The following material was obtained by Dave & Peggy Goehring, McKean researchers.  Peggy wrote:
>Hi group,
>
>Following is information I found on Thomas McKean's family.  The book I
>got this from is, the "History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with
>Genealogical and Biographical Sketches" by J. Smith Futhey and Gilbert
>Cope, published in Philadelphia by Louis H. Everts in 1881.  The book in
>our local library is one that was reproduced from the original in 1974
>and made possible through the sponsorship of the Chester County
>Historical Society, West Chester, Pennsylvania.
>
>If anyone can get a copy of this book to read, it has some very
>interesting information about several members of the family.  I will
>pass on parts from this book that I think may be of interest to the
>group.  Anything in parenthesis will be my own statements.
>
>*******
>
>Under the Section, Townships and Bouroughs, etc. for ‘New London’, Page
>193, it states that :  The township of New London, as well as
>Londongrove and London Britain, were doubtless so named because they
>were formed wholly or in part from the lands belonging to the London
>Company.
>
>In 1714, a tract of 900 acres was surveyed for Michael Harlan, at
>Thunder Hill, afterwards owned by Robert Finney.  (Robert Finney was the
>father of Letitia Finney.)  In 1720, several surveys were made for the
>settlers in the northeast part of New London.  One of these was Susanna
>McCane who obtained 300 acres.  (I think this shows that her husband,
>William, was no longer alive.)  In the northern part, Robert Finney and
>others held land.  The possessions of Susanna McCane were on the road
>leading from New London to Kimbleville, about where it crosses the line
>of Franklin township.  She was the grandmother of Governor McKean, of
>this State.
>
>In a letter dated August 5, 1726 from James Logan to Isaac Taylor, it
>states "William Reynolds and the widow McCane are now both here
>complaining heavily of a survey made by thy son John, on some land
>running along their claims, in a narrow, but very extended skirt, and
>cutting them off from the Barrens, which land they say has been long
>promised them, upon their frequent applications to the office and thee,
>--that is, that when it was to be granted they should have the refusal
>of it.  This survey, they say, is made for one Gabriel Alexander, who
>they alledge can have no right to it by grant or purchase, and if he
>had, they insist upon it they have not had fair play.
>
>(There was more stated about this land dispute, but the bottom line is,
>it looks like it got pretty nasty.)
>
>On the 2d of August, 1726, Gabriel Alexander signed a paper to following
>effect:
>
>  "I hereby agree to suffer Susanna McCaine to sow all the land she has
>now cleared on the vacancy by her, with corne next season, and peaceably
>to carry off the same, she claiming no right of possession thereby."
>
>The following spring, Abraham Emmit granted a warrent to arrest William
>and James (Susanna’s sons) McKean for trepass, on the complaint of
>Gabriel’s son, Zaccheus.  In 1739, Thomas McKean appears to hold a part,
>if not all, of his mother’s land.
>
>
>Taxables in 1725 lists Susannah McKeen (widdow)..
>
>
>In the Biographical and Genealogical Section, Page 643, it states:
>
>MCKEAN - As early as 1725, Susanna "McCain" was settled in New London on
>300 acres of land which had been surveyed in 1720 for William Reynolds,
>now mostly in Franklin township.  In her will, Dec. 28, 1730, she speaks
>of herself as "now living, and blessed by almighty God for the same, in
>the congregation of New London," and her death occurred in less than two
>months after.  Whether she was a widow before leaving Ireland is
>unknown.  She mentions her children, William and Thomas McCain, to whom
>she devised 400 acres of land; also her daughter Barbara Murrah, son
>John Crighton, and son-in-law John Henderson, with his wife, Margaret,
>her daughter.  Crighton was perhaps a son by a former husband.  He died
>December, 1731, and in his will mentions his brothers William and Thomas
>McKean, sisters Barbara Murray, to whom he left his plantation, and
>Margaret.
>
>There was a James McKean, who may have been another son.
>
>William McKean, born in Ireland about 1707, married Letitia Finney,
>daughter of Robert and Dorothea Finney, of  "Thunder Hill" by whom he
>had four children, - Robert, Thomas, Dorothea and Willaim.  He remained
>in New London until 1741, when, like his brother, he entered into
>business of tavern-keeping at what is now Chatham.  The old brick house
>in New London, which was known as the birthplace of Governor Thomas
>McKean, was taken down about thirty five years ago by William E. Haines,
>who used the brick in erecting a new house a few rods northward, now the
>residence of Joseph Peirce, in Franklin Township.  Haines subsequently
>built a new brick house for his son on the original site.
>
>William McKean removed in 1745 to Londonderry, succeeding James Logan as
>tavern keeper, and married the widow, Anne Logan, who died in 1751.  His
>residence in the township may have given rise to the statement that his
>son was born in Londonderry.  A tavern property at Chatham was in
>possession of Thomas McKean at the breaking out of the Revolution, but
>it had been rented for several years.
>
>THOMAS MCKEAN, a zealous and distinguished Revolutionary patriot, was
>born March 19, 1734, in New London township.  (I will not go into all
>the political information, as there is a lot and we all know most of
>it.  I will just show the family information.  There is even a nice
>picture of Thomas.)  McKean was tall, erect, and well proportioned.  His
>countenance displayed in a remarkable manner the firmness and
>intelligence for which he was distinguished.  In July, 1762, he married
>Mary, eldest daughter of Joseph Bordon, Esq., of Bordentown, NJ, who
>died in February 1773, leaving two sons and four daughters, the youngest
>of whom was only two weeks old.  On Sept. 3, 1774, he was again married
>to Miss Sarah Armitage, of New Castle, Del., and of his union five
>children were the offspring.  At length, loaded with honors, this
>venerable patriot and distinguished jurist arrived at the ‘ultima linea
>rerum’, and departed to "the generation of his fathers" on June 24,
>1817.  His remains were interred in the burial-ground of the First
>Presbyterian Church, in Market Street, Philadelphia.
>
>
>(Page 417)  William McKean, (the father of Governor McKean) petitioned
>for "full licence" in Londongrove in 1741, which was not granted, but he
>was allowed to sell "beer and syder."  He was soon afterwards, and in
>the same year, granted a full license.  This is the first mention we
>have of a licensed house at Half-Way House (now Chatham).  The house
>licensed is now the residence of John I. Carter.
>
>In 1743, William McKean again applied for license, and a petition was
>presented against his application, representing that he "hath in and for
>some time past kept or permitted a very ill conduct and practice in and
>about his aforesaid house in permitting or suffering people to swear,
>curs, fight and to be drunk."  He was allowed a license, this
>indorsement being made on the petition against him.
>
>In the year 1741, Thomas McKean, a brother of William McKean, was
>licensed to keep an inn in Tredyffrin.
>
>(Page 599)  HENDERSON, John, of New London, married Margaret, daughter
>of Susanna McKean and aunt of Governor McKean.  He was from the north of
>Ireland, as were the most of the settlers in that township.  Edward
>Henderson, of New London, who died in 1732, mentions in his will his
>brothers John and David.  John and Margaret Henderson had children, --
>Andrew, the eldest son; Edward, John, Elizabeth, married a Hall; and
>Margaret, married a Crawford.  John removed to Kentucky, where a
>township was named for him.
>
>(There is more on the offspring of these children, but I will not list
>all of them here.  If someone wants them, let me know.)
>
>
>(Page 547)  FINNEY, Robert, born in Ireland about 1668, came to America
>with his wife, Dorothea, and children as early as 1720, and settled in
>New London township.  He purchased from Michael Harlan, in 1722, the
>"Thunder Hill" tract of 900 acres, for which a patent was afterwards
>granted him, dated August 4, 1733.  Upon a corner of this tract he and
>his wife were buried, and the spot was reserved for a family
>burying-ground.  He died in March 1755, and his wife in May, 1752.
>
>Their children were, so far as know, 1)  John, who settled in New
>Castle, physician, died 1774;  2)  Robert, physician, of Thunder Hill,
>who died about 1782, probably unmarried;  3)  Lazarus, m. Catharine
>Simonton, was the first tavern-keeper at New London Crossroads, died
>about 1740;  4)  Letitia, m. William McKean, was the mother of Governor
>Thomas McKean; 5)  William, m. Jane Stephenson, died about 1751;  6)
>Thomas, m. to Mary -----, died in New London about 1767;  7)  Ann, m. to
>John McClenachan, of New London.  (There is more on the off-spring of
>these children, if anyone is interested.)
>
>(I wonder if Susannah McCane came to New London with Robert Finney and
>his family, since it seems they all came about 1720.)
>
>********
>
>There is a lot more in this book, but I will have to go back to the
>Library and dig up more information.  I ran out of time.  I will see
>what else I can find.  The name ‘McKean’ was spelled at least four
>different ways in this book.
>
>Hope this helps put some of the pieces together.
>
>Peggy
>
Delivered-To: jsp@dnai.com
Date: Sun, 01 Feb 1998 11:50:26 -0600
From: Dave & Peggy Goehring <drgoeh@swbell.net>
Reply-To: drgoeh@swbell.net
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win95; U)
Subject: Thomas McKean Will

Hi group,
For those of you who may be intested, I have included the Will of Thomas
McKean (TS).  I have a microfilmed copy of a hand written version that
is very, very hard to read.  I also have a typed copy that has small
letters and is sort of blurry.  I have retyped this in Microsoft Word
and have copied it into this message.  I wrote it just as it was.  There
are some mispellings, etc.  There are a lot of family names included in
it and the location of the land he owned, which was a lot.  I got these
copies from the Court House in Beaver Co., PA.  It is strange that it
was not filed there until 1915, one hundred years after the will was
written.

Peggy
 
 

                                     LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.
                                          CERTIFIED COPY.
THOMAS McKEAN--------------------------------LATE
OF---------------------------------PHILADELPHIA
                                   REGISTERED FEBRUARY 27, 1915

 
 Be it remembered that I, Thomas McKean of the City of Philadelphia in
the state of Pennsylvania having passed my eightieth year and being in
good health & of perfect mind memory and understanding do, this
thirteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and fourteen and of the independence of the United States of
America the thirty ninth, make this my last Will and Testament in manner
following.
 I desire that my body may be buried in the most convenient cemetery or
burying ground, at the discretion of my executors, that my funeral may
be decent but not expensive; and that none of my family wear any
mourning for me unless such as was practised  by the Congress during the
war between the United States and Great Britain as I have survived the
usual term of human existence as for my temporal estate & property I
give devise and bequeath the same in manner & form following.
 First I give devise & bequeath to my wife Sarah her selection or choice
of my household furniture to the value of one thousand dollars on the
appraisement and six hundred dollars a year during her natural life, to
be paid to her in half yearly payments on the tenth day of January and
the tenth day of July the first payment to be made on the first of said
days that shall occur next after my decease.  I further devise unto my
said wife my house and log, with the appurtenances, is the village of
Holmesburgh during her natural life, which shall be in lieu and full
satisfaction of  her dower and of all claims & demands against my estate
real and personal and whereas I have at different times advanced to each
of my children portions of my Property amounting in the whole to about
forty thousand dollars, I do hereby remit, release and discharge them
severally from the same forever.  Also I give and devise to my son
Joseph Borden McKean my mansion house in the City of Philadelphia and
all the land thereto adjoining bounded on Third Street, Union & Pine
streets with the appurtenances, thereunto belonging, and a rent charge
of eight dollars a year from a house & lot of Mrs. Mary Rogers, having
been originally part of the premises hereby devised, to hold to the said
Joseph B. McKean his heirs & assigns forever; subject to the rent charge
due to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, and also to John
Grardom, and charged with three hundred dollars a year, being a moiety
of the annual sum bequeathed to my wife during her life in lieu of dower
to be paid in half yearly payments as aforesaid.  I do further give &
bequeath to my said son my share in the Union Library of Philadelphia my
picture in the Hall of my mansion house, also my Gold headed cane, my
steel seal having my coat of arms cut thereon, my family Bible with a
cover thereon wrought by his mother and my notes of cases in law,
letters and manuscripts whatsoever.  Also I give and devise to my grand
daughter Mary McKean, only child of my second son Robert McKean,
deceased all that house & lot in Holmesburgh in the county of
Philidelphia which I purchased of Doctor Thomas Jones with the
appurtenances; to hold to the said Mary, her heirs & assigns forever,
subject to the life estate devised to my wife, but free & exempt from
all lieus & incumbrances whatsoever.  Also I give, devise & bequeath
unto Andrew Petit, who intermarried with my Daughter Elizabeth deceased,
and by her had born four sons & daughters, in trust for my said grand
children, all those eleven tracts of land, lying contigous to each
other, situate on Brush creek or run in Beaver county, patented in my
name and containing two thousand two hundred acres, besides the
allowance of six per centum for roads & c. to have and to hold to him &
his heirs in trust for his said children and their heirs & assigns
forever, as tenants in common.
 I do further give & devise to my said son in law the following rents
charge on ground rents reserved out of the lots of land situate on Sixth
street in the City of Philadelphia between spruce street & the
Pottersfield, to wit, a lot now held by Henry C. Brolasky annually
ninety two dollars another by Robert Pullen, a corner lot of sixth &
Locust streets one hundred & fourteen dollars & seventeen cents; another
by Jonathan Trusty thirty six dollars & thirty two cents; another by the
devises or heirs of  Stephen Laws thirty four dollars & fifty eight
cents and another by Patrick Delany thirty four dollars & fifty eight
cents; another by Richard Howell thirty four dollars & fifty eight
cents; the four last mentioned lots being situate on Locust street,
opposite the Pottersfield; to hold to him during his natural life, and
after his death to his present eight children or their representatives
and their heirs as tenants in common.  Also I give and devise to my
daughter Loetitia Buchanan the widow of Doctor George Buchanan & to her
heirs & assigns all that body or parcel of land situate on the river
Ohio in Beaver county aforesaid near Logstown, consisting of six
contiguous tracts and containing one thousand five hundred & eighty
acres, and also a plantation or tract of land called Pottersfield,
situate in Hairres’s township Penna valley in the now county of Centre
and containing by patent 384 and 154 perches, but actually 407a &
upwards besides an allowance of six per centum for roads & c. which
ought not to be sold for less than forty dollars an acre, being land of
the very first quality; to hold to the said Letitia Buchanan, her heirs
& assigns forever; as I have great confidence she will sell no more than
may be necessary for the maintainance  of herself and children and the
education of the letter; and that she will dispose of the remainder
justly among her children.
 Also I give and devise to Joseph B. McKean, in trust & for the sole use
of Susanna, Mary, Thomas McKean and Anne Buchanan, the four children of
my daughter Anne Buchanan deceased, the following tracts of land, being
part of the depreciation lands, on the north west of the River Ohio, to
wit, a tract in James Cunningham’s district numbered 59 called
Resolution and in William Alexander’s district numbered 100 called
Bordentown, 101 called Independence 133 called New London and number 134
called Borden, all formerly in the county of Alleghany and containing in
the whole about one thousand one hundred and sixteen acres, with the
addition of six per centum for roads & c. and of their heirs & assigns
forever as tenants in common.
 I do further devise in trust as aforesaid for the use of my said four
grand children, the tract of land in Hanover township in the County of
Luzerne, about five miles from Wilksbarre, which I had patented in the
name of their mother Anne, containing four hundred & four acres with the
allowance of six per centum for roads & c. and afterwards sold by the
Commissioners of that county & conveyed to me by the Sheriff in 1807 to
hold to the said Joseph B. McKean in trust for their use as tenants in
common.  And I do further bequeath to the said children of my daughter
Anne the sum of three thousand dollars, to be equally divided between
them and to be paid to them respectively as they severally attain the
age of twenty one years; the interest thereof to commence immediately
after my decease, & to be appropriated to the maintenance & education of
my said Grand-children, or of such of them as shall most need the same,
at the discretion of their Uncle Joseph & Aunt Letitia & the survivor of
them.  Also I do give devise & confirm unto my daughter Sarah Maria
Theresa, Marchiones De casa Yrojo those eight tracts of land situate on
the waters of little Sewickly creek in the township of Ohio and county
of Allegheny in Braden’s district, numbered 107, 108, 109, 110, 111,
112, 114, & 115 and containing two thousand two hundred & sixty six
acres and fifty two perches; to hold to her, her heirs & assigns
forever, besides six acres to every hundred acres additional for roads &
c.  Also I give & devise to my son Thomas McKean all that messuage and
plantation called Chatham, containing three hundred and ninety-two acres
strict measure, of land, with the appurtenances, situate in London grove
township and County of Chester, together with six acres of land growing
Chestnut wood, about three miles westward of the afsd messuage on the
turnpike road leading from thence to Lancaster, which was conveyed to me
by David Kinkrad to hold to him my said son Thomas McKean his heirs and
assigns forever; subject to and charged with an hundred and fifty
dollars annually to my wife and payable in moieties half yearly as
aforesaid.  And I further give and bequeath to my said son Thomas my
silver hilted small sword, my stock, knee & shoe Buckles, silver spurrs
and wearing apparel & appendages to my person together with my folio hot
press Bible.  Also, I give and devise unto my daughter Sophia Dorothea
four tracts of land situate on Bakers mill run in Bal Eagle township and
County of Centre, being on the south side of Susquehanna & about two
miles from the same, containing One thousand six-hundred & eighty four
acres and thirty two Perches besides an allowance of six acres per
centum for roads &c to hold to her and her heirs & assigns forever.  I
do further give & devise to my said daughter Sophia Dorothea two lots of
land situate on the north side of Spruce street between sixth and
seventh streets in the City of Philadelphia, numbered in the plan 5 & 6
being each in width of Spruce Street twenty four feet & nine inches and
in depth North to Locust street two hundred and twenty nine feet which I
have granted in fee, subject to rents charge on ground rents amounting
together to three hundred & fifty eight dollars & eighty seven cents
annually, payable half yearly clear of all taxes &c. with the said
rents-charge and all my estate therein & thereto to hold to her and her
heirs & assigns forever.  I give to my said daughter two thousand
dollars.  Also, I give and devise unto my grandson Samuel Miles McKean
all that plantation called Mount Equity containing about three hundred
acres, with the usual allowance &c. situate in the County of McKean to
hold to him, his heirs & assigns forever.  And I do further give and
devise unto the four children before named of my daughter Ann Buchanan
the rents charge reserved out of lots on the West side of Sixth street
between Locust & Spruce streets in the City of Philadelphia, now held by
Thomas Powell Vizer & John Armstrong, the former being sixty one dollars
& thirty three cents annually and the latter fifty seven dollars & fifty
cents, payable in moities half yearly; to have and to hold to them,
their heirs & assigns forever.  Also I do hereby authorize and impower
my executor hereinafter named & the survivors and survivor of them, or
of such of them as shall take upon themselves or himself the burthen of
the execution of this my will to sell and dispose at public auction or
otherwise for the highest & best prices that can be obtained for the
same in ready money or otherwise all those my messuages, lands,
tenements & hereditaments  following, to wit, about five acres of
meadow, situate on Logan street in Penn township in the County of
Philidelphia near four miles from the city, and a tract of land
containing four hundred and forty acres, adjoining the farm of John
Alston & others, also a messuage & tract of land containing one hundred
& fifty two acres on the Northwest Branch of Duck creek both tracts in
Appoquinimink hundred county of New Castle and State of Delaware, and
all other my real estate not hereby specifically devised; and to execute
deeds or conveyances for all my estate, right, title and interest in the
same to the purchasers, and likewise for such lands as I may sell & not
convey in my lifetime.  I further authorize my executors to sell my
goods and chattels at public auction or otherwise to the best advantage,
except such articles as shall be taken by my wife to the value of one
thousand dollars agreeably to my bequest to her; and I do impower them
to pay all my lawful debts and such as they shall deem just & the
several legacies hereinbefore bequeathed together with a fourth part of
the six hundred dollars a year bequeathed to my wife as aforesaid out of
the produce of my estate real and personal, whether in money, bank stock
public or private securities.  All the rest of my estate real & personal
I give devise & bequeath to my grandchildren Thomas McKean Pettit,
McKean Buchanan, Thomas McKean Buchanan, Charles Ferdinand de Yrujo and
Henry Pratt McKean and their heirs and assigns forever, as tenants in
common.  And lastly I do hereby nominate and appoint my son Joseph B.
McKean my son in law Andrew Pettit & my son Thomas McKean executors of
this my testament & last will, and for their care and pain in the
execution thereof I give & bequeath to every of them two hundred
dollars.  To conclude I appoint & constitute my son Joseph B. guardian
of the children of my daughter Anne deceased and my daughter Loetitia
guardian of her children and my son in law Andrew Pettit guardian of his
children and my son guardian of his son Henry Pratt; to care of direct &
manage the estate & property herein devised and bequeathed to them
respectively until they shall severally arrive at the age of twenty one
years.  In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day
and year first above written.

        Thos. McKean (      )

With thanks to Peggy Goehring for this Information.

To return to the  McKean family, web page entry section, click here 
 
 

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