John Keen was born in London, on London Bridge, about 1578, according to a family record written by his great-grandson, Hezekiah Keen. John died in Hingham, MA, 14 November 1649.

John and his family came to America on the ship Confidence which sailed out of Southampton, England, 24 April 1638. The family consisted of his 60 year old wife, Martha, his 17 year old son, John, Jr., his 13 year old daughter, Elizabeth, and his other children, Martha, Josiah, and Sarah. There were two sons who remained in England.

The family settled in Hingham where John was a mariner and an innkeeper.

Josiah moved from Hingham to Marshfield to Duxbury, Massachusetts. He was surveyor in 1666, constable in 1667, and on the grand jury from Duxbury in 1689 and 1703. An entry in the Duxbury Records for June 20, 1695 refers to the sale of about 20 acres, "for 4 pounds in silver money to Josiah Keen, Sr." On Feb. 24, 1696/7, we find a record of a tract of land of 30 acres being "laid forth to Josiah Keen, Sen. ... the said land Josiah Keen, Jun. bought of Francis West."

Josiah and his first wife Abigail (Little) Keen had two children, both born in Marshfield:

• a daughter, died young.
• Josiah, Jr., b. about 1658; m. in 1682 Lydia Baker.

According to a private record written by Hezekiah Keen and now owned by the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Abigail Little was the daughter of Thomas and Ann (Warren) Little. This Ann Warren was the daughter of Richard Warren who was a passenger on the first trip of the Mayflower in 1620. Thus, all descendants of Josiah Keen, Jr., are entitled, through his mother's line, to entrance into the Mayflower Society.

Josiah and his second wife Hannah (Dingley) Keen had seven children:

• John, b. 1667; m. 1691 Rebecca Barker.
• Matthew, b. 1667; m. 1698 Martha MacFarland.
• Ephraim, b. 1669; m. 1703 Hannah Sprought.
• Hannah, m. Isaac Oldham.
• Elizabeth, m. John Bishop.
• Abigail, m. Hotsen Bishop.
• Sarah, m. 1710 Timothy Rogers.

We have in our notes that Lydia Keen was taken into the First Church in Marshfield on 2 May 1708, and that nine of her children were baptized there on 24 October, 1708.

Josiah, Jr. and his family lived in Marshfield, in Duxbury, and perhaps in Pembroke since Pembroke was part of Marshfield until 1712. The towns of Duxbury, Hingham, Pembroke, and Marshfield are near each other in southeastern Massachusetts and may not have kept separate records in the early days. Josiah, Jr. bought 9 acres next to his father's "range" on the southerly side of Pudding Brook, we assume in Duxbury. Another note of interest was, "Josiah Keen, Jr. and Elnathan Weston with 5 others at the March 7th Town Meeting, 1709/10, entered protest against all the acts made at Town Meeting in Duxborough, Jany 30th 1709/10 for dividing the town's Commons, the said meeting being continued by adjournment till the 7th of March above said."

Josiah, Jr. and his wife Lydia (Baker) Keen had eleven children, all born in Duxbury:

• Benjamin, b. 1682; d. Duxbury, 1736; m. 1719 Deborah (Barker) Howland, dau. of Robert Barker, Jr., widow of Prince Howland.
• Josiah, b. 1683; died young.
• Abigail, b. 1685; m. Nicholas Drew.
• Elener, b. 1687; m. Joseph Thomas, a welshman from Wales.
• Lydia, b. 1690; m. George Partridge.
• Nathaniel, b. 1692; m. in Marshfield 1725 Thankful Winslow, daughter of Nathaniel and Lydia Winslow.
• Samuel, b. 1696; m. in 1719 Ruth Sprague.
• Bethiah, b. 1698; m. 1718 Judah West.
• Josiah, 3rd, b. 1698(?); m. in 1717 Rebecca Rose.
• Isaac, b. 1700; m. in 1719 Deborah Dwelley, daughter of John and Rachel (Buck) Dwelley.
• Hezekiah, b. 1702; m. in 1730 Alice Howland.

Elsie Keene, in her paper Brief History of the Keene Family wrote,

"Much of the information concerning the early Keens came from a record ... kept by Hezekiah Keen, youngest son of Josiah Keen, Jr. This book was bound in board covers, hinged with iron hammered out on an anvil, and had the name Hezekiah Keen in brass letters on one side, and on the other his monogram, also in brass. The first record in it was made on 1763, but it contained information far previous to that date. ... The book was passed from father to son until it came to a daughter who did not have an interest in it and who sold it for, at that time, the goodly sum of $50 to the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. A few leaves have been lost, but there are still 478 pages, 214 of them blank except for the page numbers."

An excerpt from Hezekiah's book says, "Hezekiah Keen this Book Ret by me in March ye 10th 1763 who then lived in Duxborough and then was In his Sixty first year of my age, etc." Another excerpt, "September ye 26 Day 1770 Hezekiah Keen & Alice Keen my wife then we had all our Children to Se up at our house & there was Eleven of them all in health Bot only Alice & She was about house & all Set Down at ye table to Soper to geather & fed of hony."

In 1761, Hezekiah Keen deeded his homestead in Duxbury to "my son Prince Keene of Duxbury, blacksmith."

Hezekiah and his wife Alice (Howland) Keen had eleven children, all born in Duxbury:

• Prince, b. 20 Feb. 1730 (in ye 7 day of ye weak a Lettel Before Day); m. Elizabeth Ford, dau. of Joseph and Hannah (Nichols) Ford.
• Charles, b. 25 Jan. 1732 (in ye 5 Day of the weak a lettel Before Day); d. Providence, RI.
• Mark, b. 13 March 1735 (in ye 5 Day of the weak about ye Braken of ye Day); d. 7 Jan. 1807; unmarried; lived in Bristol, ME.
• Robert, b. 18 Dec. 1736 (in ye 6 Day of the weak about 11 of the Clok Before noon); m. ---- Loudon.
• Alice, b. 4 June 1739 (in ye 2 Day of the weak about 1 of the Clok after noon); d. 3 Oct. 1771.
• Diana, b. 31 Aug 1741 (in ye 2 Day of ye weak about 11 a Clok Before noon); d. 7 March 1773.
• Bethiah, b. 14 Dec. 1743 (in ye 4 Day of the weak a Lettel Before Day); d. 19 May 1781.
• Hezekiah, b. 25 Sept. 1746 (in ye 5 day of the weak about Braking of Day); d. 8 Dec. 1809; m. Hannah Ford; lived in Bristol, ME.
• Daniel, b. 30 Dec. 1748 (in ye 6 Day of the weak a Lettel Before Day); d. 23 July 1827; m. Lucy Freeman; lived in Bristol, ME.
• Mary, b. 27 Feb. 1750 (in ye 4 Day of ye weak ye Son one our hie at night); d. at age 95 or 100; unmarried.
• William, b. 8 May 1753 (in ye 3 Day of the Weak the Son about two ouers hie in ye morning); d. 16 July 1821; m. Celenah Wadsworth; lived in Bristol, ME.

Prince Keene was of the first generation to add the final "e" to the name. He was of Providence, RI, according to the census records of 1774, 1776, 1777, and 1782. In 1786, he bought, of his brother, Robert, 33 acres on Broad Bay River and Greenland Cove in Bristol, ME, and moved there. The land was sold by his heirs in 1808.

Prince and his wife Elizabeth (Ford) Keene had seven children:

• Benjamin, b. in Pembroke, 5 Sept. 1759; d. in Appleton, ME, ca. 1829; m. in Providence, RI, 29 Oct. 1786, Mary Gardner of Newport, RI.
• Deborah, bpt. in Pembroke 27 Dec. 1761; d. in Providence 1805 age 43; m. in Providence 1785 James Burr.
• Abner, b. 1763; m. Ann Hovey; lived in Hope, ME.
• Rebecca, b. ca. 1769; d. in Waldoboro, ME, 28 May 1818, age 49 years; m. Nathaniel Brown. Both are buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Appleton, ME.
• Prince, b. ca. 1770; d. in Windsor, ME 12 April 1846, age 76 years, buried in Fairview Cemetery, Windsor, ME; m. (1) Abigail -----; m. (2) in Bristol, ME 5 Feb. 1811 Abigail Fuller.
• Hezekiah, b. in Rhode Island ca. 1773; d. 8 Aug. 1852, age 79, buried in Fairview Cemetery, Windsor, ME.
• Hannah, b. ca. 1775; d. 13 April 1855, buried in Fairview Cemetery, Windsor, ME; m. in Bristol, ME 23 Nov. 1795 Thomas LeBallister.

We have been able to find only two items about this Gardner family of Newport, RI: Eleanor Phillips, mother of Mary Gardner, was an orphan under the guardianship of a John Freebody; and Caleb Gardner had a slave named Newport Gardner.

Benjamin and Mary lived for several years in Kinderhook and in Bern in New York State. We believe the family moved to Appleton, ME sometime between 1796 and 1810. The Keenes are not listed in the 1800 census for Appleton, but Benjamin is listed for 1810. He was moderator and assessor in 1812 of Appleton Plantation. After Appleton became a town in 1829, he was frequently town clerk.

Benjamin and his wife Mary (Gardner) Keene had six children, the first five born in New York State:

• Caleb Gardner, b. in Kinderhook, NY 1 Sept. 1787; d. in St. Croix, West Indies, 4 June 1807.
• Elizabeth Ford, b. 12 June 1789.
• Robert Stene, b. 12 March 1792; d. 1870; m. Isabel Davis.
• Mariahantonieta, (should her name be two words?) b. 9 Feb. 1794; d. in Bern, NY 4 May 1796.
• Benjamin Prince, Jr., b. 9 Oct. 1796; m. Caroline Keene, daughter of Abner and Ann (Hovey) Keene.
• Charles Augustus, b. possibly in Appleton, ME, 1 March 1801; m. Jerusha McLain of Hope, ME.