JOHN
McKEE and the CUNNINGHAMs
John
McKEE (12/29/1783 Abbeville Co, SC
- 5/2/1864 Dixon, Miss.)
1. John MCKEE was born 29 Dec 1783 in Abbeville Co, SC to Adam and Jean (Dixon) McKee. He married Margaret Cunningham 28 May 1811. Their children were:
Adam Dixon
McKee born 9 Apr 1812 in SC and died 28 Jun 1884
Francis Madison McKee born 28 Feb 1814 in SC
and died 1895
Andrew Addison McKee born 19 Feb 1816 in SC
and died 25 Apr 1848 in Polk Co, TX
Elizabeth C. McKee born 6 May 1818 in SC
Margaret Lucindia Vashrie McKee born 25 25
Oct 1820 in SC, died 1903
Mary Jane Amanda McKee born 20 Mar 1822 in
SC, died 16 Aug 1844 in Neshoba, MS
Taliatha McKee born 1830 in SC, died before
1915
John McKee Jr born about 1831 in SC
Frances A. McKee born 17 Mar 1831, died 16
Aug 1854
Martha Ann McKee born 22 Nov 1833 (SC or
MS), died 22 Nov 1833.
John McKee died 2 May 1864 in Dixon., Neshoba Co , MS and was buried in Morrow Cemetery.
JOHN McKEE married MARGARET CUNNINGHAM 28 May 1811 and they had ten children:
Margaret CUNNINGHAM is believed to have been a daughter of Francis CUNNINGHAM who settled on the North fork of Brush Creek (flowing into the Saluda River). As with many marriages in the SC Highlands during that period, no "public record" is available but the marriage was presumably either in Abbeville or Kershaw County. Some researchers believed John was listed on the 1820 census for Kershaw County but went back in Abbeville County by 1830. However the John McKee of Kershaw County seems to track differently and not be "our" McKee sibling. I am more inclined to believe that the 1820 census taker missed some people, including both the John McKee family and the family of Michael's son William. Other possible explanations might be that John was the brother a Missouri tradition holds accompanied Michael & William Seth, took one look at the Missouri wilderness and turned back for the old home. Or he might have gone across the river into Georgia to check out prospects there. Census records are not available for either Missouri or Georgia in 1820. Whatever the explanation we know he was around when his brother Adam Jr died and that he was in Abbeville County for the 1830 census enumeration. Family records, tombstones, etc. provide precise birth dates for most of the children:
Adam Dixon McKEE
9 Apr 1812
Francis Madison McKEE
28 Feb 1814
Andrew Addison McKEE
19 Feb 1816
Elizabeth C. McKEE
6
May 1818
Margaret Lucinda McKEE 25 Oct 1820
Mary Jane Amanda McKEE 20 Mar 1822
Taliatha McKEE
during 1830
John McKEE Jr
about 1831
Frances A. McKEE
17 Mar 1831
Martha Ann McKEE
22 Nov 1833
The 1830 census for Abbeville County (page 3) listed:
JOHN
McKEE
1012001-112001
William McIlwain
100001-10001
WILLIAM McKEE
010001-10001 (this was
the son of John's brother Michael)
Logan CUNNINGHAM
20002-00001 ( John's
brother-in-law)
Robert Logan Cunningham was born 7/13/1801 in Abbeville Co, SC and died 3/11/1892 (information from descendent Dan Cunningham on GenForum. The place of death not on
John married Margaret CUNNINGHAM, daughter of Francis CUNNINGHAM and Mary CUNNINGHAM, on 28 May 1811 in , Abbeville, SC, [?]. Margaret was born 7 Sep 1791 in , SC. She died 10 Mar 1878 in Dixon, Neshoba, MS and was buried in Morrow Cemetery Descendents tentatively identified Margaret's father as Francis CUNNINGHAM who settled on the N fork of Brush Creek [of Saluda River] in 1791. ..Note also that David CUNNINGHAM who died 1793-7 [ABVL20-417] had a daughter named Margaret [youngest?]; extract of his widows will [106-2746] in 1817 showed mar. surnames for oth.daughters but didn't pick up Margaret.
JOHN McKEE, the 7th child/4th son of ADAM McKEE, went to Neshoba County, Mississippi during the 1830s and descendents later continued continued on to Texas.