General George De Benneville Keim, Iron Manufacturer, was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, December 16th, 1778, and was the second son of John and Susanna (de Benneville) Keim of that place. He received his education in the school held in the Friends' old meetinghouse. In 1798, he was taken into the iron business by his father, and continued with him until 1800, when the latter retired, leaving the management of the house to his sons. He extended his interests largely, until he became either sole or part owner of the Reading Furnace, Schuylkill Furnace, Charming Forge, Susan Forge, and Little Schuylkill Forge. In 1809, he entered into a co-partnership with William Allibone, of Philadelphia, in the buying and selling of breadstuffs, and in exporting largely to Liverpool, England. This firm was dissolved by mutual consent, in 1814, owing to the condition of things produced by the war with England. He took a lively interest in the development of Schuylkill county, and was among the first projectors of the Little Schuylkill Railroad & Navigation Company, the Mount Carbon, the Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven Railroads, and was one of the incorporators and most active supporters of the Reading Railroad. He had been previously prominent in the Canal and Turnpike, superseded by this great corporation. He was Democratic in his political faith, but at the same time earnest in advocating protection to home manufactures, and was a member of the General Convention of the Friends of Domestic Industry, held in New York, October, 1831, where he presented the report "On the product and manufacture of iron and steel." Though an ardent politician, he was no office-seeker, filling no position save that of Burgess of the borough, and President of the Town Council for a number of years. He was a warm personal and political friend of Governor Hiester, who, in 1821, appointed him as aide-de-camp on his staff, with the rank of Colonel. In 1830, he was elected Major-General of the Sixth Division--his opponent being Simon Cameron. He was President of the Branch Bank of Pennsylvania for over thirty years; and was also one of the founders of the Reading Water Company, in 1822. For many years he was a Trustee of the Reading Academy, and also aided in the establishment of the Reading Female Seminary. He was President of the Youths' and Apprentices' Library. In 1819, he was instrumental in organizing the Berks County Bible Society, and was also a Manager for many years; he was also President of the Reading Branch of the Pennsylvania Colonization Society. He was for a long time Senior Warden and a Vestryman of Christ Episcopal Church of Reading, and, with others of his family, gave largely of his time and means towards the erection of a Parish Church. He was married, February 4th, 1799, to Mary, daughter of James May of Reading, and had seven children, three sons and four daughters, all of whom have died except the youngest daughter, Mrs. Wirt Robinson, of Richmond, Virginia. He died August 20th, 1852.
Source: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1874, pp. 348.
Contributed by: Nancy.