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David Keys, Blues first ever goal scorer moved to NZ

Malc

Malc

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Did you know that the scorer of Blues first goal in 1875, David Keys, emigrated to NZ. He married his teammates sister Eleanore Teychenne and for a while they lived in Dunedin. He died in 1910 in Dannevirke.

I hope this answers some questions and sets you lads off on a few research trips
 

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great story 👍 i found eleanore on census her family lived really close to the holy trinity church Q to anyone who knows i grew up on ladypool rd and i know SMA first played there but of course was all built up i just wondered where on ladypool road the ground was situated?
 
It was apparently Ladypool Lane, (although most books say Ladypool Road) which as far as I can see, no longer exists.
 
How do you get on finding information pre-World War II? I always thought the story of the fireman confusing a bucket of petrol for a bucket of water meant we lost all our pre-war records
 
That story is true. Local history, newspaper archives, family histories etc form a lot of the primary sources that can be used/researched.

Ladypool Lane was used for 1 season 1876/7. They played on a field belonging to local politician, John Lowe.
 
“Obviously I cannot reproduce it here, but Carl Chinn does a 3 page write up on Ladypool Road in his book The Streets of Brum Part Three. Basically Ladypool Road was known as Ladypool Lane until 1883 and this is why its still known as "The Lane". In 1885 the wealthy residents of Moseley were not happy being classed with the working class residents of Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath so they got the name of the top end of the lane changed to Church Road.”

Weirdly remember it being called “the lane” just as a thoroughfare just as most streams were called brooks …often just miniscule random trickles of water surrounded each side by rubbish and scraggly bushes … but great places to play in

Amazing that club have tracked this down looks contempory and staged yet is part of the teychenne family history … he opened an upholstery business with her dad making mattresses that failed … nearly all of family emigrated to australia most stayed in Victoria but these two moved on to NZ
 
This from a site with a virus loaded, so scraped from time machine:

KEYS David, 2 March 1910 aged 53
- buried Grave 89, Block J with wife Eleonore
- David was a School Master & lived in Allardice St, Dannevirke
Manawatu Standard, 3 October 1910 DECEASED PERSONS ESTATE
During September the estates of 226 deceased person were certified by the Commissioner of Stamps.
... & David Keys 421 (2010 equivalent of $93,110)

KEYS Eleonore (nee TEYCHENNE), (1860-)
Eleonore is on the database as Keys because the headstone reads: David and Elenore Keys. "Their lives were rich in love" so she (or her ashes) may have been interred with him but she died as Simmons
(Arthur Thomas Simmons first married Mary Elizabeth Steele in 1899 and had 4 children, some born in Picton)
- buried Grave 90, Block J with first husband David
Eleonore next married Arthur Thomas SIMMONS in Wanganui in 1918
NOTES
- Eleonore was born in Birmingham. Her father was French (original name spelling was Duchenne). Her parents & 11 children did a world cruise ending in Brisbane in 1876. Eleonore married David Keys in 1878 in England and they left shortly afterwards for New Zealand. Some of her family also buried in NZ
Eleonore & David lived first in Napier then Dunedin, Paeroa & probably other towns as David was a School Master
the known children of DAVID & ELEONORE
1880 - 1942 Lilian Marie Keys (+Hector Angus ROSS in 1912)
1881 - 1965 Nellie Maud Keys (+Charles Alfred HERBERT in 1905)
1882 - George Vincent Keys
1884 - Matilda/Mathilde Keys (+Harry ROBSON in 1911)
1885 - Adah Ethel Keys (+ HUNTER, moved to Australia)
1887 - Violet Mary Keys (+Ronald Robert STEWART in 1913)
1890 - 1955 William David Keys when William served in WWI (1917) his mother was next of kin in Papatawa, Hawkes Bay. William is buried Waikumete
in 1890 they were in Caversham, Dunedin
in 1902 their address was Queen's Drive, St Kilda, Dunedin
in 1916 Eleanor and her son William David were in Waitotara, Wanganui
Dominion, 27 May 1916 DISCHARGED SOLDERS SECTIONS
The monthly meeting of the Wellington Land Board was concluded yesterday, when most of the business transacted concerned applications for land by discharged soldiers. It was resolved to grant the requests in each of the following cases:-
William David Keys and Eleanor Keys applied to transfer Section 13, Blocks I and V, Nukumaru, to R. J. Sewell, J. T. Crawshaw, and Jens Larsen Bonde. This section was declared forfeited at last meeting of the board for non-payment of rent. Rent has now been paid up and the following resolution was carried: "Subject to J. L. Bonde's name being deleted, a proof of his rejectment for military service being supplied, this transfer be approved". It was also resolved that the resolution of April 27, 1816, forfeiting the lease be rescinded

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I had a long phone Conversation yesterday with Christine who is as you all know David Keys Great Granddaughter. She Lives in Auckland with her partner, such a lovely lady to speak to. I tried to give her as much info as possible about the History of our club without boring her to death ha ha. She said her and the rest of the family she is or has been in contact with during her life had absolutely no idea that David had ever even played football never mind for Blues.
She told me he Died as a result of being kicked by a Horse the poor Bugger. She had just got home from watching her Granddaughter aged 9 play football and that she is football crazy and her younger Brother also plays. She had just told them the news she had recieved via my email the day before regards David and his link to Blues, they were all really excited naturally. Their Father was there at the time and was stunned for a couple of reasons. He said he had been to England on Holiday years ago and as he had a friend who lived in Birmingham he went to stay with him. They ended up going to Saint Andrews totally oblivious to Davids History with the Club until yesterday morning,what are the chances?
She then informed me that David has a Granddaughter that lives in America and she had told her and she was also very excited. Christine and her partner are really looking forward to the weekend in Dannevirke and meeting up with us all and sharing the celebrations. I told her that the local council are planning a civic reception and inviting local football clubs and she was Blown away to be honest. The Local guy named Bruce who saw the appeal I put out on the local community page has worked wonders for sure . I suppose when you have been doing what hes done for forty years its a case of knowing where to look when doing this.
I also discovered that Christine is a big fan of Stephen Night and loved the series Rogue Heroes because her father served in exactly the same place they were based. She is doing a tour of Egypt in October to take a look for herself. I was surprised she hadnt watched peaky Blinders though although she has heard of it. Once I explained the link with Blues and the surrounding area she said she was determined to get stuck into it. Im sure the november weekend will be fantastic,Will chase up the local council on monday to see how things are going unless the lady I gave Grants contact info has been in touch.
Have a good week all,KRO
 
Small Heath Alliance 1–1 Holte Wanderers November 1975 Arthur St

Few major or even minor clubs can have sprung from a pair of families in quite the same way as the one that would come to be known as Birmingham City, but began under the name of Small Heath Alliance. An alliance it was, of the Edden and James clans, no fewer than five of whom played in the team’s first recorded match, in November 1875. Had Arthur James, later to captain the club for seven years, been available, it would have been six who took on Holte Wanderers, a team who, as their name hints, came from Aston. The result was a 1-1 draw in a 12-a-side game, one David Keys scoring the club’s first goal. The two sets of three brothers had come together, just like Aston Villa, in a church cricket club, in their case from Holy Trinity, Bordesley, which decided to start a football section in September of that year. Pleasingly, the venue for the first match was a piece of wasteland on Arthur Street barely a couple of hundred yards south of St Andrew’s. Ambition was such that for only their second season they found an enclosed ground, just over a mile south in Sparkbrook, only to return closer to their origins in Muntz Street. Sloping, uneven pitch or not, loathed by most visiting teams, the ground would be home for almost 30 years from September 1877 and may well have contributed to an undefeated first season there of 22 matches. The following year the Heathens – who would not wear blue until 1890, preferring navy shirts most of the time before then – competed in the Birmingham Senior Cup for the first time in 1878/79, its third season, although Muntz Street saw a 1-0 firstround defeat by more experienced visitors Calthorpe. In September the following year there was a first game with Villa, which was won by what was described as ‘one nil and a disputed goal to nil’.
 
144 Years ago this month the foundations were set! A cold Nov in 1875, 1-1 draw against Holte Wanderers with David Keys scoring the first ever goal who played alongside William Edmunds (pic) who became the clubs 1st Cpt.

EIg4It2XUAAkGlL.jpeg
 
Registration Family Name Given Name(s) Mother's Given Name(s) Father's Given Name(s) Still Birth
1890/8318 Keys David William Eleonore David -
1885/17265 Keys Adah Ethel Eleonore David -
1880/3056 Keys Lilian Marie Eleonore David -
1887/19597 Keys Violet Mary Eleonore David -
1882/9626 Keys George Vincent Eleanore David -
1884/3727 Keys Matilda Eleanore David -
1881/18167 Keys Nellie Maud Nellie David -
 
Had an Email from Pamela who is David's Granddaughter, she lives in Cape Cod USA. She's in the UK in September. Now if We Could get her to a game it would be the Icing on the Cake 💙
 
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