Kevin McKee Homepage: Newsletter McKee Families #15

Kevin: this is a letter written in the early 1900's from Ireland cousins to McKee family here in Missouri. This is not the complete letter as I took out the McCann information from my grandmother's family. Thought you might like to have it as it has a lot of McKee information from County Down.

Mickey McKee

Lineage of the Family of McKee

The McKee Family of Lisbane, Comber, County Down, Ireland,

Known as the McKee's of the Straits

About 150 years ago there lived a man by the name William McKee, of Lisbane, Comber. He married a Miss Agness Jamison, of Moneyrea, near Belfast, Ireland. By this union were two sons, William and John, also daughters. The oldest son, William McKee, married Jane, daughter of Robert Jellie, of Ringneil, Comber, on the 29th of June, 1816. They had one daughter, Agnes MCkee, who later married a man by the name of Hugh McRoberts. Mrs. Hugh McRoberts died and was buried in Paramatta. They had one daughter Jane McRoberts. Mr. Hugh McRoberts and his daughter, Jane, left New South Wales and went to British Columbia, Canada. Were living there about 1860. William McKee's wife, Jane Jellie, died and he was married a second time.

William McKee married Eleanor, eldest daughter of Alexander McCann, of Whiterock, Killinchy, on the 25th of January, 1827, and lived on a farm in the town of Lisbarnett, Comber. There were four daughters and one son by this union. Their names were Mary, Jane, William, Martha and Sarah. Mary was baptized December 31, 1827; Jane was baptized February 6, 1830; William was baptized March 15, 1832.

William McKee of Lisbarnett, Comber, sailed for the United States of America, late in the year 1849, taking with him his wife, Elanor, his son William and his two unmarried daughters, Martha and Sarah. William McKee and his family settled at Indianapolis, Indiana. Was living there 1850-1852. William McKee with his family moved to Pulaski, Hancock COunty, Illinois, late in the year 1853, and was living there February 14, 1863. The said William MCkee died on the 31st of December, 1863, at Brooklyn, Schuyler County, Illinois. His son, William, was at that time engaged in the American War. Elanor, Mrs McKee, died some time later.

William McKee's daughter, Martha, married Jake Humble. She married a second time, a Mr. Weyand and lived in Missouri. Sarah McKee married Allen Eaton and lived at Camden, Schuyler County, Illinois.

William McKee, who fought in the American Civil War, settled in Missouri and married Martha Fields. There were 8 children by this union. The said William McKee died at Sumner, Missouri, age 72 years.

John, son of the first William McKee, remained on the old homestead at Lisbane. He married Jane, daughter of William Patterson, of Ballyminstra Killinchy, on February 21, 1835. They had two children, William and Agnes . The said John McKee died June 16, 1847, age 52 years. His wife Jane McKee, nee Patterson, died December 20, 1884, age 80 years. William, son of John McKee, of Lisbane, married Anna, daughter of Robert Jellie, of Ringneil Comber. They had two daughters, now Mrs Jennie Boyd and Mrs Grace Brown. The said William McKee died February 25, 1913, age 75 years. His wife, Annie McKee, nee Jellie, died February 22, 1886, age 41 years. The said William McKee retired from farming some years before his death and sold the old homestead to a Mr. John Morrison, who still lives on the farm. John McKee's daughter Agness, married a Samuel Davidson and kept a store in the town of Comber. They are both dead and a son

by the name, Samuel Davidson, carries on the business.

Mary, eldest daughter of William McKee, of Lisbarnett, married Hugh Montgomery, of Island Conley, Killinchy, in the year 1849. Of this union there were nine children. Three sons and six daughters. Hugh Montgomery died December 29, 1891, age 77 years. His wife, Mary, died February 14, 1905, age 77 years. Their daughters, Mrs Mary Dixon, Mrs Agness Newell, and Jane Montgomery, also one son John Montgomery, live in Pittsburgh , Pa. Their eldest daughter Jane Montgomery died at Island Conley, November 26, 1913. Another daughter, Mrs. SArah Bishop, died at Lisbarnett, on the old homestead of her grandfather, William McKee, on Feb 4, 1906, she having married her cousin, James Bishop. The said James Bishop died six years after his wife leaving four children, two sons and two daughters.

Hans, eldest son of Hugh Montgomery, died at Island COnley, May 15, 1916. Another son, William Montgomery, died June 2, 1883, age 21 yrs. Their youngest child, Elizabeth Montgomery, is the only one of the Montgomery family living in Ireland and is the writer of this letter.

Jane , second daughter of William MCkee, of Lisbarnett, married James Bishop, of Ringneil, Comber, and settled on the old homestead of her father in Lisbarnett. They had four sons and two daughters. David and James are dead. William married and lives near to his father's place. One son John Bishop, when a young man, went to Pittsburgh, Pa., and is still living there. Ellen, the eldest daughter, married Henry Geddes, of Ballydorn, Killinchy. They have only one child living, Eliza Jane Geddes. She is married to Matthew Davidson, of Caragullen, Killinchy.

James Bishop's second daughter , Sarah, married William Campbell, of Lisbarnett. They had two daughters. The eldest girl Martha is married to Mr. John Morehead, of Ballyminstra, Killinchy. The second girl, Jennie McKee Campbell, is married to Mr. John Morrow, of Ballymorran, Killinchy. Both have young families. James Bishop died January 1905 and his wife Jane Bishop, nee McKee, died in the year 1866. The old homestead of William Mckee was sold shortly after the death of James Bishop, in the year 1912, so it has passed out of the name of Bishop.

All the McKee family and all their relatives were respectable people, of the farming class, and all the above named people live within 10 or 15 miles of Belfast, in County Down Ireland. The McKee family were members of Killinchy Presbyterian Church, and William McKee, that left Lisbarnett for the states of America, was a teacher in Lisbarnett Sabbath School, and gave great assistance at the building of the new school in Lisbarnett in the year 1844. He was one of the School Committee. The McCann Family still farm the Whiterock farm. The name of Montgomery is not in Island Conley ,now, I having sold it three years ago when I was left alone. The foregoing is as correct a statement as I can give of my forebearers. I got some of it from the old letters in my possession, written by my grandfather, William McKee, grandmother , Elanor McKee, and Aunt Sarah Eaton, and sent home after they went to America.

To Mr. Irvin Williams, Sumner, Missouri, AMerica

From ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY, Caragullen, Killinchy, County Down Ireland.

An E Mail from Judie Riddell on 8/20/2009 - with relavance to this newsletter-
Kevin I was fascinated to come across your posting of #15 McKees of the Straits-Missouri and Illinois (County Down, Ireland).

My husband is descended from Robert McRoberts McKee and Esther McCleery (great grandparents). That couple got married at Killyleagh in 1870 and emigrated to BC shortly after.

Esther McCleery was the niece (numerous references) of Hugh McRoberts. Her parents were Samuel McCleery of Clea and Margaret McRoberts. Robert McRoberts McKee parents were Henry McKee and Susanna McRoberts. Robert was christened in Killinchy in 1844. There are about 7 children of Henry and Susanna (3 came to BC) all christened in Killinchy. I do not know of any relationship between Hugh and Susanna.

I have researched the family of Hugh McRoberts and his daughter Jenny (Jane). I have stories, vital records and newspaper articles for 3 geneations.

Of course I have researched of McKee and McCleery families also. I have the bare genealogical data (with sources) in my computer but have not as yet entered all the “STORIES”

In your research have you ever come across Henry McKee? Robert McKee was a lithographer in Belfast before his immigration.