Genealogy – Keepers Family of Morris
County, New Jersey
The connection between this family group and other groups has yet to be made. The earliest
known member, Thomas Keepers (1753 – 1806) is said to have been born in England. If this is
true, any connection to the colonial Keepers family members, as shown in Group 1, may have
to be made in England.
The
information below was graciously provided by Kathy A. Straley.
From: The Development of Jefferson Township: A Record of the People, Events, and Industry
1700-1900, pp. 47-48.
The Keepers family line began with Thomas who came from England to settle in Milton, New
Jersey sometime before 1800, in which year he was conveyed a tract of land by a Samuel Ogden.
It was on this plot of land that he later built and operated the Russia Forge, for which he became
well known. His land holdings also included a farm, which he actively cultivated...Keepers had
three brothers, Joseph, John, and William, who also resided in the Milton section of Jefferson.
There are no records on Joseph, and those pertaining to John and William deal with their service
in the military. They both fought in the American Revolution, William serving as a member of the
Morris County Militia in Crane's company. William was wounded in a battle at Bottle Hill, New
Jersey, and John was captured by the British and imprisoned. In connection with this an interesting
incident is recorded. John made good his escape from the barracks in which he was imprisoned by
sprinkling gunpowder around the structure while the British officers slept off a great deal of applejack
whiskey. When the gunpowder was lit, it so scared the officers that John and those imprisoned with
him were able to
escape.
Information
received from Robert Straley, Brigantine, NJ on July 23, 1998, to Kathy
Straley:
Thomas
Keepers was born in England in 1753 and came to America about 1770. Once here,
he built an iron forge on land he rented from
Samuel Ogden. This forge was called the Russia forge (named after the type of
iron) and was located in Milton, NJ. Nothing of the forge exists today. Thomas
finally purchased the forge in 1800. Along with the forge he also acquired 2530
acres of land for $2,666 - a considerable sum in those days.
Thomas
served as a Private in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and he
is listed in the D.A.R. Patriots Index.
About
1780 he married Tabatha Jones of Bottle Hill (now Madison), NJ. Tabatha is
reputed to be a close relative of John Paul Jones, however, this cannot be
verified. Thomas and Tabatha had 9 children, 2 boys and 7 girls. One of the
girls, Fanny, married Enos Davenport, a member of one of the oldest and most
prominent families in Jefferson Township of which Milton was a part. Most of
the other daughters also married into established families in the area. Today
the name Keepers still appears in many Jefferson Township family trees, but no
Keepers still live there.
Thomas died on Dec. 26, 1806 and Tabatha died on July 3, 1813. Administration documents for the estate of Thomas and Tabatha Keepers list Joseph Keepers as the only son, which suggests that William must have died at a very early age. Joseph appointed William Headley as Administrator.
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