Tim and Mark’s Database of Keesling's

Tim Keesling Note:
From Crystal (Keesling) Haynes - Crystal made a stearn statment reguarding the middle name of Andrew which was her Grandfather! She told me (Tim Keesling) that his middle name was in FACT Jackson. I (Tim Keesling), tend to believe what she says since she would have known her own Grandfathers middle name. So far we have found no documented proof of his name being Jackson but I'm sure at some point something will show up.

Buried in the "Old Keesling (Kisling) Cemetery" which is on his Grandfather Jacob Kisling's land. Jacob, his Grandfather was one ofthe 5 original brothers to settle the land in the early 1800's which would become Mechanicsburg, Indiana. Andrew was buried on January 21, 1911.

Death certificate lists his name as Andrew Kisling, Died of Carcinoma of Stomach, Medical Doctor signing certificate - C.M. Smethers, Medical Doctor from Markleville, Indiana.
Funeral Directors for Burial was Condo & Son of Wilkinson, Indiana.
Death Certificate located at Henry County, Indiana Vital Records Department - Book CSS5-34

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From the Database of the late Keith L. Smith:
Burial Costs:
In my mother's papers, I found the receipt for the casket, suit, and burial costs from Wiedner & Parson for Andrew (A.J.) Keesling's funeral. The total cost was $ 98.75

My mother went to her grave believing she was a descendant of Andrew Jackson Keesling, who lived on US 36 west of Mechanicsburg. It wasn't until I started to document my line that I discovered the two Andrew J. Keesling which caused the confusion:
Andrew (A. J.) or Jake Keesling b. 3 May 1842 d. 19 Jan 1911 s/o of Jacob Kisling Jr.
Andrew "Andy" Jackson Keesling b. 8 Sep 1816 d. 9 Oct 1904 brother to Jacob Kisling, Jr.
By documenting back I have proven that Andrew "A. J." or "Jake" Keesling was my great-great grandfather.

Even today among the current researchers who are descended from him there is a disagreement as to what the middle initial " J " stood for. Tim Keesling remains convinced that his middle name was Jackson. I have found no documents that shed any light on the subject. In one document based on the early 1900 family history research done by Jasper Keesling - which would have been done while A. J. was still alive - there is a reference to him referring to him as Jake Keesling and another reference to Andrew Jacob Keesling. In another family history document written in the 1960's, he is referred to as Andrew Jackson Keesling. Neither of these documents provide references to primary sources.
Supposedly my grandfather was named after my great-greatgrandfather, but even this does not provide definitive knowledge of what the middle initial " J " stood for. Several years before she died, my great aunt Gladys (Keesling) Hill wrote down for my mother the names and dates of all of A. J. (Jake)'s family and and Gary Sylvester "Vet" Keesling's family (her brothers). She or my mother penciled in "Jackson" above the " J. " for my great-great grandfather, but Aunt Gladys wrote: Andrew J. (Jacob) Keesling for her brother - my great-grandfather.
Another case for the middle initial standing for Jacob is that my great-greatgrandfather was called Jake. He also named a son (brother to my greatgrandfather Gary Sylvester) who was named Jacob and called "Jake". My grandfather also was called A. J. or Jacob or Jake. Thus the " J " would stand for Jacob.
I believe, but can not prove that his middle name was Jacob. Perhaps I am stubborn on this point, but without primary sources to prove otherwise, I continue to believe in my deductions.