Awhile ago, my Grandmother gave me a box genealogy things and photos. Lots of the items were pertaining to my Grandfather’s family and came from my Great Aunt Carmella. One of the items in this box was my 2nd Great Grandfather, Byron Andrew Keeney’s, life story. As Grandpa Byron passed before I was born, I never met him. But reading his story made me feel like I did and gave me a sense of who he was. I really enjoyed it and am so happy my Aunt Mellie asked him to do this. -Kassie
Click here for Byron Andrew Keeney’s persona page.
FORWARD
1970 I ASK GRANDPA TO WRITE ABOUT EVENTS FROM HIS CHILDHOOD, ABOUT HIS COURTSHIP WITH GRANDMA AND OTHER MEMORABLE OCCASIONS. FOLLOWING IS THE THINGS HE WROTE ABOUT. I PUT IT IN TYPED FROM FOR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS TO ENJOY TOO.
-CARMELLA M JACOBSEN, GRANDDAUGHTER
MY LIFE’S STORY, BY BYRON KEENEY (1882-1977)
I was born on August 18, 1882 in Jackson County, Iowa, in a log house, about 3 ½ miles southeast of Andrew and about ½ mile south of the Kimball farm. The house is gone now, from there we moved to the 40 acre farm my father bought for about $8 per acre. I was 3 years old when we moved there, my brother Fred was 16 months older than me. It was on this farm that my two sisters, Ethel and Golda were born.
We spent many happy days in the little green house on the hill as we called it. Times were pretty hard those days, you could not get any work and you could not borrow any money. Father owed $250 on the farm, he offered to give first mortgage on the farm, but could not get the money. Father was glad to work when he could find any work. Soon after we moved he began to get work around the neighborhood. He finally bought a team of colts and 2 cows and some chickens. Fred and I done the work at home.
Fred, my brother was a good fisherman. He loved to fish, we often went to Brush creek fishing. We were so happy when we could go, we would run all the way, it was about 1 ½ miles to the creek. We almost always got a mess. I remember one time went ot the mouth of Brush Creek, we rode the horses that time, and got home about sun down. We had half a sack of fish. All red horse and river sucker. Sometimes we would catch 2 or 3 at a time on one line. My grandfather Long lived about ¼ mile from us, I used to go fishing with him sometimes too.
I have been thinking of the first years of my school life, which seem to be the happiest days of my life. I had such a lovely teacher, her name was Ella Hoyt. She was lovely and was also good. They lived about a mile from our place. We went that way sometimes in the winter and stopped to get warm. Jim Hoyt, her father was one of the nicest men I knew. One evening just before time for school to dismiss there came a bad storm. Ella kept us in until it was over. She said her folks would come after her and we could ride home with them. They came with a hack with 2 seats, we rode home with them. The water was over the bottom, we had to drive through it for 20 or 30 rods. We went home with them and then we had only about a mile to go.
My brother Fred always liked a good time, Grandfather use to say he was benevolent and I think he was. He would do anything for anyone. I remember one cold winter night he went to a dance way down below Springbrook. He drove one horse on a 2 wheel cart, it was windy and cold and he danced until he was wet with sweat and he said he walked and ran most all the way home. When he came up to bed he was so horse he could not speak above a whisper, but he ate almost a whole box of Malena ointment. We slept up in that loft, it was pretty cold up there, but I guess the box of Malena cured the cold, at least he was better the next morning. Ma said his white shirt was wringing wet even the next morning.
About this time, I decided I would like to have a violin, but I did not have any money. I finally bought one one time, it did not take me long to learn to play such as it was. I always tried to get Fred to learn to play the fiddle, but seem like he did not care much for it, when he was real young. But when he got older he go so he could play second violin pretty good. I think he liked to dance too well to learn to play.
When my sisters, Ethel & Goldie were smaller they always begged me to tell Hobiah stories, I used to tell them the Hobiahs were so small they would scoop the seeds out of a pumpkin for a house and have a blackberry for supper. But since we moved on this farm they don’t say anything about Hobiahs any more. Thinking more about boys.
We lived on this 40 until 1903, then we sold it and bought an 80 acres 3 miles west of Andrew for $40 an acre. Sister Ethel taught school about 1 mile north from our place. We had a lot of maple trees on this farm and one spring, I tapped the maple trees, I had a 60 gallon kettle to boil the sap in,I made 17 gal of pure maple syrup and some pure maple sugar.
I was not busy at home all the time, but worked out quite a lot. I worked for W D Becker making hay. I always shocked his hay and grain. I also shocked grain for other people. I shocked grain at the county farm too. That year I built 32 big stacks. I also shocked for Henry Moeller and Fred Rolfe that year and Lee Applegate too. The money I made working out I kept for myself. I bought a new top buggy and single harness, now I could go where I wanted to.
My mother was great for birds and flowers, she wanted me to put up a bird house. I put it up on the roof of the corn crib. When I came home she said “You have birds in your house already”. The next morning I went out to look, I had a swarm of bees! I took the box down and put it in the shade and in the fall we had honey.
I started playing for dances at the neighbors and around the country, for $1.00. Sometimes it would be sunrise when I got home. Fred was not home anymore, he was married and lived not far from this far. It was about 7 miles, we took 4 loads of hogs down there one fall and the buyer paid me all in gold, 20 $20 gold pieces. I had it loose in my pocket, was it ever heavy, and to make things lively, when I started home, the team ran away. They ran about a half mile before I got them stopped, but I still had my gold pieces!
One day in early fall I told Ma I was going to get a mess of squirrels for supper. In a short time I killed 3 or 4 of the fattest ones I ever saw. Ma cooked them for supper, they sure were good.
We moved from there in 1903, I was thinking of buying a larger farm, I was 21, but was on the 80 acres seven more years. I was no 28 years young, Pa said if I would stay home until we got it paid for he would buy a larger farm. I did not like to do this, I thought it was time I was starting for myself. I had worked for them for seven years, Pa said you can’t work for us for nothing, we will pay you for your time.
Our neighbor, W D Becker had mentioned to me about buying our place. We talked it over and I told Pa if he wants to give $5000 let him have it. He took us up, then we bought the Joe Glad place on the Andrew and Bellevue road. It was 100 acres for $9700. Pa & I talked it over, Pa said “I will give you a note for $5000, if you stay home until it is paid.” I said, “Ok”. My first job was mowing, Pa always wanted a team of mules. So I went over to Gamel boys place, we heard they had a team for sale. I bought the mules for $375. Pa was a happy man when he got his mules, which is what he wanted.
My sisters were married while we lived on this place. First Ethel then Golda. We were sure lonesome at first, but go over it after awhile.
We had about 7 miles to move. I finally got started moving, hauled some wood first. It turned cold and froze the ground real hard, I got over to Bluff Mills. That hill was just a glare of ice, I had a hog rack full of wood and was standing on top of the load and all at once, the mules lost their foot and the wagon started down the hill, dragging the mules. There was a big ditch on the west side of the road. I thought we are going in the ditch, so I jumped from the top of the load to the ground, just as the wagon went in the ditch, the teams hind feet were just on the edge of the bank. Then I had to unload all the wood, hitch on the end of the tongue and pull the wagon out. Then I had to load all the wood again, but I made it this time. We were pretty well moved by the first of March.
When we moved we got surprised, the neighbors came in one evening for a little party. We had music and lunch, Luella Tebben played the organ, I the violin. We got acquainted with our neighbors quick. I was pretty busy when spring work started, but in the winter I did not have much to do, but hunte and now and again play for dances. Luella and Roy Henrickson (Smokey) played with me some.
We had a dandy orchard, I planted some peach pits and set out some peach trees. In a couple years we had all the peaches we wanted. There was still some there when we left the farm. We had some of the best winter apples too. One tree of golden delicious and tow big trees of green and stripped. I don’t know what they were, but they were the best keepers and the best eating I ever ate.
About this time I started going with Lula Oberman, her mother was a daughter of Harmon Tebben and her father was Charles Oberman. We went steady for about a year. I was 32 year young and thought I was old enough to get married. We were married the 16th of September, 1914 at the Lutheran Church in Bellevue, Iowa, by Rev. Mutchman.
We stayed with my folks at first and then I rented the Reistoffer place down on Brush Creek. Pa’s health was beginning to fail about this time and I helped them with the work for a couple of years yet. Then they bought a house in Andrew and I moved to the farm.
Delbert was born on the Reistoffer place, July 8, 1915. Harlan was born October 15, 1916. After we moved, I have lots of work to do. I had the road dragging from Raymond Kurts to Andrew and Lamotte road besides the farm work and playing for dances.
Pa was not well and seemed to be getting worse all the time, and Ma was not too good either. One of the saddest things in life is to realize that they are failing and could not be with us for much longer. Pa died in 1926 at age 67 and Ma died in 1928. When they moved to Andrew Pa and I made an agreement, I was to pay half on their house they bought in exchange for all stock, feed, machinery and tools. I had been thinking of buying the farm but decided it would make too much debt, so gave it up.
I finally bought 50 acres at the foot of Baker Hill. In 1921 we moved to this place, I was now 39 years young.
We had lots of blackberries and raspberries, one year I picked 32 quarts of raspberries to can. About this time I decided to keep a few swarms of bees. My cousin George Confare who lived at Cedar Rapids, was at our place one day and I said, “George I have been thinking of keeping some bees.” He said, “Do you want some bees?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “I will bring you some.” He brought me 2 swarms the next time. In a couple of years I had 65 swarms of bees. We had lots of honey, but it wasn’t worth much. Strained honey went for 80 cents a gallon. I never got tired of honey. I still like it, but I never did eat very much at one time.
About this time I think I overdid it a little, I had a cold on my lungs, it hung on for two or three weeks. About this time there was an Excursion Boat from Bellevue to Dubuque and we decided to go when we got to Bellevue. First, I went to see Dr. Hanske to see about my cold, he examined my lungs and he said, “You should be home in bed. You have a spot on one of your lungs.” Now I could not believe it, but we went home. We were glad we listened to the Doctor. He told me not to do any work at all. I did as he told me and in about 6 months I was back to normal.
One spring it rained a week, lightly every day, and I went over on the hill west of the house and that hill was covered with mushrooms. I never saw so many in one patch before. I picked 3 12 gallon pails full. We gave some away.
One year I bought a couple of milk cows from Gus Lundeen, he had some good Holsteins, and I also bought a holstein bull calf for breeding purposes. He was a big heavy boned calf. In a couple of years he was a big fellow about 1000 pounds. I had him in the pasture with the cows and he hung back when I turned them in the pasture. All at once I heard him bellow and all at once here he comes pawing and bellowing and throwing dirt in the air. When he got about 40 feet from me, I picked up a nice rock and threw it just as hard as I could. It hit him right in the eye, well he found out who was boss. He never would come near me after that. I felt sorry for him afterwards, but he might have killed somebody if I hadn’t done it.
About this time they started working on Baker Hill past our place and I hired out to Anderson’s Bridge gang and helped build the little Mill Creek Bridge. Dab Hollowell was the boos. They camped in a tent on our place. Then came another culvert company from Waterloo, Parson and Myers Co. They boarded with us. I worked for them till they finished the job. The big culvert was 8 feet x 10 feet and 137 feet long. I emptied sacks of cement in the mixer, that was my job. Two sacks in each batch. I handled all the cement in the large culvert.
Before all this road started, a company from Minnesota, Roverud Brothers, came to Bellevue, they were awarded the contract for the locks and am at Bellevue. I had a stone quarry on my place and they came out to see me. I rented them the quarry, we drew up a contract and I put it in there that me and they boys should all have a job. Delbert was driving a dump truck, dumping rocks in the crusher. I was feeding the crusher. Roverud had a truck driver by the name of Timm, he drove a big truck. Delbert said old Timm always tried to crowd him off the road with his big truck. And he got in a fight with old Timm and plastered him in the mug. The boss was pretty mad, he came to me, he said “I am going to fire Delbert.” I said, “You are not going to fire anybody, go look at the contract.” He never said any more about it. All the rock in the dam come from my quarry.
One evening up at Bellevue, Harlan and I decided to go hunting up the creek from our place, it was pretty late in the season for hunting, it was the night before Christmas. We could see the cars going to Bellevue to Christmas parties. We had two dogs, we got up across the creek from Eganhouse and the dogs started tracking something. We waited a while and I told him we might as well go home and Harlan said, “I hear a dog barking”. So we went back to where one dog was and there he had a big old coon up the top of a hard maple tree. We had the 22 rifle and Harlan said, “Pa you shoot him.” Well I shot him through the neck with the first shot. So we went home, with the coon, we could see the people going home from the celebration in town.
While we lived there, Delbert and I went up on the hill towards town. We had an old hound that came to our place and we wanted to see if he was any good for hunting. We just stood around for a while and he didn’t seem to want to hunt. So we started home and Delbert said, “That dog is gone.” We waited a bit and Delbert says, “I hear a dog barking.” I could not hear anything. We started down over the hill and then I could hear him bark. We went down the creek and there he was, a coon, in a big maple tree. Delbert located him way in the top of the tree. I shot several times, but couldn’t hit him and then he started down the tree. I guess he got nervous. He came down the tree and jumped almost on top of the dog. The dog killed him. He was a good coon dog, we found out. He was a black and tan hound. I sold him to Henry Wagner, I told him the dog was not mine, he came to our place. I told him I would sell him for $2, just enough to pay for feeding him. But if anyone came and claimed the dog he would have to let them have him for the same as I got for him. He said, “Ok.”
One year we played for a good many dances, I think we charged $4 or $5. We had regular places to play, we played at Andy Daniels, near Sabula, every two weeks for 2 years. Raymond Keeney played drums for us, then we also played at the KC hall in Bellevue for quite a while. Then people around the country started having house dances and they kept us pretty busy especially just before Lent. One year just before Lent we played seven nights straight. That year we made $400. When Raymond played with us we charged $7.50 for a while and then we raised it to $10.
We visited with George and Annie Sawyer often. George played the violin and him and I played together quite a bit. After he passed away we visited pretty often with his wife, Annie. She told me one day she did not have a shade tree on the place. I told her I would bring her one. I had lots of hard maples on my farm. I took one and set it just west of her houses so she would get shade from the afternoon sun. That has been at least 40 years ago. Anyone wishing to see the tree, go to north Bellevue and inquire for the George and Annie Sawyer residence, I don’t know who is living there now. The Sawyers have been gone at least 20 years. George left me his violin. I still have it.
I worked one year for Vincent Daughtery, on of my best neighbors. I would get up and do my chores and then walk over to his place, about a mile, and help him do his chores. He was milking 23 cows. After that then I would curry and harness the team and then we would go to breakfast, then hitch up and go to work. I was picking corn across the creek, we had to ford the creek. One night I got stuck in the creek with a load of corn. I took the team home and got an empty wagon, I unloaded the corn on the other wagon and took it home. Vincent came down and pulled the empty wagon out of the creek.
One day I was just ready to go over to Vin Daughtery’s to work, I looked out in the yard, there was a big swarm of bees in the top of a small tree. I did not want to waste much time, so I took a fence post on my shoulder and butted that tree a good one, and down came the bees, to the hive I put there and then I went to Vin’s to work. When I came home the bees were all in the hive. All I had to do was set it on the stand.
One year I hired Danny Marberger to grub a patch up on the hill and I planted it to potatoes. That was when I was working road yet, I hired Ma’s father to dig them. George Weber who lived neighbors to him wanted a job too, so I told Charley to bring him along. I never saw such potatoes. They brought home a wagon box full at night. When I got home that night I put them in the cellar. The next night another box full. I did not need that many potatoes. I called up Vince Daughtery, he never raised any potatoes, I sold him the whole load for $10. I told him if there were any small ones to throw them out. He said there is no small ones.
The boys are no both working in Davenport at the Bessler Locomotive Works. They wanted me to move down there, they did not live in town, but about 6 miles out in the country on the John Dorscher place. I came down to Davenport in 1943 and went to work at Besslers. I worked a while before we moved, Ma stayed on the farm. Her father was alone after her mother passed away.
Ma’s father was all alone now and we decided to move in with him. He had a rupture and it was beginning to bother him quite a bit. So we moved in, I bought some chickens for his chicken house and then we had plenty eggs. Then I got a job painting with Charlie Mangler for a while and for Vic Stuart doing carpenter work. J Kelley, the section boss on the railroad lived neighbors to Charley and he came over and wanted me to work for him. So I went to work on the Railroad. There were four of us, besides Kelley, me, Peter Hofman, Charley Seiler, and Herman Kueter. We worked the section from Bellevue to Gorden’s Ferry. J Kelly was one of the nicest men I ever worked for. I worked for him several months. I never heard him speak a cross word. One day we were idling along the electric car and Kelley said, “Look behind you.” We all turned around and here came a big long freight train behind us. It was an extra none of us had seen it. We wasn’t long getting to a set-off, and we watched it go by.
In the fall, I got a job with Chas Mangler, in the Government timber, south of Bellevue, Justin Hintgen from Lamotte moved his saw mill down there. Part of the time I worked in the mill for Justin and part time cut logs in the timber for Mangler. I worked with Alfred Goetz in the timber. One day we saw a honey beet getting honey from our sawdust. I said, “We will find a bee tree near by.” We went down there and found 3 trees, we got a washtub full of honey, a big tub!
I had been thinking lately of selling out and moving to Davenport for good. I finally found a buyer and sold out. I had a sale, Raymond Keeney was Auctioneer and he cried our sale.
During this Harlan got called to the Army. After he left I told Ma we would move up to Bellevue with Charley. He was all alone up there, so we moved up there and stayed with him till he passed away. Then we sold the place below Baker Hill and moved to Davenport and bought the house we are living in yet at 104 S Division Street. Harlan and family lived in the other half of the house and Delbert and family lived down the street on Rockingham Rd.
When we got to Davenport, I went down to Bessler to see if I could get my old job on the yard gang again. The yard boss said there was not near so much work on th e yard any more. Finally the first aid man, Carl Fludeen, sent me word to come down and he hired me as janitor. I was janitor for the Machine Shop, Boiler Shop and Forge Shop Foundry. The also had a lady janitor for the Main Office and Engineers Department. Those building stood where the Eagles Food store stands now. They finally came to me and wanted me to take over the janitor work in those two buildings in place of where I was at. I told them I was satisfied where I was, he said he’d fired Carrie and he knew I could handle it. Carrie came over to and wanted her job back. I told her I did not want her job. I told Fludeen that Carrie wanted her job back and he said he will not hire her again. She worked til 12 at the Main Office and Engineers and someone caught her up town when she should have been down there working. That’s what they told me and that’s all I know about it. When I worked at Besslers I also had a watchman’s job for a while, just checking trucks in and out for pickup and delivery.
We started playing for dances again. Now Delbert & Harland both played guitars. Raymond Keeney played the drum, me the violin, Harold Smith of Rock Island and Delbert’s wife Lois and Harold sung for us. We played for $10 a piece a night, five of us for $50. We played north of Savanna at Art Brighman’s Barn for a long time.
In May of 1949 we lost Harlan and Gale and tree of Raymond’s boys in a drowning accident at Green Island.
In 1964, we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary at Northwest Turner Hall. WE had a big crowd, a lot of our relatives and friends were there. We had eats and drinks and music, a big time.
I remember one night we went up to Allen Fldermans to play and Delbert was driving and he stopped the car and I was in the back seat and I reached around the door, he decided to go further and he slammed the door on my fingers. It was the two front fingers on my left hand. He didn’t know I was sitting behind him. Here I was playing for a dance with two smashed fingers. A most difficult situation. Well I told them to get me some hot water, well they got it and it was really hot. I dipped them in hot water, it really did hurt, but I played for the dance. They didn’t hurt at all after I started to play and it was not very sore the next day.
I am now 82 (*92?)years young, we kind of wanted to celebrate our 60th anniversary, but were not able.
Well here I am all alone and 94 years old. My dear wife fell and broke her pelvis. The kids are awfully good to me, they take me anywhere I have to go. All I can do is hope and pray that she can come back home to me. She is now 86 year 9 months old. We lived 62 happy years together.
In God we trust.
Footnote: Gram did recover full and returned home where they continued to live until Grandpa had a heart attack and died May 7, 1977
Poetry – My Favorites
THE WISE OLD OWL
A wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more he saw the less he spoke.
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can’t we be like that old bird.
PATCHES FOR PETE
They tell me you work for a dollar a day. How is it you clothe your six boys on such pay. I know you will thin it conceited and queer, but I do it because I’m a good financier. There is Pete, John, Jim, Joe, William and Ned. A half dozen boys to be clothed up and fed and I buy for them all good plain vitials to eat. But clothing I only buy clothing for Pete. When Pete’s clothes are too small for him to get on, my wife makes them over and gives them to John. When for John, who is 10, they have grown out of date, she just make them over for Jim who is 8. When for Jim they become to ragged to fix, she just makes them over for Joe, who is six and when little Joseph can wear them no more, she just makes them over for Bill who is four. When for young Bill they no longer will do, she just makes them over for Ned who is two. And when Ned has got through with the clothing, he has thrown it aside, what do you do with it hen? When once more we go around the circle complete and beging to use it for patches for Pete.
ONE GINGER'S GENEALOGY 
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