My Keyes

First Generation

1. Soloman KEYES.[1] Born ca 1633. No record relating to either earlier than marriage. Soloman died on 28 Mar 1702 in Chelmsford, MA.

On 2 Oct 1653 Soloman married Frances GRANT[1], in Newbury, MA. Frances died in 1708.

They had the following children:

	i.	Hannah[1]. Born on 4 Sep 1654.
	ii.	Sarah[1]. Born on 24 Aug 1656.
	iii.	Mary[1]. Born on 26 Sep 1658.
	iv.	Jane[1]. Born on 5 Oct 1660. On 17 May 1680 when Jane was 19, she married Samuel CLEAVELAND[1].
	v.	Judith[1]. Born on 16 Sep 1662.
	vi.	Solomon[1]. Born on 24 Jun 1665.[2] Said to have been born in Billerica, Mass. No Record there.
	vii.	Joseph[1]. Born on 24 May 1667.
	viii.	Ruth[1]. Born in Apr 1669.
	ix.	Moses[1]. Born on 21 Mar 1671.
2	x.	John (1674-1768)

"A tradition prevailed among the earlier descendants of Solomon, and is now current among the older members of the "Keye" family, that two brothers from England, settled in this country and were the ancestors of all of the name in America. Various names have been ascribed to the brothers, and different ports have been mentioned as their place of landing, but I find no record relating to either of them, earlier than that of the marriage of:[3]
"Solomon Keies and Frances Grant at Newbury, Mass., Oct. 2, 1653."

"The birth of the five elder children is recorded at Newbury.
In 1664 and 1665, Solomon and Joseph Keyes took up land in Chelmsford, Mass., and in that town is recorded the birth of the other children of Solomon and Frances."[3]

There appears to be no record of the marriage of Joseph, supposed to be the brother of Solomon, or of the birth of children. He might have had children born in England, or before he came to this country.[3]

Solomon was town clerk and tything man in Chelmsford, and seems to have been a man of influence in those early days.

"The old Keyes homestead, par excellence, a roomy, two story white house, now more than two hundred years old, stands in the town of Westford, which was set off from Chelmsford, and incorporated in 1729, and most of the families of the name in that vacinity, are now said to be of Westford. The village according to an old writer, is handsomely situated on a swell of fine land, commanding a beautiful prospect of great extent, and contains an academy of ancient date and respectable standing."[3]

"There are beautiful views of the Monadnock mountain from certain points in the town, and a fair amount of summer visitors, gives variety to the society, while the academy gives to it a tone of unusual intelligence."[3]

"In an old twon book of Chelmsford, we find the following:
"Sar g nt Solomon Keys,
dyed, Mch 28, 1702."
His wife Frances, died, 1708.
The name is spelled Keyes in the Newbury records, with one exception, where the second ?? is omitted, probably by mistake. At Chelmsford, the records make it Keies, generally, during the life of Solomon, although during the few years preceding, (as in the record of) his death, we find it sometimes Keys."[2]

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