Family History System
17 Jun 1999
Descendant Report for
Harford KITELY KEITHLEY

This material represents Frank Deis's file on early Kitely/Keightley families of Maryland. I have done primary research, corresponded, and reviewed the literature to produce the file below. I believe that Francis K. is probably my ancestor -- please see my Cecil/Harford MD file for more on my own Keithleys. I also have separate files for the Talbot Co. MD Keithleys and their kin in Washington DC. 

      KEITHLEY, Harford KITELY, Born ??? 1650?, Died ??? 
       1 KEITHLEY, Francis, Born ??? 1680?, Died ???; Known only from Will of
 Thomas born 1687, father of Cousin William.  FBM thinks that this Francis
 married Martha Thomas later in life and was father to John Thos Keithley
 (our ancestor). 
       .  1 KEITHLEY, William, Born ??? 1700?, Died ??? 1763 in Baltimore at
 age 63; Frances B. Mormann found birth and Will citation Baltimore Co. Lib 31
 Fol 926 yr 1763 -- our ancestor??  This is the cousin mentioned in Thos Kitely
 Will of 1738.  Descendants in Harford Co MD 
            SP HANCOCK, Elizabeth, Born ??? 1716, Died 20 Jun 1792 in Harford
 Co. MD at age 76; First mar. Wm. Kitely, he d. 1763, then mar. Peter Carroll
 who d. before 1776.  She is with Rachel on 1776 Harford Census. 
 From F.B.M. and Anne B. Willis's article. 
       .  .  1 KEITHLEY, Rebecca, Born ??? 1742?, Died ???; Parents known from
 1763 Will.  "Rebecca (wife to Abraham)" on 1783 tax list, Gunpowder up/lwr
 Hundred Harford Co., 3 whites no land mentioned. 
               SP NORRIS, Abraham, Born 22 Jul 1739 in MD, Married 4 Dec 1762
 in Baltimore Co. MD, Died ??? 1770? in MD at age 30; Son of Benjamin Norris
 and Sarah Whitaker ("The Norris Fam of Md" Thos M Myers).  Abraham inherited
 all but 50 acres of "Gibson's Ridge" which his father purch. fr. Thos White.
       .  .  .  1 NORRIS, Rachel Elizabeth (?), Born ??? 1763?, Died ??? 
                  SP MURPHEY, Henry, Born ??? 1760?, Married 30 Mar 1782 in
 Harford County MD, Died ???; 1783 Gunpowder up/lwr Hundred, Harford p. 109
 "2 lotts in Abington Improved" 2 whites. 
       .  .  .  2 NORRIS, Charles, Born ??? 1765?, Died ??? 
       .  .  2 KEITHLEY, William, Born ??? 1750? in MD, Died ??? 1782? in MD
 at age 32; Known only from 1763 Will.  Where did he go?  Not yet of age in
 1763.  His 3 dau. from Eliz. Carroll's will of 1792 (Harford).  Frederick Co.
 1790 p. 68 
               SP WATERS, Hannah, Born ??? 1750?, Married ??? 1774 for 6 years,
 Died ???; She appears widowed on 1783 Harford Tax doc.  Later married William
 Debruler.  Evidence for "Watters" -- Charles Watters apptd guardian of 3 dau
       .  .  .  1 KEITHLEY, Providence, Born ??? 1775, Died ??? 
       .  .  .  2 KEITHLEY, Elizabeth, Born ??? 1777, Died ??? 
                  SP WHALEN, William, Born ??? 1775?, Married 14 Jun 1798 in
 Baltimore, MD, Died ??? 
       .  .  .  3 KEITHLEY, Mary, Born ??? 1781, Died ???; J. Supik's comment
 "New Jerusalem or Swedenborgh" 
                  SP HOOPER, Samuel, Born ??? 1775?, Married 20 Dec 1796 in
 Baltimore Co. MD, Died ??? 
       .  .  3 KEITHLEY, Rachel "Kitely", Born ??? 1756, Died 20 Dec 1799 in
 Harford Co., MD at age 43; On 1776 Census with Eliz. Carrol 60 and 8 negroes
 Bush River Lower Hundred also on 1783 Tax List with one white - Gunpowder
 Upper/Lower Hundreds, Harford MD.  Parents known from 1763 will. Her 1799 will
 leaves all to Rachel Murphey, Niece
Diane Smith Battershell postulates that Lieut. Francis Keithley, number 1 at top of page, married Martha/Mary Thomas on 12 May 1751 St John/Geo Par, Balt. MD and that they may have had as many as five children. I only list William who is in his will. She would add John Thomas Keithley (Feb 1747-1796) my ancestor who mar. Isabel McKenney, Hannah Kitely who mar. (1769) Samuel Smith and lived (18 Feb 1748 - 1837) and who is her ancestor. Also Mary Kitely b. 17 Feb 1750, Baltimore MD and Francis Kitely (11 Jan 1758-25 Apr 1781) who went to SC and fought in the Revolutionary War. Francis is age 17 on 1776 Census of Montgomery Co., MD living with Christopher Messicopp. DSB's ideas would mean that Martha Thomas had three of her Kitely children before she was married to Francis K. on 12 May 1751. This is hardly inconceivable, though a bit uncommon in that day and age. Note that William seems to have been born some 50 years before the marriage which calls all this into question. 
       2 KEITHLEY, Thomas, Born ??? 1687, Died 10 Feb 1738 in Anne Arundel Co.
 at age 51; Frances Mormann found his will: Lib 22 F 105 "son William, cousin
 William son of Francis Kitely" Bought Randalls Range on Magotty Rvr in 1719. 
 Two articles by Anne Willis in MGSB 1990. 
         SP SPINKS "FINKS", Eleanor, Born ??? 1700?, Married 5 May 1726 in All
 Hallows AA MD for 11 years, Died ??? 
       .  1 KEITHLEY, William, Born 18 Apr 1718 in Ann Arundel, Died ??? 1756
 in MD at age 37; This William's descendants went to Kentucky!  From Anne B.
 Willis articles in 1990 MGSB 
            SP ROBESON, Sarah, Born ??? 1718, Died ??? 
       .  .  1 KEITHLEY, Thomas, Born ??? 1745? in MD, Died ??? 1773? in MD at
 age 28 
               SP HOSHELL, Christina, Born ??? 1750? in MD, Married 11 May 1769
 in Ann Arundel Co MD for 3 years, Died ??? 
       .  .  .  1 KEITHLEY, William, Born ??? 1769, Died ??? 
       .  .  .  2 KEITHLEY, Elijah, Born ??? 1770 in MD, Died ??? 1802? in
 Madison Co. KY at age 32; Orphan bound out to Henry Dukehart 1786, lived
 Madison Co KY 
                  SP OVERSTREET, Elizabeth, Married ??? 1796 in Madison Co KY
 for 6 years 
       .  .  .  .  1 KEITHLEY, Abraham, Born ??? 1797? in Madison Co KY, Died ?
       .  .  .  .  2 KEITHLEY, Gabriel, Born ??? 1800? in Madison Co KY, Died ?
       .  .  .  3 KEITHLEY, Abraham, Born ??? 1775? in A. A. Co. MD, Died ???
 1841 in Owen Co., KY at age 66 
                  SP TINNIS, Sarah, Born ??? 1780?, Married 14 Nov 1797 in
 Baltimore Co., Died ??? 1849 in Owen Co., KY at age 69 
       .  .  .  .  1 KEITHLEY, Elizabeth, Born ??? 1800 in MD, Died ??? in KY?
       .  .  .  .  2 KEITHLEY, Sarah, Born ??? 1802 in MD, Died ??? in KY? 
       .  .  .  .  3 KEITHLEY, Christina, Born ??? 1806 in KY, Died ??? in KY?
       .  .  .  .  4 KEITHLEY, Abraham Madison, Born ? 1809 in KY, Died ? in KY?
Two important articles about the Kitely/Keightley family of Maryland were written by Anne B. Willis of Clarkesville, MD, in the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin. "Who was Elian'r Finks" (MDGB 31 1 p. 63, 1990) and "Thomas Keightley of the Magothy River and his Descendants" (MDGB 31 p. 288) Much of the structure of the data above is taken from Ms. Willis's research.

Diane Smith Battershell of Hutchinson KS is a descendant of Samuel Smith who married Hannah Jane Kitely and lived in Davie Co. NC, formerly Rowan Co. NC. They were said to have come from "Baltimore Maryland" and this motivated Ms. Battershell to cover similar territory. Her conclusions differ a little from those of Ms. Willis, and I intend to modify this page to reflect the ideas of both of these researchers. My correspondence with Ms. Battershell occurred in 1992 when my research was disrupted by the deaths of John Supik and Adeline Preston, so I didn't follow up on Ms. Battershell's theories at that time. I have added some of her theories as a paragraph halfway down the page.

In some notes that Anne B. Willis shared with John Supik, and which he sent to me, she notes that "In 1670 John Pawson of the City of York (in England -- see his will in Baldwin's Calendar of MD Wills) claimed land for transporting servants into MD." The list includes 20 people one of whom is "William Kighley." Liber JJ, p.66, Item #414.