Mr John Patrick Keenan was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1853. Hailing from a Roman Catholic family, he was the son of John Keenan, a sawyer, and Eliza Toner. He was baptised in St Patrick’s Church on 28 October 1853. 

Keenan is identifiable in numerous records from the mid-1870s to early 1890s serving as a fireman or trimmer on ships usually operating out of Liverpool. 

He was married in St Patrick’s Church in Belfast on 17 February 1874 to Elizabeth Davey (b. circa 1853), a “book folder”. They had five children, with three surviving infancy: John, Thomas and Vincent. The family appears on the 1911 census living at 37 Arnon Street, Belfast and Keenan was described as a shipyard labourer. 

Keenan’s ship prior to Titanic had been the Lantian. He joined Titanic at Belfast for the delivery trip to Southampton where he then disembarked.