KeatingSearch Journal

In Memorium

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I.

Mr. J. Percy Keating, who died after a brief illness on the 22 December, 1920, was a member of this Society for thirty–five years, having joined in 1885 within a few months of its organization. During this period his interest in the undertakings of the Society was constant and practical. Elected to the Board of Managers in 1912, he served in that capacity for two terms, until his resignation in 1914 to become Chairman of Trustees of Research and Endowment Fund, which position he held at the time of his death.

To this brief record of the late Mr. Keating’s attachment to the work of the American Catholic Historical Society of

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Note: Despite the similarites in names and geography, I know of no relationship to John Keating. However, having said that, I would love to find a familial link to this distinguished family. At the bottom of this article, I’ve included a family tree that I derived during the course of the transcription. It may help to have it handy when reading the article, as J. Percy does occasionally backtrack and foreshadow. Any errors in the transcription or the chart are my own. – John W. Keating III

JOHN KEATING AND HIS FORBEARS

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BY J. PERCY KEATING, ESQ.

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Some years ago the late Martin I. J. Griffin called upon the writer seeking information regarding John Keating’s connection with an early land settlement in Pennsylvania which was known as the Asylum Company; and in the course of the conversation he expressed his surprise that no member of the Keating family had ever taken the trouble to “write up” so interesting a personality. In his article subsequently published in the American Catholic Historical Records he has this to say: “Of John Keating, much could be said but little as been published concerning this foremost and most venerable old–time Philadelphian. The name is familiar and a household one in our city. It is to be hoped that his descendants will soon make public recognition of the wealth of their progenitor, a truly representative Catholic. … Just read the tribute of Liancourt to his worth and then wonder why more has not been given in recognition of it by those who could do so.”

I’ve been busy transcribing a long treatise on the life and family of John Keating† of Philadelphia, a “Wild Goose” whose family left Ireland after the failed Jacobite / Williamite War and settled in France. He proceeded to serve in the Irish Brigade of the French Army, and eventually settled in Philadelphia after the French Revolution.

I had the obvious thought while typing it up that I should try my hand at writing brief biographical sketches of my own ancestors. They wouldn’t need to be too long — the goal would be to create something more colorful than a simple list of BMD dates for each ancestor. Obviously, each would be a work in progress, updated as more details and …

The annual reunion of the “Frostburg Maryland Keatings” will be held on Saturday, 27 June 2009, in Glenelg, Maryland. Although most of the attendees are the families of John and Sara (Pope) Keating, descendants of John and Julia (Hyland) Keating, as well as descendants of John’s siblings are welcome.

Reunion Flyer