Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1953-09-03

Encs Cockrell Keys, 81, founder
of the Silver Spring coal and fuel
! oil company which bears his name,
died Sunday morning at his Lin
den home, "Edgewood," 22O0 Mont
/ gomery Street, Silver Spring. The
house in which he died is situated
on the same site where he was
born and lived his entire life. 1t
rs a part of his original farm of
ssome 200 acres, acquired by his
father, Charles Montifix Keys, in
1862.
I Mr.. Keys received his early eG-
ucat;on through governess and
at the old Linden public school.
He then attended Emerson Insti-
tute in Washington, and Randolph
Macon College, Ashland, Virginia.
! At the age of Is he entered the
Forestry Service and was sent 70
the Old Indian Territory, now a
part of Oklahoma. He remained
there but a few months, and, fol.
lowing in the footsteps of his
father who had coal and wood
business at 14th and Ohio Avenue,
NV. Washington, in the 1S50's
and 1905, Mr.. Keys returned to
his home in Linden and establish
ed in 1889 the fuel company now
! carrying his name. Of the old
school, "Enie" Keys always stress
cd in his business the Importance
Of courtesy and good service to
: The customer.
In 1903 h. married Sarah B.
Maughlin of Boyd, Maryland. Mrs.
Keys died August II, 1858, and
their only son, Boyd, died less than
a year earlier.
In addition to conducting his
fuel business. in its early years,
I Mr.. Keys was for nearly 20 years
postmaster Of Linden, freight
agent for the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. and agent for the United
States Express Company.
At the turn of the century he
and his brother Frank, also de-
ceased, were taking a keen interest
! IN the success of the Montgomery
County Fair, then held in Rock
sville. Oldtimers will remember the
Keys boys two running and
! steeplechase horses, Sappho and
McPhonso, and their great jockey,
donnie Grimes, a colored boy, re-
puted by horsemen and race goers
to be the most graceful rider of
his day. At the Old Bennings track,
! McPhonso broke and held for sew.
eral years the track record in ths
. Observation-Disclosures hurdle
. with seven jumps. In his retiring
years, Mr.. Keys liked to tell the
Z story of how McPhonso broke from
his stall at the Benning track one
evening and returned to his stable
sin Linden. McPhonso won many
: races at the fairs at Rockville,
. Frederick, Hagerstown, Timonium,
! and Marlboro, as well as at Ben
sIings. lie lived to the age of "a
: wears, and is buried under the old
: oak trees Of the KEYS homestead.
: A member of the Maryland Fox
! Hunters Association, Mr.. Keys en-
: .oyed nothing more than chase
with the hounds. He was long n
smember of the Merchants and
: Manufactures Association and his
fairness and his high standard of
. business ethics brought him the
respect and esteem of all his COM
: petitors. lie was vestryman Of
: Grace Church, Silver Spring. For
: many years he was a member of
; kensington Lodge 1913 A. f. and
: A. NJ, but in 1922 became a char
ter member Of Silver Spring Lodge
.2l5.
Enos Keys enjoyed the simple
sthings Of life. He was a tireles g
4worker, and, until his retirement
! 20 years ago, seldom found time
10 leave the Silver Spring area. He
fwas one Of the oldest. il not the
\ Oldest, continuous residents of
Silver Spring, which he saw grow
ffrom . farming community of a
tfew dozen souls 20 the second
: largest city Of the State. He often
: reminded friends who visited with
him at his home during his retir-
ing years Of his great enjoyment
y in resting and thinking under
the trees where he played in child
fhood.
\ Mr.. Keys is survived by three
Z daughters, Mrs. Sarah X. Watson,
taf5 Dale Drive, Silver Spring;
Mrs. Rebecca 4. Pearson, who
for the past 10 years has been