My Genealogy Hound

John G. Keathley was born in North Carolina in 1827 and is a son of Mark and Elizabeth (Pipkin) Keathley who were born in North Carolina also. Mark Keathley was a farmer and was county surveyor for a number of years, and was justice of the peace of his district for many years until he was very advanced in years and declined further re-election. He took a great interest in all enterprises for the county’s welfare and was a prominent man of his day. He was moderately prosperous through life and was the father of thirteen children. He died in his native State in 1874. The mother was a member of the Free Will Baptist Church, and after her husband’s death made a visit to Tennessee. After her return to North Carolina she died in 1884. Their son, John G., came to Tennessee at the age of twenty-two and began “tilling the soil.” He is also a first-class mechanic and did considerable work at gun and blacksmithing. In 1851 he married Hepsy A. Branch, daughter of Bryant M. and Sallie Branch. She was born in Tennessee in 1834 and died in 1859, having borne four children; one son died in infancy. In 1861 Mr. Keathley married Elizabeth Peel, of North Carolina. She was born in 1843, a daughter of Robert and Eliza J. (Pipkin) Peel, and became the mother of ten children, four of whom are deceased. In 1882 our subject located on his present farm of 225 acres. He has a neat farm residence well located, and his land is under good cultivation. He was magistrate in this and Obion County before the war, and since 1851 has been a member of the Masonic Order, Chapter degree at Yorkville, and Council degree at Rutherford. He is a Democrat and his first presidential vote was cast for Lewis Cass.