William F. Keeler, Acting Paymaster of the USS Monitor

William F. Keeler William Keeler was born on June 9, 1821, in Utica, New York. He was the oldest son of a successful businessman, Roswell Keeler, and Mary Plant. In 1846, he married Anna Dutton and moved to La Salle, Illinois.

On December 17, 1861, at the age of 40, Keeler obtained a naval appointment through Congressman Owen Lovejoy. He was given the position of Acting Assistant Paymaster and Clerk and was sent to New York. The exact date he was assigned to the Monitor is not known, but it is believed to have been some time in January 1862. While serving as the paymaster aboard the Monitor, Keeler sent many letters home to his wife. These letters reveal details of life aboard the ironclad and Keeler's opinions of the crew. He was stationed on the Monitor until the ship sank on December 31, 1862. He was not transferred to another ship immediately, but spent about a month settling the Monitor's accounts. On February 7, 1863, Keeler was stationed on the Florida, where he remained until the end of the war.

Keeler then moved his family from Illinois to Mayport, Florida. Taking on the assumed title of major, Keeler worked as a customs collector, elections inspector, and railroad paymaster until his death.