I've been reading this thread and decided to join in.

My connection is also thru Bowers, and their intermarriages with Steffy, Misner and Ditch in Brush Valley.

My great-grandfater Samuel Stiffler 1877-1952 was born out of wedlock to Maria Steffey by Thomas Stiffler. Samuel was raised by his mother's parents Peter Steffey and Fannie Misner after Maria married William Shepherd. Peter and Fanny were 1st cousins, Peter the son of John Steffey 1801-1862 and Sally Bowers 1804-abt 1829 and Fannie was the daughter of Samuel Misner 1801-1894 and Fanny Bowers 1806-, Sally and Fanny being sisters, the daughters of Henry and Mary Bowers. Henry was son of John, and nephew of George Bowers.

I remember seeing Barbara Yurkshat's work years ago when I started on these families.

On to the question of this William B. Keller. My opinion is that he could very well be the William Davis listed in the 1850 & 1860 census. Henry Raab said that William's obit does not mention his parents. in my experience this is not unusual when the person was born out of wedlock. Rather than try to explain a sensitive subject, it is ignored. Davis could then have been his birth father's name, but upon reaching adulthood he decided to use the surname of the family that raised him. Also something I have seen before.

The death certificate gives William's mother name as Elizabeth Bowers. This does not seem to fit the facts, but remember that the source of the information are the survivors, and they might not have their facts straight. George Keller's oldest daughter was named Elizabeth, and her mother's (George's wife) maiden name was Bowers. The 1850 census has Elizabeth age 25 in the family of George & Kate Kellar, along with 3 yr old William Davis. Also in 1850 census in Brush Valley Twp are Daniel & Elizabeth Groft, but I can't yet find them in later censuses to see if they are the parents of George Groft mentioned in George keller's will. There is a George Groft born Jul 1841, who's in the census in Indiana Boro in 1870, 1880 & 1910, but I haven't found a matching record in 1860 when he might have been with his parents. He seems a little old to be Elizabeth's son, but in my records I have George as a son of Rebecca Keller and unknown Groft, with no dates for Rebecca. That might be correct, but I'd like to verify it.