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was born June 25, 1841, in West Hart-
ford, and when he was twenty-two years
old went to Collinsville. where for the
ensuing seven years he was employed by
the Collins Company. After resigning
from his work there, he engaged in the
retail milk business. He started with
twelve eows and at one time was the
owner of more than thirty head of cattle.
His farm of seventeen acres was
practically all under cultivation, and this
was a part of the homestead farm. Mr.
Keeney retired from active business cares
in 1909, and is enjoying a well deserved
rest in West Hartford. In March, 1918,
he celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of
his being made a Mason. He was raised
in Village Lodge in Collinsville, April 2,
1867, and is now a member of Wyllys
Lodge, No. 99, of West Hartford. Mr.
Keeney married (first) January 15. [868,
Lucia Isadore, daughter of Joshua S.
Heath, of Collinsville, born December 5,
1847, died January 1, 1889. Two of their
children grew to maturity, namely: I.
Julia Emily, born July 7. 1870, died Oc-
tober 9, 1918; became the wife of Ira
Hall, and was the mother of two sons,
Harry and Frederick Hall. 2. Charles
Heath, of further mention. Mr. Keeney
married (second) December 23, 1893, Ju-
lia II.. daughter of John S. Bancroft, of
Wapping, Connecticut. They attend the
West Hartford Congregational Church.
Charles Heath Keeney, only son of
Elizur (4) and Lucia I. (Heath) Keeney,
was born October 26, 1873, and was a
student at the public schools of his native
town. From his early boyhood he teemed
with vitality, which goes with interest
and purpose, and which has been behind
the great energy of the man. His first
position in 1894 was with a blower company
in Hartford, where he remained for
several years in their office to learn the
blower business. During his spare mo-
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119
ments he studied and prepared himself
for a larger responsibility, and for a time
was employed by the I'.. I' Sturtevant
Company, of Boston, Massachusetts, in
capacity of engineer and salesman. A
similar position was held with another
blower company of I lartford. successors
to his first employers, and after two years
in the home office he was transferred to
Boston. Massachusetts, and placed in
charge of their interests there. On re-
turning to Hartford he organized and incorporated
the Hartford I'lower Com-
pany, and for six years conducted the
affairs of that company. The experience
and knowledge thus gained was of untold
value to him, and he became the repre-
sentative of a blower manufacturer with
headquarters in the West, but his great-
est success seemed to be in his home city,
whither Mr. Keeney returned, and in
May, 1915, he realized his ambition to
engage in his own business. In the above
named month he organized and incorpor-
ated the company of which he is now the
chief executive, the Connecticut Blower
Company. They manufacture a general
line of blowers, disc fans, exhaust fans,
ventilating fans, blower systems, exhaust
systems, heating systems, conveying sys-
tems, ventilating systems, dust collectors,
air washing apparatus, revolving ventila-
tors, furnace feeders, etc., their largest
work being the installing of complete
blower systems, and their field of opera-
tions covers the Eastern and Middle
States. Mr. Keeney has taken out a number
of patents in connection with blow-
ers, and has invented a blower, exhaust
fan and dust collector, a blower for dry-
ing tobacco, and a reversible bearing for
blowers.
Mr. Keeney is a man of modern ideas,
and very alert to the needs of the day.
He knows by personal experience what
it is to work for others and is most con-