Staggs Family History

My ancestors in the United States

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    Sprague Keene (1788-1866)

    BIRTH: 6 Oct 1788, Pembroke, Massachusetts, USA
    DEATH: 21 May 1866, Valparaiso, Indiana, USA
    FATHER: Zebulon Keene (1765-1810)
    MOTHER: Huldah J Stone (1766-1849)
    SPOUSE: Chloe Higgins (1790-1864)

    When Sprague Keene was born on October 6, 1788, in Pembroke, Massachusetts, his father, Zebulon, was 23 and his mother, Huldah, was 22. He married Chloe Higgins on January 24, 1808, in Cortland, New York. They had nine children in 27 years. He died on May 21, 1866, in Valparaiso, Indiana, having lived a long life of 77 years, and was buried there.

    His story

    The following is an excerpt from Staggs Genealogy – Harold Wareham Staggs – His Book

    Zebulon was a cooper and a stone cutter and owned a cooperage in McGrawvill, New York. In 1793 the family moved to Homer, Cortland Co., New York, and located in this, then sparsely inhabited, area to farm.

    Their first son was Grandfather Sprague (1788) who moved to Valparaiso, Indiana. He married Chloe Higgins (1808) and they had nine children.

    In Sprague Keen’s ‘Notebook” written in 1864 he tells us, while writing about his early life at Homer, New York, “from where my father settled amidst of all kinds of wild beasts and not but 12 or 15 families in town ten miles square here, I grew to 19 and I had a good chance to get acquainted with the inhabitants here I commenced in life for myself had nothing in the world but an acre and a wooman and she was as empty handed as myself and word in my dealings with others for I had seen enough to make me think that honesty was the best policy”. Later in his book he tells us “after Lydia was born and her Mother got smart enough I hired a horse one Sunday to go to prestirian Communion and present her baby for Sprinkling when we got ready to start she gave Lydia a dose of petragoric or Lodlon we started she on horseback and I trotting along by her side that was a fair thing too she sat in one part of the house and I in another” “House” meant church.

    We will say that when Sprague started a sentence, there was no stopping him! Now I’ve got a question for you. At another part in his book he tells us, “I had burrow a horse to ride in comming home down the hill west of homer he stumbled down on his knees throwing me off over his head flat on my back and Swabling over me trying to get up I got up as soon as I could for I thought was no fun there for me: Just what was that fool horse doing???

    Mary Jane Keen, a granddaughter of Sprague, wrote that her mother, Hanna Jane Webster was left an orphan when little and raised by a couple named Graves. She also states that in later life Zebulon was a carpenter.

    When I was about ten, our family went to Valparaiso and from there, with the Warehams, went to a Keen family reunion. It was held on the farm that Sprague bought when he moved to Indiana. I remember the large number of kin there and the long tables of food that the ladies had cooked.

    Grandfather Sprague, like his father, was a stone mason and cooper.

    The following is an excerpt from The John Keen(e) (1578-1649) and Associated Families, by Mr. and Mrs. Archie Timothy Keene, 1971

    Sprague Keen, son of Zebulon and Hulda, born 10-6-1788, died 5-21-1866 in Valparaiso, Ind. He was born in Mass., went to Cortland Co., N.Y. in 1795, married Chloe Higgins 1-24-1808 at McGrawville, N.Y. She was the daughter of Timothy and Ruth Higgins, born 9-25-1791, died 5-11-1864 in Valparaiso. Sprague was a stone mason and cooper in Homer and McGrawville, N.Y. They had nine children.

    Sprague Keen Note Book

    Sprague Keen, son of Zebulon and Hulda Keen, wrote a resume of his early life as experienced by him and his wife Chloe in their homesteading days near Homer, Cortland County, N.Y. It was addressed to Timothy and Susan Keen and written 6-24-1864 (or started then) just two years before his death in 1866. He elaborated upon his conversion to the Christian faith, claiming that while chopping down trees in his woods, one came perilously near striking him on the head, that it surely would have done so but for an act of God. They had many difficulties in acquiring cattle and land and actually lost on property after it was paid for, because of a fault in the negotiations or in the deed.

    He wrote:

    About every man in the town homer (sic) and Cortland had lived four years in homer (sic) village worked at coopering which give me a chance to get acquainted with great many out in the country their was the county seat of business and that was where the regiment met for training and the two towns met before they were divided and celebrations of the fourth and other gatherings and within one mile and a half from their (sic) my father settled down in the woods when I was a little over seven years old amidst of all kinds of wild beasts and not but 12 or 13 families in the town ten miles square here I grew to 19 and I think I had a good chance to get acquainted with the inhabitants here I comeced (sic) in life for myself had nothing in the world but an acre and a wooman (sic) and she was as empty handed as myself and in starting I thought I would try to be honest and up to my word in my dealings with others for I had seen enough to make me think that honesty was the best policy.

    I had no horse for two years I think after I united with the Church for that reason your Mother could not goe (sic) very steady horses were very scarse (sic) in the neighborhood would get a chance to goe on horse back and Carry a baby in her arms and though that was a great privilege to get to meeting when we could both goe at a time would goe to one house but it was seldom that we could the oldest child was not old enough to take care of the youngest after Lydia was born and her Mother got Smart enough I hired a horse one Sunday to go to home to presterian Communion and present her baby for Sprinkling when we got ready to start she gave Lydia a dose of petragoric or Lodlom we started she on horse back and I trotting along by her side that was a common thing in those days to see and thought it was a fair thing too …”

    Memories of Mary Jane Keene Polhamus, written June 1922

    Many years ago near the town, of McGrawville, in Cortland. Co., N. Y, there Lived a family by the name of Sprague Keene and his wife Cloe. They were well-to-do farmers. He was a man with many excellent qualities, well-liked by all his neighbors and friends. I think, if. I am rightly informed, they were Baptists.

    the Keene Family consisted of four sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Zebulon was a carpenter. He raised a large family. His wife, my mother, was Hanna Jane Webster. Left an orphan when young, she was adopted by a couple named Graves.

    Lorenzo, the second son, was a noted Doctor, LaPorte, Ind. was his home for many years. Here he was well known avid well loved. During the Civil War, he served as a war surgeon. After the war he returned to LaPorte and resumed his practice.

    The third son., Amos, of which I knew but little, but think at the time of his sudden death, he and my father were in a grocery business in Mt. Morris, N. Y. State.

    Timothy, the youngest son, lived with his father and mother and later came West with them.

    Lidia, the eldest daughter, married a man by the name of Andrews. They came West and settled in Reedsburg, Sauk Co., Wisconsin. As far as I know she had one daughter whose name later became Palmer. She died leaving two daughters but all trace of them has been lost as far I know.

    Mary, the youngest daughter, who married Thomas Ransom, lived in your midst many years, and was well known and loved by all. Some of her descendants are here to-day.

    In the intervening years, Sprague Keene, his wife and youngest son Timothy and family, came West and located near Valparaiso. Timothy lived with his parents until their death and continued on the home farm until he also died at an old age.

    Sprague Keene and his sons all lived to the ripe old age of 80 years and over.

    I do not know the nationality of Sprague Keene and his wife, but when they came west, they were known as Down East Yankees.

    Some of the sweetest memories of my childhood days were the visits to my Grandfather’s farm. When I used to wander with my Aunt Mary, hand in hand over the farm place, spying out the many wonderful things you see on a farm. This was to me as a child, quite a novelty. I also liked to visit my Grandmother’s pantry, which was always well stored with goodies. How well I remember the cookie jar, her delicious gingerbread and her wonderful cheeses. Also, the sugar room where there was always a great supply of maple sugar, pure and lucius, to which we always had free access. She also made such great rolls of wonderful golden butter. Many times, when I was about to depart for my home, she would wrap up a large roll of butter and say, “Here, Mary Jane, take this to your mother, but don’t let Grandpa see it.” We used to wonder why Grandmother said this because we knew Grandfather was just as willing as Grandma that Hannah should have the butter, but we would end up by saying, “That is just Grandmother’s way.”

    By: M. J. Polhamus

    Legacy of Sprague Keene

    Parents

    Father: Zebulon Keene (1765-1810)

    Mother: Huldah J Stone (1766-1849)

    Married

    Chloe Higgins (1790-1864). Married January 24, 1808, in McGrawville, New York, USA.

    Children

    • Zebulon Keen (1808-1808)
    • Zebulon Keen (1811-1897) married Hannah Jane Webster (1816-1889)
    • Amos Keene (1813-1846)
    • Lydia B Keen (1816-1895) married Henry W Andrews (1817-1897)
    • Lorenzo S. Keen (1819-1902) married Sarepta Parsons (1827-1907)
    • Timothy D Keene (1824-1907) married Susan Park (1827-1892)
    • Normon Keen (1826-1829)
    • Adino F Keene (1831-1840)
    • Mary Bailey Keen (1835-1902) married Thomas J Ransom (1831-1915)

    Documents

    Relation of Sprague Keen to Steven Barry Staggs: 4th great-grandfather

    Page last updated November 20, 2025

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