Story by Maya Waid
Photos by Max Feliu
Graphic by Chrissy Wang
In 1969, when William “Bill” Keyes IV was a sophomore in high school, his father, William Keyes III, died. The loss of his father when Bill was just 16 left a void, but it also sparked a deep need to connect with his family’s history.
But he didn’t know much about his father’s past, and he knew even less about his grandfather and great-grandfather. And now he wants his son, William Keyes V, and grandson, William Keyes VI, to know their family’s history.
By chance, in August 2023, a box of books was anonymously donated to the Brown Library in Washington, N.C. One book in particular, a family Bible, will help unlock his family’s history.
Bill Keyes
The people closest to Keyes know two things: he is from Washington N.C. and he went to UNC-Chapel Hill.
At age 25, Bill made his way from ‘little Washington’ to big Washington. In 1981, he served as a senior policy advisor in the White House during the Reagan administration.
While in Washington, Bill worked for the Institute on Political Journalism before founding a leadership institute for African American male college students in 2003 — an initiative he now dedicates most of his time to.
In 2018, Bill earned his doctorate in communication studies from UNC. During that time he also served on several advisory boards and earned several prestigious awards.
Despite his long list of accomplishments, now at age 71, the most important task has been learning about the family who came before him.
“I think about the sacrifices that they made for me to be able to have the life that I have,” Bill said. “I never neglect to thank God for the family that I was born into, but I also thank God for the family that he’s given me.”
Upholding the Tradition
Bill’s son, William Keyes V, known as BJ, has followed his father’s legacy of accomplishments. In 2021, he earned his MBA from UNC. In September 2023, he started working for The Institute of Responsible Leadership, with his dad, as an executive director.
BJ also had done his share of ancestral research, but as life got busier, he set it aside. His father, however, never stopped searching for answers.
“A lot of times, people don’t necessarily know the full story of where they come from and what their history is,” BJ said. “Being able to be a part of understanding who we are, a little bit more is just a really wonderful occasion.”
When BJ’s son, William Keyes VI, was born in March 2023, it marked the first time that three generations of William Keyes’ were alive at the same time.
“I wanted to be able to share (our history) with my grandson, so that going forward, he would know who William the first, second, third, fourth and fifth all were,” Bill said.
A Helping Hand
In October 2022, Bill got in touch with N.C. Research and Instructional Librarian Sarah Carrier, to help him find out more about William I and II.
By looking at birth certificates, death certificates and yearbooks, Carrier was able to trace the Keyes line back to a matriarch in 1790.
“I love family history questions and when he told me that he didn’t know anything because his grandfather died young, I really wanted to help him,” Carrier said.
Over the course of the next month, Carrier delved into the Keyes’ history and compiled as much research as she could. She found photos of William II and his work with churches across the state.
At the end of the month, Carrier sent Keyes a full genealogy report that helped him understand more of his own family lineage.
“When I sent him the report, I was just so pleased,” Carrier said. “I’m just so happy that he was able to share it with his son and his grandchildren. That just makes me so pleased and so happy.”
The Bible’s Discovery
In summer of 2023, a large box of books was donated to the library through the Friends of the Brown Library book sale. In this box, a thick, worn-down Bible sat untouched.
Brown Library Reference Specialist/Genealogy Stephen Farrell examined the Bible to determine whether it had any secular value. However, what he found surprised him.
Inside the Bible scribbled in pencil was ‘Reverend W. A. Keyes was born 1850, age 57 years old’ — otherwise known as William Keyes I.
“Finally, making contact with a relative is always special, but this one was incredibly moving, to find a relative who bears the same name and that has grandchildren that also bear the same name,” Farrell said. “We both made a connection that I think is very rarely made between two strangers.”
Bill hadn’t been in the Brown Library in more than 50 years until Sept. 4, 2024 when he returned to see the Bible — a date he chose because it would have been his father’s 98th birthday.
Although the Bible was discovered in August 2023, it was the first time that the Keyes could come together in little Washington to see it. For Bill, it was important that the whole family gathered to view the Bible and celebrate their heritage together.
When Bill walked into the room for the first time with his grandson on his hip, seeing the Bible felt surreal. He had spent years searching for answers about his history, and now, a piece of the puzzle was in front of him.
“It’s pretty crazy just to be able to touch something that existed a couple centuries ago, but being able to touch the Bible that was owned by the man for whom I’m named without ever having met him or knowing anything about it,” Bill said.
The room quickly filled with relatives, grandchildren, high school classmates, neighbors, church members and even friends from Bill’s kindergarten days.
Learning more about the Keyes’ history was not only important for Bill, but also for the community. The Bible made history as the first African American family Bible accessible in a public institution in Beaufort County.
“(The Bible) tells a broader story that is oftentimes overlooked, oftentimes mistold, misrepresented,” Farrell said. “This really gives us a hands-on feel to that history. It really connects multiple pieces of the puzzle and tells a broader story of our Washington and greater Beaufort County area.”
One of the most significant discoveries Bill made during his ancestral research was that the Keyes family has no history of enslavement, which was unusual for rural North Carolina at the time.
“This is a situation facing so many African Americans,” Carrier said. “Even though they were free, it doesn’t mean that they weren’t living in a climate of white supremacy and that they weren’t disenfranchised and that their families weren’t disrupted.”
Bill found a connection to his great-grandfather through religion. Bill has followed Christian beliefs throughout his life and has passed those values down to his children.
Through his research, Bill also discovered a connection to William I. While in kindergarten, Bill lived in New Bern, N.C. During the 1800s, his great grandfather was the pastor of Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church in New Bern — the same church Bill attended for four years as a child.
Bill and BJ’s work with the Institute for Responsible Citizenship today are deeply influenced by the teachings of Bill’s father and the sermons of his great-grandfather.
“Being a preacher and a teacher is in my blood. That’s why it’s ironic that I ended up doing what I’m doing now,” Bill said.
The Search Continues
In the upcoming months, Farrell will focus on digitizing the Bible. The physical Bible will be stored in a custom-made archival clam box in the special collections section.
Regardless of the Bible’s origins, Bill has observed a consistent thread through the generations of Keyes men: a commitment to excelling in whatever path they choose. This dedication is something BJ has embraced in his own career, and Bill is confident that Willis will carry forward as well.
Bill’s legacy extends to his entire family, not just the six generations of William Keyes’. His wife, Lola, daughter, Lola, and grandsons, Hendrix and Lenox, are all part of that legacy.
“Having this Bible is a beginning of a phase of deep study an investigation for me and our family, so that these young men, my grandsons and grandchildren, will not be in a situation that I’ve been in for my whole life where I didn’t know who the people were who came before me,” Bill said.
With his newfound knowledge of his family history, Bill will continue searching for connections to the William Keyes who came before him.
“Being named William Keyes means that you have to demonstrate some excellence in whatever you do,” Bill said. “So that puts a burden on all of us to continue to follow in that legacy of excellence that’s been set for us.”
As for Bill’s next challenge? Uncovering the Bible’s journey through the years.
“I want to know who the heck had this Bible all these years,” Bill said. “It’s really a puzzle. It’s fascinating to think it existed somewhere, owned by someone I might not even know.”
