Kate Adams Keller (October 12, 1856 – November 15, 1921) was the mother of Helen Keller, and she died at age 65.
She was born in Arkansas and married Captain Arthur H. Keller in 1878. She raised Helen, Mildred, and Phillips Brooks in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She wrote to Perkins School for a teacher, and Annie Sullivan arrived in 1887. No source records her height or net worth.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Catherine Everett “Kate” Adams Keller |
| Born | October 12, 1856, Arkansas |
| Died | November 15, 1921, Montgomery, Alabama |
| Age at death | 65 |
| Husband | Captain Arthur Henley Keller (1836–1896) |
| Children | Helen, Mildred, Phillips Brooks |
| Parents | Charles W. Adams and Lucy Helen Everett Adams |
| Height | Not recorded |
| Net worth | Not recorded |
How Old Was Kate Adams Keller?
She lived 65 years. Four sources use the October 12 birth date. Two use December 12.
Here is her age at each major event, calculated from October 12, 1856:
| Year | Event | Her age |
|---|---|---|
| 1878 | Marries Arthur Keller | 21–22 |
| 1880 | Helen is born, June 27 | 23 |
| 1887 | Annie Sullivan arrives, March 3 | 30 |
| 1896 | Arthur Keller dies | 39–40 |
| 1921 | Kate dies | 65 |
| 2026 | 170th anniversary of her birth | — |
Why the range for 1878? The exact wedding date matters. One source says she was 22 at the wedding.
Why Do Sources Disagree on Her Age?
Sites copy each other, and one wrong date spreads fast. Here is how the sources line up:
| Claim | Sources that agree | Sources that differ |
|---|---|---|
| Born October 12, 1856 | IMDb, Find a Grave, WikiTree, Grokipedia | — |
| Born December 12, 1856 | Famous Birthdays | Four sources above |
| Age 65 at death | Find a Grave, IMDb, Grokipedia | Famous Birthdays says 64 |
| Buried in Montgomery | Find a Grave | WikiTree says Tuscumbia |
October 12 has the stronger agreement. WikiTree itself marks the date as uncertain.
How Tall Was Kate Adams Keller, and What Was Her Net Worth?
No source I reviewed records her height. Photos exist, but a photo cannot give a reliable number.
Net worth does not apply to her in the modern sense. She lived on family income, not earnings. Her husband’s family money was limited, according to one biography.
- Height: not recorded.
- Net worth: not recorded.
- Income: no estate valuation found.
- Warning: any exact figure online is a guess.
Who Was Kate Adams Keller’s Husband?
Her husband was Captain Arthur Henley Keller. He was a former Confederate officer and a newspaper editor.
He was her elder by about 20 years. Born in 1836, he was 42 when they married.
What made this marriage unusual?
- It was Arthur’s second marriage.
- He had two sons from his first wife: James McDonald and William Simpson.
- He remarried about a year after his first wife died.
- The sons reportedly resented the new marriage.
- Arthur died in 1896, and Kate lived 25 more years.
Some sites claim a 23-year age gap. Their own birth years say 20, so count the years yourself.
Who Were Kate Adams Keller’s Parents and Children?
Her father, Charles W. Adams, was born in Boston. He became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. Her mother, Lucy Helen Everett, was related to a noted New England clergyman and orator.
Kate and Arthur had three children:
- Helen Adams Keller (born June 27, 1880), the eldest.
- Mildred Campbell Keller (later Tyson).
- Phillips Brooks Keller, the youngest.
Genealogy sites sometimes add more names. Those are usually Arthur’s sons from his first marriage.
What Did Kate Adams Keller Do for Helen?
Helen lost her sight and hearing as a toddler. Kate refused to send her away, even when Helen’s outbursts grew worse.
Here is how Kate shaped Helen’s future:
- 1886: The family sought advice about Helen’s education.
- Late 1886–1887: Kate wrote to the head of Perkins School for a teacher.
- March 3, 1887: Anne Sullivan arrived in Tuscumbia.
- Later years: Kate bought a braille typewriter to write to Helen.
Credit matters here. Sullivan did the teaching. Kate made that teaching possible.
How and Where Did Kate Adams Keller Die?
She died on November 15, 1921, in Montgomery, Alabama. Helen was 41 and on tour in Los Angeles. Helen outlived her mother by 47 years.
I found no documented cause of death. Do not trust pages that name one without a record.
Burial is disputed. Find a Grave lists Greenwood Cemetery, Montgomery, with plot details. WikiTree lists Oakwood Cemetery, Tuscumbia. Check cemetery records before visiting.
Was Kate Adams Keller in a Film?
IMDb lists her with a “Self” credit in Deliverance (1919). Famous Birthdays says actress Betty Schade played her. Those two claims conflict, and I found no source that settles it.
She also appears as a character in the play The Miracle Worker. That character is a dramatization, not a record of the real woman.
2026 Update
- October 12, 2026: the 170th anniversary of her birth.
- November 15, 2026: the 105th anniversary of her death.
- Records: no new primary documents on her height, net worth, or cause of death surfaced in 2026 searches.
- Archives: Perkins Archive keeps 1914 photographs of Kate with Helen and Anne Sullivan.
Keep Reading on GMRU
- Who Is Royce Renee Woods' Husband?, a profile of a famous person's private relative.
- Lou Rawls: Age, Height, Wiki, Bio, Net Worth, and Wife, another historical figure.
- Nell Fisher Biography: 2026 Verified Age, a fact-checked age profile.
- Carolin Bacic: Complete Guide, a profile of someone known through a relationship.