Local historian Jim Keeley traces Keighley family roots, ties to O'Fallon and Sage Chapel Cemetery

Jim Keeley, introduced to the commission as the presenter on the Keighley Plantation, gave a 19th- and 20th-century genealogical and local-history presentation during the O'Fallon Historic Preservation Commission meeting on April 1, 2025. Keeley traced his family line through Revolutionary War and War of 1812 service, described a 160-acre land grant that he said became part of what is now O'Fallon, and connected multiple family members to area cemeteries and early churches.

Keeley told the commission that Samuel Keighley (an ancestor he documented) arrived in present-day St. Charles County in 1808, served in the War of 1812 and received a 160-acre grant. Keeley said the family appears in county atlases and lodge records, and he displayed an 1875 atlas drawing he said showed his ancestor's house. "I truly believe that understanding the past is the key to the future," Keeley told commissioners.

He discussed how family members served in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and described local connections: several Keighleys are recorded in Mount Zion and Sage Chapel cemeteries, the latter documented by the city as having 1,017 burials with 37 marked graves and 17 individuals documented as formerly enslaved. Keeley offered to provide commission staff copies of the atlas and related materials for the commission's ongoing cemetery and landmark work.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about specific burial locations and funeral-home ties. Keeley said he would share documents and follow up with the commission after the meeting. The presentation concluded with commissioners agreeing to accept Keeley's materials for inclusion in their historical files and nomination work.

The commission's next regular meeting will be the forum for any formal nomination work stemming from this research.