Jesse H. Keen was born on October 8, 1832, in North Carolina to Harold and Pervela Keen. It is unclear whether he was born free or enslaved. His father may have died sometime before 1850. By 1850, the family was living in Ripley, Indiana, and Keen was attending school there. He married Ameriles Jeffries in on June 28, 1854, and they had at least seven children: James, born around 1855; Martha, born around 1857; Cassie, born around 1859; Amanda, born around 1861; Mary, born around 1863; Rosette, born around 1868; and Jesse, born around 1876.
By 1870, he was working as a farmer in Smith, Indiana, and he owned $2,000 of real estate and $600 of personal property. By 1900, he was working as a carpenter weaver. He remained in Smith for the rest of his life, and he died of arteriosclerosis in Churubusco, Indiana, on November 22, 1912.