

Nelson Keck had distinctive passions, and he followed each of them through in his life. He grew citrons in his garden, forged his own knives, tried out woodworking, and even dabbled in cooking. An avid reader, Keck had a large library built in his home, with hundreds of books he loved to share with his seventeen children. Despite all these professions, Keck never failed to make time for his family and explore more unique interests. And in 1922, Keck served as the Clerk of Jackson Township, aiding in the organization of court cases. Keck was ordained in 1904 as a minister at the Evangelical church, known today as the United Methodist Church. In addition to houses, Keck built barns in the Jackson Township area.īut his areas of expertise didn’t stop here. Located today near Wales Avenue NW, his home was one of the first in the area to have indoor electrical and plumbing, all installed by Keck himself. He bought a farm and fixed it up for six years to create a family home. Keck was hired as a teacher in 1891, where he would have been just eighteen years old.ĭuring the summer, when school was off, Keck expanded his repertoire of knowledge by working as a contractor.

As a child, he attended the local school, but was incredibly intelligent, insofar as the teachers soon had nothing more to teach him.

The eldest of twelve children, six boys and six girls, he was born in McDonaldsville, Ohio. Nelson Menotis Keck, born in 1873, was a prolific contractor, teacher, clerk, and minister, among many of the other activities he participated in and excelled in. The term Renaissance man originated from the Renaissance era, where philosophers in 15th-century Italy coined the idea that “a man can do all things if he will.” Despite this idea arising in the 1400s, Jackson Township saw its very own Renaissance man just one hundred years ago.
