Robert L. Keener was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. He received his BA in history from Princeton University, an MA in history from the University of Akron, and did his Pd.D. studies at the University of Michigan where he was awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship. He was an adjunct professor of history at the University of Akron until his retirement in 2015. A past president of the Summit County Historical Society, Lafayette Chapter, Ohio Sons of the American Revolution, the Cascade Locks Park Association, and a Trustee Emeritus of Old Trail School, he is the founding president of the Great Lakes Chapter, Association of Professional Genealogists and serves as Treasurer of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Mr. Keener is married to Polly Keener, author of Cartooning and a syndicate cartoonist. They live in Akron and have two grown children and two grandchildren. He is a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron.