Welcome to the McKean Family archive.  Be sure to look through the entire web site, since new messages are added at the end of the page.  This section will contain material that cannot be placed readily into one of the main branches of the family of William "the Soldier" McKean.

Miscellaneous info.
This info. comes from Biographical sketches of  various County Histories.

Biographical Sketches of Crawford, Cty. Ohio

W.A. Mckean forman Car dept. CCC & I railroad, Gallian OH also Superintendent of the car dept. A native of Ohio born in Holmes Cty. in 1837. He came to Gallian in 1858 and worked at cabinet making for four years. He then entered the employment of the above railroad and had been there ever since.

John Mckean, MD of Crestline, Oh b. in Hooktown Pa in 1810 of Amer. Parents. after Completing a classical and mathematical edu. he began the study of Medicine of Dr. Samuel Quigley of West Union Oh. He entered practice in 1831. He entered in to partnership with a dr. Marshall of Burgettstown, Pa. One year later he moved to Calcutta Oh. Two years later in 1834 he moved to crawford cty and practiced there for 33 years. He then moved to Crestline and lived there since. He m. Rebecca McClaskey in Oct. 1835. They had ten children.  Five living five deceased. Wm. Mckean farmer was born in Crawford Cty Oh in 1841. The son of Dr. John and Rebecca Mckean. He was married in 1863 to Wilimina Smith born in Perry Cty Pa in 1841.  She came to Crawford Cty in about 1858 with her parents. Wm and Wilimina had three children Beulah B. Harry L. and Bertram S.

Comes from the History Allegheny Cty. PA
The twp. of Sewickley was erected Jan 28, 1854 by decree of court from that part of Ohio twp west of the line of Alexanders and Nicklesons Districts. The name is of Indian Origin and is said to signify sweet water. It occurs in the dialect of the Delewares by whom this region was formerly occupied and who conferred it upon various localities in the western part of PA. Notably Beaver and Westmoreland Ctys. The surface of the Twp is exceedingly hilly and hence it was not settled until the surrounding territory was well populated. The Mckean tract comprising numbers 107-115 of breading's district of depreciation lands. Known respectably as Richland, Walnut Bottom, The Meadowland, Belle Vue, Buck Hollow, Turkey Range, Sewickley Farm, and Cascade and containing and aggregate area of 2, 480.8 acres. Was originally patented to Thomas Mckean and Francis Johnson under date of June 14, 1786. This tract comprised the southeastern part of Sewickly Twp. extending into the adjoining portions of Leet and Ohio Twps. The fact that the first gov. of the state was interested in its ownership is sufficient reason for this mention, but its after history is equally worthy of being chronicled. April 7, 1804 Johnson relinquished his share in favour of gov. Mckean and the latter conferred the property upon his daughter Sarah maria-Theresa Marchioness de Casa Yrujo wife of the Marchquis de Casa Yrujo minister Plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary from Spain to the US at the close of the revolution. The Marchioness bequeathed the property to her daughter Nercisa Maria-Louisa Martinez de Yurjo de Pierrard the wife of Gen. Blos Santiago de Pierrard Y Alcedar and upon her death in 1874 it was inherited by her nieces and nephews from whom it was purchased in 1881 by Cochran Fleming ESQ. it is probably the largest individual holding in the Cty.  and thus over nearly a century of ownership by the descendants of gov Mckean in the family of De Casa Yurjo the title of the property is again vested in an american citizen.

Above information provided courtesy of The Lawniczak Family.

Message below posted Monday, February 2, 1998

Delivered-To: jsp@dnai.com
Date: Mon, 02 Feb 1998 18:04:44 -0600
From: Dave & Peggy Goehring <drgoeh@swbell.net>
Reply-To: drgoeh@swbell.net
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win95; U)

Subject: More information

Hi group,
I went back to the Library today and finished going through the History of Chester Co., PA.  I did not find much more.  Just a few little things as follows:

Under Townships and Burroughs, Page 173, for 'Donegal' showed Hugh McKeen and Alex McKeen living there in 1724.  Donegal was organized in 1723 and is now part of Lancaster Co.

Under same section, Taxables in 1753 for E. Nottingham listed William McCain; Taxables for Easttown in 1753 listed Thomas McCain; Taxables for Treyediffryn in 1753 listed James McKan.

Page 385, Joseph B. McKean, son of Gov. McKean, succeeded Jarod Ingersoll as attorney general.  He was also president judge of the District Court of Philadelphia.

Taken from the Hawley family Bible, printed 1599 (Benjamin Hawley gave to his sister Mary in 1735), it listed:  Rachel Hawley, daughter of Benjamin (the above Benjamin's son) married Arthur McCann.  The family lived in E. Bradford, PA.  No marriage date, but Rachel was born 8-3-1763.

Found no more information on Barbara Murray, daughter of Susanna, but did find the following:    Taxables in West Nantmeal, 1753 listed John Murry  Landowners in East Nantmeal in 1774, Jacob Murrey

Also found the Post Office in Gum Tree was established 4-21-1823 and the first Postmaster was Samuel McCann.  This office was first called "Clingan's", but changed to "Gum Tree", June 30, 1834 and Stephen B. Cochran was appointed Postmaster.

I just thought I would pass this along in case it fits in somewhere.
Peggy

Ray Montagne:   David and Janet (McKinzie) McKeen file:

David McKEEN died 1 March 1852 at Elk River Township, Clinton County, Iowa. His wife, Janet McKINZIE McKeen died in October 1852 at the same location.  They are both buried at Miller Cemetery which is located 1 mile south
and 2 miles east of present day Andover on a private farm.  The cemetery has not been maintained and has extensive overgrowth of bushes and grass.  The  children of David McKEEN and Janet McKINZIE McKEEN are: Eliza, Mary,
Jemima, Sabrina Prudence, Adam, David Henry, John Kinney, Kinney,   Samuel K., Jennet, William, Donald and Rosie.

Eliza McKEEN b. 1817.
Mary McKEEN b. 1819.
Jemima McKEEN b. 1821 and married Robert M. Cruthers at Clinton County, Iowa.
Sabrina Prudence McKEEN b. 17 Sep, 1823 at St. Marys, Guysborough County,
Nova Scotia (my gr-gr grandmother).  She was married to Daniel HENRY of Salt Coats, Scotland 8 Sep. 1850 (location uncertain).  She died 5 April 1910 at Los Angeles, California and is buried at Halcyon Road Cemetery,
Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California.  A chronicle of her travels is included at the end of this email.

Adam MckEEN was born in 1826 at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He married to Mary Jane STURNBAUGH 30 April 1857 at Teeds Grove, Clinton County, Iowa.   They had a daughter, Caroline, born 1857 at Iowa.  Adam McKEEN enlisted in
the Union Army 15 August 1861 at Lyons, Iowa and served in Company K, 26th Regiment, Iowa Infantry for three years before returning home.  His enlistment indicates that he was a farmer.  His military records indicate "Physical Description: Blue Eyes, Dark Hair, Dark Complexion, 5 ft. 8 ½ in.".  Adam MCKEEN was attacked with Chronic Dysentary while the 26th Regiment was encamped at Jackson, Mississippi and was sent to the hospital at Memphis, Tennessee.  He died 8 Mar 1897 at Creston, Iowa.

David Henry McKEEN b. 26 Jan 1828 and died 30 April 1910.  He was a Farm Laborer and was married to Sarah E. BANKS.

John Kinney McKEEN was born 1832 at Halifax, Nova Scotia.  He was a Farrier.  John Kinney McKEEN enlisted in the Union Army at Lyons, Iowa 8 May 1861 and served two tours of duty with Company B of the 1st Iowa Calvalry.  He owned his own horse and received risk pay for use of  the animal during the United States Civil War.  John K. MCKEEN was supposed to marry Pracilla (who he lived with according to the 1860 census and was a daughter of a neighboring farmer) but he thought he was too old for Pracilla and enlisted.  He married Mary E. SHUTTS in 1867 at Clinton
County, Iowa.  He died 13 January 1912 at Green Springs, Ohio.  A HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY - 1886 say's "John K. McKEEN, farmer, P.O. Green Spring, is a native of Nova Scotia, born in 1832, son of David and Jane (McKINSEY) MCKEEN, who moved with their family to Clinton County, Iowa, in 1845, and there died in 1853.  They were the parents of thirteen children of whom nine survive.  John K. MCKEEN enlisted in the late war at the first call
and served four years, nine months and seven days in Company B, First Regiment Iowa Cavalry.  After his return home he resumed his trade (blacksmithing) which he continued in Iowa until 1871, then came to Ohio and settled in Pleasant Township this county, where he purchased improved land; has given some attention to faring, and also worked at his
tradeuntil within the last year or two.  Mr. MCKEEN was married in Clinton County, Iowa, in 1867 to Miss Mary E. SHUTTS, of Sandusky County, Ohio, a native of what was Thompkins County, New York, born in 1832 and who came to Ohio in 1847.  Her parents were Samuel S. and Hannah (Letts) SHUTTS, natives of New Jersey, born in 1797 and 1800 respectively, married in Tompkins County, New York in 1825 and wre the parents of seven children.
Mr. SHUTTS died November 20, 1881, aged eightyfour.  Hannah SHUTTS, his wife, died August 29, 1856, aged fiftysix.  Our subject and wife have two children; Emma F., born January 6 1869, and William S., born December
31, 1870."

Kinney McKEEN was born 1834.
Samuel K. McKEEN was born 1835 and was married to Margaret PORTER.
Jinnet McKEEN was born abt 1836 and was married to Amos BOYNTON.
William McKEEN was born 1838.
Donald McKEEN was born 1841.  Donald MCKEEN enlisted into the 2nd Iowa Infantry, Company I on September 28, 1861 at St. Louis, Missouri.  He was wounded in the battle of Fort Donelson, Tennessee in February, 1862 having
been shot in the left knee with the ball exiting the hamstring.  He was discharged with disability on September 7, 1862 at Corinth,  Mississippi.
His 'Certificate of Disability for Discharge' was signed by General Grant on September 5, 1862.  His enlistment records indicate that his occupation prior to enlistment was a Farmer.

Rosie McKEEN (no data).

Continuing to the next generation...

Sabrina Prudence McKEEN and Daniel HENRY had the following children: Margaret Jane, Sarah Ann, William Albert, Fannie Ellen, George Lincoln, Eliza, Amos Alfred and Mary Caroline.  This family made several migrations which included time in Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, Iowa, back to Nova Scotia and then to California via the isthmus of Panama.

Margaret Jane HENRY b. 1 September 1851 at Lyons, Clinton County, Iowa.
Sarah Ann HENRY b. 18 Dec 1854 at Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa and married to Albert FOWLER 1 November 1870 at Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California.  She died 31 October 1944 at Oakland,
Alameda County, California.  Sarah Ann HENRY and Albert FOWLER had the following children: Ada Luetta, Charles Austin, Adela May, Stella Florence, Albert (Bert) Henry, Harold Melville, Mark Allison and Cecil Haynes.

William Albert b. 30 June 1856 at Lyons, Clinton County, Iowa and was a Farmer.
Fannie Ellen b. 25 May 1859 at Lyons, Clinton County, Iowa and died 1893 at  Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California without ever having married.  She is buried next to her parents at Halcyon Road Cemetery, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California.

George Lincoln b. 3 February 1861 at Lyons, Clinton County, Iowa.  He died 28 August 1876 at Arroyo Grande, California after falling from his horse.
He is buried next to his parents and sister Fannie at Halcyon Road Cemetery, Arroyo Grande, California.

Eliza b. 20 December 1864 (my gr-grandmother)(questionable date- probably 1863 as land was purchased by her father in Sonoma County, California in October of 1864).  She married to Augustus Arbizu MONTAGNE in 1885 at Los
Angeles, California.  She had worked as a Clerk at the 'Peoples Store' in Los Angeles when she was a young woman.  She died 1 Jan 1931 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, Alameda County, California.

Amos Alfred b. 1 June 1868 at Sonoma County, California.  Married to Aurelia H. YOUNG 23 June 1891.

Mary Caroline b. unkown.  died in infancy.
~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know if you would be interested in having the genealogies through the remaining generations to the present day.  Please let me know if you are interested and I'll be happy to provide the information.
~~~~~~~~~~~

THE FOLLOWING IS A CHRONICLE THAT INCLUDES DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MIGRATIONS OF SABRINA PRUDENCE MCKEEN AND DANIEL HENRY AS RECORDED BY THEIR DAUGHTER AND GRANDDAUGHTER....

This brief chronicle of the immediate family of my mother, Sarah Ann Henry Fowler, was written just a few years before her passing, on Nov. 30, 1944, at the age of ninety.  mfr.  (May Rutherford)

**************************************************

My mother, Sabrina Prudence McKeen, was born September 17, 1823, at  St. Marys, Guysboro County, Nova Scotia.  She was the daughter of David McKeen and Janet McKenzie McKeen, one of a family of twelve children:
Jamima, Rosie, Mary, Eliza, Sabrina and Janet; David, Adam, John, Kenneth, William and Donald.

Mother became a teacher and taught school in St. Marys when the only pens the children had to write with were those she made from goose quills.  The only text books were Bibles.

When she was about twenty years of age she went to Concord, Massechussetts to visit her sister Rosie who had married and was living there with  her husband and children.  Her sister was ill and passed away soon after  her arrival.

Mother remained in Concord until her marriage on September 9th, 1850, to our Father, Daniel Henry.  He was born in Saltcoats, Scotland, on the River Clyde, December 11, 1825.  They immediately left for Iowa, arriving two weeks later, after a long and tiresome journey by boat and stage coach.

Sometime in 1847, Mother's parents and family, (except Mary and Eliza who had married and had families,) had left Nova Scotia and moved to the United States.  Learning of the many acres of land in Iowa waiting to be preempted, they migrated there.  Grandfather and the sons who were of age, each filed on a claim a few miles from Lyons in Clinton County, so Father also filed on a claim near where Mother's people had settled.

In a few years he had a good farm under cultivation, with large barns to shelter his stock in the extremely cold winters and shade for them in the hot summers.  The log cabin had been replaced by a good house.

Five of us children were born in Iowa; the second child, Mary-Caroline died in infancy.  The oldest, Margaret Jane, was born Sept. 1st, 1851; myself, Sarah Ann, born Dec. 18th, 1854; William Albert, June 30, 1856; Fannie Ellen, born May 25th, 1859 and George Lincoln, Feb 3rd, 1861.

However, Mother's health was very poor.  The hard work and the hardships they had undergone in the thirteen years they had lived there, together with the general upheaval caused by the Civil War, made them homesick for the quiet country-side of Nova Scotia.  So they decided to sell the farm and return home.

Mother's parents had passed away in the meantime;  three of her brothers had enlisted in the Civil War;  Adam, John and Donald.  Donald was wounded and had been brought home walking on crutches.  The others returned later, unharmed.

They sold the farm and stock, packed feather beds, pillows, bedding, clothing, etc. in big packing boxes and in May, 1862, we bade good-bye to Uncles, Aunts and Cousins and left Iowa for Pictou County, Nova Scotia.

We had a very pleasant trip and on the way stopped over Sunday in Boston to visit Mother's cousin, Caroline McKenzie, a maiden-lady about Mother's age, who had been her girlhood chum.  (Note: Years later when I was a young lady I went to Pasadena with Aunt Florence, with a horse and buggy, to visit this same Caroline, who had married late in life a very nice man of some wealth and they migrated to California, and had a very nice home in Pasadena.  She was interesting and bright and very much like our mother.   (May R.).

That Sunday, Father took the three oldest of us children out sight seeing.  We climbed Bunker Hill but could not get inside the monument which was locked on account of its being Sunday.

I really have forgotten how many days we were on the way, but I remember that we arrived at Father's boyhood home sometime in May.  There had been a new house built on the farm since Father left home as a young man, but the
log house which Grandfather had built was still standing and the apple trees which he had planted were still alive and bearing fruit.  Father had been there a few years before on a visit while his mother was still alive but she had passed away a year or more before we arrived.  His father had died when he was a child.

Father's brother William, his wife Margaret and their children were living on the farm.  His sisters, Aunt Mary Langill, Aunt Helen McCabe and Aunt Margaret Clark had married and were living not far from the old home.

There were five children in Uncle's family and with the five of us there was quite a houseful, but we enjoyed it and during the two weeks we were with them, became quite well acquainted.  (Today, Jan 27, 1941, I received a letter from the only living son of our Uncle William, who died more than thirty years ago.  He and his wife are living in the old home.  They have two sons and a daughter who are all married and have several children.  SF.)

While we children were having a happy time together, our mothers were busy cooking to feed all of us.  Father and been looking around to find a house for us.  He located a farm that was for sale, situated about ten miles from his brother's place.  He purchased it and we were soon settled in our new home.

There were good buildings on the place and we were well pleased.  The house faced a bay that was about a mile wide.  It would freeze so hard in the winter that it would bear a  man's weight.  We watched father walk across it once.  The wind whipped off his hat and it went flying over the snow one day when he went out to carry in a load of wood;  my brother Will and I ran after it but it was always just a little ahead of us.  Finally it blew through a rail-fence across the road and out onto the ice where it went so fast that we soon lost sight of it.  Not in a mood to give up, Father walked across this bay and retrieved the hat.

The water was so warm in summer we children had delightful times bathing in it, although we girls never learned to swim.  We often met Uncle William and some of the members of his family at the village church, which was situated between his home and ours.  They visited us occasionally and of course we were always happy when we could visit
them.  Those were the "horse and buggy" days when it required time to travel ten miles and back home again.  Aunt Mary and Aunt Helen, with their husbands, came often to visit us but Aunt Margaret never left her home as she had several small children to care for.

Mother's sisters, Aunt Mary and Aunt Eliza, with their husbands, came once from St. Marys to visit us while we were in Nova Scotia, and Mother and brother Will drove a hundred miles or more to visit them.   We lived in Nova Scotia four years and during that time, on Dec. 20, 1864, our sister Eliza was born, just two days after my tenth birthday.  Soon
after I scalded my foot and could not go to school, so I was happy at home helping Mother care for the baby sister.

Father and Mother must have grown tired of the cold winters of Nova Scotia as they decided to sell the farm and come to California.  So on October 1st, 1867, we started on our journey.  Uncle William Henry and a neighbor, Alfred Archibald, hauled us with our baggage, to Truro, with their teams and wagon.  We spent the night there and the next morning we boarded a train for Windsor Junction.

Father was obliged to go on to Halifax to change his English money for U.S. Currency.  We waited several hours at the Junction for his return, then we were soon on the train and on our way to Windsor where we spent the next night.  The following day we crossed the Bay of Funday to St. Johns, New Brunswick and there we spent Sunday.  I was always quite proud of the fact that while crossing the very stormy Bay of Fundy, the Stewardess and I were the only ones on deck who were not very seasick.  From New Brunswick we went on to Boston where we again visited Mother's cousin Caroline.  Then on to New York, where we took a steamer for Panama.

We sailed south on the Atlantic Ocean for ten days before reaching  the Isthmus of Panama, arriving early one morning.  We boarded the train there and in a few hours were across the Isthmus and on board the big ship "Constitution", en route to San Francisco.  We had a very pleasant voyage of fifteen days, as the weather was fine and no one was sick.  We
were in sight of the Cliff house all of one day, it being too foggy to risk  sailing through the Golden Gate into San Francisco Bay.

We spent one night in the City of San Francisco and the following afternoon left for Petaluma in Sonoma County.  Sister Margaret and I were much thrilled to be allowed to go out and do some shopping before we left the big city.  Down on the water-front we took a small steamer or perhaps it was called a ferry boat, and sailed up the Bay some distance, then
steamed up Petaluma creek where the shores were so near, or the creek was so narrow it would have been easy for a man to step off on either side.  We arrived at a landing before dark and found a stage waiting to convey passengers to
a Hotel.  We spent the night there and in the morning Father hired a small "Rig" to convey us to our destination which was a few miles beyond Bloomfield.  We arrived about noon, tired and hungry.  Here lived Mother's youngest sister, Janet, who had married Amos Boynton, in Iowa, in the year 1854, and had left there in an emigrant train for California a year previous to our departure for Nova Scotia.

There were five children in their family, besides our Uncle William McKeen, whom we all called "Uncle Bill".  He had left Iowa some years before any of the others.  No doubt it was through their influence that we came to California.

Our reunion was a happy and boisterous one, but a few days later some of us came down with the mumps, then for a week or more our Mothers had a busy time caring for so many patients.  We soon recovered and were once more out of doors enjoying the bright California sunshine.  My cousin Lucy Boynton and I were very great friends, the same age, and for long long years we corresponded until her death just a few years ago.

In the meantime, Father had bought as small farm a few miles away, in Green Valley, where we settled.  There was a  good school not far distant, which we attended for two years.  Then the roving spirit again took possession of Father and we were forced to leave relatives, friends, and school and migrate farther south to San Luis Obispo County, where there were many acres of cheap land suitable for stock ranches and even a few Government claims left.

Our brother, Amos Alfred, was born June 1, 1868, during our brief sojourn in Sonoma County, so there was quite a flock of us to journey south by teams and wagons and on horseback.  Brother Will rode a horse and drove the stock; Sister Margaret drove one team and Father drove the other.

It took two weeks to make the trip as the cows could not travel more than twenty miles a day.  When we grew tired of riding in the wagon, Sister Fannie and I would walk for a while and help Will with the stock.

I remember very distinctly of coming to a railroad track, not far south of San Jose, the first we had seen on our trip.  Father had crossed with his team; Sister was almost there; we had just driven the stock over, all but one colt who lingered behind on the track.  Father could not leave his team so Mother jumped out of the wagon, ran onto the track, and gave the colt a push which sent it clear off the track and none too soon, as the train rushed by in less than a minute.

Another day when we girls were walking, Father who was ahead of us,  called that there was a drove of cattle coming.  As we were near a big gate, opening into a field, it did not take long to open that gate and drive our stock inside.  Then a big drove of long-horned cattle went tearing by, driven by two cowboys on horseback.

Then, another day when we were passing through a lonely, deserted looking place, two rough looking men went rushing by on horseback.  In a little while Father saw the same men coming again.  Just as they were passing, he lifted a big revolver which he carried on the seat of his wagon and shot a squirrel dead.  The men rode on and we never saw them again.  All the money we had was in a box at his feet!

On reaching the southern part of San Luis Obispo County, Father bought a large ranch of rolling hills with oak trees and a lovely creek of fresh water.  There we all grew up and married.  He raised stock and grain for many years, besides raising all the fruit, berries, vegetables and poultry and bringing us baskets full in later years, when they were in
season.

Our brother, George, who loved riding after the stock was thrown violently from his horse, striking the rocks so hard that he lived only a short time.  This was in 1876, after my marriage.  In 1893 our sister Fannie passed away.  She had never married and had lived at the home with Father and Mother.  They sold the ranch soon after that and bought a home in
Arroyo Grande, a small town where they had attended church and here they had transacted business for so many years.

Father passed away in 1894, the month of July.  I have always thought that he never recovered from the blow of sister's death.

Mother lived in her little home for awhile and brother Amos and his wife lived with her until he had to return to his farm.  She sold her house in 1901 and went to live with them for several years.  She visited around with several other members of her family and also lived with me for several years.  She passed away at our sister Margaret's home in Los Angeles,
April 5th, 1910, at the age of eighty six years and seven months.

Of all the family, I was the first to be married, and just one month later Margaret, the eldest of the flock followed in my foot-steps.  We married cousins; she marrying Robert Farmer, and I, Albert Fowler.  They were both of Southern stock and as boys, had crossed the plains to California with their parents, brothers, sisters, but not in the same year.  My
husband's  people came in 1854, though his Father had made a previous trip around the Horn some years before and spent the time in going from mining-camp to mining-camp doctoring the sick men who were trying to make a Lucky
strike---and often failed.  The Farmer family came later by a year or two.

Long and devious were the paths which brought us together.  We married Nov. 1, 1870 and had eight children, five sons and three daughters.  Ada and Charles died in infancy, Stella and Mark after they were grown.

May, Bert, Harry and Cecil have all married.  Their father passed  away on our ranch, west of Arroyo Grande, where we had lived for many years.  Margaret and Robert had eleven children, seven girls and four boys. All excepting two of the boys are still living.  Robert died Dec. 22, 1906, and Margaret passed away March 2, 1932.

Brother Will was married at Arroyo Grande, in 1878 to Florence Wassum. They had four boys and one girl.  The eldest son and wife live in Oakland, California.  The others live in and around Los Angeles, California. Will passed away August 16, 1825; and his wife preceded him on Christmas day, 1917.

Sister Eliza was married to a young lawyer from Los Angeles, by the name of Augustus Montagne, at the old homestead.  They had two sons and three daughters.  The second daughter, Josephine, died many years ago. Edna, the eldest, married Ward Wells and lives in Oakland; Astra, the youngest, lives with her father and Sister passed away Jan. 1, 1931.  The sons both married girls from around the Bay.

Brother Amos married Aurelia H. Young on June 23, 1891.  He and his wife still live on their beautiful farm near Arroyo Grande.  Their only son, Francis and his wife live near by.

Even though I reached the age of eighty six on December 18, 1940, I still enjoy life, and hope to live a few more years.  I have lived with my youngest son and his wife and children over sixteen years and have a good home with them.  I often visit the other members of my family.  The summer months here in the San Joaquin valley are too hot for comfort, so I
spend about three months of the time each year further north where it is cooler.

There have been many changes and improvements in our ways of livingsince I was a young girl.  Then we used tallow candles to light our homes.  "Early to bed, and early to rise", was the rule, so we all had plenty of sleep and all the time we needed to do all of our work before the school bell rang in the morning.

Now every room in the country homes, as well as in the small towns and cities are blazing with electric lights until late at night and all of the children, as well as the parents, are tempted to sit up and read so the result is they sleep too late in the morning.  Many of the children are obliged to wear glasses in school, even those under ten years.  Still, none of us would want to go back to the tallow candles.

We had no Radios or Telephones.  No water piped into the houses.  The houses on Farms had either a well or a spring close by and the water was carried into the house in buckets, set on a bench in the kitchen, and dipped out with a long-handled dipper.  On wash-day what a task that was!

In Iowa we drew the water for the house from a deep well with "the old oaken bucket".  At the barn, Father pumped water for the stock with a chain pump.

When we went to Nova Scotia, very few women on farms had a cook-stove.  Their cooking was done at the fireplace.  One end of a long bar or crane was fastened to the side of the fireplace.  Iron hooks were placed on the crane at intervals and iron kettles hung on those hooks.  The heat was controlled by placing the crane directly over the fire or away from
it.  Bread, pies, etc., were baked in a Dutch oven placed on the hearth.  Hot ashes and coals were piled on the stone hearth, the oven was set on the bed of coals with the bread all ready to bake, the lid was fastened on and the hot coals piled on top, but how the heat was regulated I never did know.  It always seemed to me to be such a back-breaking task for women who were obliged to do it.

In these later years, even though housekeepers have either gas or electricity with wonderful stoves and spacious ovens, they buy their bread and even pastries at the stores.

**************************************************
P.S. Mama lived to be ninety but her mind was always bright and alert.  May.  [End.]

MCKEANS AND JAMAICA
 A family of McKeans from Dumbarton, Scotland had associations with Jamaica.
 a. John McKean, candle maker in Dumbarton willed his estate to his brother  James McKean in Jamaica 15 December 1813, recorded January 12, 1814.
 b. William McKean, formerly of Jamaica and then of Dumbarton willed his  estate to his sister Elizabeth McKean Will 9th November 1813.
William died  1 March 1814The estate included 2 small ships The Elizabeth and The  Speedwell.
 Does anyone know any more?

 2.   ROBERT MCKEAN AND FAMILY
 My great, great grandfather was William McKean b. 1787 (Paisley, Scotland   d. 28 July 1869 Oldbury, Worcestershire, England). Great great grandfather  William had a brother Robert who emigrated to Gouvenor, New York State c.  1820. Robert and his family were visited by his nephew, another William  MacKean from Paisley in 1869. This William McKean privately published an  account of his visit. [both McKean and MacKean spellings were used in the  family]

 In 1869 Robert McKean was 80+. he had been a collector of poor rates and  path master). Robert's wife was from Dublin. They had 4 children
 i. Helen b. Paisley married a Mr. Bailey and went to Minnesota
 ii. William (a captain in the Union army - blinded - had a farm in the  Gouvenor area)
 iii. Wallace
 iv. Sarah married Mr. Killmer, 3 children one called Ellen was 10 in 1869

Another account of this family appears in Burke's Landed Gentry for Ireland  (1958) and mistakenly says these are the children of another Robert of the  next generation. Also the details of the children are different from  William MacKean's account:
 i. Robert
 ii. William 2 children Ella who married a Mr. Whitney and Robert who had 3 sons
 iii. ?
 iv. Helenor married John Bailey. 11 children John Vincent (Newport MN) Leir  (St,. Paul MN), son, son, son, Margaret (Newport MN), Ellen married Mr.  Sproan (Nebraska), Hester married Mr. Nixon (California), Chloe  (new  Hampshire), Evangeline married Mr. Crippen (Minnesota), Liliian married Mr.  Minhausen (St. Paul MN)
 Does anyone have any clues about this family?

 3.  THOMAS MCKEAN AND FAMILY
 Among my family papers is a passenger list for RMS Pavonia (Cunard Line)  Liverpool to Boston 18th October 1882. This lists Mr. Thomas McKean, Mrs.  McKean, Mr. Thomas McKean Jun., Miss Maria W. McKean, Miss Phoebe W. McKean  and two maids.   Presumably this McKean family was returning home to the US having been to  visit British relatives - i.e. my family. Can anyone identify them?

 Andrew M. Hill, St.Mark's Unitarian Church,
 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP Scotland, United Kingdom
 mail address: 6 Ventor Terrace, Edinburgh EH9 2BL, Scotland UK
Andrew McKean Hill     mail to: andrew@unitarian.ednet.co.uk
 

To look at other McKean family sections, click here 
 
 

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