robertmackayclan

What we now know about Robert's life in NJ to PA/MD

1. 1705/06 Robert Witness a land deed filed in Middlesex Co. NJ, which now we can locate him that early in Freehold, Monmouth Co. NJ. This also means most likley his children born in NJ.

2. 1714 Robert took an oath in connection with the above land deed, which now we have to look for him not in Quaker records of NJ and beyond, but another religious groups or perhaps he did not belong to any group. I will check mostly civil records. Most likely his first marriage was not Quaker and perhaps not his second as well.

3. 1715 he is still in NJ for not listed on the Nottingham Twp Tax List

4. 1721 Robert on Chester Co. PA Tax list, adjoining lands held by Jobe & Hollingsworth. Both are Quakers.

5. 1723 purchased lands in this area of PA now MD

6. 1725/26 his daughter Mary MacKay married George Robinson in MD, remember his daughter signed the document as Robinson. Robert's second wife at his time was Mary MacKay, both he and his wife Quaker by this time.

7. 1729 Robert listed on East Nottingham Tax List

8. 1730 Robert's daughter Margaret McKay married Joshua Jobe, remember his daughter signed the record as Jobe. According to this record Robert's third wife Margaret McKay. If the same Margaret she out lived her husband.

9. 1730 Robert sold his lands in PA/MD

I'm wondering if Margaret was a Quaker when she married Robert Mackay Sr.

I have a little blurb at the end of my online account on Robert Mackay Sr.

http://www.geocities.com/mckyrbnsn/lines/mackay/

It came from Sarah McKay Smith who did some considerable research on the family during her lifetime. Apparently she didn't know who the Quaker woman was.

It could be this is the reason we never found any marriage records for Robert. Margaret apparently outlived him as she was mentioned in a codicil to his Last Will & Testament.

We know of all three wives and their order of succession from the marriage certificates of Robert's children.

Maybe one of their stepmothers was a Quakeress and all of the children converted when their father did.

Just a thought.

In the past family researchers have labored under the assumption that families traveled together in groups. Which I think is the correct postion. The next step you need to do is identify which group your ancestors belonged. We have not been able to establish before PA the surname MacKay associated with other Quaker communties.

The question--not addressed by Hunter and others, did Robert leave NJ for PA by himself ? I do not think it would be reasonable that he did.

I think the answer is he belonged to the group of Presbyterian families that removed down from MA to NJ and then later removed as a group to Cecil Co. MD/Nottingham Meeting House area and some then removed down into Frederick Co. VA.

Looking through Hopewell Friends Marriages I see some of the same surnames in that location as appear on the listing of prisoners transported to Boston, MA in 1652: Taylor, Jackson, Thompson, Hogg, MacPherson, Wilson, Moore, Ross, O'Neal, McConnell & MacKay. The question has been asked "How could Robert MacKay a Scotman become a peaceful Quaker ?" Well this question could be asked of all the other Scottish surname listed in Hopewell Friends. There are other Scottish surname: Anderson, Buchanan, Campbell, Craig, Gordon, Hamilton, Hudson, Ingles, Johnston, MacKean, Roy, Sutherford, Moore & Wallace which appear in the early Frederick Co. VA land deeds, all of their surname appear on the Prisoners List from Battle of Worchester.

I hope next week a new batch of film will arrive at the L.D.S. library, I will be looking not only for Mackay but evidence of all the above surnames. I have already noted that a Patrick Inglis of MA purchased land in early Freedhold area. Two Ingles: James & Patrick were prisoners transported in the ship "John and Sarah of London" landed Boston, MA 13 Feb 1652.

There is also a book entitled "NJ Descendants of Mayflower Families". I have not found any MacKay, but I will be in the future looking for some of the above surnames. I did find a John Mackay in MA 1750's that did marry a Mayflower descendant. I need to check those book at Fairfax Public Library for the above surnames. The point being to see movement down from MA into NJ.

I hope to know more about my theory by the end of the month. In any case the key to the parentage of Robert Mackay must be found in NJ. I do not recall any professional historians (published works) or any of our family historian putting forward this theory of the original of Robert Mackay, perhaps this is why since 1927 Hunter B. McKay looked in vain.