Henry was born on 11 January 1882 in Mason County to Charles Keller and Karoline Keiser (1). His brothers were Charles Christie - b. 10 September 1878 (2), Otto A - b. 24 October 1879 (3), Alonzo E, - b. 10 December 1883 (4), and Archie. The children's parents died early (Charles - the father passed in 1849). The orphaned brothers were raised by their relatives until the time when the boys were legally able to take over the land left by their parents.
Henry and Otto studied in Dallas. In 1900 the two brothers lived at ED 108 Dallas City Ward 6, Dallas, TX. They rented a room at Mrs. M. Hill's house (5). Henry William graduated from men's business college in Dallas.
On 1 March 1904. Henry Keller married Miss Cora Auguste Caroline Keiser (b. 30 December 1882), daughter of Johann Keiser and Wilhelmina Lehmann. The ceremony took place at Cora's parents' home. The young couple soon settled on Henry's ranch which was 3 miles South East of Royal Valley (6). Mr. Keller was a rancher-farmer, he raised cattle, goats, hogs, cotton, and fodder crops.
Henry had sharecroppers to whom he gave a hog each Christmas. Cora helped the sharecropper's wife when the latter delivered babies. The family transport means were a horse, a buggy, and a wagon with a team of horses.
In 1817, Henry William Keller was registered by the Army. The draft registration card informs that the man was of medium weight, medium built, had brown eyes and brown hair (6).
Mr. Keller was exempted from the service because of family reasons. Henry and Cora had already had two children then. It was Henry Jr. (born on 3 January 1907), and Keyser Kith (Kelly), born on 5 August 1914.
In 1918 Henry bought a Model T automobile. As a family story says his father had predicted that in the future men would fly in the air and travel in horseless carriages.
Mrs. Cora Keller tended a big garden, she also made preserves, cured meat, and made clothes for the family. The Kellers helped relatives with butchering beef and hogs.
Two Keller girls were born in the 20s:
Chleo Katherine (Bobby) - born on 19 May 1920, Loyal Valley, Mason, TX (7),
Louis Lorene - born on 4 May 1924.
Henry William Keller Sr. was a teacher and superintendent of the Sunday School in Loyal Valley. The school and the church which the family attended were at the small, rock house. They all took part in the church camp meetings held under a brush bower every summer (for a week). The meetings included baptism ceremony performed in the Llano River.
Henry was also an athlete - he played second base for the Loyal Lads (the Loyal Valley baseball team).
Besides that, Henry W mounted deer heads as he was a taxidermist. The man was an active community member - he served as a school trustee and deputy sheriff and an officer of the Loyal Valley Game Protective Association (which was created to protect wild game before the State Department came into being). The members of the organizations did night watches regarding persons who violated hunting rules. An interesting thing is that the game protectors used mounted deer heads (which had mirrors installed in their eyes) as a decoy.
In October 1925, a fire happened - it started in the kitchen flue. Anyway, the Kellers' home was totally destroyed. The family lived in the garage until a new house was built in 1926. During that critical time, the neighbors supported Henry, Cora, and their children providing them with clothing and necessary household items. Later, Mrs. Cora also raised turkeys for sale to help with the house payments.
In 1926, Mr. Keller became a state game warden. His wife Cora raised deer. The lady fed the fawns with bottled milk when the animals were old enough, the family sold them to the State of Texas (for $20 per deer).
In 1935, Cora Keller was bitten by a rattlesnake when she was working in her garden. Luckily, the mother of the family was cured and recovered.
1940, the family was registered during the Census. Henry, Cora, their two daughters Chleo and Louis, their son Keyser Keith and his 19-year-old wife Imogene lived in Justice Precinct #7, Mason, Texas (8).
On 30 October 1942, Henry was attending his warden duties near Junction, he suffered from a heart attack.
He was taken to the hospital in Kerrville where he passed at 4:30 a.m (9). Henry William Keller was 60 years 9 months and 19 days.
Cora Augusta Caroline Keller lived 66 years and 4 days. She died of breast cancer (which she had fought for 8 years), after 5 weeks of treatment, at the Fredericksburg hospital, on 10 January 1949 (10).
Resources:
1. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS1K-JVN : 13 March 2018), William Henry Keller, 30 Oct 1942; citing certificate number 45612, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,137,184.
2. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3SV-9DK : 13 March 2018), Charles C Keller, 20 May 1915; citing certificate number 10877, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,051,271.
3."United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPBM-S6T1 : 17 October 2019), Otto A Keller, 9 Mar 1899; citing Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985), various roll numbers.
4. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSBX-XSJ : 13 March 2018), Alonzo E Keller, 11 Oct 1962; citing certificate number 59730, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,117,117.
5. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3LC-PFT : accessed 27 January 2021), Otto Keller in household of Mrs. M Hill, Dallas city Ward 6, Dallas, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 108, sheet 3B, family 67, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,625.
6. "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZX2-Y77 : 20 January 2021), Henry William Keller, 1917-1918.
7. "Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1935," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X2T2-Z87 : 4 April 2020), Chlo Catharine Keller, 19 May 1920; citing Loyal Valley, Mason, Texas, United States, certificate 26928, Texas Department of Health, Austin; FHL microfilm 4,516,038.
8. "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4S4-CMP : 10 January 2021), Keyser Keith Keller in household of Henry W Keller, Justice Precinct 7, Mason, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 160-8, sheet 4B, line 75, family 88, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4103.
9. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS1K-JVN : 13 March 2018), William Henry Keller, 30 Oct 1942; citing certificate number 45612, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,137,184.
10. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K39B-H93 : 13 March 2018), Cora Augusta Caroline Keller, 10 Jan 1949; citing certificate number 1889, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,223,118.
"Mason County Historical Book", Mason County Historical Society, Mason County Historical Commission, 1976.
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