McKee Family Matters
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This page is dedicated to the McKee name and all those who are interested in news on our heritage, backgrounds, family stories, letters, and anything that might be sent this way to share with other McKees from around the world. I have been asked to do something like this, and time permitting, and with interest and input, I will endeavor to desiminate information that I and others run across that would be interested in sharing.

What is a Family Crest all About?

I know that commercially there are many places that offer some sort of generalized crest for family surnames, as the one I mail ordered from Ireland in the 1980s and shown on the McKee Family Surname Page. I scanned through the internet looking for the best explanations of this phenom- and found what I thought to be the definative answers at The College of Arms. A nutshell explanation is that they were granted to the male heads of families and varied even brother to brother. There is only one grantor in Scotland, and one or two in UK handling the balance. The crest shown on the Kevin McKee Homepage belongs to, and was granted Raymond Walter McKee -by Lord Reay as the two communicated during the period Raymond was writing the Book of McKee. I wouldnt go tossing out all your crests as commercial junk- but only realize the true meaning, heritage and significance that crests or Coat of Arms have in our histories. Please refer to the "College of Arms" website for a more detailed explanation. If anyone has more input on this please E-Mail me and I will include it in any future discussion. Here is additional site with McKee crests and facts although I do not endorse it. Another McKee Page.

I learned on 12/12/2000 that Don McKee of Colorado was commissioned to design a fine piece of Jewelry for Lord Lyon of Scotland-the very person charged with Armoral assignments. Take a look!

Featured McKee History-John Armstrong McKee WE of the John Armstrong McKee connection come from brave pioneering forebears and have every reason to be proud of our heritage. What a shame it would be if past struggles and triumphs were forgotten. Thanks to the efforts of many of you, at least part of their story will be remembered. This family history is being written in 1979 by Delber L. McKee, great=great grandson of David and Jane McKee. While the main emphasis will be on the John Armstrong connection, some information will be incorporated on other branches of the family so that it will sometimes be possible to establish connections with more distant relatives. The idea of a family history first came up at a McKee family reunion in Superior, Nebraska in 1957. The job turned in my direction, since I lived in the area where the McKees first settled in the United States. My task would have been much more difficult if it had not been for a chance meeting with Mrs Hazel Winder McKenzie, who was a descendant of some McKees remaining in the area. She shared some key information and gave me directions as to where the McKees in this area were buried. Richard Ifft in Maryland is continuing to work on his own Alexander McKee side of the family and also supplied helpful information. My mother, Lottie McKee, kept some valuable records as well. David and Jane McKee are buried about 15 miles from my home in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, on a back road between Grove City and Mercer in Findley Township, Mercer County, next to where the Springfield Reformed Prespyterian Church once stood. Other members of the family are buried there too, but the place is overgrown now with brambles and saplings. One of their sons, Alexander, and his family are buried about five miles from there in Springfield United Prespyterian Church cemetary. Son John, our ancestor, is buried about 50 miles to the south in the Brookland Church cemetery near Freeport. Both he and his wife Mary are buried in the family plot of Joseph McKee, who was a relative and possibly a brother of David McKee. John and Marys son John Armstrong, grew up in this area, married and then made the long trip out to Iowa and then Nebraska, thereby losing contact with his realtives in Pennsylvania.

In preparing this history, I have been struck with certain contrasts between the earlier generations and now. David McKee and his family were farmers for the most part and had close ties with the Reformed Prespyterian (Covenanter) Church. Unlike David, the generations of the 1970s has spread out over the United States to such places as California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. They are active in many different walks of life. Church affiliations are varied. In the American melting pot, we have given up much of our heritage, but more of it may linger on in our attitudes and mannerisms than we realize. In particular, there seems to be a restless pioneering spirit and a fierce determination to be self sufficient. One hopes we can hold onto these attributes.

The first McKee of our own direct line to come to the United States was David McKee who arriced with his family at Philadelphia on the brig Emiline at the age of 39 on July 19, 1825. His home had previously been in Ballibay (Monaghan County) Ireland and he was probably a member of the Creevagh Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) Church near there. Indeed, it is rumored McKees still live in the area. He sailed from the nearby port of Newry. One would guess that he was a farmer in Ireland, because that is what he turned to in the United States. Evidently he was a man of some means, because he acquired land in America an an early date. One wonders if he might have inherited some money after the death of a parent and was able to bread away from Ireland with funds made available in that way to him.

David first settled in Westmoreland County (Allegheny Township) a few miles away from the town of Freeport, Pennsylvania. One reason for this is selecting that spot may well have been the presence there of teh Brookland Reformed Presbyterian Church. In addition, a brother in law, Samuel Smith, had preceded him there with his family. Into this area, after David, came Joseph McKee (1773-1858) from Castleblayney near Ballybay via Montreal, who had thirteen children in all.

In this family is added to David McKee with his ten children, the Brookland disctict (Garvers Ferry)-an important canal stop at one time- had a thriving McKee Colony. Joseph, who may have been a brother of David, had sisters Eleanor and Rachel. Eleanor married a Robin Armstrong and had children in that area, thereby widening the McKee circle.

The restless David, however left Westmoreland County shortly after 1830 and acquired land in Findley Township, Mercer County between Grove City and Mercer, and near the Springfield Reformed Presbyterian Church. At his time, the area was still sparesly settled but had good farmland. Before David arrived as early as 1804, James , John and Hugh McKee had settled in nearby Liberty Township; it is possible they were related to David. In any case, David lived there with most of his family for the remainder of his days. His daughter Jane married a Joeseph McElroy, who was a Brookland Covenanter, and they lived in Mercer County and had children.

Son Alexander and daughters Catherine and Elizabeth also married and raised children in the neighborhood. So many descendants continued to live in Mercer County that, by the 1950s, McKee reunions at Grove City and the Ifft farm were attended by as many as 80 people. The first David McKee and his wife Jane died on the same day, October 5, 1851. In a carefully written will, David made provisions for his wife and all of his children, with one exception- John was not mentioned.

Apparently John, our ancestor, did not go with his parents to the Mercer County home. Without solid facts to go on, we might speculate that this young man of about twenty had some romantic interests to hold him in Westmoreland County. A less romantic thought is that he may not have got along well with his father. In any case, a young woman named Mary became his wife, and they had five children: William, David, Margaret, James and John Armstrong. (This story is taken from a McKee Family History sent to me by Delber L. McKee who did a great job for his branch. Please sign in to my[ guest book ] , or E Mail me(KvMcKee@aol.com)and let me know your part of this family, I can include you as a contact if your willing, and you can let us know how everyone is doing! I can also get you an address, if you don't have it in an attempt to get you a complete copy of his brochure)

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