robertmackayclan

Here is a segment from the notes of the Gedcom file regarding Robert Mackay Sr. that I gleaned.

You'll probably note a few errors present. I will elaborate on the ones I'm aware of.

Dee Ann & others, could you take a look at this and see if you spot any.

I'm going to try and provide the correct info. whereever possible.

---------------------------------------------

"Robert was probably born in the 1680's, it has been claimed near Belfast, Ireland. He apparently sailed for America about 1700-1710. He was probably Scottish, and may have been born in Scotland instead of Ireland. It has been said that he settled first in Freehold, Nonmouth County, New Jersey."

>>>My response

That alleged Belfast, Ireland birthplace came from the Funsten-Meade Genealogy. To my knowledge there isn't any actual proof he was born in Scotland or Ireland or that he sailed for America. He could have easily been born in North America and his father could have been the immigrant. His parents' names are unknown to me at this time.

>>>

"By 1722 he was a Quaker and attended the Nottingham Monthly Meeting. It seems likely that he was not a Quaker when he first arrived in America. He probably married in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, about 1700-1705, Ann Brown. It is not known who Antis' parents were, but it seems very likely that her father was Willam Brown.
William Brown lived in Nottingham at the same time that Robert McKay did. His second wife, who would be the most likely wife to be the mother of Ann, was also named Ann. William had a brother named James who was also in Nottingham, but the children of James have been identified and Ann does not appear among them I realize that Brown is a common name, but the known proximity to Robert McKay, the fact that his children would have been of the right age, and that the second wife was named Ann it seems to me that William probably was the father of Ann."

>>>My response

Just because they (Mackay & Brown) lived in the same area doesn't necessarily make it so. We have to look at facts. I'm not going to be satisfied unless I can see an actual document that names one of William Brown's children as Ann and with some certainty that it's the same Ann who married our Robert.

>>>

"In 1727 "Robert McKay was overtaken with liquor about the middle of last third month. He (John Mendenhall) hath drawn up a paper condemning it and is ordered to be present at the reading of it at the house of Stephen Hollingsworth where the offense was committed."

>>>My response:

This is actually Robert Mackay Jr. who did have a problem with alcohol. Do you think that if it were Robert Sr. that people would still look up to him as a pillar of the community?

>>>

"In 1731 Robert was involved in the land patent with Joist Hite, where they were given 100,000 acres by the Governor of Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley, in Frederick County. Joist Hite was the Palatine leader often referred to as the Baron of the Shenandoah. The condition of the grant was that they would settle 100 families on the land within four years, which led to the early settlement of the Quakers and Palatines in the Valley."

>>>My response:

This did happen but I'm not really sure if Joist Hite was referred to as the "Baron of the Shenandoah Valley". That's new to me.

>>>

"They set out by 1732, when Robert built a house that still exist. The following historical marker stands off route 340 in present day Warren County, Virginia
A Marker says:
The McKay Home
A SHORT DISTANCE WEST AT CEDARVILLE
STANDS THE OLD HOME OF THE PIONEER
REBERT McKAY, BUILT OF WALNUT LOGS
IT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST HOUSES IN THE
VALLEY. IN 1731 JOIST HITE, ROBERT
McKAY AND OTHERS RECEIVED A GRANT OF
100,000 ACRES. HITE SETTLED ON THE
OPEQUON AND McKAY ON THIS PLACE AT
CROOKED RUN. THESE MEN OPENED THE
VALLEY TO SUCCEEDING SETTLERS."

>>>My response:

This marker is actually slightly wrong. The house being referred to is the Robert Mackay JUNIOR house. From what I understand none of Robert Mackay Sr.'s houses are standing. I've seen the house many times because I live in the region but I have never been inside. The sign was erected by cousin John W. Rust many years ago.

>>>

"Hite vividly described how they were 'obliged to live in their wagons till they built some small huts to shelter themselves from the inclemency of the weather; and so far distant from any settlement but especially from any such as could supply them with provisions or necessaries, they could scarce procure any one thing nearer than Pennsylvania or Fredericksburg."'

>>>My response:

Don't really know much about Jost Hite's family history so I can't really comment on this part.

>>>

By 1736 there were fifty-four families on the 100,000 acres. In 1739 Robert McKay and his partners secured a tract of 7,009 acres on Linvilie Creek, in present day Rockingham County. In 1749 Joist Hite filled a complaint against Lord Fairfax, which was part of a dispute over the land grant between the partners and Lord Fairfax that would last for years."

>>>My response:

This became known as the Fairfax Land Suit which dragged on for years. Dee Ann Buck has for sale a complete transcription of the entire Fairfax Land Suit in book form that was done by the late Hunter Branson McKay.

>>>

"Robert died in Virginia in 1752. Ann apparently died before him as he married, second, Mary and third, Margaret. It is believed that Ann is the mother of all his children."

>>>My response:

This part is true. The marriage records of some of the children and Robert's will show the order in which he married these three women. As far as I know Ann is the mother of the children. No one has proven anything otherwise to my understanding.

Since we know people are just taking off information from the L.D.S. computer bank, without checking, and placing the same on their web site, just the following errors dealing with the children of Robert Sr.

1. "we" really do not know where his children were born, so we should leave the space empty on computer form. If we place a question mark in the space, the next person who receives the information might decide to remove the ?, making your opinion--fact.

2. his daughter Margaret was married twice according to L.D.S. computer bank to: George Robinson & G.F. Chester.

3. his son Zachariah was married twice: Lydia Whitson & Lydia Wilson. I know where the surname Whitson came from--Job/Jobe Journal; for I had letters exchanged with the late Bill Jobe. He misread a letter from Katherine Reynolds to Hunter B. McKay. There has never been any evidence that Whitson was the maiden name of Zachariah's wife Lydia. It was his nephew Jeremiah McKay who married Lydia Whitson; original documents prove that union. What do researchers have to prove the same about Zachariah's marriage ?

There are errors placed in the L.D.S. computer bank on my direct line from Robert Mackay Sr. down to my grandmother Daisy Love McKay. The mistakes that I have tracted down all came from researchers using Job/Jobe Journal as an original source. If they had read the instructions in the L.D.S. pamphlet, we were told just to place information in the system on our direct line for which we had original documentation. The Job/Jobe Journal or any other family newsletter, is fun to read, but are not original sources.

This all goes back to what I said earlier in that our info. is only as good as the sources in which we use.

Unfortunately many folks think that something in print automatically has to be true.

I'm not sure where Bill Jobe got his info. but people have to take into consideration when something is printed in one of our family newsletters it may only indicate the info. that people have at that particular time. Some of which may even be unreliable but isn't found out until many years later.

It would be the same thing as taking what Cousin Hunter B. McKay wrote in his notes as undisputed fact when years later it's discovered he was in error in that particular area. Which was often the case, particularly with our Sowers family. Basically it should have been looked on as "it's a start but not the completed project".

If Bill Jobe were alive today and still publishing the Jobe Journal he might be printing up articles correcting some of the mistakes present in the earlier editions. Or, perhaps someone else can take on the task of reviving Jobe Journal and do just that. Finding the original documents and either proving or disproving what was in the editions of the Jobe Journal.

It's a thought but nonetheless I'm confident that the errors will be corrected some day and the misinformation that has been circulated will be put to rest once and for all.

Here is a segment from the notes of the Gedcom file regarding Robert Mackay Sr. that I gleaned.

You'll probably note a few errors present. I will elaborate on the ones I'm aware of.

Dee Ann & others, could you take a look at this and see if you spot any.

I'm going to try and provide the correct info. whereever possible.

---------------------------------------------

"Robert was probably born in the 1680's, it has been claimed near Belfast, Ireland. He apparently sailed for America about 1700-1710. He was probably Scottish, and may have been born in Scotland instead of Ireland. It has been said that he settled first in Freehold, Nonmouth County, New Jersey."

>>>My response

That alleged Belfast, Ireland birthplace came from the Funsten-Meade Genealogy. To my knowledge there isn't any actual proof he was born in Scotland or Ireland or that he sailed for America. He could have easily been born in North America and his father could have been the immigrant. His parents' names are unknown to me at this time.

>>>

"By 1722 he was a Quaker and attended the Nottingham Monthly Meeting. It seems likely that he was not a Quaker when he first arrived in America. He probably married in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, about 1700-1705, Ann Brown. It is not known who Antis' parents were, but it seems very likely that her father was Willam Brown.
William Brown lived in Nottingham at the same time that Robert McKay did. His second wife, who would be the most likely wife to be the mother of Ann, was also named Ann. William had a brother named James who was also in Nottingham, but the children of James have been identified and Ann does not appear among them I realize that Brown is a common name, but the known proximity to Robert McKay, the fact that his children would have been of the right age, and that the second wife was named Ann it seems to me that William probably was the father of Ann."

>>>My response

Just because they (Mackay & Brown) lived in the same area doesn't necessarily make it so. We have to look at facts. I'm not going to be satisfied unless I can see an actual document that names one of William Brown's children as Ann and with some certainty that it's the same Ann who married our Robert.

>>>

"In 1727 "Robert McKay was overtaken with liquor about the middle of last third month. He (John Mendenhall) hath drawn up a paper condemning it and is ordered to be present at the reading of it at the house of Stephen Hollingsworth where the offense was committed."

>>>My response:

This is actually Robert Mackay Jr. who did have a problem with alcohol. Do you think that if it were Robert Sr. that people would still look up to him as a pillar of the community?

>>>

"In 1731 Robert was involved in the land patent with Joist Hite, where they were given 100,000 acres by the Governor of Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley, in Frederick County. Joist Hite was the Palatine leader often referred to as the Baron of the Shenandoah. The condition of the grant was that they would settle 100 families on the land within four years, which led to the early settlement of the Quakers and Palatines in the Valley."

>>>My response:

This did happen but I'm not really sure if Joist Hite was referred to as the "Baron of the Shenandoah Valley". That's new to me.

>>>

"They set out by 1732, when Robert built a house that still exist. The following historical marker stands off route 340 in present day Warren County, Virginia
A Marker says:
The McKay Home
A SHORT DISTANCE WEST AT CEDARVILLE
STANDS THE OLD HOME OF THE PIONEER
REBERT McKAY, BUILT OF WALNUT LOGS
IT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST HOUSES IN THE
VALLEY. IN 1731 JOIST HITE, ROBERT
McKAY AND OTHERS RECEIVED A GRANT OF
100,000 ACRES. HITE SETTLED ON THE
OPEQUON AND McKAY ON THIS PLACE AT
CROOKED RUN. THESE MEN OPENED THE
VALLEY TO SUCCEEDING SETTLERS."

>>>My response:

This marker is actually slightly wrong. The house being referred to is the Robert Mackay JUNIOR house. From what I understand none of Robert Mackay Sr.'s houses are standing. I've seen the house many times because I live in the region but I have never been inside. The sign was erected by cousin John W. Rust many years ago.

>>>

"Hite vividly described how they were 'obliged to live in their wagons till they built some small huts to shelter themselves from the inclemency of the weather; and so far distant from any settlement but especially from any such as could supply them with provisions or necessaries, they could scarce procure any one thing nearer than Pennsylvania or Fredericksburg."'

>>>My response:

Don't really know much about Jost Hite's family history so I can't really comment on this part.

>>>

By 1736 there were fifty-four families on the 100,000 acres. In 1739 Robert McKay and his partners secured a tract of 7,009 acres on Linvilie Creek, in present day Rockingham County. In 1749 Joist Hite filled a complaint against Lord Fairfax, which was part of a dispute over the land grant between the partners and Lord Fairfax that would last for years."

>>>My response:

This became known as the Fairfax Land Suit which dragged on for years. Dee Ann Buck has for sale a complete transcription of the entire Fairfax Land Suit in book form that was done by the late Hunter Branson McKay.

>>>

"Robert died in Virginia in 1752. Ann apparently died before him as he married, second, Mary and third, Margaret. It is believed that Ann is the mother of all his children."

>>>My response:

This part is true. The marriage records of some of the children and Robert's will show the order in which he married these three women. As far as I know Ann is the mother of the children. No one has proven anything otherwise to my understanding.

Ireland it would appear to the place when people do not know where some one was born give IRELAND.

A number of researchers have place the birth place of Wm. Kerfoot as Ireland and assign to him a father and the false information about his wife as Mary Margaret Carter.

When you put information on line, people are going to ask where you got the information.