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Below is a family biography included in the Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania published in 1904 by T. S. Benham & Company and The Lewis Publishing Company; Elwood Roberts, Editor. These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary. Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.
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MRS. ESTHER WILE (ZEPP) KEYSER, widow of Ephraim E. Keyser, is a native of Lower Salford township, Montgomery county, where she was born September 8, 1852. Her father was Jacob B. Zepp, who was born in 1826, and died August 11, 1891. He was a mason by trade and also followed farming. The mother of Mrs. Keyser was Elizabeth Wile, who was born in 1827 and died April 25, 1893.
Mrs. Esther W. Z. Keyser married Ephraim B. Keyser, March 13, 1875. They had three children: Lizzie, born in 1875, died at the age of seven months; Emma Jane, born February 26, 1881, is the wife of William Smith; Elmer Z., born February 7, 1890, resides with his mother.
Ephraim B. Keyser, Mrs. Keyser’s husband, was killed by an accident on the railroad, December 24, 1899.
The sisters of Mrs. Keyser are: Sarah, wife of Benjamin Nyce, born June 12, 1854; Mary, born in 1856, died in infancy; Matilda, wife of William Kinsey, born July 29, 1858; Anna, born in September, 1859; Sophia, born in October, 1864; Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Nyce, born in May, 1871. Mr. and Mrs. Nyce have had the following children: Katie, thirteen years of age; Minerva, eleven years old; Jacob, nine years old; Idella, eight years of age; Clara, five years old; and Clement, who died in infancy.
The parents of Ephraim B. Keyser were John Keyser, who was born December 31, 1816, and died July 27, 1883, and Sophia Bechtel, daughter of Isaac and Mary Bechtel. She was born October 6, 1818, and died May 28, 1881. Their children (the brothers and sisters of Ephraim B. Keyser) were: Susanna, born October 12, 1844; David B., born February 28, 1848; and one sister who died in infancy.
The grandparents of Ephraim B. Keyser were: Paul Keyser, born in September, 1773, and died March 30, 1826, and Elizabeth Keyser, who was born in 1776 and lived to be ninety-four years old.
The father of Esther W. Z. Keyser was Jacob Zepp. His wife was Elizabeth Wile. Jacob was born August 12, 1826. His wife was born January 29, 1827. They were married in August, 1851. Their children are: Esther W. (subject of this sketch), born September 8, 1852; Sarah, born June 12, 1854; Maria, born February 7, 1856, and died May 3, 1856; Matilda, born June 29, 1858; Anna, born September 24, 1859; Sophia, born October 18, 1864, and died August 10, 1902; and Elizabeth, born May 24, 1871. The last named was the wife of Jacob P. Nyce.
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This family biography is one of more than 1,000 biographies included in the Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania published in 1904 by T. S. Benham & Company and The Lewis Publishing Company. For the complete description, click here: Biographical Annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
View additional Montgomery County, Pennsylvania family biographies here: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Biographies
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