John Key
John Key was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, in 1816. His father, John Key, was born in Virginia in 1781, came to Montgomery County about 1800, where he died in 1815, leaving a wife and four children. John, the fifth child, was not born until some six months after the death of his father. His mother remained in Montgomery until 1836, when she came to Shelby County and located in Jackson Township. The subject of this sketch came with his mother and remained about one year, then returned to Montgomery, where he lived until 1840, when he made his permanent home in this county. In 1841 he married Miss Lillie Lucas, by whom he had two children, Norman and John H. Mr. Key’s wife died July, 1846. He then married Anna Rhinehart in 1847. By his second marriage he has seven children, viz., Amanda, born 1848; Rachel, born 1850; Elizabeth, born 1853; Jane, born 1856; David R., born 1858; Sherman, born 1864; and Orlando B., born 1870. Mr. Key, when he first came to the county, had fifty dollars, with which he entered forty acres of land in Jackson Township. He then went to work by the day and month until he had saved one hundred dollars, with which he entered eighty acres in Indiana. He then worked on until he saved one hundred dollars more, with which he entered another eighty acres in Indiana. These two eighty-acre lots he traded for the eighty-acre lot he now lives on. lt was nearly all in the woods. This he has cleared and improved, and has since added to it two other eighty-acre lots, making his home place consist of 240 acres, all of which is well improved with a good brick dwelling. Beside his home place he owns 300 acres more of improved land in Perry Township. Altogether, with what he has given to his boys, he owned 743 acres in Perry Township. Beside this he has 141 acres in Champaign County, and property in the towns of Sidney and Millerstown. All this has been accumulated by his own industry and that of his family. There are but few, if any, in the county who have done more hard work than Mr. Key.
From History of Shelby County, Ohio; R. Sutton & Co, Philadelphia PA, 1883
