claiborne Co. TN.

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