McKee - Mourne

Donated by Paddy in Tasmania.

Paddy has also kindly made available her transcription of McKees in the Mourne Presbyterian Baptism Register and transcriptions of letters from Henry Williams (1923 - 1996) that mentions: Boyd, McKee Donaldson Reid, Curragh, Shannon, Stewart, Floyd, Hayden and Ross families of Kilkeel and the Moravian Church.

The McKee Family of Greencastle Street, Kilkeel, Co. Down.

My father's family were McKees and they lived at Greencastle Road for a number of generations. My father's family moved to New Zealand after WW1. My father, Harry McKee, called his farm "Derryogue" as well as a racehorse that he owned.
Family lore has it that the original McKee was Scottish and came to Ireland at the time of the Plantation.
A distant cousin of my father went to Kilkeel in the 1950s and developed the following line after talking with old aunts. I would be delighted to hear from anyone who has links (any sort) with the various families that our family became associated with over the years. I would welcome corrections as well as additional detail.

Thomas McKee born 1784; mother's maiden name Reid married Ann Donaldson; Ann born 1806; died 2 June 1850 (44) [tombstone transcription] Thomas died 27 January 1862 (78) [tombstone transcription]

Their son Henry McKee born 1826; farmer, Derryogue Kilkeel Co. Down Ireland married Margaret Mitchell on 30 January 1857 at Mourne Presbyterian Church, Kilkeel [vol. 6 / 269] witnesses: William Floyd and James Mitchell.

Margaret born 1828; daughter of William Mitchell, farmer (1796 - 1848) and Jane Ramsey (1798 - 1848) Margaret died 9 February 1917 (89) at Kilkeel Henry and Margaret had 10 children of whom 4 were living in 1911 [1911 Census] both Presbyterian [1901 and 1911 Census] Henry died 24 December 1913 (86) at Kilkeel; both Henry and Margaret are buried at Mourne Presbyterian Church Kilkeel.

Henry and Margaret's children:

1. Ellen Ann McKee born 24 November 1857
2. Ellen Ann McKee born 24 January 1859; died 17 July 1890 (30)

3. Euphemia McKee (Phemie) born 14 April 1861 married Charles Henry Annett on 30 June 1882 at Mourne Presbyterian Church, Kilkeel [vol.1 / 703] witnesses: Robert Waterson & Ellen McKee
Charles died c. 1935; farmer - Cranfield [1901 Census] (he was 18 years older than her) both were recorded as Brethren [1901 Census] ; Phemie died 1933 Their son Charles Henry Annett went to America in 1910 [1930 US Census] A younger son, Thomas Annett, born c. 1886 damaged his back lifting dray; confined to wheelchair.

4. William McKee born 19 September 1862; married Margaret Boyd Margaret died 30 June 1915; buried with her parents Robert and Margaret in Mourne Presbyterian graveyard William died 3 July 1889 in New York when wife and daughter were visiting Ireland. They had a daughter Margaret Evelyn McKee (Eva) who lived in Kilkeel with her grandparents, Henry & Margaret McKee. Eva's son Henry carried out the research this information is based on.
5. Samuel McKee born 24 September 1863 at Derryogue; died 19 July 1900

6. Margaret McKee (Maggie) born 11 November 1864 at Kilkeel Co. Down; served in China with the China Inland Mission (Presbyterian) died on 10 January 1889in China from small pox.

7. Henry McKee (my grandfather) born 17 July 1866 at Derryogue; married Martha Isobella Somerville at St Mark's Church of Ireland, Armagh on 16 October 1907 (41). Martha born 4 December 1875 at Armagh, died 11 October 1947 at Wanganui, NZ. Henry farmed at 66 Greencastle Road, Kilkeel until traveling to New Zealand mid 1914; died at his residence Rawhitiroa Eltham on 12 March 1922 (55)

8. Thomas McKee born 26 April 1868; died 5 March 1889 (20)

9. Sarah Jane McKee (Jeannie) born 17 June 1869 at Derryogue; married a widower Joseph Moore, farmer, 18 August 1910 at Rostrevor Presbyterian Church; son of Robert Moore, farmer; witnesses: William Moore and Maria McKee. Joseph went to USA in 1884 and died in 17 June 1931 at Farmington, New Mexico Jeannie returned to Ireland and lived with Maria Orr her sister.

10. Maria McKee (Myra) born 27 February 1874 at Derryogue; visited relations in US when young; married William Orr in 1913 at Belfast Willie died in 1939; lived with her brother- and sister-in-law Mr and Mrs J Orr, 12 Sharman Rd, Belfast. Mrs J Orr had an adopted daughter Ann. Maria died May 1969 (93). [obit Mourne Observer, 16 May 1969, p.4]

Henry McKee snr had several siblings that I've heard of:

1. Thomas McKee born 1833; married Mary Jane? Trimble on 3 September 1861. Mary Jane born c. 1836 d/o Richard Trimble; died 22 November 1924 (88); lived in Newcastle Street. Mary Jane was related to Archie Gordon Thomas McKee took over the Donaldson bakery when there were no more Donaldsons to carry it on; died 21 April 1888 ( phthisis / Tb) (54)

2. Eliza McKee born 25 February 1840
3. Anne McKee (Annie) born 21 August 1842 at Derryogue; married Koch (?Cox or Cocks); went to San Francisco, California; died after 1907 (she survived the San Francisco Earthquake); she had 3 sons.
4. Mary McKee; married Bains; lived 401 West Street, Cincinnati, Ohio; died about 1930 in Chicago

Notes:

I went back to Henry's writing from back in the 1950s, and came across this tantalizing and enigmatic statement:

My great grandfather Henry McKee was born in 1826; my great great grandfather Thomas McKee was born in 1786. Beyond that it is conjecture but these are some facts with which to conjecture.

In my mother’s memory at the turn of the century (19th>20th) there were two and I think three other McKee families in Derryogue. One was a first cousin of Henry McKee and another at least a second and possibly more distant cousin. This means that Thomas McKee had a brother in the townland and that he had an uncle there also and likely a grandfather.

This conjecture takes us back two generations beyond Thomas McKee and to the possibility that McKees were settled in the townland of Derryogue by the early quarter of the 18th century and without doubt by the middle of that century.