 1749 - 1819 (69 years)
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| Name |
John Keim |
| Born |
6 Jul 1749 |
Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Died |
10 Feb 1819 |
Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania |
| Person ID |
I006716 |
Strausstown Roots |
| Last Modified |
9 Aug 2008 |
| Father |
Nicholas Keim, b. 2 Apr 1719, Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 3 Aug 1802, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 83 years) |
| Mother |
Barbara Schneider, b. 1 Oct 1727, Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 8 Jun 1788, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 60 years) |
| Family ID |
F01979 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Susanna deBenneville, b. 15 May 1748, Oley Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 15 Jun 1837 (Age 89 years) |
| Married |
15 Oct 1771 |
| Children |
| + | 1. Daniel DeBeneville Keim, b. 8 Sep 1772, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 13 Mar 1837, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 64 years) |
| | 2. Esther DeBeneville Keim, b. 23 Mar 1774, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 7 Dec 1830, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 56 years) |
| | 3. John DeBeneville Keim, b. 20 Feb 1777, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 21 Dec 1777, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 0 years) |
| + | 4. George DeBeneville Keim, b. 16 Dec 1778, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 20 Aug 1852, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 73 years) |
| | 5. Catharine Keim, b. 03 Aug 1781, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 09 Jan 1784, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 2 years) |
| | 6. John Keim, b. 13 Sep 1784, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 11 Feb 1788, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 3 years) |
| | 7. Susanna Keim, b. 15 Feb 1788, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 24 Jul 1790, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 2 years) |
| + | 8. Mayor Benneville Keim, b. 03 Nov 1790, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania , d. 30 Oct 1872, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania (Age 81 years) |
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| Last Modified |
7 Feb 2009 |
| Family ID |
F01990 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Sources |
- [S165] Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1834 (CD), (Broderbund Software CD #209) (Reliability: 3), 3 Mar 1819.
KEIM, JOHN, Reading.
June 13, 1811 - March 3, 1819.
To wife Susanna house and lot in Reading, during life.
Divides estate among children Daniel, George, Esther and Bonneville.
Exrs: The four children.
Wit: Peter STICHTER and Henry BETZ.
- [S151] Montgomery Bios, Morton L. Montgomery, (. H. Beers & Company of Chicago, 1909), 328 (Reliability: 1).
John Keim continued in his father's footsteps as a successful merchant, but surpassed him greatly in the accumulation of property. He was born in Oley township July 6, 1749, and was six years old when the family removed to Reading, in whose development and commercial life he was destined to play so prominent a part. In the fall of 1777 he marched with the battalion of Lieut.-Col. Nicholas Lotz to reinforce the army under Washington, and was honorably discharged in 1782, after five years' service. After his return from the war he joined his father in the conduct of the general hardware store, of which he became sole proprietor in 1785, as previously related. About the year 1800, he took into partnership his two sons, Daniel and George, under the firm name of Keim & Sons, and they carried on the business for a number of years. Meantime John Keim was acquiring new and varied interests, and became prominently identified in different ways with the li
fe
of his adopted city. In 1787-90 he served a term as county commissioner, and he was also burgess for a time. He became a large property owner, and in the improvement of his own holdings saw the value of internal improvements in the city, of which he was an enthusiastic advocate. He built a number of dwelling-houses and put up the first three-story brick building in Reading, and he was accounted one of the wealthy men of Berks county in his day. In 1806 he leased to Charles Evans, esq., the three-story brick building on South Fifth street which afterward became the property of Mr. Evans, who resided there for many years. Mr. Keim was prominently identified with the first steps taken toward the building of the Penn street bridge, lending all his influence to the project. He was a man highly respected and well thought of, for though strict in business and of the highest integrity he was never stern or unreasonable in his transactions. In an obituary notice which appeared in the Berks and Schuylkill Journal it w
as said: He had resided in this borough for sixty-four years, during which time he amassed a large fortune, which never caused a widow's tear nor an orphan's execration.what he has left behind him was justly his own. As a creditor he was ever lenient and his numerous tenantry can testify to his goodness as a landlord. He died Feb. 10, 1819, in his seventieth year, and was laid to rest in the Episcopal burial ground.
On Oct. 15, 1771, John Keim married Susanna de Benneville, through whom General Keim is of French-Huguenot extraction, she having been a daughter of Dr. George de Benneville. They had four children: Daniel de B., born Sept. 8, 1772, who died in 1833; George de B., who is mentioned further on; Benneville, born at Reading, Nov. 30, 1790, who died there Oct. 30, 1872; and Esther de B.
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