Maria Anna Keeler Born: 25 December 1809 Switzerland Died: 7 April 1894 Recovery Township, Mercer County, Ohio

Maria was the eldest of eight children of John L. Fisher and Mary. Her exact place of origin is unknown, although it may have been canton Aargau.

Maria emigrated at age 23 with several of her siblings, arriving in Baltimore on 30 June 1833. The name of the ship is unknown.

Maria married Gregory Keeler on 20 November 1837 at St. Alphonsus in Peru, Huron County, Ohio. The priest was Rev. Francis X. Tschenhens; the witnesses were John Birkmeyer and George Fisher.

Between 1839 and 1853, Gregory and Maria had ten children:

1. Gregory (23 Jan 1839 - before mid-1840)
   Gregory died young.
2. Alphonse Gregory (b. 15 Dec 1839)
   He married Mary (1850-before 1880)
3. Augustus H. (August) (31 May 1841 - 30 Jun 1924)
   He married Sophia Bechtel (1842-1918)
   August worked as a farmer.
4. George (28 Sep 1842 - 3 Nov 1920)
   He married Katherina (Kate) Koenig (1841-1910)
   George moved to Maple Grove Township, Saginaw County, Michigan in 1863.
   He worked as a farmer, lumberman, and land speculator. He died as the result of a fall from an automobile.
5. John (25 Oct 1843 - 1 Dec 1909)
   He married Victoria Ackerman (1848-1923)
   John worked as a farmer.
6. Joseph (b. 1846)
   He married Pauline.
7. Francis Xavier (Frank) (25 Mar 1847 - 6 Feb 1932)
   He married Mary Anna Fein (1852-1932)
8. Mary Amelia (19 Jun 1848 - 17 Jul 1924)
   She married Felix Metzger (1836-1917)
9. Kaspar (6 Sep 1850 - 24 Jul 1920)
   He married Catherine Bechtel (1856-1936)
   Kaspar worked as a farmer, and was the operator of a planing mill.
10. Gregory (b. Feb 1853)
    He is said to have become estranged from his family, and died in Wisconsin.

Maria lived with her husband and children in Ridgefield Township, Huron County. In 1851, the family moved to Sharon Township, Richland County, Ohio. In 1880, her 61-year old disabled brother, Gabriel Fisher, was living with her and her husband.

Maria's husband died in 1880, and on 16 March 1883, she sold the 80 acres of land left by him to Simon Metzger. The price was $6,000. At some point after 1883, she moved to Sharpsburg (Mercer County, Ohio), possibly to be near her daughter, Mary Metzger, who had moved there in 1883. In 1888, Maria owned 40 acres in section 30 of Gibson township, Mercer County.

Maria died at age 84; the cause of death was listed as "old age." She was buried on 9 April 1894 in St. Paul's cemetery in Sharpsburg. Her tombstone, shown above, is in German, and reads "Hier ruht Maria A. Kieler gst dem 7 Apr 1894 alt 84 Jr. und 3 Mo." ["Here lies Maria A. Kieler, died 7 April 1894, 84 years and three months old"].

By 1900, her land had been sold to J. Muhlenbaugh.