John Keating (soldier, land developer)
Encyclopedia
John Keating was born in Ireland in 1760, and raised in France. He joined the French army, resigning in face of the Haitian and French revolutions to settle in Philadelphia. He spent the rest of his long life as a land agent and manager for the settlement of inland Pennsylvania
, known for competence, honesty, and care for the settlers. "To Keating more than any other person should go the credit for the success of early settlement in this county."
. In recognition of his noble ancestry, Valentine was granted letters patent of nobility by Louis XV. John, with his twin brother William, was educated at the English College, Douai
. After graduating, he and William were both granted a commission in Walsh's regiment, in which their elder brother Thomas was already serving.
ended and the regiment returned to France. In 1788 it was sent to Mauritius
; John and William set out on the frigate Penelope, which was wrecked on the Cape of Good Hope
with the loss of thirty-six men. The brothers arrived safely in Mauritius and spent a year there, where William resigned from the army in order to marry. In 1789 the regiment sailed for France; it was forced to make land in Martinique
, where it learned of the French Revolution
and took the tricolore cockade. They were then garrisoned in Brittany, subject to "the dictates and caprices of demagogues". By commission dated 27 November 1791, John was granted the Cross of St. Louis, and shortly afterwards he sailed with the regiment for Saint-Domingue
, then in the throes of the Haitian Revolution
. An attempted coup against the revolutionary Commissioners failed when the soldiery sided with the Commissioners and forced the other officers to embark for France. John was required by the 92nd Regiment and the Commissioner Sonthonax
to take temporary command of the regiment. In despair at the prospects for Saint-Domingue, he obtained permission to leave, and on Christmas Eve 1792 arrived in Philadelphia with $280 and two letters of introduction, one from Sonthonax to De la Forest, French consul in Philadelphia, and one from Rochambeau
to George Washington.
. This Asylum Project attracted French settlers to an agricultural life on the north bank of the Susquehanna River
, but most of them preferred in due course to return to France. John was mentioned by De la Rochefoucauld
as a man of uncommon merit, distinguished abilities, extraordinary virtue, and invincible disinterestedness
. On 20 January 1795 he became a citizen of the United States, and on 11 December 1797 he married Eulalia Deschapelles, whose father had been a planter in Saint-Domingue until the Haitian Revolution
. They had three children, William, John, and Eulalie, and also adopted Jerome, the son of his brother William. Jerome and Eulalie later married each other.
In 1797 the Asylum Company fell into financial trouble and, with John's original backers, ultimately fell into ruin. However, his reputation was by then such that émigré
s would purchase title to undeveloped land, vest it in him, and leave the management entirely to his judgement. He became closely involved with the Ceres Company, which through him purchased 297,428 acres of land in and around modern McKean, Potter, and Clearfield Counties. He was for many years the manager, and one of three trustees, for the owners of the company, which was eventually wound up by his grandson in 1884 after realizing upwards of a million dollars. Its financial success was associated with Keating's "watchful care... his sympathy with... the settlers", and his "readiness to help in every possible way partook more of the character of the care of a father over his children than a capitalist over a business enterprise." He lived and died a devout Catholic, but his endowments included gifts of land for churches of other denominations, schools, and government buildings.
Some four years after his marriage, when he was living in Wilmington
, a dispute arose between the directors of the Ceres Company. Despite his own intimate connection with the disagreement, Keating was asked by both sides to travel to Europe in order to arbitrate, which he did to the satisfaction of all parties.
His accomplished sons predeceased him. Jerome also died young, after he and Eulalie had had two sons and a daughter. Eulalie later became a nun and survived her father. William made original observations from which he inferred the former existence of an immense intra-continental lake, now accepted as Lake Agassiz
.
The French title of Baron devolved upon him on the death of his elder brother; he never assumed it, but was affectionately known as "the old Baron".
WHO'S WHO IN POTTER COUNTY. Brief Biographies of Many of the Prominent Residents of Potter County, Pennsylvania And A Brief Review of the History of Potter County. By Marie Schadenberger and Sylvia Wilson
F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, NY; Copyright 1947. Transcribed & Submitted by Sheri D. Graves. http://www.pa-roots.com/potter/history/whoswho.html. accessed 11 July 2011
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, known for competence, honesty, and care for the settlers. "To Keating more than any other person should go the credit for the success of early settlement in this county."
Early life
John Keating was born in 1760 to Valentine Keating, a Catholic Irish gentleman educated in France. In 1766, having overcome trumped-up charges of treason, and still facing the severe disadvantages of the penal laws against Catholics, the family moved to France and settled in PoitiersPoitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
. In recognition of his noble ancestry, Valentine was granted letters patent of nobility by Louis XV. John, with his twin brother William, was educated at the English College, Douai
English College, Douai
The English College, Douai was a Catholic seminary associated with the University of Douai . It was established in about 1561, and was suppressed in 1793...
. After graduating, he and William were both granted a commission in Walsh's regiment, in which their elder brother Thomas was already serving.
Military career
The regiment sailed in 1780 for the Caribbean, taking the British garrison of Sint Eustatius by surprise. In 1783 the Antilles WarAntilles War
The Antilles War was a campaign between the Great Britain and the France during 1782 for supremacy over the Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It was a result of the American War of Independence.- Tacit armistice on the continent :...
ended and the regiment returned to France. In 1788 it was sent to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
; John and William set out on the frigate Penelope, which was wrecked on the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
with the loss of thirty-six men. The brothers arrived safely in Mauritius and spent a year there, where William resigned from the army in order to marry. In 1789 the regiment sailed for France; it was forced to make land in Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, where it learned of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and took the tricolore cockade. They were then garrisoned in Brittany, subject to "the dictates and caprices of demagogues". By commission dated 27 November 1791, John was granted the Cross of St. Louis, and shortly afterwards he sailed with the regiment for Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
, then in the throes of the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
. An attempted coup against the revolutionary Commissioners failed when the soldiery sided with the Commissioners and forced the other officers to embark for France. John was required by the 92nd Regiment and the Commissioner Sonthonax
Léger-Félicité Sonthonax
Léger-Félicité Sonthonax was a French Girondist and abolitionist during the French Revolution who controlled 7,000 French troops in Saint-Domingue during part of the Haitian Revolution. His official title was Civil Commissioner. From September 1792 - December 1795 he was the de facto ruler of...
to take temporary command of the regiment. In despair at the prospects for Saint-Domingue, he obtained permission to leave, and on Christmas Eve 1792 arrived in Philadelphia with $280 and two letters of introduction, one from Sonthonax to De la Forest, French consul in Philadelphia, and one from Rochambeau
Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau
Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau was a French soldier, the son of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau....
to George Washington.
Land development and management
He soon made acquaintance with the French emigre community in Philadelphia, among whom were two who had been included in a large land development scheme started by Robert Morris (financier) and John Nicholson (New York)John Nicholson (New York)
John Nicholson was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Herkimer, he received a limited education, studied law, and was admitted to the bar and practiced. He held various local offices and was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Eleventh Congress, holding office from March...
. This Asylum Project attracted French settlers to an agricultural life on the north bank of the Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
, but most of them preferred in due course to return to France. John was mentioned by De la Rochefoucauld
François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt
François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt was a French social reformer.-Early life:...
as a man of uncommon merit, distinguished abilities, extraordinary virtue, and invincible disinterestedness
Honesty
Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft....
. On 20 January 1795 he became a citizen of the United States, and on 11 December 1797 he married Eulalia Deschapelles, whose father had been a planter in Saint-Domingue until the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
. They had three children, William, John, and Eulalie, and also adopted Jerome, the son of his brother William. Jerome and Eulalie later married each other.
In 1797 the Asylum Company fell into financial trouble and, with John's original backers, ultimately fell into ruin. However, his reputation was by then such that émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
s would purchase title to undeveloped land, vest it in him, and leave the management entirely to his judgement. He became closely involved with the Ceres Company, which through him purchased 297,428 acres of land in and around modern McKean, Potter, and Clearfield Counties. He was for many years the manager, and one of three trustees, for the owners of the company, which was eventually wound up by his grandson in 1884 after realizing upwards of a million dollars. Its financial success was associated with Keating's "watchful care... his sympathy with... the settlers", and his "readiness to help in every possible way partook more of the character of the care of a father over his children than a capitalist over a business enterprise." He lived and died a devout Catholic, but his endowments included gifts of land for churches of other denominations, schools, and government buildings.
Some four years after his marriage, when he was living in Wilmington
Wilmington
-People:* Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, British Prime Minister, 1742–1743, who gave his name to many of the places called Wilmington.* Earl of Wilmington, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1730 for Spencer Compton...
, a dispute arose between the directors of the Ceres Company. Despite his own intimate connection with the disagreement, Keating was asked by both sides to travel to Europe in order to arbitrate, which he did to the satisfaction of all parties.
Family life
John's wife Eulalia died on 4 August 1803, while he was on a business trip. His diary for the rest of his long life was devoted almost entirely to recollections of her, and he expired gazing at her picture.His accomplished sons predeceased him. Jerome also died young, after he and Eulalie had had two sons and a daughter. Eulalie later became a nun and survived her father. William made original observations from which he inferred the former existence of an immense intra-continental lake, now accepted as Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz
Lake Agassiz was an immense glacial lake located in the center of North America. Fed by glacial runoff at the end of the last glacial period, its area was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined, and it held more water than contained by all lakes in the world today.-Conception:First...
.
The French title of Baron devolved upon him on the death of his elder brother; he never assumed it, but was affectionately known as "the old Baron".
Sources
John Keating and his forbears (1918) Author: Keating, John Percy, 1855-1920. Reprinted from the Records of the American Catholic Historical Society Vol. XXIX No. 4 December 1918. Identifier-ark: ark:/13960/t6f19440p http://www.archive.org/details/johnkeatinghisfo00keat The author was a great-grandson of John. Accessed 10 July 2011WHO'S WHO IN POTTER COUNTY. Brief Biographies of Many of the Prominent Residents of Potter County, Pennsylvania And A Brief Review of the History of Potter County. By Marie Schadenberger and Sylvia Wilson
F. A. Owen Pub. Co., Dansville, NY; Copyright 1947. Transcribed & Submitted by Sheri D. Graves. http://www.pa-roots.com/potter/history/whoswho.html. accessed 11 July 2011