The Keenan Connection

 

John Keenan and his wife Ellen Birmingham were both born in Ireland, around 1832 - 1834.  They were married in Columbus, Ohio, at St. Patrick's Church, on October 27, 1854 (see letter from St. Patrick's).  They then moved to Dayton, where John became a U.S. citizen on October 6, 1857 at about the age of 25 (see attached document). Their oldest child Mary was also presumably born in Dayton, since neither Mary nor their next child George were baptized at St. Patrick's.

 

By 1860 they had returned to Columbus, since in the 1860 Census they show up in Ohio, Franklin Co., Montgomery Twp., on sheet 357 as:

                  John Keenan             age 25(?)       Laborer          born in  Ireland

                        Ellen B                                  26                                               Ireland

                        Mary E                                   4                                                Ohio

                        George                                  2                                                Ohio

 

The earliest record of John Keenan in a Columbus city directory appears in 1862, with subsequent reports in 1864 (as John Kenan), 1866-7, and 1867-8. All list him as a laborer.  During this same time period he and Ellen had three children baptized at St. Patrick's:

                        Peter                           born Dec. 22, 1860              baptized Mar. 25, 1861

                        John J.                        born Aug. 19, 1862              baptized Aug. 24, 1862

                        William P.                   born Mar. 16, 1867              baptized Mar. 24, 1867

 

They appear to be gone from Columbus from about 1868 to around 1873, during which time a daughter Bridget is born.  John's name then reappears in the 1873 Columbus city directory, again as a laborer.  The following years report:

1874               Keenan, John                     laborer                                res 257 E Naughten

1875               Keenen, John (sic)             lamp cleaner                      res Payne & Naughten

1876               Keenan, John Jacob          upholsterer                        res Payne & Naughten

1878               Keenan, John Jacob          city gas inspector              res Payne & Naughten

1879, 80        Keenan, John J.                 upholsterer                        res 206 E Naughten

1881 to 86     Keenan, John J.                 uphlstr, 12 E Chestnut     res 206 E Naughten

 

Apparently then, he began his own business at about age 49, as an upholsterer, in 1881.  The 1880 Federal Census reports the family living at 57 Payne Street, thusly [Columbus OH, Vol. 22, Enum. Dist. 40, Sheet 36]:

                        John Keenan                        48         IRE                      Upholsterer

                        Ellen B                                  46         IRE                      Keeps house

                        George                                 22         OH                      Plumber

                        John J.                                  17         OH                      Wks- buggy factory

                        Peter W.                               16         OH                      Wks- saw factory 

                        William P.                             13         OH                      School

                        Bridget                                   7          OH                      School

Mary is no longer living at home -- she's likely either married or a live-in housekeeper, a common employment for young women in that era.  Also, note that Peter W. is listed as only 16 years old.  That's perhaps just a recording error on the census taker's part, but it may be that a nephew or other relative was staying with the Keenans, or the Peter born in 1860 died, and a younger brother, also named Peter, was born and baptized in Dayton.

                       

In 1883, at age 16, William Keenan also appears in the city directory, listed as an upholsterer, presumably working for his father.  By 1886 he had been promoted:

1886-7           Keenan, John J., of Keenan and Son                          res 22 Wayne

                        Keenan, William P., of Keenan and Son                     res 22 Wayne

                        Keenan and Son, furniture repairers                             3rd and Naughten

 

By the following year they seem to have expanded beyond just furniture repair, possibly because on Nov. 10, 1887, William married Mary A. Meehan:

1887-8           Keenan and Son, (John J. and Wm. P), furniture,      525 N. High

 

Then for the next six years William disappears; John Keenan is again listed as an upholsterer, with no mention of his son or of the business' name.  Finally in 1894 and 1895 William reappears under this listing:

1894, 5          Keenan, John J.,                                                                     h. 292 Wayne

                        Keenan, William P., mgr Keenan Bros. Mfg Co.                 h. 843 Penna.

                        Keenan Bros. Mfg Co, Wm P. Keenan, mgr, office fixtures        67 E Gay

 

In 1896 William was no longer self employed:

1896               Keenan, John J., uphlr.                                                           h. 1051 Summit

                        Keenan, William P. (James Hayden & Co.) saloon fixtures, 67 E Gay

                                                                     and saloon, 218 S. High, h. 843 Penna.

 

The change was however only temporary:

1897               Keenan, John J., uphlr.                                                           h. 1051 Summit

                        Keenan, Wm P. pres & treas, The Wm P Keenan Co.     h. 843 Penna.

                        The Wm P Keenan Co., Keenan, Wm P. pres & treas,

                                                                     Maurice Langen sec, saloon fixtures, 67 E Gay

 

Incidentally, in Mr. Langen was listed as a plumber, boarding at 843 Penna.  In 1897 he was still boarding there.  By 1898 he was listed as a clerk, boarding elsewhere.  So goes business.  From 1898 through 1900 the Wm P Keenan Co. continued to be listed in the city directory, without Mr. Langen. 

 

The 1900 Census showed both William's growing family, as well as John's.  Mary, John and Ellen's eldest, was once again living with them, presumably caring for her aged parents.  Note that Ellen's birthdate seems to be in error, since it's inconsistent with her ages in 1860 and 1880.  William's entry suggests where he had been between 1888 and 1894 [Columbus OH, Vol 53, Enum Dist 120, sheet 7]:

                  John Keenan             b June 1832    IRE               citizenship in 1856

                        Ellen B                           June 1832    IRE               alien

                        Mary E                           April 1856     OH

 

                        Wm P. Keenan         b May 1867     OH

                        Mary A                           Aug 1867     IRE

                        Mary E                           Oct 1888       OH

                        Edmund                         Oct 1890       ILL

                        William P.                       Apr 1895      OH

                        Catherine                       Sept 1897    OH

                        Alice                               June 1900    OH

 

The census also records that Ellen had 10 children, of who 6 still survived in 1900; that John was a retired upholsterer; that they owned their own home; and that both John and Ellen could speak and read English but neither could write (which was pretty common back then).

 

By 1901 William's business had folded, perhaps due to William's ill health.  He is listed in the city directory as

1901               Keenan, Wm P., billiards                                          285 N. High.

 

William P. Keenan died on March 11 or 12, 1903, of tuberculosis.  He was 36 years old.  Four years later, on Feb. 20, 1907, at about the age of 73, his mother Ellen died.  John J. Keenan passed away a year on two later, age 76 or 77.

 

In the 1910 Census, the Keenan family appear as follows [Columbus OH, Vol 67, Enum Dist 164, p 237]:

                  Mary A Keenan         Age 40

                        Mary E                                20            

                        Edmund                              19

                        William P.                            14

                        Catherine C.                       12

                        Lucille M                                6

                       

Alice had apparently died; Lucille may have been born after her father's death.  The census further reports that Mrs. Mary Keenan had borne a total of 7 children, of whom only 5 were surviving in 1910.

 

It is also interesting to note that daughter Mary E Keenan, who had been a full 24 months older than Edmund in 1900, was only one year older than her brother a decade later.  This trait she undoubtedly inherited from her mother, who aged only 7 years during that same decade.

 

From roughly 1888 to 1894, there's no record of William in Columbus.  He left in 1888 as an upholsterer, and reappeared 6 years later selling office and saloon fixtures.  Where did he go and why the occupational change?  The 1900 Census gives us a clue where he was:  his son Edmund was born in Illinois.  The more complete answer lies with his three older brothers: George, John, and Peter.

 

George first appeared in the Columbus city directory in 1874, at the age of 16, as a bartender.  By 1878 he was listed as a plumber, which he remained until 1884, at which time he disappears from the Columbus city directory.

 

John also began as a bartender according to the Columbus city directory, in 1880, at the age of 17 (although the census lists him that year as working in a buggy factory).  He is not again listed until 1883 and 1884, as a telegraph operator, at which time he too disappears.  Peter first appears as a plumber in 1881 (and so is probably a year younger than John, as shown in the 1880 Census but not in the baptismal record).  In 1881 he's a plumber, in '83 a "rubber", in '84 a laborer, and in '85 also gone.  Where did they go?

 

[Note: the Columbus city directory lists a Peter M. Keenan as residing with the family from 1883-1887, and a George in 1879.  These were likely relatives, newly immigrated, perhaps John's brothers, nephews, or even his aged father!]

 

George (in 1884) and his brothers John and Peter (in 1885) went to Chicago.  The earliest record of them appears in the Chicago Architects, Contractors and material Dealers Directory of 1889, which lists:

1889               Keenan Bros., store and office fittings.

 

Two years later the Lakeside Annual Business Directory lists:

1891               Keenan Bros. (George J.  John J.  Peter M.), beer pumps 

                                                                                       202 Washington       tel 263

                        Keenan Bros. Mnfg Co., George J. Keenan pres, John J.  Keenan sec,

                                                            office fixtures    200 Washington

 

Apparently their joint bartending and plumbing backgrounds had paid off.  The 1891 Lakeside Directory listed Keenan Bros. Mnfg Co. under both "store and office fixtures" and "beer pumps" (much like our modern yellow pages).

 

The 1899 Lakeside Directory lists, in the alphabetical section

1899               Keenan Bros. Mnfg Co.                     saloon fixtures           184 Washington

                                                                                                                          702 S Central Ave

In the business-groupings section, under "store and office fixtures", Keenan Bros. Mnfg is again listed, but they no longer appear under "beer pumps". However, there is a H. T. Shannon Mfg Co. listed under that heading that advertized itself as the maker of the "Keenan Hydraulic Air Compressor".  My guess is that one of the brothers, probably George, had invented an improved beer pump back around 1884, and about 10 years later sold the rights to it to Mr. Shannon after diversifying into other product lines.

 

In the meantime though William had joined his brothers in the family venture around 1888, learned the trade, and then returned to Columbus in 1894 to open up his own branch of the Keenan Bros. Mnfg. Co.  He too may have gradually moved away from the beer pump end of the business to a broader line of merchandise, since my mother always described him as having run a furniture store.  But then again, maybe that was just an editing of the oral family history, as handed down to me through Mary Meehan Keenan, Catherine Keenan Cummins, and Elizabeth Cummins McGee.

 

Incidentally, my last business listing of the Keenans appeared in 1903, in the Directory of Directors, City of Chicago:

1903               Keenan, George J.       167 Randolph St.                          

                                                                        Union Showcase Co.             Sec & Dir

                  Keenan, John J.            184 Washington                            

                                                                        Keenan & Hyland Mfg Co.    Pres & Dir

                                                                        Keenan Bros. Mnfg Co.         Pres, Sec, & Dir

                        Keenan, Peter M.          184 Washington                            

                                                                        Keenan Bros. Mnfg Co.         VP, Treas, & Dir

 

George was on his own; John and Peter were still running the family company together.  No Keenans appear in the 1906 Lakeside Directory.  The Chicago Blue Book of 1912 lists two Keenans, with the same listing for John appearing again in 1916:

1912               Keenan, Mr. and Mrs. John J.                      3518 W Adams St        

                        Keenan, Mr. and Mrs. G. J.                          209 S Central Pk Ave

 

[These two residential addresses are very near each other, on intersecting streets; George's home faces Garfield Park, about 4 miles west of the Loop in Chicago.]  These are the last records of the brothers I've been able to locate.

 

 

Kevin McGee

2004