Introduction by Barry
I was contacted recently by Jo (McKee) and Van McKee, Auckland, New Zealand, who had both done Autosomal DNA tests and were looking at their McKee matches. Recent photo at right.
Jo got a DNA match with McKeesport McKees which did not surprise her as her family was descended from a John McKee in Coleraine, Co. Londonderry. The Early History of McKeesport is now available on this website.
Van McKee got a DNA match with a family of William and Samuel McKee, Drumhome, Co. Donegal.
Our Deb (McKee) Sutherland and two of her cousins have also done Autosomal DNA tests but in comparing these DNA results, I saw no default matches though there were possible connections when I relaxed the matching criteria.
But I got excited about Van’s Drumhome connection because I have recently been copying Kevin’s McKee Webpages here. Kevin had traced his family back to a William McKee, Ballybulgan, Drumhome, Co Donegal, with children Sarah, Robert, Samuel, Robert, and George. The Drumhome families of Kevin and Van are no doubt closely related!
I have also been looking at the records from Griffiths Valuation, Drumhome Parish, 1857 and I see 3 McKie families listed along with 8 McKie families. Note that many of these were very large landholders – up to 30 acres!
Van McKee says his ancestor arrived in New Zealand in 1860. I googled ship entries and found a William McKie arriving on a ship from Manchester. Would he be Van’s ancestor? The spelling matches Drumhome roots!
I have a New Zealand sub-page Pictures and Maps which includes material from Drumhome and New Zealand – and will be expanded in the future.
Jo adds:
I have a couple of notes on early McKees. When John McKee of Minnigaff, Kirkcudbrightshire, married Jane Mackey from Ireland the two appear, to me, to be second cousins. Jane’s family had been in Ireland for a couple of generations prior. Land grants to McKee had been facilitated by Phillips and the combined Hamilton/Montgomery influences in Northern Ireland. There is much to learn but my study of these early McKees lends weight to their influence in Donegal. When you consider the borders of Donegal and their proximity to Derry at the South it’s clear that one can have a foot in both camps.
My Mother is Irish, she was raised with ten brothers and sisters in Limavady, both my Irish Grandparents were born in Limavady. The narrow stretch of water between Derry on one side and Donegal on the other was the highway of my fisherfolk ancestors. They had ancestral fishing rights on the Foyle. Each week that goes by brings more links to Donegal, either at the Londonderry end or the Moville end. I am entranced by the release of new records. It’s a great time to get involved, well-that’s in comparison to what is was prior, which was tragic. I am a keyboard warrior on this front but happy to offer any small bits of knowledge I have.