Marshall Keeble facts for kids

Marshall Keeble (born December 7, 1878, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee – died April 20, 1968, in Nashville, Tennessee) was an African American preacher. He was a very important leader in the Churches of Christ. His work helped connect people across racial lines, especially before the Civil Rights Movement. Over 50 years, he helped start almost every African-American Church of Christ in Tennessee. Many white leaders in the church admired him greatly. They wrote many positive stories about his life and work.

Early Life

Marshall Keeble's parents, Robert and Mittie Keeble, had both been slaves.

Around 1883, Marshall and his family moved to Nashville. He went to school there but only finished the seventh grade. Even so, he became a successful businessman. He was also a very good debater, able to argue his points well.

Beginning His Preaching Career

Marshall Keeble started preaching in 1897. His father-in-law, S. W. Womack, and other preachers encouraged him. He and his wife, Minnie, ran several businesses. But in 1914, he decided to focus only on preaching.

In 1918, he helped start a church for African-American members of the Church of Christ. This was the first of many times he would do this. When he tried to find a place to preach in Oak Grove, Tennessee, other churches wouldn't help. N. B. Hardeman, the president of Freed-Hardeman College, helped him find a school building. This meeting led to 84 people being baptized. Hardeman continued to support Keeble's work for many years.

Around 1920, Keeble became lifelong friends with A. M. Burton. Burton was the founder of the Life and Casualty Insurance Company of Tennessee. He gave money to support Keeble's preaching and travels. This help was very important for Keeble's work.

Even though many white church members helped Keeble, they did not challenge the separation of churches by race. Keeble remained humble and thankful. He mostly avoided talking about racial inequality in public. This helped him keep the support he needed to share his message with African-American communities. Still, he faced threats and attacks because of his race throughout his career.

Keeble was known for his great humor. He was also very passionate about preaching the gospel. He was a skilled debater. He discussed topics like baptism and the Holy Spirit in debates. These debates took him to many states, including Alabama, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Florida. Eventually, he preached in almost every state in the country.

Later Life and Work

In 1942, Marshall Keeble helped create the Nashville Christian Institute. He also became its first president. It is believed that he baptized over 40,000 people around the world during his life. Keeble was also key in starting several Christian schools. One important school that still exists today is Southwestern Christian College. He also helped start the Silver Point Christian Institute in 1909.

When he was 83, Keeble began traveling the world. In October 1960, he visited Israel and then Nigeria. In Nigeria, he preached day and night to large crowds. He was even made an honorary chief of one tribe there.

His second world trip began in October 1962. This time, he traveled with Lucien Palmer and Houston Ezell. They went all the way around the world. Their first stop was Nigeria. There, Keeble trained preachers and helped plan the Nigerian Christian Secondary School in Ukpom. The main building at the school is named Keeble Hall in his honor. Christians in Nigeria also asked Keeble to help start a hospital. He shared this request with churches back in America. Because of this, the Nigerian Christian Hospital was founded in 1965. From Nigeria, they traveled to Ethiopia, India, Singapore, and Korea. They returned home through Hawaii and Los Angeles.

In 1965, Harding University gave Keeble an honorary Doctor of Law degree. Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement also named him a Colonel Aide-de-Camp. He was the first African-American to receive this honor in Tennessee. He preached his last sermon on April 17, 1968.

Personal Life and Death

Keeble's first marriage was to Minnie Womack in 1896. She was a graduate of Fisk University High School. Their marriage lasted until her death in 1932. They had five children, but sadly, all of them died young. They all passed away before Marshall Keeble did.

Keeble married his second wife, Laura Catherine Johnson, on April 3, 1934. His friend and fellow preacher, Benton Cordell Goodpasture, led the ceremony. Laura was born on August 6, 1898. She was baptized into Christ in 1913. She lived to be 108 years old, passing away on March 5, 2007.

Marshall Keeble died on April 20, 1968. He was buried in the historic African-American Greenwood Cemetery in Nashville.