Jonas William Kee

Jonas William Kee was born in Maryland, July 14th, 1839, to Phillip Kee and Nancy Stout.[1][2] He was not recorded in a federal census until 1850. At the time, he was 12 years old and worked as a laborer in William N. Thanine’s home, located in the 8th District of Frederick, Maryland. The census labeled his race as mulatto, but later censuses and military records record him as black. [3]  Fourteen years later, Kee joined Company H of the 30th U.S. C.T. in Maryland. Within a few months, Kee fell ill in Manassas Junction, VA, and remained sick until he deserted. The time and location of the desertion were unknown. [4] 

Kee appears in the 1870 census residing in Carlisle’s West Ward. [5]  He was married to Mary Foulk Kee and had two children. According to Garret, in Forty-Three Baltimore Street (1996) article, Kee was first married to Annie Reed in 1863, before the war. The couple had two children, Jonas H. Kee and Robert Kee. Unfortunately, Robert and Annie died in 1886 of different causes. Jonas remarried on September 4th, 1868, to Mary Foulk. Jonas and Mary had several children, but only six survived to adulthood. The Kee family attended the African Methodist Episcopal Church on Pomfret Street. Jonas was educated and could read and write. He sent all his children to school and pushed them to do well. [6]

 Jonas built their home on Baltimore Street late in their marriage. He worked as a carpenter and laborer while Mary stayed home; however, Garrat writes that Mary had money. She wrote to her children about her work, and she paid for the lot for their Baltimore Street home. Kee made decent money as a black laborer; however, his race kept him from becoming a carpenter. By the 1900 census, he had been unemployed for six months. [7] Then, in 1905, Jonas fell ill and had a stroke. The family moved back to their first home on Chapel Avenue, giving up the Baltimore home. Luckily, their daughter Margaret Ann (Kee) Andrews and her husband purchased the 43 Baltimore Street back from family friends. [8]  By October 14th, 1909, Jonas died. He was buried in the Union Cemetery, Carlisle, Pa. His wife, Mary Foulk Kee, and four children, George H. Kee, William Luther Kee, Laura J (Kee) Yelletts, Margaret Ann (Kee) Andrews, survived him. [9]

[1] Death Certificates, 1906-1967. “Jonas William Kee.” Ancestry.com.

[2] Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in the United States Colored Troops: Infantry Organization, 26th through 30th, including the 29th Connecticut. ”Jonas Key.” Fold3.com.

[3] Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. “Jonas Key.” Ancestry.com.

[4] Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in the United States Colored Troops: Infantry Organization, 26th through 30th, including the 29th Connecticut. ”Jonas Key.” Fold3.com.

[5] Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. “Jonas Key.” Ancestry.com.

[6] Garret, Peggy. “Forty-Three Baltimore Street.” Cumberland County History 3, no. 2 (Winter 1996): 63-76.  https://gardnerlibrary.org/journal/forty-three-baltimore-street

[7] Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. “Jonas W Keys.” Ancestry.com.

[8] Garret, Peggy. “Forty-Three Baltimore Street.” Cumberland County History 3, no. 2 (Winter 1996): 63-76.  https://gardnerlibrary.org/journal/forty-three-baltimore-street

[9] Duey, Peggy Bargen. “Jonas William Kee.” Find A Grave, Feb. 21, 2018, www.findagrave.com/memorial/187493115/jonas-william-kee (accessed June 1, 2021).

Bibliography

Death Certificates, 1906-1967. “Jonas William Kee.” Ancestry.com. Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Duey, Peggy Bargen. “Jonas William Kee.” Find A Grave. Feb. 21, 2018. www.findagrave.com/memorial/187493115/jonas-william-kee (accessed June 1, 2021).

Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in the United States Colored Troops: Infantry Organization, 26th through 30th, including the 29th Connecticut. ”Jonas Key.” Fold3.com. National Archives and Records Administration.

Garret, Peggy. “Forty-Three Baltimore Street.” Cumberland County History 3, no. 2 (Winter 1996): 63-76.  https://gardnerlibrary.org/journal/forty-three-baltimore-street

Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. (NARA microfilm publication M432, 1009 rolls). “Jonas Key.” Ancestry.com. Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives and Records Administration.

Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. (T623, 1854 rolls). “Jonas W. Keys.” Ancestry.com. National Archives and Records Administration.