Person:Carl Keller (1)

From Lillian Margaret Barrow, Keller family reasearcher (For the Stephens/Davis Family):

"3. Charles Keller, came 'down the Rhine' to come to America from Germany according to Zeruiah (Starr) Keller. The record of Charles Keller, who signed his name in German script as Carl Keller, and arrived on the 'Alexander and Anne' from Rotterdam in Phildaelphia, (sic) Pa., on Sept. 5, 1730 is believed to be his. The records in German of the First Reformed Church, Lancaster, Pa., show 'Carl Keller and his mother' were sponsors of a baby baptised on May 1, 1737. A history of Lancaster County includes the name Charles Keller in a list of inhabitants naturalized by an act of the Pa. General Assembly on Oct. 14, 1738. While the name of his wife has not yet been found, it is believed he married in Lancaster Co. early in the 1740's before going to Virginia.

"According to the grant given his son and heir John Keller of Lancaster Co., Pa., on June 1, 1779 by Thomas, Lord Fairfax, this same Lot 16, Patterson Creek Survey of the Northern Neck of Virginia, had been granted to Charles Keller and was surveyed for him in November 1748 by James Genn. This 300 acres then in Frederick Co. was in Hampshire Co. in 1779 and now is in Mineral Co., West Virginia.

"By order of George Washington, a fort was built on Charles Keller's land in 1755. Washington's letter about it to Lt. Bacon and his other references to the place mention the 'plantation of Charles Sellars.' The captain of troops there was John Ashby and the fort was called Ft. Ashby. The little log fort, preserved through the efforts of a D.A.R. Chapter and restored in 1936 by the W.P.A., still stands.

"Charles Keller was killed by Indians at Ft. Ashby in 1756. Published histories of early Virginia tell of his death. The family story says he was buried under a peach tree near the fort. The settlers fled from this area of Virginia later in 1756. Evidently the family of Charles Keller returned to Pennsylvania. Descendants say there were five children and Daniel Keller was younger than his three sisters. He was younger than his brother John because the latter was given the grant to the Virginia land under the English law providing land went to the oldest son. The children were probably born in this order: Esther, Mary, Catharine, John, Daniel."

Birth date and location are from Janet Ariciu, monkey@@getgoin.net on the internet. She has much of the same information Lillian had in her tree. "Carl (Charles) Keller, born 14 April 1702. Came to Lancaster Co., Pa. with his mother before 1737."