HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



509 



olutionary struggle, his eldest son, Colonef 

 John Keller, being probably the most promi- 

 nent of his nationality in the Bucks county. 

 He was a member of colonial assembly in 

 1776, and in the same year a delegate to the 

 first constitutional convention, and in 1778 

 was a member of the supreme executive 

 council of Bucks county. In 1784 he was 

 again returned as a member of the supreme 

 executive council. At the organization of 

 the Bucks county militia, in 1776. he was 

 cimmissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 

 Third Battalion, and in 1780 was assigned 

 to the command of the becond Battalion. 

 His battalion was in active service during 

 the greater part of the war. His brothers 

 Christopher and Henry, and his brother- 

 Hi-law Philip Stever, were also in the serv- 

 ice, the first as an ensign in the Fourth 

 .Battalion, and the last as a captain under 

 Colonel Keller. 



Christopher Keller, the tenth child of 

 Heinrich and Juliana, born December 15, 

 1751, died July 8, 1820, was the great- 

 grandfather of the subject of this sketch. 

 He was commissioned an ensign in 1/76, 

 xtiid his company was assigned to tne "rly- 

 mg Camp" and participated in the disas- 

 trous campaign on Long Island, where so 

 many Bucks countians lost their lives or 

 became prisoners in the "floating hells" in 

 New York harbor. He married, February 

 17, 1778, Margaret Trauch, who was born 

 in' 1759, and died February 11, 1811. They 

 were the parents of nine child nen, and hav- 

 left numerous descendants. The children 

 were: i. John, born June 12, 1781, died 

 February 25, 1842, and had nine daughters 

 and two sons ; a son Robert and two 

 daughters still survive. 2. Henry, born Sep- 

 tember 28, 1783, died July 9, 1831. 3. jNIich- 

 ael, born December 9, 1786, died Novem- 

 ber 25, 1853. 4. Elizabeth, born August 



19, 1788. 5. Anna Catharine, born July 

 17, 1790. 6. Samuel, born April 20, 1792, 

 died January 28, 1861. 7. Joseph, born 

 November 10, 1794, died February 14, 1877; 

 See forward. 8. Sarah, born November 14, 

 1797. 9. Daniel, born April 10, 1802. 



. Joseph, the seventh child of Christopher 

 and Margaret, born November 10, 1794. 

 was the grandfather of the subject of this 

 sketch. He lived all his life in Haycock 

 township. He was a blacksmith and farm- 

 er, an active and prominent man in the 

 community, and was an elder of Keller's 

 church. His wife w^as Anna Mary Affler- 

 bach, who died in 1876; both are buried at 

 Keller's church. They were the parents of 

 nine children, three of whom are still liv- 

 ing: I. Ann Margaret, born November 23, 



1822, died 1902; married John Shisler. 2. 

 Abraham, born September 16, 1823, died 

 December 23. 1880 — see forward. 3. Catn- 

 arine, born November 8, 1825. deceased; 

 married Thomas Hulshizer. 4. Diana, born 

 November 18, 1827; married Levi Stone. 

 5. Tobias, born March 3, 1830, died 1897; 

 married a Miss Gerhart. 6. Joseph, born 

 March 17, 1832. died 1898; married Lydia 



Afflerbach. 7. Sarah, born October 8, 1834 ; 



married Jacob Hess ; second, Samuel Dot- 

 terer. 8. ]\Iaria, born February 17, 1837; 

 married William Sames. 9. Abednego, 

 born j\Iay 14, 1840, married Eliza Affier- 

 bach, living in Haycock. 



Abraham Keller, father of the subject 

 of this sketch, was the eldest son of Jo- 

 seph and Anna Mary (Afflerbach) Keller. 

 i-ie was born in Haycock township, and 

 had only limited advantages in the way of 

 education, but became an active and suc- 

 cessful business man, and was an honored 

 and respected man in the community in 

 which he lived. He was a farmer in Plum- 

 stead township for a number of years, and 

 later in Bedminster. In 1870 he entered 

 into partnership with J. H. Afflerbach, un- 

 der the firm name of J. H. Afiflerbach & 

 Co., and the firm conducted the Bedminster 

 store for three years, when Mr. Keller pur- 

 chased the entire interest and took his son 

 Lewis into the firm, under the firm name 

 of Keller & Son. Two years later he re- 

 tired from the firm and left its control to 

 his sons Lewis and J6seph. He then pur- 

 chased the hotel at Bedminster, and con- 

 ducted it for ten years, after which he con- 

 ducted a feed store and looked after his 

 farm and other property. He was twice 

 married, first on October 10, 1847, to Judith 

 Myers, who was the mother of all his chil- 

 dren. She was born February 3, 1829, and 

 died December 23, 1880. On December 26, 

 1881, Mr. Keller married Susanna, widow 

 of Franklin Stauft'er, of Springfield, who 

 survived him. Abraham and Judith Myers 

 Keller were the parents of ten children : 

 William, who died in infancy ; Mary, born 

 November 20, 1850, wife of H. S. Deaterly, 

 Bedminster; Lewis, the subject of this 

 sketch; Joseph, born November 17, 1854, 

 living in Philadelphia; Amanda, born De- 

 cember 23, 1856, died July 26, 1874; Su- 

 sanna, born March 17, 1858, died October 

 3, 1866; Abraham M., born ]\Iarch 20, i860, 

 living in Doylestown ; Catharine, born July 

 8, 1862 ; married first Harvey Shull, now 

 wife of Clinton Lerch, of Tinicum ; Mah- 

 lon, born November 4, 1865, a justice of 

 the peace and business man at Perkasie; 

 IraM., born June 8, 186S, died 1895. 



Lewis Keller, the subject of this sketch, 

 is one of the most successful and enterpris- 

 ing merchants in Bucks county. He was 

 reared on his father's farm and received his 

 education at the common schools of the 

 neighborhood. At the age of seventeen he 

 entered the store of J. H. Afflerbach & 

 Co., at Bedminster, of which firm his father 

 was a member, and three years later bought 

 Mr. Afflerbach's interest, and for two years 

 was a member of the firn: of Keller & Son. 

 In 1875 his father retired from the firm 

 and was succeeded by his second son, Jo- 

 seph M., and the firm name was changed 

 to Keller & Brother. In 1878 Joseph M. 

 retired from the firm, since which time the 

 business has been conducted by Lewis Kel- 

 ler. He is a. born merchant, and early 

 realized the wants and needs of his cus- 



