Margaret Elizabeth Brown Keister
Margaret Elizabeth Brown Keister was born in Bath County, Virginia on September 11, 1849. 1 She was the youngest daughter of Jacob Peck Keister and Mary (Polly) Graham Lockridge. 2 Elizabeth, nicknamed Lizzie, and her family migrated from northwestern Virginia into Greenup County, Kentucky where she lived until she was 22 years of age.
Lizzie was living in Greenup County with her family when she met her future husband, A.J. McFann. They met in 1870 on a packet boat, on the Ohio River headed upstream to Gallipolis, Ohio. At the time of their chance encounter, A.J. was 50 years old, already widowed twice, and somewhat handicapped from a stroke he had previously suffered. 3
Elizabeth Keister's Family: Lizzie's Parents
Elizabeth Keister's parents, Jacob Peck Keister and Mary Graham Lockridge were married on March 24, 1836 in Pendleton County, [West] Virginia.
Elizabeth's father, Jacob Peck Keister, was born on July 9, 1817. He was descended from George and Susannah Peck Keister. Jacob Keister was one of 12 children born to George and Susannah Keister. Jacob Keister died on October 3, 1895.
Elizabeth's mother, Mary (Polly) Lockridge Keister, was born on March 20, 1816. Mary (Polly) Keister, the daughter of Robert Lockridge and Mary Gwin, died on December 23, 1896. 4
Elizabeth Keister's Family: Lizzie's Brothers and Sisters
Lizzie came from a large family with many brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. Lizzie's brothers and sisters were: Mary, Joseph, Anthony, George R., Jacob A., Samuel H., William J., and John Davis.
Elizabeth Keister McFann and Family
On September 1, 1871, Lizzie Keister married Andrew Jackson McFann in Greenup County, Kentucky where her family resided. After they married, they moved into the large town of Portsmouth, Ohio where A.J. was an attorney.
Lizzie and A.J. had much work ahead of them in their early years of marriage. Within several years, Lizzie and A.J. had several children: Grace, a daughter, and Legrand, their first son. With the family growing, Lizzie and A.J. decided that they would soon leave the town of Portsmouth and raise their family in the country.
They traveled by boat to Bladen, Ohio, and purchased 100 acres to built their future home. Aside from raising their young children, they were determined to build themselves a large home on the acreage they owned in Gallia County, Ohio. The property was not far from the banks of the Ohio River and included fertile arable land, meadows and pasture land, woodlands, hills, and river frontage. 5
In the mid 1870s, their new two story home had been built and it faced the Ohio River. Their family was growing too, with the birth of a set of twin boys, Wells A. and Oscar F. McFann, in 1876.
Three years later, Lizzie and A.J. had 3 more children. Their fifth child, a son named Andrew Jackson after A.J., was born in 1879. Unfortunately, he died within 3 weeks of his birth. 6
In August 1882, A.J. and Lizzie had another son, William Wilson McFann. This son, also born at the farm in Gallia, was nicknamed Willie. Their last child, Helena Rivers McFann, was born at the Gallia farmhouse in 1889. 7
After A.J. McFann's death in November 1906, Lizzie remained on the farm in Gallia County. About 10 years later, Lizzie married again. In order that the McFann farm remain in her family's possession, Lizzie requested that her new husband, Captain Andrew "Jack" Ward, sign a dower-interest release. 8
Since the McFann family wished for the McFann farm to remain in the McFann family, Lizzie deeded the farm property to her children prior to her death. A Warranty Deed recorded on August 17, 1923 transferred ownership of the McFann farm to the McFann children and their heirs. 9
Lizzie McFann died on January 20, 1944, leaving behind 4 children: Wells, Oscar, William, and Helena and their children. A loving and devoted mother, Lizzie's legacy was the home and farm that she and A.J. McFann had built. The rich history surrounding their lives in Ohio serves as the testament of the importance of their McFann family.
Margaret Elizabeth Brown Keister
Born: September 11, 1849
Birthplace: Bath County, Virginia
Death: January 20, 1944
Burial Location: Mt. Zion Cemetery, Gallia County, Ohio
Parentage
Father: Jacob Peck Keister
Mother: Mary (Polly) Graham Lockridge
Marriages
1st Husband: Andrew Jackson McFann
2nd Husband: Captain Andrew "Jack" Ward
The children of Andrew Jackson McFann & Elizabeth Keister
Grace R. McFann
LeGrand B. McFann
Wells A. McFann
Oscar F. McFann
Andrew Jackson McFann
William Wilson McFann
Helena Rivers McFann
References
1 Hand-written entries found in the McFann Family Bible.
2 A History of Our Heritage: McFann - Woodard: From Generation To Generation: 1816 - 1984 by Hilma I. McFann Woodard (1984: Unpublished family documentation).
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Real Property Valuation Record, Ohio Township, Gallia County, Ohio. No Date Noted.
6 Lineage of Margaret Elizabeth Brown Keister McFann by Hilma I. McFann Woodard, p. 3 (1954: Unpublished family documentation).
7 Ibid, p. 4.
8 Andrew Ward Release of Dower Interest of McFann Farm, Ohio Township, Gallia County, Ohio, dated January 9, 1919. Deed Record No. 362, Vol. 98, Page 322 Dec. 19, 1919.
9 Warranty Deed recorded August 17, 1923, Volume 14, Page 206.
Sources
Family historical information has been compiled from various sources including family members, volunteers and professional genealogy researchers. The documentation used to determine family history includes several unpublished family documents and journals, court documents, deeds, marriage certificates, McFann family Bible entries, death certificates, church records, land records, census reports, periodicals, and other bound publications.
Note: This research is an ongoing project. Inquiries may be directed to the email listed below.
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