A Sunbury Daily Item article on Keithan’s Bakery says John August came to America at age 13 with his father John Wilhelm and other members of his family.

“For many, the Keithan name is synonymous with tasty sweets and brings back pleasant memories of clear toy candies at Christmas, gooey sticky buns and scrumptious ice cream treats.

The Keithan family operated a bakery, restaurant and confectionary from 1881 until 1976 at 338-340 Market Street in Sunbury.

Founder John August Keithan was born near Cassel, Germany, in 1853 and came to America at age 13 with his two brothers, Frederick and Henry, his sister, Dorothea, and his father, John Wilhelm Keithan, who was a successful baker.

After the death of Anna Keithan, John Wilhelm’s wife, the family struggled and decided to leave Germany so the eldest son, Frederick, would not be obligated to enlist in the military.

John Wilhelm Keithan brought with him molds and other tools of the trade, which served his sons well as they established businesses here.

The family first settled near Danville, where John August Keithan worked in the iron mills and painted wagons for about eight years. He moved to Shenandoah and helped Frederick establish a bakery, confectionery and ice cream business and then later assisted his brother-in-law in Philadelphia in a butter and egg venture.

Keithan returned to Sunbury and rented the Red Lion Inn property from Kate Bolton in 1881.

He was pleased that a bakeshop with one oven was already located at the rear of the property and that he could acquire plenty of butter, cream, eggs and milk locally. The property was among the first to convert to electric lighting in the summer of 1883 after Thomas Edison’s successful experiment.

Keithan purchased the property for $2,500 in the summer of 1887. Over the years, he remodeled the existing structure and in 1910 added a new building in the rear to allow for another oven. The original oven was a coal-fired hearth oven, and the new one was a coal-fired steam oven.

Bakers used 15-foot-long wooden peels to reach products in the back of the ovens.

Three horse-drawn wagons delivered fresh baked goods to customers throughout the city until the late 1920s, when Keithan purchased delivery trucks. The circus came to town one day each year from 1912 to 1925. Barnum and Bailey awarded the contracts for bread, pastries and ice cream to the Keithans, who also provided baked goods to the county prison.

John August Keithan had four children with his first wife, and after she passed away, he remarried a few years later and had 10 children with his second wife.

Over the years, his children learned the trade from their father and worked in the family business. In addition to producing a variety of yeast breads, rolls, pies, cakes and cookies, the Keithan family made ice cream and candy. A coal-fired steam boiler powered the ice cream freezer in the early days, and in 1910, an electric motor replaced it. During peak times, workers crushed a ton of ice daily for the ice cream operation. Molded chocolate Easter baskets also were a specialty at Keithan’s.

Several generations of the family gathered each year before Christmas to make clear toys in molds that were more than 100 years old. Young children stood on chairs to observe, eager to learn from the adults.

Loyal customers were saddened when the establishment closed its doors in 1976.”

Her death certificate says she was the daughter of Samuel Jarrett and was the wife of John A Keithan.