“In 1839 when Francis was near nine years old his family immigrated to the United States from the state of Hesse-Darmstadt, now a region located in modern Germany. His father, Henry, and mother Mary Elizabeth, brought with them their seven children, first settling in Ohio. In 1840 Francis was sent to join one of his older brothers in Chicago where he was placed in school. In 1844 he rejoined his family who had recently moved to Lake County, Indiana. In 1845 at the age of fourteen he returned to his brother in Chicago where he worked for him as a clerk in his store while he learned the mercantile trade. Sometime near 1850, Henry opened a general merchandise store in St. John along the Chicago (Patterson) Road with Francis working for him as a clerk. He soon became a full partner. In 1856 Francis was appointed Postmaster of St. John, a position he would hold until 1885. In 1857 Francis married a local girl, Margaret Schaeffer. Together they had nine children. The Keilman House appears to have been constructed around the time of the Keilman’s marriage, c. 1857-58…Francis died at his home on October 10, 1908 and was buried in St. John’s Catholic cemetery a short distance to the south of his home on October 13…Francis was indeed a successful business man and his influence was significant in the pioneer and settlement years of Lake County in the St. John area.” (National Register of Historic Places Registration Form)
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