Henry Keller

The family moved from Fannin County to Tarrant County about 1869, when the eldest son, Robert V., was seven years old.  Their first home was a farm two miles east of present day Keller.  Double Springs was the post office.  Mt. Gilead Baptist Church served as a place of worship on Sunday and as a school house on week days.  The men of the family were excellent fiddlers and furnished music for many of the social gatherings.

Much of the country was still unfenced.  Cattle and other livestock grazed the open range together.  When a beef was butchered, the meat was divided among neighbors.  Indians roamed the area, but few raids were made on the settlements.  There were no paved roads and all transportation was done by horse drawn wagons.  Cotton had to be hauled about thirty two miles to a gin in Dallas, where the nearest railroad was located.

The Keller family’s next move was to a farm north east of Keller, known later as the Thornton Place.  As was their custom, they continued to be good neighbors, extending help and a warm welcome to other settlers coming into the area.  One such newcomer was Arthur Pulliam from Murphreesboro, Tennessee, who found his first home in Texas with the Keller family.  Years later, in 1887, he named his first son Henry, in honor of his good friend Henry Keller.

Rachael Sebastian Keller preceded her husband in death, probably in 1893.  Henry Keller passed away in 1898 or 1899.  Both are buried in Mt. Gilead Cemetery.

In 1882, Robert V., the eldest son, born on May 12, 1862, was married to Leanna Viola McCain, born on August 4, 1866, the daughter of R.I. (Doc) McCain and his wife Eliza Fowler.  To his union the following children were born:

1)      Child that died in infancy.

2)      Child that died in infancy.

3)      Della Caldonia, born December 16, 1885 and died August 24, 1958.  She married Henry Oscar Browning, born August 10, 1885 and died August 24, 1958.  Both are buried in Bourland Cemetery.  They were parents of one daughter, Sybil Irene.

4)      Alice, born May 3, 1888, resides now at 2600 Binkley in Fort Worth.  She is the widow of John W. Grimes, born December 1888 and died March 25, 1925.  Their children are Lawrence Robert, Lloyd DeWitt, Mildred, Ruby Estell, Ruth, Robert Glenn and Geneva Marcella.

5)      Belle died at the age of seventeen.

6)      Ruby Viola, born September 25, 1895, is now a resident of Fort Worth.  Her first marriage was to Oscar Rheinhart, born December 24, 1890 and died November 26, 1925.  They were parents to one daughter, Veda.  The second marriage was to J.C. Crafton.  To this union a daughter, Lois, was born.  Subsequent marriages were to B.T. Wright and to J.E. Drake.

7)      Robert Dillard, born December 1, 1901 and died December 7, 1958, was married to Nora Belle Thornton.  They made their home in Young County.  Their children were: Norma Louise; Helen; Robert Lloyd and Morris Leonard. 

8)      Carlos Gordon, born January 26, 1904 and his wife, Vera Hurley, live at 1621 Jensen Road in Fort Worth, where he is Chief Deputy United States Marshall.  They are parents of a daughter, Jo Ann.  Two other children, Vera Maxine and Carol Jane, died in infancy. 

9)      William Leonard, born June 22, 1907 and died November 12, 1975, was married to Eva Pulliam and established a home in Keller.  They are the parents of Leneva Ruth, Elizabeth Ann and Sandra Lee.

Ike, the second son of Henry and Rachael S. Keller was married to Ara Fowler.  Their home was in Johnson County.  Their children were Hettie, Bill, Lutie, Oma, Lonnie, Olan and Henry.

Alice became the wife of Bud Bourland.  He died at the birth of her first child, Charlie.

Nannie died while young.

Isora, born 1870 and died 1939, was the wife of R.J. McCain, born 1866 and died 1923.  They reared a family of four children in the Keller Community.  The four daughters are:  Maggie, born September 22, 1888 and died January 15, 1919; Hattie Belle, who was married to C.H. Charlie Harris; Rachael, who was married to Wesley L. Lusby and Beulah, who married Hilry Harvey.

Following the death of Henry Keller, his children inherited the farm home.  Robert V. bought the shares of his brother and sisters.  In 1912, he sold this estate and purchased the McCain land (Moran Place) which he kept until 1917.  After spending the next few years in Parker and Young Counties, he brought his family back to the Keller Community.

Robert V. and Leanna V. Keller were active in the First Baptist Church where she was a charter member.  They were the donors of the first organ in the church.  She passed away on December 16, 1935 and he on May 12, 1939.  Both are buried in Bourland Cemetery