ANDREW
ADDISON McKEE (1816-1898)
Andrew Addison McKee was the third child of John and Margaret (Cunningham) McKee and was the Great-Grandfather of Wilbyrn Andrew McKee. He was born 19 Feb 1816 and died .25 Apr 1898. He grew up in Abbeville, SC but during his teen-age years migrated along with his parents and siblings to help establish the trading post which later became the village of Dixon, Missippi (named after his brother Adam Dixon McKee).
On 4 Oct 1836 he married Mary Barnes in Neshoba County so we know that their migration to Mississippi was at least by this date. Mary Barnes, a daughter of James and Tabitha (Hough) Barnes, was born 15 Mar 1817 and died 2 May 1857. Frank Cook, a very competent researcher of the Barnes line, kindly shared with his "McKee Cousins" as we tied down some of the loose ends linking this McKee branch to Adam McKee of Abbeville Co, SC. Parts of Frank's Barnes/McKee narrative are also incorporated in this segment As well as being the "connecting link" to "adopted researching cousin" Frank Cook, Andrew and Mary were.ancesters of "researching cousins" Anna Margaret (Tucker) Stroud and Joanne (McKee) Westmoreland.
. On 5 Oct 1845 Andrew Addison McKee and Mary (Barnes) McKee, their four children, together with his sister, Vashtie, her husband Samuel Hough Barnes and their children withdrew their letters from the New Bethel Presbyterian Church in Dixon, Miss. on Oct 4, 1846 and the following day they and their four young children, accompanied by his sister/ brother-in-law, Vashtie & Samuel Hough Barnes began their long journey to what later became Chester, Tex. In Texas their family would grow from four children to eleven children. According to the Polk County history they "must have been the first people to settle on Wood's Creek..not many miles from Peach Tree Village". There being no Presby. Ch. they soon became leaders in the Mt. Hope Methodist Church, Tyler Co. Mary Barnes McKee died in childbirth of her eleventh child, Andrew Addison McKee Jr. She was the first person to be bu in Midway Cemetery, Polk Co, Tex
..On 10/4/1846 Andrew & Mary withdrew their letters from the New Bethel Presbyterian Church in Dixon, Mississippi. The following day they began their long journey to what became Chester, Texas. In this frontier area there was no Presbyterian church and they soon became leaders in the Mt. Hope Methodist Church in Tyler, Texas. Mary Barnes McKee died in childbirth of their eleventh child and was the first person to be buried in Midway Cemetery
Wilbyrn McKee's family history mentions that Andrew operated a stage coach relay station and kept his horses on a creek called "Horsepen Creek". There is a family tradition that he not only operated the relay station but also drove one of the stage coaches. James Morgan laid off some lots in Polk County which became the town of Morgansville. Andrew bought lots and moved his family to Polk County near the new town. He obtained a post office for the vicinity and became Postmaster for Morgansville. In 1854 the County Commissioners Court appointed Andrew to be Returning Judge of the election box of Big Spring. During the Civil War Andrew was active in county affairs. Shortly before his son John Francis McKee died from wounds received in the Battle of the Wilderness he wrote a letter to the family telling them that socks knitted for his brother-in-law J. "Dick" Treadway arrived too late for Dick was killed in action. The letters were in the possession of a descendent in 1968.
.Their Children were
Martha
Ann MCKEE
(9/17/1837-10/21/1857) m/ S.S.
NOWLIN 11/22/1856.
Mary Jane MCKEE
(4/22/1839-6/16/1841)
John Francis MCKEE
(9/16/1841-5/6/1864) .
(per Hist of Polk Co, JF ."fought
valiantly for four years" ; died in Battle of the Wilderness, VA).
Tabitha MCKEE
(10/21/1843- ) m/ James
M "Jim" PACE in 1866.
Margaret Vashti MCKEE
(2/8/1846
- 12/3/1913 m/ William Henry
"Billy" HARRISON 1/10/1866.
James Madison. MCKEE (3/12/1848- 10/3/1918).
Nancy Lucretia MCKEE
(4/27/1850- ) m/ Hugh
"Dutch" HALES 11/9/1870.
Elender MCKEE
(3/28/1852-4/28/1852).
Sarah Adaline MCKEE (2/18/1855 - 3/14/1870)
William Samuel MCKEE (7/21/1855 - 4/8/1917) m/ Molena
BUTLER on 6/2/1889.
Andrew Addison "Bud" MCKEE Jr. (5/1/1857 - 6/25/1926 m/ Elizabeth Toler MATTHEWS in 1890.