Guide to the Keyton Family Collection
Record Group 256
Date Span: 1890 - 1955
Unprocessed Extent: 0.5 cu ft
Biographical Sketch:
The Keyton family has lived in Dothan since the turn of the 20th century. It has intermarried with the Newtons and [Wood] Pearson families of the Wiregrass and the Williams family of Norwich, CT.
Family members represented in the collection as of July 2020 include:
- John Reuben Keyton (1869-1945) and wife Ida Newton (1871-1933)
- Annie C. Enos Williams of Norwich, CT (1865-1957), widow of Antone J. Williams (1863- 1910). She lived with her daughter, Joyce, in Dothan after 1926.
- John Arthur Keyton, Sr., MD (1893-1965) and wife Joyce K. Williams (1896-1988)
- John Arthur Keyton, Jr. (1925-2017) and wife Betty Wood Pearson (1928-2011)
- Betty Ann Keyton (1923 -- ?), daughter of John Arthur Sr. and Joyce.
Scope / Content Note: Predominantly correspondence, but also business papers, photographs, artifacts, and ephemera covering the lives of 3 generations of the Keyton family, 1890-1955.
Organization: Order imposed by processor. Arranged by who was likely to have saved the material. For example, correspondence arranged by who received it. Papers and photographs arranged by generation. Artifacts all from John Arthur Keyton, Jr. who served in World War 2, housed separately.
Provenance: John A. Keyton, III, DMD, and his wife Christy (owner of Naomi & Olive) are heirs and erstwhile family historians for the large quantity of materials saved by previous generations. This accession is the first of many possible gifts.
Processing Notes: Dothan Women's Club photo (plus ephemera) and WW2 scrapbook are retained as digital copies with donors keeping originals. Folders 001.010 -- 014 were digitized in February and March 2023
Cite as: Keyton Family Collection, RG 256, Wiregrass Archives, Troy University Dothan Campus, Dothan, AL.
Acquisition Method: Gift
Access/User Limits: Open per gift agreement, 7/31/2020
Proc Date: 7/1/2020
Processor: MTO / TB / DS
Publications about this collection:
Olliff, Martin T. “It Came from the Archives: Dr. Arthur Keyton — a Dothan Doughboy in Occupied Germany, 1919-1920.” TroyToday (blog). December 6, 2024. https://today.troy.edu/news/it-came-from-the-archives-dr-arthur-keyton-a-dothan-doughboy-in-occupied-germany-1919-1920/.
Inventory
File I.D. Title
256-20-0701-001-001 Correspondence to J. R. Keyton
256-20-0701-001-002 Notes on Sermon by Bishop McCoy, July 26, 1914, by J. R. Keyton
256-20-0701-001-003 Receipts, J. R. and Ida Keyton, 1890 – 1915
256-20-0701-001-004 Ephemera viz. J. R. and Ida Keyton, Annie Williams
256-20-0701-001-005 Ephemera viz. J. R. Keyton -- Writings from 2 women in the community, ca. 1920
256-20-0701-001-006 J. R. Keyton -- Patent and Correspondence
256-20-0701-001-007 J. R. Keyton -- Contracts, Mortgages, Similar Business Records, 1902-1928
256-20-0701-001-008 Correspondence to Ida Keyton
256-20-0701-001-009 Correspondence from Arthur Keyton (John Arthur, Sr.) while in Tulane to J. R. and Ida Keyton, ca. 1913-1916
256-20-0701-001-010 Correspondence from Joyce Keyton to Ida and J. R. Keyton, May-August 1919
256-20-0701-001-012 Correspondence from Ida Keyton to Anna (Annie) Williams, 1920
256-20-0701-001-013 Correspondence from Arthur (John Arthur, Sr.) to Anna (Annie) Williams, 1920
256-20-0701-001-014 Correspondence from Joyce Keyton, Coblenz, to Anna (Annie) Williams, 1920
256-20-0701-001-015 Letter from Nellie [Williams] to "Mother," [Annie Williams], n.d.
256-20-0701-001-016 Correspondence from J. R. and Ida Keyton to Arthur (John Arthur, Sr.) while in Tulane, December 1915 - January 1916
256-20-0701-001-017 Correspondence to Arthur (John Arthur, Sr.) Keyton, 1916 – 1918
256-20-0701-001-018 Correspondence from Arthur (John Arthur, Sr.) to Joyce Keyton, 1919-1963 and n.d.
256-20-0701-001-019 Opiate tax license, Arthur (John Arthur, Sr.) Keyton, MD, 1916
256-20-0701-001-020 Photographs: 1930s John A. Keyton, Jr.; 1940, John Arthur, Sr., & Joyce Keyton in Dothan
256-20-0701-001-021 Ephemera viz. Arthur (John Arthur, Sr.) and Joyce Keyton
256-20-0701-001-022 Photographs of deployment in Germany, John Arthur Keyton, Jr., 1945 – 1946
256-20-0701-001-023 Letter from Arthur (John Arthur, Sr.) Keyton to John Arthur Keyton, Jr., 1955
256-20-0701-001-024 Ephemera viz. John Arthur Keyton, Jr. and Betty Wood Pearson
256-20-0701-002-ITM 1 Hospital Arm Band, World War 2
256-20-0701-002-ITM 2 Forage Cap, Cotton Khaki, World War 2, with 16 FA, 4 ID badge
256-20-0701-002-ITM 3 Forage Cap, Wool Olive Drab, World War 2, with 16 FA, 4 ID badge
256-20-0701-002-ITM 4 Nazi car pennant
256-20-0701-002-ITM 5 Nazi car flag
256-20-0701-002-ITM 6 Nazi wall hanging, 29" x 29"
256-20-0701-MD 30 ITM 1 Alabama Railroad and Highway Map
256-20-0701-Y Drive Scan: Framed photograph of 1930 Dothan Women's Club, handwritten list of names, newspaper photo and image 1983
256-20-0701-Y Drive Scan: Scrapbook
Contact Us
Wiregrass Archives
Troy University Dothan Campus
Everett 128
502 University Dr.
Dothan, AL 36303
Phone: 334-983-6556 x21327
Email: wiregrassarchives@troy.edu