Michael Edward Keating was one of at least seven known Keating children, son of Edward Keating and Hanora “Nora” Keating. Michael was born in Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, shortly before the Keating family (Edward, Hanora and Michael’s four siblings) left for America. The family arrived in the New York, NY on the ship Philadelphia on April 23, 1850.
Michael Keating, stone cutter, first appears in the Cincinnati Directory in 1871, at 236 E. 6th Street. The 1872 Directory indicates that his business address is 172 Lock Street. Michael’s home address appears in the Cincinnati Directory in alternating years between 1876 and the 1880s as either 334 or 336 E. 6th Street. This block is currently the Proctor and Gamble headquarters.
Michael was married to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Guilfoyle, of Cincinnati, Ohio. They had at least eight known children – Mary Julia (1875), Edward J. (1876), James (1876), Albert T. (1880), Bessie (1883), Katherine a.k.a. “Blanche” (1889), Norma (1889), and William (1891).
Like his father and brother, Michael was a stone cutter in the Cincinnati area around the time the dollhouse was created. The dollhouse engravings include one to his daughter, Mary Agnes, in addition to the references to John’s two children. The 1868 Cincinnati Directory indicates that at age 18 Michael Keating worked for I & W Graveson’s, later shown as L & G Gravesons in the 1869 Directory. Later directories do not indicate his place of employment.
Isaac Graveson ran an active stone cutting business in the Cincinnati area – certainly employing Michael for work in sandstone or other materials. Isaac Graveson built his own house at 2343 Mt. Auburn in 1871. The blog Digging Cincinnati features Graveson’s home and business, and opined: “Presumably he built his own magnificent Italianate mansion at Auburn Avenue in Mt. Auburn as a showplace for his skills.” http://www.diggingcincinnati.com/2012/08/a-beauty-in-mount-auburn.html As one of Isaac Graveson’s employees, Michael was likely heavily involved in the stone work on Cincinnati-area buildings constructed with assistance of the the Graveson firm.
If you would like to contribute to the Keating Dollhouse restoration, you can contribute directly to the restorationist’s company, Gravestone Transformations (Mark Smith) via the link below. Scroll down to the donation form and click on the checkbox next to “I would like to designate this donation to a specific fund.”
A dropdown menu will pop up. Keating Dollhouse is one of the options. If you would prefer to make a contribution via paper check, please send us a message here on this website, on Facebook, or email us at keatingdollhouse@gmail.com and you will be provided the proper mailing instructions. Thank you!
Keating Dollhouse 