Smoke And Mirrors!
Peyton Keen/Skeens was my great grandfather born in Kanawha county, West Virginia. He lived most of his life on Paint Creek.
Peyton's parents were Jeremiah "Jerry" Keen and Flora America Facemire, married in 1881 in Roane County.
Just a quick note of the history that Jerry Keen would have been involved in or at least been aware of. He was involved in an Indian uprising. He would have been in Charleston when it was captured by the Confederates in 1863. He probably went down to the Kanawha river as a young boy and saw the Union gunboats as the capital was recaptured.
He knew of Lee's surrender at Appomattox and then heard about the assassination of President Lincoln. He would have known about Custer's defeat at Little Big Horn and Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill. He might have actually watched the first brick paved road in the US as it was being put down on Summers Street in Charleston.
After all, at one time he live just a block over. He probably followed the news from Europe in World War I as he had a son, Dave William, fighting with the Rainbow division in France. He had at least two sons, Peyton and James Albert, who were in one way or another involved in the mine wars on Paint and Cabin Creeks in 1912-1913.
He would have seen the first electricity and autos in Kanawha county. He also probably listened to the radio about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His life span covered a tremendous amount of American history. Jerry Keen died in 1943 and is buried in Sunset Memorial Park in Charleston.
I started researching my great grandfather Peyton Skeens in an attempt to find out why he and at least four of his brothers changed their name from Keen to Skeens. It was very easy to find his parents. I knew his father was Jeremiah "Jerry" Keen, and his mother was Flora America Facemire. I found marriage and death records for Jerry and his second wife Lillie Belle Fink. I found the marriage record for Jerry and Flora but have been unable to find a death record for Flora. I am positive he is the same person, as his obituary lists his surviving sons.
This death record shows he was born in 1846 and that his parents were John and Alice Keen. As I was researching him I came across another Jerry Keen born in 1853. This Jerry Keen married a Salina Naylor in 1871, and both disappeared after that. So it appeared there were two Jerry Keens, one born in 1846 and the other born in 1853. The one born in 1853 had no records after 1871. The one born in 1846 had his records start in 1880 until his death. I got his birth year from his death certificate so even that record was after 1880.
I started to research into Flora America Facemire's family. She has a very interesting family going back hundreds of years. I requested an inter-library loan book called John Thomas Ashley, by Clara Alt Ross, from the local library. It was about Flora's 3x great-grandfather, John Thomas Ashley. I was pleasantly surprised that the book went as far as to show Flora America Facemire. But no spouse was listed. I asked the librarian to copy four pages from the book about her family for me. I went home and was looking it over again when I saw she had accidentally copied an extra page.
I glanced through it and saw a familiar name, Jerry Keen, and he had married Salina Naylor. This Jerry Keen had the same birth and death date the Jerry Keen who we know married Flora Facemire, probably taken from his death record. That was odd so I went back to the library and looked again. As I was checking I realized that Salina Naylor and Flora America Facemire were first cousins. That was too much of a coincidence! What are the chances of two cousins from Roane county marrying two guys from Kanawha county with the same name?
I needed help! So I emailed a distant cousin on my Dad's side of the family who is a great researcher and not afraid to share her secrets. That's when I was told about "Smoke and Mirrors." She asked me if I had ever looked into a mirror at something and saw details that you didn't see before? Of course, everyone has. She told me to lay every document, record, newspaper article side by side according to the date of the document. She said the only information that is true on most documents is the date it was generated on. Sometimes birth records are off, death dates are off. Even tombstones can be wrong, but the date the document was generated is usually correct. She then told me to draw lines connecting the information together.
Wow, that opened my eyes! These two Jerry Keens had to be the same person. The only major problem was the different birth dates and parents’ names.
Let me start with the birth dates. The first census we have on Jerry is 1860 at six years off his age, born in 1853 and then his marriage to Salina Naylor also shows he was born in 1853.
Both records show his parents as William J. and Sarah Keen. Salina Naylor cannot be found after her 1871 marriage. It is possible she passed away in Kanawha county or maybe in Minnesota before the 1880 census. More about that in a moment.
In 1883, Jerry shows up again in a marriage record to Flora America Facemire. He is listed as 35 years old making him born about 1846. He has seven sons over the next twenty years and is listed at age 55 on the 1900 census, again born around 1846.
I do not know why Jerry would have listed the incorrect age. He might not have even known his correct age. I do not believe that if Jerry was born in 1846 that he would have been able to avoid Civil War service. That would have made him at the right age for service. He also does not show up on either of the West Virginia draft registrations. His father William J. Keen was on both.
Whether Jerry knew his correct age or not there is at least one instance where he deliberately misstated his age. When Jerry married his third wife, Lillie Belle Fink, in 1913, he shows his age as 40. Even if he was using his real birth date of 1853 that was still carving off 20 years. He also states in the 1920 census that he was only 47 seven years old. I am not sure but I believe this lack of memory was due to Lillie Belle being 30 years younger than Jerry. Maybe he had already started a pattern as he also represented himself at a different age once before. On his marriage license to Salina Naylor he stated he was born in 1846. Could it have something to do with Salina being eight years older than he was? He was again back at his old age in the 1930 census and in a newspaper article in 1941. He must have came clean with Lillie Belle but instead of his real age he went with his older one.
My next concern is his parents’ names. All of the census up until and including his marriage to Salina Naylor show his parents as William J. and Sarah. His death certificate shows his parents as John and Alice. Jerry's step daughter gave the information on his death certificate. She might not have known Jerry's parents’ names. They had already been gone from the Kanawha valley for 70 years by that time.
As I followed up on William J. Keen I found out his middle name was Johnson from his tombstone. Both he and his wife Sarah were buried in Minnesota having moved there from West Virginia after the 1870 census. He went by John, just like it is shown on Jerry's death certificate. It was not uncommon for people to write their names properly back then on official documents but to otherwise use a middle name or nickname. Jerry was the nickname for Jeremiah which was what he wrote on most documents. Jerry was probably named after his maternal grandfather Jeremiah "Jerry" Sword. I have no proof, but the same could be true for his mother Sarah being listed as Alice on his death certificate. She could have gone by Alice as her middle name. But I can't be sure.
A few interesting facts about Jerry Keen and his family: In the 1850 census, Jerry's father, William J. Keen was in Kanawha County next door to his future wife Sarah and her parents, Jeremiah "Jerry" and Rebecca Sword. In the 1860 census William J. Keen was living with his wife Sarah and sons Jerry and Sanford. They are again living next door to Jerry and Rebecca Sword,
Now in 1857, between the 1850 and 1860 census, they are on an 1857 Minnesota territory census. It shows William, Sarah, Jerry, age 4, and Sanford, age 2. They are living near Sarah's father, Jeremiah "Jerry" Sword and her two brothers.
During the late 1850s there was a period of Indian trouble around the Hinnipen area of Minnesota that probably drove William Keen and his father-in-law, Jerry Sword, to return to Kanawha County in time for the 1860 census. Two of Sarah's brothers, John and Jerry (yes, another Jerry) remained in Minnesota. A side note— this Indian uprising was finally ended with the mass execution of 38 Dakota Sioux Indians in Minnesota by President Lincoln on Dec 26, 1862.
Shortly after the 1870 census, William J. and Sarah Keen and their third son, John, returned to Minnesota where they received a land grant of 180 acres. They lost their land grant in 1882 due to fifteen dollars in delinquent taxes. While in Minnesota, William J. and Sarah had a fourth child, Genevieve Josephine.
In doing this research I have created a bunch of questions. When did Flora America pass away? What happened to Jerry and Flora's son Charles A. Skeens? What happened to Jerry's younger brother Sanford? When did Jerry's mother Sarah pass away? Why did Jerry Keen go by different ages? Why did my great grandfather Payton and at least four of his brothers change their name from Keen to Skeens?
But mainly, what happened to Salina Naylor? She disappears from all records after her marriage to Jerry. That was during the time that Jerry's parents moved to Minnesota. Did Jerry and Salina go with them? That would explain the lack of records during the 1870s. Also Jerry was very prolific, having eight sons during the 20 years he was married to Flora. Did he have any children during his possible 10 years with Salina? If they did have any children, they weren't listed in his obituary.
Just one final note: In 1941 the Charleston Gazette did a newspaper article on Jerry Keen about him being one of Charleston’s oldest citizens. Jerry stated twice in this article that except while as a young child when he was in Roane County that he had lived his entire life in Kanawha county. I am sure he is the same Jerry Keen that was in Minnesota with his family as a child. In Jerry's defense, he might not have known about his time there. He was only around four years of age then.
I know this was a long story but if I didn't include everything or if I had tried to break it up then I would get confused. If I am not starting to bore everyone or outstay my welcome, I will write another story soon that goes into Jerry's parents and grandparents and, I believe, answers a few of my questions.
Woman Shot! Attempted Murder, Arson Charges Filed!
On the evening of May 26,1905, in Winfield, Putnam County, William Lark and his family awoke to the smell of smoke. While they were attempting to flee the burning house, shots were fired through the bedroom window. The shots continued as they fled into the yard. Mrs. Lark was struck in the ankle, but everyone else was unhurt. Their home was a total loss.
The Larks were able to identify Joe Taylor as the man doing the shooting. The next morning, bloodhounds followed the trail to Joe Taylor's residence, where he was arrested. You see, Joe Taylor blamed William Lark for some trouble, either real or imagined, that he had with the local law enforcement officials concerning an illegal alcohol establishment.
Joe Taylor was convicted of arson and attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison on August 19, 1905. A few months later, he committed suicide in the state prison at Moundsville on February 5, 1906.
Source: The Vandalia Journal Quarterly, The Upper Vandalia Historical Society, October 26, 2014
Neither Joe Taylor nor anyone else in this story were related to my great grandfather Peyton Skeens’ family. However, the Joe Taylor story is very important to the Skeens family history.
The best place to start with any research is in the 1900 census of Emma Belle Parish in Kanawha County. The 1900 census is the only time that we know where Peyton, his six brothers, father and mother are together at the same point in time. Peyton is living with his six brothers: Albert, John , James, Dave William, Jerry Jr. and Charles A., along with their father, Jerry. Peyton’s mother, Flora America, is living in Roane County.
Sometime between this census and the 1910 census, Peyton and at least four of his brothers changed their names. What would have caused them to change their name from Keen to Skeens?
I have heard many "ideas" from many different sources, but the only two "clues" that I heard first hand were from my great uncle Bill Skeens. I am going to present my reasoning as to why they changed their names from these two clues and from actual documents uncovered during my search.
One clue Uncle Bill gave me was when I asked what he knew about his grandfather. He said, "I didn't even know he was alive until I received notice that he had died while I was overseas during World War II." That leads me to believe Jerry was not very close to Peyton or Peyton's children. The other clue was when I asked what he knew about his grandmother, Flora America. He said that when Louella, his sister, was born in 1919, he was taken into the hospital room. Peyton and his mother, Lucille, were talking very loudly about something but became quiet when he entered. Lucille told Peyton, "If you don’t be quiet, I am going to tell him about your mother." That leads me to believe that there was a problem with or between Peyton’s parents, Jerry and Flora Keen.
Let’s start with Flora. She was not in the household with Jerry and the kids in the 1900 Emma Belle census. She was at the Spencer State Hospital for the Insane in Roane County. We know it is her because of the name, age, and number of kids she shows on the census form. She shows eight total children with seven living since one died in childbirth.
I have not been able to get her records from the state hospital and it’s not from a lack of trying. She was listed as an inmate in an insane asylum; however, I was able to find out that there were hundreds of reasons she could have been incarcerated there. Depression, infidelity, tuberculosis, weight loss, weight gain, poor housekeeping, or other reasons. Even spending too much money could have been a reason to be locked up.
Flora was in the state hospital just four months after giving birth to her youngest, Charles A. Charles A. was living with his father, Jerry Keen, and brothers over in Emma Belle Parish. Jerry Keen is shown as divorced on the census record whereas Flora was still shown as married on hers. So it appears she was institutionalized shortly after giving birth. I have not been able to find out how long she was there.
I believe part of the trouble was right at that time and concerned their four-month old son, Charles A. Everything appears to be fine in the Jerry Keen household except for Flora being in Spencer. However, a big problem appears just three houses down in the George Miller household. Remember the name George Miller. He shows up in the story again later. George Miller is listed with his family that includes his youngest daughter Ecil Miller at seven months old. Right below her is another four month old son named Charles A. SKeen. It appears to me that on the actual census document, the S before the Keen was added. It is in a darker printing and the original K was also capitalized, almost like an afterthought.
Now, it was not unusual for children to be in other households especially allowing for the fact that Jerry was taking care of seven boys. It is a little unusual for Charles to be listed twice. In my opinion that is too big of a coincidence for two boys, same age and name, to be three houses apart. The only difference is the one in the Miller household has an S. And the coincidence gets greater when you consider that at least four of the other boys change their name from Keen to Skeens. There are no other Skeens surnames anywhere near there, and if it is the same child it would be the first use of the name Skeens in the family.
Did the census taker realize after the name was written down that it was a duplicate? Possible but unlikely— as it was very easy to amend a census form. Did Peyton and his brothers change their names because this other brother's name was changed? If they did, they must have known about it very soon after it happened. They would not have known from the census records as they are not released for 72 years, well after the name change.
Did something happen between Jerry and Flora concerning their son Charles A? If so, it appears that the other sons knew about it. They ranged in age from seventeen to three, Peyton being just six years old. .
Unfortunately, Charles A. Keen/SKeen dissappeared after the 1900 census. He is not in the household of George Miller or Jerry Keen nor in any of his brothers’ households after 1900.
The statement made to me by Uncle Bill about "telling him about his grandmother" may have a simple explanation. This was during 1919 and I believe that is about the time Flora America passed away. No death records or burial have been found, but she is not listed on a 1920 census. This is not unusual as this was during the influenza pandemic. Millions died worldwide and many records went by the wayside due to lack of resources.
Flora was last in the"Old Ladies Home" in 1915 according to The Charleston City Directory. An interesting note: There must have been some hard feelings between Flora and Jerry. The same Charleston City Directory shows Flora as the widow of Jerry Keen. Directly under her, Jerry Keen is listed with his new wife, Lillie Belle.
Uncle Bill's second comment about not knowing he even had a grandfather until after he passed away also shows up in records. After the 1900 census Jerry is only found with one son on any document. It was with Dave William after Dave's return from WW1. Dave William is the only son who kept the Keen name for sure. This lack of records placing Jerry Keen with any of his Skeens sons appears to point out that they did not want to have much to do with each other. Jerry Keen does acknowledge his sons in his obituary. Dave William Keen and Jerry's wife, Lillie Belle, acknowledge Jerry's sons in their obituaries as well. All three go as far as to call Peyton by his nickname "Pate."
Another reason that might have caused the name change is the Joe Taylor story. The story of the Joe Taylor trial was all over the Charleston newspaper as well as more regional papers as far away as Richmond, Columbus, and Pittsburg. It brought Jerry Keen to the front page news. It does not play out well for the Keen family name.
During the trial, Jerry Keen and Ves Burdett arrived by train in Winfield. The train fare had been paid by George Miller, remember him? They appeared at the courthouse as witnesses for Joe Miller's defense. They were recognized by a sheriff’s deputy as "known and professional criminals". The prosecution did not allow them to testify as they had not been interviewed. They were leaving when the presiding judge ordered them arrested.
When asked by the judge why they were there they said they were promised $1000 each by George Miller to say that Joe Taylor was with them on the night of the arson. Jerry Keen was asked by the judge if he had ever been in trouble before? Jerry said, "No, and I am skert---to death." I believe that is probably true that Jerry was not a "professional" criminal. It would have been too easy for the judge to check on his past for him to lie. Ves Burdett was a hardened criminal; he shows up in the papers for his crimes over the next 30 years.
Jerry Keen was placed on the stand and became a prosecution witness. This was on the front pages of the Charleston Gazette over several days and really made Jerry Keen look bad.
I believe there are only two possible reasons why Peyton and his brothers changed their names. This is only my opinion! First, something happened between Jerry Keen and Flora America, and it concerned their youngest son Charles A. They had to have known the youngest brother’s name had been changed to Skeens. Second, the family was probably embarrassed by their father on the front page of the newspaper concerning the Joe Taylor trial.
I believe it was a combination of both, as they happened during a reasonably short period of time. Unfortunately, everyone involved is long gone, so I probably will never know.