KEY and allied families 1931By Mrs. Julian C. Lane This publication provides the early history of the Key family. The author, Mrs. Lane is descended from the author of "The Star Spangled Banner", Francis Scott Key. Her book traces the Key's ancestry to the early pioneer American immigrant, as well as shedding light on the early European history of the family. Francis Scott Key was born in 1799 in Pipe Creek, Carroll Cty, Maryland. He was son of John Ross and Ann Phoebe Penn