Keiper Family History
Oscar Keiper born 6 Apr 1878 in Pa. Died 25 Aug 1961 of natural causes. He is buried in Long Pond Cemetery. His parents were Franklin Keiper and Elizabeth Eschenbach.
He married Anna (Sarah Ann) Smith on 30 March 1901. She was born 17 November 1882 and died 29 January 1954. She is buried in Long Pond Cemetery. Her parents were James Smith and Mary Heller.
Oscar and Anna lived on a farm in Effort off RT 115 and Sugar Hallow Road. As a young man Oscar found work as a carpenter. They then opened a store in Allentown which served as a front for bootlegging during the prohibition. Oscar and his sons were caught and put in jail several times during the 1930’s. In 1933 Anna was caught and brought before a judge for selling moonshine. With her husband and oldest sons all in jail at the same time there was no one to care for the youngest children. The judge took pity on her and let her go. During the Great Depression they either lost or sold their store and moved to Swiftwater, Pa. Anna was a tall woman, almost 6 feet, but she spent the remainder of her life in a wheelchair due to severe diabetes. Oscar was described as an ornery old man with a mean sense of humor.

Children of Oscar Keiper and Anna Smith

NameBornBaptized DeathMarriagesNotes
Arthur Webster11 Aug 1901 Feb 1973 N/AN/ANone
Floyd Wilson05 Jan 190325 Mar 1961 N/AKatherine J. HissimNone
Otto (Otteneil) W.1905N/AN/A N/ANone
Dennis A. 19071974N/A LouiseNone
MaudeN/AN/AN/AWarren FinkNone
MildredN/AN/AN/A? Horn may still be in PV nursing home
MickeyN/AN/AN/AN/A None
WilliamN/AN/AN/AN/A None


All dates are taken from the Tunkhannock township Census (1870,1880,1900 and 1910) for Monroe County, PA unless otherwise indicated.
Search billions of records on Ancestry.com