Joseph Keel was born circa 1730, in Bertie County. His parentage is a matter of debate. Most researchers claim his mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Thomas. Some say she married Nathaniel Keel. Others say Hardy Keel. My opinion? She married neither. Or, if she did, it was after 26 April 1752. On this date, Joseph Thomas wrote his will. Three bequests are of interest:
…I Give and Devise unto my son Josiah Thomas my Land and Plantation whereon Nathaniel Keel now lives, its being bounded & Joyning the Land I Gave to my son Michael and Thomas Blounts Land…I Give and Devise unto My daughter Mary Thomas My Land & Plantation lying and Joyning the Land that Now belonging to Jno Spivey a Minor (my sd Land I Now Give to my said Daughter Mary is Now in the Ocupation of Hardy Keel…I Give & Devise to my Daughter Elizabeth Thomas My Land and Plantation whereon Judith Thomas now lives its being the Land that fell to me by the Death of My Brother James Thomas….
Notice that Elizabeth did not inherit either Keel residence. Surely, if she’d been married to either, it would have been more logical. Presumably, Elizabeth would have been living there too. Plus, she is Elizabeth Thomas, not Elizabeth Keel.
The witnesses were Joseph Collins, Nathaniel Keel, Joseph Keel, and Richard Sparkman. On 28 April 1758, the Court summoned Nathaniel and Joseph, among others, to appear on 25 July to prove the will. This is, probably, where the idea of Joseph being the son of Nathaniel began.
Truthfully, I was more intrigued by the mention of Hardy Keel. The reasons are obvious, I should think.
I soon discovered a Hardy Keel Estate File in Bertie County. The administrator? Joseph Thomas! He submitted an Inventory in August 1753 and the estate sale took place on 29 September. Other purchasers were Hardy Keel, Elizabeth Keel, John Peircy, and Jonathan Kitterrell. Joseph submitted an account of sales in November. I can see the eyebrows of you eastern Pitt County folks going up.
Further research led me to an amazing blog called They Lived Along a Rocky River. Lots of in-depth Thomas family articles. In one of these, Our Family and Neighbors (Pt. 8), there’s a discussion of a court case between Hardy Keel and Joseph Thomas. Hardy claimed that on 18 March 1745, Joseph stole from him a gelding with saddle and halter. The Court of May 1746 awarded Hardy 10 pounds proclamation money in damages.
Another will to mention Hardy Keel is that of John Collins. Written 27 December 1749 and proven 18 March 1752, he bequeaths
…unto my Son Joseph Collins a plantation lying the north sid of Guy hall swamp purchased of hardy keele containing one hundred and fifty eakers at the beginn…unto my son Demsee Collins a plantation that henry Ballentin formerly lived on parte of the tracte of land that I bote of hardy keele lying Guys hall swamp by at the lower End of the said Land contain one hundred and fifty eakers….
How Hardy acquired this land, I have no clue. Nor have I found a record of his selling it to John Collins. Next, I found the will of Luke Thomas, brother of Joseph. Luke, living in Edgecombe County, wrote his will on 28 June 1751. At the very end, he leaves “ten pounds in monney Virginia currency” to Ezekiell Keele. One of the witnesses was Elizabeth Keele. That’s right. Ezekiel. Those Pitt County eyebrows just narrowed.
Finally, I did a book search at FamilySearch and found this:
Let me emphasize that. Joseph…son of Hardy. That raised my own eyebrows, let me tell you!
Based on the evidence I’ve been able to access, I believe that Elizabeth, who was not the daughter of Joseph Thomas, was the wife of Hardy Keel. Not Nathaniel, Hardy. In fact, I have yet to find proof that Nathaniel Keel married at all. More, I think Joseph Keel, Hardy Keel, Jr., and Ezekiel Keel were all sons of Hardy and Elizabeth.
As always, if you know of source documents that would prove otherwise, I beg of you, to share the wealth.
Unapologetically Nerdy 