This is the transcription of a letter from my g-grand aunt Jennie (Hill) Long to her cousin and fellow McKee family researcher James O. McKee, Jr. The first letter dated two months earlier is published HERE. (click to enlarge) --
El Dorado, Kansas
July 24, 1966
Dear Cousin:
Im sure I've received all your data, even tho i've been out of town. Many years ago I tried to identify all 11 McKee Brothers. Some encouragement from solicited lines I believe I have the most of them in written notes. In the interim I had mother 15 years and my gr-son (whose father died) 4 years. My notes are in various places. My trouble is, I loan magazines and other data and its sometimes returned some months later. I got discouraged and stopped trying. a Mr. & Mrs. Dick Woodward, here, both Attys are interested in research, one of her ancestors is a Dillon McKee. I discontinued my subscriptions to most of the magazines and you contacted me thru Washington Genealogy and History. I got Guians War data and become a member on his line I had to have his wife's name and data so I sent to G & H. A Miss Mary Dea Carter of Danville, Ill., wrote me, She's a D.A.R., and had a Vermillion County, Ill History, she copied Williams record for me. I was born in that part of Vermillion County that became Ford County, Ill, Well, a Mrs. J.W. Nagge of Emporia Kansas contacted me as her Gr-mother was Abigail (McKee) Hutsonpillar, was daughter of William McKee, and wanted Guian's Military record as she was joining D.A.R. Her husband had to go to Army. Her parents lived in Denver, had a lumber yard. Name was Hughes. we corresponded all the time. Parents dec'd and they run the yard. Then there is a Gertrude Perishes at Douglas Kansas a dec'd of Samuel McKee of Kentucky. I'm enclosing some very precious letters you may copy and return to me. My typewriter is out due to 3 generations of use. Do you have photostatic reproduction near you? If so, photostatic them. I feel that Guian, Jnr., was married 3 times. He was very stoop shouldered from carrying a load. He and Mary Hays had 2 children, Wm. (Billie) McKee, my grandfather, and Susanna (McKee) Lamphere. I have a letter from William and Hester Adams McKee, about her son, for Gr-pa to come and get us, she had passed away. Anyway Wm (Billie) McKee, said his father died and his step mother was a mule driver and he just walked off and never looked back. He never corresponded with Ky. Susanna Lampheres husband was once living in Peoria, Ill. Census might tell us something. I feel if Abigail Lane was born in England the family could have been Quakers. We should be able to get a History, Guian McKee, Snr., had frozen feet at Valley Forge. Hunt Pa records for confiscated estates, maybe reason he had 100 acres by 1788. Rather early for Soldiers given land. Somewhere I have "Your Family Tree'" giving the year he (Guian McKee, Snr) came to Pennsylvania, and the name of the man who took him to work his passage over, and I've a letter from Mary D. Carter of John McKee, at Danville and across the line in Indiana, and a Lela welch of K.C., Mo., her mother a McKee of Kentucky, Murdered and her brother accused. Hope I've helped you. Return the Letters.
very sincerely,
/s/ Jennie M. Long
Note: Jennie was about 90 years when this letter was written. She died in August 1968. She had been working on our McKee Line for more than thirty years. (J.O.M.)I have the same problems with this letter as I did the previous one I posted. Jennie was an incredible family historian! But without her records I have to treat most of these anecdotes as "clues" and not facts. I hope they prove true! A few of them already have. But I need to find the proof for all of them.
Copyright © 2014 by Kevin W. Walker
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